Naman Shrestha
Shea Serrano and Max Searle collaborated to create ‘Neon,’ a musical comedy series that follows three friends — Santi, Ness, and Felix — who share the dream of making it big in the industry of reggaeton. As they begin hustling from the bottom to follow their larger-than-life dreams, the trio of friends are faced with the harsh realities of the music industry. Despite that, they show perseverance and weather every other roadblock that comes their way to succeed in their seemingly impossible quest.
While Tyler Dean Flores portrays the protagonist, Santi, Emma Ferreira and Jordan Mendoza play the role of Santi’s two best friends — Ness and Felix. In supporting roles, several other actors feature in the show, including Courtney Taylor, Santiago Cabrera, Jordana Brewster, Genesis Rodriguez, Zack Fox, and Jhayco. As the main characters move from the small town of Florida to the city of Miami, the transition is captured quite accurately with the shots of bustling beaches and modern cityscape in the backdrop. Thus, if you are interested in knowing where ‘Neon’ is filmed, allow us to fill you in on all the details about the same!
Neon Filming Locations
‘Neon’ is filmed in Florida and Puerto Rico, especially in Miami. According to reports, principal photography for the debut season of the musical series commenced in February 2023 and wrapped up after a couple of months, in April of the same year. Now, without further ado, allow us to take you through all the specific locations while the characters work on making their dreams come true in the Netflix series!
Miami, Florida
Also known as the Magic City, Miami serves as one of the primary production locations for ‘Neon.’ Apart from its towering skyline, the production team also makes the most of several other facilities and features of the city. They supposedly move from one street or neighborhood to the next in search of an ideal backdrop for different sequences, be it indoors or outdoors. In the exterior shots of the city, there is a high possibility that you might spot several local landmarks and attractions in the backdrop, such as Freedom Tower, Brickell Avenue, Port Miami, the Royal Caribbean International headquarters, the Arsht Center, and more.
As far as the interior sequences are concerned, some of them are taped on location inside actual establishments while others are seemingly recorded on a sound stage of one of the film studios located in and around Miami, including M3 Studios, Caldera Films, Film Studio Miami, and EUE/Screen Gems, to name a few. Besides ‘Neon,’ Miami has hosted the production of several film and TV projects over the years. Some of the notable ones are ‘The Bodyguard,’ ‘Rock of Ages,’ ‘Step Up Revolution,’ ‘4 Ever,’ and ‘Rap Sh!t.’
Puerto Rico
A portion of the production of the reggaeton comedy series also takes place in Puerto Rico. According to reports, the cast and crew of the Netflix production also set up camp on the Caribbean island to tape the first installment of the series. It is widely renowned for its breathtaking natural habitat comprising a variety of pristine beaches ranging from white to black, yellow and calcareous sand, stunning bioluminescent bays, palm trees lined streets, year-round sunny weather, and El Yunque National Forest, which is the sole tropical rainforest in the country’s national forest system.
For fans of rich culture and historical architecture, Old San Juan offers an old-world charm with its 500-year-old history, cobblestone streets, vibrant-colored buildings, and stunning ocean views. All of these contribute to the extraordinary beauty of the island, thus making it a hotspot for tourists and filmmakers across the world. Moreover, Puerto Rico is also the homeland of Daddy Yankee, one of the pioneers of reggaeton, who not only makes an appearance but also serves as the Executive Producer of the show. Therefore, it is understandable why the production team of ‘Neon’ chose the tropical paradise as a filming site.
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