Dhruv Trivedi
‘Them’ is an anthology series on Amazon Prime by first-time series creator and writer Little Marvin. Based in the 1950s, during a period known as The Great Migration, the first season of the series follows a Black family as they move from North Carolina to a predominantly White neighborhood in California. However, the Emorys’ new home is far from idyllic, and the family faces malevolent paranormal forces inside their home.
As if that’s not enough, the family members also have to deal with maltreatment from their bigoted neighbors. The show is a stylish period piece that provides social commentary through the horror genre and is aptly based in a culturally popular part of California. Want to know more about where the show is filmed? You’ve come to the right place.
Them Filming Locations
The first season of ‘Them,’ titled ‘Them: Covenant,’ is based in the city of Compton, which, interestingly, given its image in popular culture as a hub for African American art and music, was a predominantly White neighborhood in the 1950s. This revelation was also partly responsible for series creator Little Marvin basing the first season of the show in the historic city.
However, filming to bring Compton of the 1950s to life took place in different parts of Los Angeles County in California. Principal photography for ‘Them’ season 1 started in October 2019 and continued till February 2020, with most of the shooting taking place on location and in the studio. Let’s take a closer look at these filming locations.
Los Angeles County, California
To create an authentic-looking Compton of the 1950s, filmmakers had to use studios in LA for a significant portion of filming. The studios used by the crew are Quixote studios that are located in multiple locations, including West Hollywood and Griffith Park. Filming also took place at the Golden Oak Ranch, also known as the Disney Ranch, which is located less than an hour north of Los Angeles city at 19802 Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall.
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The ranch is a sprawling 890-acre property that was built to provide multiple filming environments within a single location. It contains two state-of-the-art backlots that are set up to look like a business district and a suburban street, respectively, as well as ample outdoor areas. The canyon location of the ranch also allows for filming at odd hours and with high noise creation, but without disturbing anyone.
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Since present-day Compton could not be used for filming, having changed and modernized extensively over the years, filming took place in other neighborhoods of LA County where the modernization was not so obvious. In these cases, the streets were made to look like their vintage selves by changing street lights and signs to how they looked at the time. Apart from that, with a few clever post-production tricks, the Compton of the 1950s was brought back to life.
Read More: Is Amazon’s Them Based on a True Story?
