It’s hard to believe that people actually think that homes used in the exterior shots of TV shows are ever used in reality. It’s not hard to look this up, but when you’re a kid or you simply don’t care to look then it can possibly mistify a person when it comes to light that the houses being shown aren’t the homes that are being used. There are a few very easy reasons for this, and one is that there’s simply no room for all the equipment that’s needed for filming since a normal home doesn’t have the kind of room that’s needed for everything that’s going to be needed. If a real home was to be used it would look more like a found footage movie than a controlled setting where everything from the lighting to the weather is under the direct observation and control of the crew. It’s simply easier to build multiple sets in a studio that can be used to take on different angles of a home and create the idea that everything is as contained as it can be. If you take the time to notice, in many TV shows there will almost always be a point of view that’s rarely, if ever, seen by the audience, meaning that a set only needs to be half-built considering that the open wall will represent the view that the audience will have of the show.
Some shows will take the time to build multiple sets that represent the same room so the audience can see more of the home and get a better perspective of things, which is useful since it gives a better idea of what the whole home looks like instead of just one particular angle. But the idea of using the homes that are seen from the exterior shot isn’t entirely possible unless one is willing to shoot outside the home. In that case, it’s necessary to get permission obviously, and some homeowners might tend to be sticklers that are difficult to deal with, or they might be nice enough to just let it happen for a decent amount of money since it goes without saying that a lot of people aren’t about to let anyone use their property without paying for it. If the price is too steep though it’s likely that a show will build another set in the studio and do the best they could. This has usually led to some pretty cheap-looking sets in the past, since if anyone remembers what the outdoor scenes in shows like Full House and Married…With Children looked like then they’ll realize that the exterior of the home was only used to set the tone of the show and had little if anything to do with the actual show.
Plus, the idea that some people are willing to let their homes be used is great and all, but there are a lot of considerations to take into account since if anyone has ever watched a TV show it’s very apparent that some shows can get a little rowdy, and the mere fact that having so many people in a home can take a toll on quite a few things is kind of obvious. There are shows in which the actual house has been used, but how this comes about and how it turns out is kind of hard to say since one would hopefully assume that a crew would leave the home the way they found it, if not better. The issue with the amount of room is still a big one, but with the advances in technology that have been coming along it’s been seen as possible to switch up the methods that are being used in order to make this trick work a little better. The sets that have been created are even better since they give the look of being inside a real home with the varied lighting and the very real-looking settings that have all the charm and feel of being inside someone’s private residence. But whether a real home is being used or the sets have become this elaborate is still hard to tell, since some of them do look as though they’re entirely real. It would be unnerving to some to think that someone has been in their home, acting as if they own it, but to others, it would undoubtedly be an honor. All in all, the fact is that most shows will use a real home for exterior shots and will build very impressive sets back at a studio that will conform to what has been seen on TV.
Normally what will be seen on a TV show has been made in a studio, since trying to imagine the equipment and crew members jockeying for space is kind of funny to imagine.
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