Why sci-fi alien planets all look the same

There's a reason that a lot of planets in American science fiction look the same: they're all filmed in the same places. But why those particular locations? It's about money, about union rules, and about the thirty-mile zone -- or as it's otherwise known, the TMZ.

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[TomScottGo]

The British equivalent of this is, of course, the Doctor Who Quarry.

[schmobot]

All alien planets have the same gravity as earth

[fryncyaryorvjink]

Reminds me of Austin Powers, "Isn't it amazing how the hills of England look in no way like those of Southern California?"

[b]

Not all alien planets look like places in the Thirty-Mile Zone. A lot of them look like places just outside of Vancouver.

[kaboomer]

I see why Matt stood inside the border the whole time: so you didn't have to pay him to travel there!

[kyozero]

I was half expecting a video abotu why alien planets look the same in the sense that the entire planet is just one gimmick, for instance the desert planet, or the lava planet, or the swamp planet, as opposed to planets with wild and varied ecosystems like earth, but I'm not exactly disappointed to see this either

[SolarPolarMan]

Nice job on the red line. That must have taken a hell of a lot of masking and key framing so it doesn't go on you, along with the tracking.

[Machinaexe]

I'm gonna be real with you, I thought this was gonna be about why writers tend to write planets in the same way despite the vast amount of actual planets to draw inspiration from, and not about the fact that set pieces and shooting locations are reused a lot.

[islandinthesky]

It's important to note that the TMZ extends out from wherever your production office, and therefore, stages, are. For example, I shot a show which had our stages located in Santa Clarita CA for 6 years, which is about 35 miles north of LA, and therefore, outside the "usual" studio zones. This subsequently reoriented OUR zone to Santa Clarita, and on the occasions we shot in Los Angeles, they would have to ironically pay us to drive fewer miles to work.

[ChrisPlaysGamesCPG]

Huh! This doesn't surprise me, but the fact that 'TMZ' gets its name from this zone was a surprising twist to me :)

[maxximumb]

Tom, did you cover up the red shirt on purpose, seeing as you were in Star Trek territory?

[ericjamieson]

There's also the fact that over the years directors and cinematographers have worked out precisely how to film locations in the TMZ. For example, there are other interesting rock formations besides Vasquez Rocks, but if you don't have the budget to spend time figuring out where to put your cameras and how to block your actors, there are well established ways to shoot scenes at these specific locations.

[GeorgeFarren]

I liked the little smug smile as you beamed up.

[gameworkerty]

I always assumed the Goa'uld really liked the look of the greater Vancouver area and terraformed the universe accordingly.

[SquiresIsle]

Every planet on Stargate looks like a ten-mile stretch of Canadian forest.

[RavenMobile]

The one that always got me was TNG/DS9/Voyager always using this park for scenes on other planets. Finely cut grass, trees, and flowers. It never looked right as a naturally unkempt world, but worked fine for civilisations. I can't count the number of times I saw that same park!

[parrot]

Bet that teleport hurt... you left your toes behind! 1:58

[LaurelsChannel]

All planets in Star Trek: Oh, looks like California. All planets in Dr. Who: Oh, looks like England. All planets in The 100: Oh, looks like Canada.

[kadourimdou]

To go boldly where it's cheaper, doesn't have the same ring to it.

[arimcbrown]

Tom: "When the walls fell"
My mind, immediately: "Temba, his arms wide"