Filming Locations For Electric Dreams: The Real Places

where was electric dreams real life filmed

The 1984 film Electric Dreams was directed by Steve Barron and starred Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen, Maxwell Caulfield, and Bud Cort. The movie was primarily filmed in San Francisco, California, with locations including Pier 39, Alcatraz Prison, and the Davies Symphony Hall. The building where Miles works, the Transamerica Pyramid, is also featured in the film. The film's apartment interiors were shot at Twickenham Studios in Middlesex, England, while the apartment exteriors were filmed at 1115-1117 Mason Street in San Francisco.

The 2017 TV series of the same name, based on the works of Philip K. Dick, was filmed in England and Chicago. The episode Real Life was shot in the Eckhardt Research Centre in Chicago, and episode seven, Kill All Others, was filmed at the University of Illinois.

Characteristics Values
Name of the episode Real Life
Year of release 2017
Locations Chicago, Eckhardt Research Centre, University of Illinois, Gillette Building in London, Kent, England
Director Steve Barron
Writers Rusty Lemorande, British and American writers
Producers Sony Pictures Television, Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner, Bryan Cranston
Cast Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Rachelle Lefevre, Jacob Vargas, Sam Witwer, Guy Burnet, Lara Pulver

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Miles and Madeline's apartment interiors

The interiors of Miles and Madeline's apartment in the 1984 film Electric Dreams were filmed at Twickenham Studios, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK. The apartment exteriors were filmed at 1115-1117 Mason Street, San Francisco, California, USA, where Madeline lived upstairs from Miles at number 1115.

The 1984 film starred Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen, Maxwell Caulfield, and the voice of Bud Cort. It was directed by Steve Barron and written by Rusty Lemorande. The film is about Miles Harding, an architect who buys a personal computer to help him develop his ideas for earthquake-resistant buildings.

The 2017 TV series Electric Dreams was based on the works of 20th-century writer Philip K. Dick and consisted of ten standalone episodes. Five episodes were filmed in England and five in Chicago.

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Miles' workplace

Miles Harding is an architect who works at the firm Ryley, Ryley, & Associates in San Francisco, California. The building where Miles works is the Transamerica Pyramid, which is known for making the San Francisco skyline unique. Although the film includes some establishing shots of the building, Miles is never seen entering it. The film crew spent just one week in San Francisco filming exterior street scenes. The majority of the film was shot in London, England.

In the film, Miles is late for a business meeting at Ryley, Ryley, & Associates. He tells a co-worker that he was in Los Angeles researching his idea for a new brick shaped like a jigsaw puzzle piece, which could make buildings more resistant to earthquakes. His colleague suggests he buy a computerised "day-planner" to help him stay on top of his appointments.

Miles goes to an electronics store, where a salesperson convinces him to buy a state-of-the-art personal Pinecone computer to assist his research and development. She also sells him various adapters, including a speech synthesizer. When Miles sets up his computer at home, an onscreen instructional program teaches him how to connect the adapters to control everything in his apartment, including a security system.

However, Miles' relationship with his computer, Edgar, soon begins to cause problems. After buying numerous unnecessary gadgets, Miles attempts to download a database from a mainframe computer at work, causing his personal computer to overheat. The computer also interferes in Miles' romantic relationship with his neighbour, Madeline, by composing music for her and playing a "love-song" adapted from a "Pepsi" jingle.

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Madeline's concert venue

The 1984 film Electric Dreams features a concert scene starring the character Madeline, a cellist played by Virginia Madsen. The exterior of Madeline's rehearsal and the scene of her on a payphone outside the concert hall were filmed outside the Davies Symphony Hall in the Civic Center neighbourhood of San Francisco, California. However, the symphony scenes themselves were likely shot in a theatre in the UK.

The Davies Symphony Hall is located at 201 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, California. The hall is named after Ruth and George Davies and is the performing arts home of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO). The venue was opened in 1980 and has a seating capacity of 2,743 people. The hall is known for its excellent acoustics and has been praised for its intimate atmosphere and clear sightlines.

The symphony hall is located in the heart of San Francisco's Civic Center neighbourhood, which is known for its cultural and governmental institutions. The Civic Center is home to various performing arts venues, including the War Memorial Opera House, the Orpheum Theatre, and the Asian Art Museum. The neighbourhood also houses City Hall, the Main Public Library, and the Supreme Court of California.

The Civic Center neighbourhood is a popular filming location and has been featured in numerous films and television shows. The area is known for its beautiful architecture and cultural attractions, making it a desirable location for filmmakers and visitors alike. The neighbourhood is easily accessible by public transportation and is a vibrant and bustling hub of activity.

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Chicago

The 2017 TV series Electric Dreams is a science fiction anthology series based on the works of writer Philip K. Dick. The series consists of ten standalone episodes, five of which were filmed in England and five in Chicago.

The fifth episode, titled 'Real Life', was shot in the Eckhardt Research Centre in Chicago. The episode starred Anna Paquin and Terrence Howard, with a supporting cast including Rachelle Lefevre, Jacob Vargas, and Sam Witwer.

Episode seven, 'Kill All Others', was also filmed in Chicago, at the University of Illinois.

The series was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK and Amazon Prime in the US, with the first six episodes screened weekly on Channel 4 in 2017. The remaining episodes premiered on Amazon Prime on 12 January 2018.

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Kent, England

The fourth episode of the series, "Crazy Diamond", was filmed in two locations in Kent, England. The Dungeness estate was used for various exterior scenes. The area has been used in the past for many different films and TV series, including Una (2017) and Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos (1971). The Pilot Inn in Dungeness previously featured in The Poison Tree (2012).

Dungeness is a headland on the south coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in a desert-like landscape. It is a prominent UK filming location, having featured in numerous films and TV shows, including the aforementioned Doctor Who and The Poison Tree, as well as Melvyn Bragg's Cumbrian Tales, and the 1964 film The Chalk Garden, starring Hayley Mills and John Mills.

The unique landscape of Dungeness has made it a popular filming location. The area is characterised by its flat, barren landscape, with a vast expanse of shingle beach and a scattering of unique buildings, including the iconic Dungeness Lighthouse. The area has a remote and isolated feel, which can make it a perfect backdrop for filming, especially for creating a sense of place and atmosphere.

The shingle beach at Dungeness is a result of longshore drift, a natural process where waves and currents move sediment along the coastline. This has created a unique and distinctive landscape, which has been utilised by filmmakers and TV producers to create a sense of place and to enhance the visual appeal of their productions.

Frequently asked questions

The film Electric Dreams was filmed in San Francisco, California. Specific locations include the Davies Symphony Hall, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Pier 39.

The series Electric Dreams was filmed in both the UK and the US. Five episodes were filmed in England, including in Kent and London, and five were filmed in Chicago.

The episode "Real Life" was filmed in the Eckhardt Research Centre in Chicago.

The episode "The Commuter" was filmed in Poundbury, a town just outside Dorchester in Dorset, England.

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