Massive ‘fake town’ in Ontario goes viral for being used as film set

By Ashley Stack On Aug 17, 2023

A video of a massive film set in Pickering, Ontario has gone viral on TikTok showing a “fake town” where some popular shows have been shot.

“Everything you see here is completely fake,” said cinematographer Matt Aitia in his post garnering over 3.5 million views.

According to Pickering’s website, the set is home to Canada’s biggest backlot with an area of 90 acres offering options from a small rustic town, to modern New York city streets.

The set includes “a fake gas station, fake brick, fake ATM, fake bar and grill, fake dry cleaners, fake variety store,” Aitia explains.

In another TikTok video, Aitia replied to a commenter who expressed that “it looks so expensive to make.”

Contrary to popular belief, filming on a backlot is generally cheaper than real locations, he said.

“It can be super costly to shut down a whole street for a film shoot,” Aitia elaborated. “Backlots eliminate the need for permits, scheduling and coordinating with property owners.

“They also save time as there’s less travel time between locations, allowing for more shooting hours each day.”

Pickering Backlot — Aitia peels off a layer from the brick wall to reveal that it’s fake Photo by Matt Aitia/TikTok

Amazon Prime’s ‘Jack Reacher’ was filmed in Pickering, replicating a fictional town in rural Georgia.

“Our original plan in the summer of 2020 was to shoot on location in a real Georgia town, but due to the pandemic, we pivoted to Toronto, where there were fewer COVID-19 cases and where we would be able to build a replica Georgia town — and fully control it,” said executive VP production at Skydance Television Drew Brown to the Hollywood Reporter.

After the series wrapped in 2021, William F. White International took over the lease, acquired the assets and made the backlot available to other producers.

“This fulfills a need Toronto has had for a long time,” said Rick Perotto, WFW’s VP of Business Development.

“An industry this large and established deserves a backlot of considerable size.”

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A video of a massive film set in Pickering, Ontario has gone viral on TikTok showing a “fake town” where some popular shows have been shot.

“Everything you see here is completely fake,” said cinematographer Matt Aitia in his post garnering over 3.5 million views.

According to Pickering’s website, the set is home to Canada’s biggest backlot with an area of 90 acres offering options from a small rustic town, to modern New York city streets.

The set includes “a fake gas station, fake brick, fake ATM, fake bar and grill, fake dry cleaners, fake variety store,” Aitia explains.

In another TikTok video, Aitia replied to a commenter who expressed that “it looks so expensive to make.”