Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably seen a movie or television property that was filmed in the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia. This city has been the site of many high-budget blockbuster movies and is the home of talented animators. Vancouver’s “backlot” appearance is sought after by many directors and filmmakers.

I remember watching the CW superhero series The Flash back when it premiered in 2014, and thinking that the background structures looked a tad familiar. That’s when I realized the home base of the Team Flash is actually the exterior of BC Place. However, not only The Flash is filmed in Vancouver. In fact, the entire CW DC television universe, known as the Arrowverse, is mostly filmed in Vancouver. This includes Superman and Lois, Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman.

Not only are the locations in Vancouver versatile for its visually stunning neighborhoods, almost all the animation artists who worked on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took part in the visual effects for the Academy-Award winning film.

Triay, George. “Vancouver Landscape.” 2015. JPG file. / Pixabay

Vancouver even attracts many overseas producers as well. South Korean girl group TWICE filmed the music video for their 2017 smash hit LIKEY in Vancouver schools and alleyways. During the chorus of the song, they can be seen dancing in the Alley-Oop on 450 Granville Street. Because of the immense popularity of the song, this place has become a must-visit for K-pop fans to take pictures of.

BCIT’s very own Aerospace Technology Campus is also used to depict a futuristic or technological hub for scientists in many movie properties. One of the most well-known depictions of the aerospace campus is the control room bunker in the 2012 horror flick Cabin in the Woods. In fact, the space in the aerospace campus lobby was too big for what the director of the movie wanted, so he had to fill it with CG monsters.

Although Vancouver has been depicted in so many different cities and places around the world, it never really plays itself. But that’s not a problem, because I always take pride in being able to recognize Vancouver in mainstream movies and TV.