Movie Ranch

A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the creation and production of motion pictures, and television productions. Originally they were within the union 30-mile (48 km) Studio zone, often in the San Fernando Valley foothills.

Movie ranches first came into use in Southern California for location shooting in the 1920s when westerns had become increasingly popular. Hollywood based studios found it difficult to recreate the wide expanses of the old West on sound stages, or in studio back lots. Other large scale themed productions also needing large outdoor settings, such as battle scenes for war films, also needed undeveloped areas and began using the countryside and movie ranches in the region near their Hollywood studios.