Written by new-contact on Feb 2, 2012. Posted in Production News

Tarantino’s Django Unchained films on location on California movie ranch

Quentin Tarantino’s new feature, spaghetti Western Django Unchained, has been filming on location at a movie ranch in California. The Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita is a historic permanent set purpose-built for TV and film productions, and most recently hosted HBO Western series Deadwood.

Tarantino told the Los Angeles Times: “It’s a blast shooting here. Most other Western towns look like dollhouses. This has the complete look. It's fantastic.”

Melody Ranch has been around for nearly a century and was opened as Monogram Studios. The original set was burned down in the early 1960s, but it was fully restored by the early 1990s with over 70 different buildings and two sound stages.

It’s a blast shooting here. Most other Western towns look like dollhouses. This has the complete look. It's fantastic.

Quentin Tarantino

Los Angeles authorities are trying to help boost location filming in the city by enabling serval movie ranches to develop more production-related facilities without having to spend time getting special planning permission. Santa Clarita’s movie ranches are to be the first to benefit from the plan.

(Images: Garrett Dillahunt via Twitter)