How Our Home Became Famous in Movies, TV Shows and Commercials
Today I am sharing how our home got involved in filming movies, tv shows, and commercials. It’s been an incredible experience and I think you will be surprised to learn how much filming we have done in our home!
I guess you could say that our home is famous. Kind of like a movie star. Ever since we moved into our home in 1998, filming has been a big part of our lives. So today I thought I would share with you how our home got involved in filming movies, tv shows, and commercials.
Shortly after we bought our home in 1998, someone left a flyer in our mailbox asking if we would be interested in filming a movie called “Thirteen Days” with Kevin Costner. Unfortunately, we were out of town and by the time I saw the flyer, it was too late. But it got me thinking. Could we make additional income filming in our neighboorhood? I had seen movie trucks all of the time in South Pasadena so I thought we might be able to do it.
Two years later we did a major remodel on the back of our house. This included our family room, back porch, and kitchen and it looks exactly as it is now. When we were done I talked to some of my friends who had done filming and they suggested I reach out to location scouts and rep companies who basically represent your home to anyone interested in filming. I printed up a flier and mailed out 100 of them to a list of location scouts which the Los Angeles film commission provided to me.
And I guess you could say, from there it was history.
Things got kind of crazy in the first few years. When a new home becomes available in the filming market, everybody wants to film at the new location. So we filmed a lot in the early years. And it we have filmed every year since.
We have filmed mostly commercials at our home for companies such as: Blue Bunny Ice Cream, Skittles, Ballpark Franks, Home Depot, Williams-Sonoma, Schwab, Donato Pizza, Gogurt, Osteo BiFlex, Pillsbury, Nestle, Bank of America, Bounty Paper towels, Leap Frog, Clorox, Lands End, Wells Fargo, Sunny Delight, Linens & Things, Visa, Kelloggs, Safeway and many more.
The TV shows were have filmed include Mad Men, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, CSI Cyber, Back When We Were Grownups, American Dreams, Judging Amy and the pilot for Disney’s Andi Mack.
Movies filmed here include The Way Back, Raising Helen, A Mighty Wind and Fired Up.
In December of 2018 we filmed a Ben Affleck movie at our home called The Way Back. It was released on March 6, 2020. The photo above was filmed upstairs in our home! And it’s on pay per view if you want to see it. The scene filmed in our home actually appears in the first five minutes of the movie.
To be honest, I have probably forgotten half of what we have filmed here. But the thing you have to remember is that in the film industry, they do crazy things. They often use more than one home to film a home in a movie. In the movie Father of the Bride (which was not filmed at our home), I have been told they used three different homes. One for the front, one inside and one for the backyard. I have links to a lot of commercials and in some cases, you might not even recognize our home! They build strange things, add fake walls, paint strange colors and add all of their own furniture.
Look how ugly our living room looks in this scene from Mad Men (season 5, episode 8). Those curtains!
Our family room is painted a beautiful gray-green color. Look what color they painted it for the movie “A Mighty Wind”. Electric blue! And that is our family room, not our dining room!
And look at the raised deck Home Depot added to the back of our home. That tree isn’t there either! It’s fake.
I think these animated blue bunnies running around in our kitchen are pretty cute! Not to mention, the fake doggy-door!
We only moved out of our home a few times when they were filming. We tried really hard to stay upstairs or on the third floor if they weren’t using the entire home. As glamorous as it sounds to stay a the Ritz-Carlton, just imagine trying to get your car out of the valet to take your kids to school, four athletic practices and play practice. It is not fun. Not at all.
Here is a scene from Raising Helen filmed in our living room. This funny red hat scene is in our living room and the room behind the french doors with the curtains is my craft room!
raising helen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WM0mhCpePA
My favorite commercial they ever filmed at our home was the Paper Airplane Commercial. I laughed so hard when I just watched this because I had forgotten they had used our sectional. The one with the ugly flowered slipcover!
paper airplane commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mojTLSIMPBQ
In 2017, Skittles aired a commercial during the Super Bowl that was filmed at our home. You will recognize the outside of our home right away!
skittles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=530CN430IkQ
Here are some links to more commercials filmed at our home.
blue bunny ice-cream https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wLVf/blue-bunny-ice-cream-bunny-snacks-in-the-house
Home Depot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzq-cBHyJcE
osteo bi flex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W40AfbhYv8
pillsbury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHYQvtyc4eA
hallmark (different exterior) https://vimeo.com/245625278
jc penny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFHZJaBjbBY
B of A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPiEbDYtLDs
I could go on and on but I promise I won’t. We have really enjoyed the filming we have been able to do at our home. I am glad I could share it with you today!
Keep your eyes open. Someday you just might see my hundred-year-old home on your TV!
For more real-time updates, follow me on Instagram @My100YearOldHome
Do they put your house back to the way it was originally? For example, with the Home Depot deck did they tear it down? Or re-paint the walls?
Love it thank you so much for sharing, I literally watched them all because I find that fascinating and I had realized during the super bowl that I recognized your house from following on instagram. You have a gorgeous home, and I would have been bummed missing out on a Kevin Costner film, I love Kevin Costner ????
So interesting! Besides paying you, are there any other perks? Do you get to meet the actors? Ever get to watch them film?
So interesting … I suppose they take over for varying periods of time depending on what they’re filming. Staying upstairs must be something like staying out of the way during a renovation. What a thrill to have a home in demand!
What fun story… thanks for sharing.
How interesting and fun! It just so happens I work on the Blue Bunny account (but not the TV portion of it). Small world! 🙂
That is so neat!!!! What great stories to tell!
I’m curious about the pay? How do you know what’s a fair rate? I think I would die if someone messed up our floors or ruined our plaster? But if the pay was right….????????????????
Goshit has been a long time since I have had Skittles. That might be a good candy for stamp camp. ????
Love this. Guess I should of read this before leaving my comment on FB about Father of the bride movie ????
My family is from the NW area in IA that actually makes Blue Bunny ice cream. Have had several family memebers plus my mother work for them. My Uncle actually painted inside all their buildings.
Very cool! Grew up my whole life in Pasadena.
I’ve always wondered where do they film things and now I know.. this is a great resume for your home.. sounds exciting.. thanks for sharing
Wow! So interesting. I also wonder if they put everything back the way it was as far as the deck, paint, etc.
They do! They paint everything and fix any issues. ?It is remarkable.
Do you have a recommendation for the best company to reach out to if someone wants to get their house listed? I don’t live in southern California, so I don’t think my house would be of frequent interest, but you never know! And it sounds like a fun adventure!
I wrote another blog post about how to get you home in filming. I outlined what to do, regardless of where you live.
You should try it out!
https://my100yearoldhome.com/how-to-rent-your-home-for-movies/
Leslie
Leslie, you’ve definitely had your share of filming! We have friends in South Pasadena who’ve been through this, too. A crew member once told them the street and homes looked like “Anywhere, USA.” My husband’s aunt’s home (on El Molino in Pasadena) is right across the street from one of the homes used in Father of the Bride. Your home reminds me of it.
Do many people think our hose is that house! I wish it was!
But we are about a mile from the home on El Molino.
Leslie
My husband thought so, too!
Have to admit I’m sooo jealous! You are truly blessed to have such a wonderful home to live in but also one that pays its own way!
Good for you!
What a fun post to read Leslie! Loved watching all the videos!