Is the Pod Racing location real?
In the Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, when Anakin participates in the Pod race on Tatooine we can see the big location of the race starting point. I know these buildings are fake. So my question is, where was this scene shot? Did they use studios (animated) or a real location to shoot this scene?
Best Answer
Wide shots were done in Tunisia. However, much of it was done on a miniature set using practical effects, supplemented with CG (Blue Screen) for the final cut.
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Where was the pod race scene filmed?
Mos Espa -- a city of Tatooine in which Anakin Skywalker won the podrace in The Phantom Menace -- was filmed outside of Tozeur, Tunisia, where George Lucas and his team faced the treacherous elements of the desert that destroyed their entire set.Where is Tatooine in real life?
Shubie Gorge, Chott el Jerid, Matmata, Djerba, and other areas in the North African country are the real-world stand-ins for the planet Tatooine where we were first introduced to Luke Skywalker in "A New Hope." The name of the fictional planet was borrowed from a real Tunisian town called Tataouine.Where is the pod race in Star Wars?
The Mos Espa podrace circuit was a podracing course located on Tatooine. Encircling Ben's Mesa near Mos Espa, the circuit formed the race track for the annual Boonta Eve Classic held by the Hutt Clan.Where is Naboo in real life?
Royal Palace of Caserta, Italy While the exterior of the city for both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, was CGI, the majestic interior of the Royal Palace on Naboo is in fact real.STAR WARS radio controlled (RC) Pod Racer ACTION ! (The Phantom Menace POD RACING)
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Answer 2
Managed to find this location: Sidi Bouhlel, Tozeur, Tunisia according to Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) Filming Locations
And on the Wikipedia page List of Star Wars filming locations
there are various locations in Tunisia which were used for the Tatooine scenes.
those are just the locations i know, but i think the sets were built, with the crowd and all other manner of alien life was done with CGI. the buildings look a little too "real" to be CGI, given that time (1999), hence they were built.
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