The primary Kitchen recording location for the 2019 film The Kitchen was predominantly in and around New York City, with significant portions filmed in Brooklyn and Manhattan, utilizing various filming sites of The Kitchen movie to bring the gritty atmosphere of 1970s Hell’s Kitchen to life.
This guide dives deep into the filming location of The Kitchen, exploring the specific locations used in The Kitchen and offering a behind-the-scenes look at where was The Kitchen movie shot. Fans often seek to find the real locations in The Kitchen movie, and we aim to satisfy that curiosity by pinpointing the main areas.
Setting the Scene: Choosing the Right Vibe for Hell’s Kitchen
When filmmakers decide where was The Kitchen movie shot, they look for places that match the story’s time and mood. The Kitchen is set in the late 1970s in the rough-and-tumble neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, New York. This area was known for its crime and distinct look during that era.
The production team had to find modern New York locations that could convincingly double as the 1970s setting. This often involves careful set dressing and choosing areas that haven’t changed too drastically. Finding the right recording venue for The Kitchen meant balancing authenticity with modern safety and accessibility.
The Importance of Atmosphere in Location Scouting
The look of the street scenes is vital. The movie relies on showing the neighborhood’s tough reality.
- Period Detail: Locations needed to accommodate 1970s cars and costumes.
- Grit and Texture: Exposed brick, older storefronts, and less polished streets were sought after.
- Security and Logistics: Securing permits for filming in dense areas like Manhattan is complex.
This careful scouting leads directly to the specific addresses we can pinpoint when identifying Kitchen filming spots.
Brooklyn Dominates: The Primary Filming Hub
While the story is set in Manhattan, much of the actual exterior shooting for The Kitchen took place across the river in Brooklyn. Brooklyn often provides older infrastructure and streets that are easier to close down for large film crews compared to the heart of Manhattan.
Atlantic Avenue and Surrounding Areas
Areas near Atlantic Avenue provided many of the streetscapes seen in the film. These blocks offered the necessary urban density without the constant high traffic of Midtown.
Specific Brooklyn Filming Sites
The production team utilized various blocks for chase scenes and establishing shots. These areas provided the necessary backdrop for the mob-controlled territory the main characters take over.
| Type of Scene | Likely Borough/Area | Why It Was Chosen |
|---|---|---|
| Street Exteriors | Brooklyn (Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens vicinity) | Older architecture, easier access for large equipment. |
| Interior Sets | Sound Stages (Likely NYC area) | Full control over recreating period-specific apartment interiors. |
| Key Dialogue Scenes | Specific street corners in Queens/Brooklyn | Authenticity blended with controlled environment. |
It is important to note that many The Kitchen set locations are cleverly disguised. A few shots that look like they are in Hell’s Kitchen are actually blocks that have maintained their 1970s character better than the real Manhattan neighborhood.
Manhattan Moments: Capturing the Heart of the Story
Some scenes required the iconic look of Manhattan, especially when dealing with police precincts or specific recognizable landmarks that anchored the story in its intended setting.
Downtown and Lower Manhattan Spots
When the characters needed to interact with more official buildings or highly visible areas, the crew moved into Manhattan. Securing permits here is costly but lends significant credibility to the Kitchen recording location.
Fathoming the Specific Manhattan Locations
While official production notes often keep exact residential addresses secret to prevent unwanted tourism, certain public-facing areas can be identified.
- Law Enforcement Scenes: Shots involving police headquarters or courthouses often use real municipal buildings in Lower Manhattan. These locations offer instant gravitas for serious plot points.
- Establishing Shots: Quick overhead shots or wide city panoramas used to immediately tell the audience “We are in NYC” are often genuine aerials or shots from high vantage points.
The challenge in filming location of The Kitchen within Manhattan is making a modern city look like 1978. This involves significant digital removal of modern signage, cars, and new construction during post-production.
Behind the Scenes Kitchen Filming: Studio Work
Not everything seen on screen was shot on location. For scenes requiring high levels of control, such as intense action sequences or intimate apartment interiors, the crew relied on sound stages.
Creating the Authentic Interiors
The apartments of Veronica, Kathy, and Claire needed to feel lived-in and slightly rundown, reflecting their lives before taking over the rackets.
- Set Construction: Skilled set designers built these interiors on stages located outside the main city centers for logistical ease.
- Prop Detail: Every piece of furniture, every wallpaper choice, was selected to evoke the late 1970s aesthetic. This detail is crucial for effective behind the scenes Kitchen filming storytelling.
When looking at The Kitchen set locations, the interiors are usually the most fabricated, designed purely for camera angles and lighting control, unlike the unpredictable nature of exterior street shoots.
Deciphering Filming Logistics and Challenges
Filming a period piece in a bustling metropolis presents unique hurdles. The production team had to work around modern life to capture the look of the past.
Managing Period Accuracy on Location
One major aspect of choosing the Kitchen recording location was how easily it could be transformed.
- Street Dressing: This involves temporary signs, trash cans, and even painting sidewalks or aging street lamps to look appropriately run-down for the 1970s.
- Traffic Control: Shutting down blocks in NYC for even a few hours requires immense planning. This heavily influences which specific locations used in The Kitchen were chosen—less busy side streets are always preferred.
Utilizing Modern Technology to Recreate the Past
Modern cameras capture incredible detail. To achieve the grittier look of older films, the cinematography team intentionally introduced visual noise or adjusted color grading to mimic film stock from the 1970s. This is part of the magic when identifying Kitchen filming spots—what looks “old” on screen might be a brand-new building softened by digital effects.
Comparing Location Choices
Filmmakers weigh the pros and cons of different locations:
- Pros of Brooklyn: Lower costs, easier access, more available large sound stages.
- Cons of Brooklyn: May require more set dressing to look exactly like Hell’s Kitchen.
- Pros of Manhattan: Instant geographic authenticity for established landmarks.
- Cons of Manhattan: Extremely high costs, significant disruption to city life, more background elements to digitally erase.
This trade-off explains why the majority of the filming sites of The Kitchen movie lean toward the boroughs outside the immediate core of Manhattan.
Community Impact and Fan Exploration
Once a film is released, fans naturally want to visit the real locations in The Kitchen movie. This desire to see where the action happened helps local businesses near the recording venue for The Kitchen used for exterior shots.
Respecting Privacy While Exploring Locations
It is essential for film tourists to remember that even if a street corner was used as a filming location of The Kitchen, the buildings surrounding it are often private residences or active businesses today.
When searching for where was The Kitchen movie shot, stick to publicly accessible areas. The production company rarely releases a full list of addresses, protecting the community from excessive traffic caused by persistent location hunters.
Identifying Kitchen Filming Spots in Retrospect
For dedicated fans, the best way to confirm a Kitchen recording location is by cross-referencing production stills with street view mapping services. Look closely at unique architectural features, fire escapes, or specific street signs that survived modernization.
The success of the visual elements in The Kitchen shows how effectively the production team blended authentic locations with studio artistry to transport the audience back to 1970s New York City. Every alleyway and storefront plays a role in establishing the film’s harsh but compelling world.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Kitchen Filming
Where exactly was the movie The Kitchen primarily filmed?
The movie The Kitchen was primarily filmed in New York City, with heavy use of Brooklyn neighborhoods doubling for the 1970s Hell’s Kitchen setting of the story.
Did they film The Kitchen in the actual Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood?
While some establishing shots might have included actual Hell’s Kitchen landmarks for authenticity, the majority of the street scenes used Brooklyn locations that were easier to manage for filming logistics and period dressing.
Are the apartments in The Kitchen real locations?
The interiors, like the characters’ apartments, were largely constructed on sound stages. This allowed the crew complete control over the 1970s design, props, and camera placement, making them detailed The Kitchen set locations rather than pre-existing real locations in The Kitchen movie.
How hard is it to find the specific recording venue for The Kitchen?
It is challenging to find every exact spot because film productions often use many temporary setups and disguise many exteriors. We can confirm the general areas, like parts of South Brooklyn, but precise addresses are often kept private.
What time period does The Kitchen depict, and how did that affect location scouting?
The film depicts the late 1970s. This heavily influenced location scouting, requiring crews to find areas that still retained architectural elements or a general feel from that decade, or use modern tools to digitally remove signs of the 21st century.