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backlot

backlot

3 6.6
An outdoor studio area with sets that look like streets or buildings
  • noun
  • /ˈbækˌlɑt/
  • Specialized
: plató exterior
  • Our own studio backlot.
  • studio backlot

Examples

  • The filmmakers decided to shoot the action sequence on the backlot to create a realistic urban environment.

  • Folks, this is the backlot, where many of our hit movies are made.

  • This was the biggest... ...and I think, perhaps, the best backlot in all of Hollywood.

  • Well, we're shooting on a backlot and I'm just concerned about the reality...

  • Uh, no, we're going to shoot it in Hollywood, on the backlot.

  • The studio built a special swimming pool for her on the backlot... ...and starred her in a film called Bathing Beauty.

  • And for as long as I can remember... ...this has been the busiest standing set on the whole backlot.

  • It used to be the backlot for Stormy Night Pictures.

  • They sold the backlot, auctioned everything off.

  • Filming in Richmond was a win-win for both the state and the filmmakers: Spielberg dressed up Richmond's capitol building as its national counterpart, and he used the capitol square as a sort of backlot for more than two weeks, Edmunds said.

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Surface Forms

backlot singular
backlots plural

Morphology

backlot = back + lot (semi-transparent) = back + lot

The components 'back' and 'lot' are literal, but the compound has a specialized film-studio meaning that may not be inferable by an average learner.

Etymology

The word backlot is made of two simple words, back ('behind') and lot ('piece of land'), which makes a clear picture. So a backlot is the area behind a film studio where outdoor sets and scenes are built and filmed.