A town called Sherman, and the reason the Strip exists
This was Sherman before it was West Hollywood, a railroad town laid out by Moses Sherman and his Los Angeles Pacific partners in the late 1800s. The realty board pushed the current name through in 1925. What made the Sunset Strip was a jurisdictional accident: gambling was legal in unincorporated county territory and illegal inside the City of Los Angeles, so the casinos and nightclubs of the 1920s and 1930s lined up on this side of the line. The city itself only incorporated on 29 November 1984, when a coalition of gay men, Russian Jewish immigrants and elderly renters voted it into existence to protect rent control.
Music is the through line, and it is why artists still shoot here. The Whisky a Go Go, the Troubadour, the Roxy and the Viper Room sit within a short drive of each other. Michael Jackson cut Thriller in 1982 and Bad in 1987 at Westlake Recording Studios in this city. The Samuel Goldwyn lot, now The Lot, still runs as a working studio.
All of that is packed into 1.89 square miles at 282 feet, hemmed by Beverly Hills to the west, the Hollywood Hills to the north and Hollywood to the east, on a boundary so irregular that a single block can leave the city twice. The Sunset Tower, designed by Leland Bryant and once home to Sinatra, Errol Flynn and Howard Hughes, is the Art Deco frontage everyone recognises. For us this city means music videos with real venue history behind them, artist social content shot between sets, and hospitality brand work along the Strip.
Sunset Strip venues, Schindler House and 1.89 square miles
Everything in West Hollywood is inside a mile and a half, which makes it the densest shooting ground in our coverage and the one where a location list matters most.
The music venues are the draw. The Whisky a Go Go, the Troubadour, the Roxy and the Viper Room sit within a short drive of each other, and they carry a run of history no dressed set reproduces. Westlake Recording Studios, in this city, is where Michael Jackson cut Thriller in 1982 and Bad in 1987. The Samuel Goldwyn lot, now The Lot, still runs as a working studio and houses production companies.
The architecture is the other half. The Sunset Tower, designed by Leland Bryant, is the Art Deco frontage everyone recognises and was home to Sinatra, Errol Flynn and Howard Hughes. The Schindler House by Rudolf Schindler is a modernist landmark. The Pacific Design Center and 9200 Sunset, by Charles Luckman, give contemporary glass. Hacienda Arms, the Ronda and the Coronet building fill in the period apartment stock.
Four million visitors a year move through a city of thirty three thousand residents, so hospitality and nightlife are the buyers and the streets are busy at every hour.
Two practical realities shape any shoot here: crew parking is genuinely difficult, and the neighbours are close. That favours interior and venue work, music videos, and artist social content shot between sets rather than large exterior units.
Four million visitors against thirty-three thousand residents
The City's Business Development Division publishes four headline figures: 1.9 square miles, more than 4 million visitors yearly driving retail and nightlife, $1.73 billion of visitor spend, and 33,000 residents. That ratio is the whole commercial explanation for this city. A resident base the size of a small town supports a visitor economy the size of a mid-sized one, and the businesses built on top of it are the ones commissioning video.
The City organises its business support around five named districts, each with its own published description. Sunset Strip is where nightlife, live music, hotels and dining meet, and the City calls it one of the region's most visible destinations for businesses built around energy, entertainment and experience. The Design District is a design-forward area covering fashion, interiors, art, architecture and dining. The Rainbow District is described as the heart of West Hollywood's LGBTQ+ nightlife and culture. Eastside is a growing neighbourhood district with an entrepreneurial spirit and local flavour. Center City is the civic and commercial hub where residents, visitors, hotels, restaurants and local services meet.
Names need care here. Whisky a Go Go appears on the City's own roster of iconic West Hollywood businesses, and the Chamber of Commerce separately names Chateau Marmont, The Andaz and the Mondrian on the Sunset Strip, describes the Pacific Design Center as holding over 130 showrooms for professional designers and luxury homeowners, and puts more than 200 creative businesses in the Design District. None of those sources says any of those venues is available to film. They are city context, not a location list. The Chamber also records roughly 600 businesses along Santa Monica Boulevard, which the American Planning Association designated one of its 10 Great Streets.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to film in West Hollywood?
Yes, from the city's own film office, not FilmLA, because West Hollywood is a separate city from Hollywood. We file it. Where deputies are needed there is a second timeline behind the permit, so anything involving a street or a closure wants more notice than an interior.
Where can a crew park in West Hollywood?
Not on the street. Crew cars are prohibited from parking on city streets whether posted or not, because posting covers production equipment and vehicles only. That means a private lot or a shuttle. No Parking signs go up 24 to 48 hours ahead in commercial areas and at least 48 hours in residential ones, and the City has to verify them or they are not enforceable.
Is West Hollywood the same as Hollywood?
No, and the difference is practical rather than pedantic. Hollywood is a district of the City of Los Angeles. West Hollywood is its own city of 1.89 square miles with its own film office, its own rules and its own street parking reality. A permit for one buys you nothing in the other, and the two are a five minute drive apart.
Can you fly a drone for filming in West Hollywood?
Only with two authorisations. Unmanned aircraft used for filming need a City of West Hollywood film permit, and commercial operation separately requires an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating. Neither substitutes for the other, and airspace authorisation through LAANC may sit on top of both. Studio 47 clears the city side and the federal side before the shot list.
What are the best filming locations in West Hollywood?
The venues first: the Whisky a Go Go, the Troubadour, the Roxy and the Viper Room, all within a short drive. The Sunset Tower, by Leland Bryant, is the Art Deco frontage everyone knows. The Schindler House is the modernist landmark, and the Pacific Design Center gives contemporary glass. Westlake Recording Studios, where Thriller and Bad were cut, is here too.
What kinds of businesses in West Hollywood hire video production companies?
Hospitality, nightlife and design, because that is what the visitor economy funds. The City's Business Development Division publishes 1.9 square miles, 33,000 residents, more than 4 million visitors a year and $1.73 billion of visitor spend. Its five business districts are Sunset Strip, the Design District, the Rainbow District, Eastside and Center City, and the Chamber records roughly 600 businesses along Santa Monica Boulevard.
Does Studio 47 film in West Hollywood?
Yes. Studio 47 is roughly 33 miles out on US-101 south, so a 7AM call means leaving the Conejo Valley before the peak sets in. One rule to plan around: West Hollywood permits essential cast and crew only and prohibits entourage at filming locations, so client and label attendance is agreed with the Film Office in advance rather than on the day.