Fact-Checking 'Off Campus' Sets: Practical Locations Vs. Soundstages
By Chloe Bennett
British Columbia continues to dominate young-adult and romance television adaptations. The province offers production tax credits that reduce labor costs by roughly 28% to 35%, making it significantly cheaper than filming on location in Massachusetts, New York, or Ontario.
Vancouver also retains deep talent pools for sports-centric filming. Because competitive ice hockey is central to Canadian youth athletics, the local casting directors easily sourced hundreds of background skaters, referees, and stunt performers who possessed collegiate-level skating mechanics. Production designers also benefited from an established regional supply chain of lighting equipment, stage facilities, and post-production houses capable of handling fast seasonal delivery schedules.
The visual versatility of the Pacific Northwest allows production crews to mimic eastern collegiate environments without shipping crews across the continent. By framing campus sequences to crop out British Columbia’s distinct coastal mountains, the series maintained the illusion of an eastern seaboard institution.
Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.
