Where Was American Made Filmed?

Known for his action-packed thrillers with serious character development, visionary auteur Doug Liman teams up with Tom Cruise again in ‘American Made (2017),’ after working with him earlier in ‘Edge of Tomorrow (2014).’ The action-comedy drama film provides a fictionalized account of true political events of the late 1970s and 80s, especially the Iran-Contra scandal. It follows the story of Barry Seal, an enigmatic personality who was central to the affair, and the consequences of actions this adventurous spirit couldn’t handle.

Starting off as a playful pilot, Seal has a family he needs to care for while being away all the time to smuggle drugs for the CIA. Cruise is joined by Domhnall Gleeson, Jesse Plemons, Sarah Wright and Jayma Mays in this adventure to depict Seal’s lifestyle. The film provides an adrenalin rush on land and in the air, where there are plenty of scenic moments, which were performed by Cruise himself as a licensed pilot. Since the movie is based in different parts of the US, it naturally raises questions about where it was taped. We’re here to help you out with that, with specific locations where the film was made.

America Made Filming Locations

‘America Made’ was filmed in several locations, but mostly in parts of Georgia, Columbia and Louisiana. While principal photography commenced on May 18, 2015 in Georgia, it took a lot of time to film different parts of the movie in plenty of specific locations. With the Georgia locations wrapped up by July 12, 2015, the team moved its filming to Columbia, where Cruise and Liman decided to be adventurous and explored the jungles to scout locations ideal for the shoot.

After a decision was made, the part of the filming to be done in Columbia commenced on August 26, 2015 and wrapped up by September 11, 2015, which coincided with a real-life tragedy where two people were killed in a plane crash when the crew members of the production team were returning to Medellin. After this incident, the filming resumed much later on February 3, 2016 in Louisiana and wrapped up just a few days later by February 11, 2016. After that, the filming process mostly involved reshoots back in Georgia in 2017 from January to February. While this was just about the filming, let’s learn more about the specific locations where the film was taped.

Ball Ground, Cherokee County, Georgia

Most of the filming for ‘America Made’ is done in Georgia, with a very crucial part shot in Ball Ground. In the movie, the Seal family had to flee their house in Louisiana for a safer home in Mena, Arkansas. The filming for all the scenes set in Mena have actually been done in Ball Ground, at Gilmer Ferry Road, GA 30107, where the set for the ranch house has been prepared.

The set decoration team progressed in its efficiency along with the plot, adding plenty of renovations and additions to the set to depict the result of Seal’s financial success from his dealings with the cartel. Even the streets of the area were modified slightly to provide the feel of the 80s era, including the installation of plenty of payphones that Seal had to keep using. Even the Nicarguan airstrip, from where Seal had to conduct his operations, was shot at the Cherooke airport, located at 1350 Bishop Rd, Ball Ground, GA 30107.

Atlanta, Georgia

Many other scenes for the film were shot in and around Atlanta in Georgia. A lot of scenes show Seal on a plane, especially in Atlanta, which were shot at Atlanta Media Campus, 6305 Crescent Dr, Norcross. Close to Atlanta, the scene where the CIA operative gives Seal a private aircraft to fly at a hangar is shot in Candler Field, Williamson. Another training facility was prepared within two days just north of Atlanta in Roswell, where an empty field was chosen for the filming near it.

Interestingly, the scenes set in Louisiana’s Baton Rouge where the Seal family initially lived were actually shot in Roswell too on the first day of filming. These were shot in Roswell, Georgia, at 640 Brickleberry Court. Plenty of other scenes and sets had to be located in different parts of in and near Atlanta, and some other places that were chosen within Georgia include Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. Other locations that were a part of the film were Morgan, Madison and Pickens within Georgia. The sets like the CIA office and even offices for George Bush and Olive North had to be built in such locations in Georgia.

Medellin, Colombia

Since a friendship between Seal and Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel is depicted in the film, some scenes were also shot in Columbia, especially in Medellin. Although, due to the unfortunate incident with the production crew, shooting was wrapped up in a few days itself. Some parts were also filmed in Santa Marta in Columbia, where the scenic locations proved to be ideal especially for the flying scenes. Nonetheless, all the shooting in these areas was wrapped up with a couple of days before resuming for the reshoots in Georgia.

New Orleans, Louisiana

The initial part of the film is based in Baton Rouge, which is a few miles away from New Orleans. This part depicts the time the Seal family lived in their suburban home when Seal was still a commercial pilot, before they shifted to Arkansas. The filming in Louisiana is very brief with a few aerial shots over Bayou State and one scene in the film at the airport where a vintage New Orleans poster is visible.