Desolate in the Desert: Terminator Salvation Set Photo

Is it New Mexico now…or New Mexico in a post-apocalypse future? 

There was a good article in Wednesday’s New York Times about how Terminator Salvation decided to go ahead and film this summer, even with the risk of a SAG strike hitting in the middle of the shoot. Basically, it tells how New Mexico has in recent years become a major player in the battle for film locations by offering numerous tax breaks and incentives; in the case of Terminator 4, that included picking up a large part of the cost to insure the film against a possible strike shutdown.

Helpful info from the Paper of Record but I was equally taken by the above set photo from the Terminator location. It looks suitably apocalyptic, I guess. Interestingly, the article notes that the McG directed film came close to shooting in Budapest before New Mexico’s package of offerings won out. At first Budapest may sound strange, especially in comparison to New Mexico, but I once took a train from Vienna to Budapest and I actually can think of some landscapes that may have worked. Oh well. Sorry, land of the Magyars!