MGM’s enormous backlot contained standing sets representing American towns, European streets, mansions and city neighborhoods, providing scenery for generations of Hollywood films. As studio filmmaking changed and the property became increasingly valuable, MGM auctioned its sets and sold much of the land. In its final years, the deteriorating backlot appeared in post-apocalyptic films including Soylent Green and The Ultimate Warrior. The dream factory ended its life portraying ruins.

I photographed the deteriorating MGM backlot in 1980. I have always loved post-apocalyptic movies, and several of my favorites—including Soylent Green and The Ultimate Warrior—used these decaying sets as visions of a ruined future. There was something irresistible about photographing the machinery of Hollywood’s American dream after it had itself become a ruin.