Surreal Fake Town Has 'Truman Show Vibes' and Viewers Are Obsessed

A video of a "fake town" in Canada, completely decked out with several real-looking shops and facilities, has gone viral on TikTok. This surreal 23-acre town, located in Pickering, a city just east of Toronto, the capital of the Canadian province of Ontario, is part of Canada's largest backlot built for filming movies, television shows and commercials. The viral clip was posted by Matt Aitia (@mattaitia), who is a cinematographer, according to his TikTok profile. The video, which features various shots of different sets on the backlot, had 3.4 million views at the time of writing.

The latest post comes amid the Hollywood writers' strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA), the union representing thousands of TV and film writers, went on strike in May after six weeks of talks with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Brothers, NBC Universal, Sony and Paramount—all of which fall under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)—broke down. Writers and the AMPTP clashed over contractual terms, including pay. Tensions rose after studios refused to rule out artificial intelligence one day replacing human staff members. Issues were also raised over writers' compensation not matching up with the billions of streams that shows and films now often draw. The strikes have seen some major productions be put on hold, such as Netflix's Stranger Things, Disney and Marvel's Blade, AppleTV+'s Severance and Paramount's Evil. The WGA said they're planning to meet with studio representatives to discuss restarting negotiations and that the head of the AMPTP has requested a meeting on Friday with union leaders, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. Fans of the Reacher television show may recognize the fake town setting in the latest viral clip, which forms the backdrop of the crime thriller series. According to the website of the city of Pickering, this fake town forms part of a 90-acre backlot offering "innumerable options to go from a rustic small town, to modern New York City streets." The 23-acre fake town can easily be a "small town anywhere," with "facade streetscapes, a town square, and a variety of interior sets." The backlot also features stretches of "secluded field and forest" beyond the town for filming exterior rural shots, the website notes. A voice in the latest viral clip says: "Everything you see here is fake, starting with the fake gas station, fake brick, fake ATM, fake dry cleaners, fake variety store..." The footage shows close-ups of various venues against the backdrop of empty streets with a small-town feel. The fictitious town has five interior sets (including a gas station, a diner, a barber shop, town hall and a police station) and 30 exterior storefronts, according to a subsequent video shared by the poster. Several TikTokers were intrigued and impressed by the fake town setting in the latest viral post. JG wrote "Truman Show [film] vibes" and the original poster replied, "That's what it felt like haha." Zeze Raas Batal said the setting has "The walking dead [television series] vibe." Narcity Toronto wrote "This is so cool!" and B faiyaz said, "...I'm obsessed." User @cyanchr1s noted: "best place when there's a zombie apocalypse, on second thought it's the opposite." Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified. Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

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