MCU: Location Scout – Schäfer Sicherheitsdienst

by Jovial Jay

When all else fails in location scouting, start looking at the locations nearest the Studio facility the film is being shot at!

MCU Location Scout
LOCATION: Schäfer Sicherheitsdienst (Aperture Center Building, 5700 University Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106)
SHOW: Avengers, 2012

Determining where this location was proved to be tricky and time consuming. It was tricky, because the majority of footage for the Germany scenes was shot in Cleveland, Ohio, as were the New York sequences. Time consuming, because assuming that something is shot in Cleveland, leaves you wandering around that city looking for the location.

If I ever spend more than about 30 consecutive minutes looking for a site, I’ll put my computer down or move on to something else. Unless I’m absolutely sure I’m looking in the right area, it may be better to take a break and come back later. Sometimes, that’s when the inspiration you need, strikes.

When I started to look at this location again, even though I was still thinking Cleveland, I started to see non-traditional midwest architecture. It actually looked a little bit like the high school campus used as the SHIELD Base (Project Pegasus) from the opening scenes of the film. So I started to look at that location again. But that did not seem to be a match. Outside the campus, the only other locations in New Mexico, that I could tell from the IMDb Locations Page, were the Santa Fe Railyards and the Albuquerque Studios.

The railyards are a series of older, dilapidated brick buildings, and didn’t match the architecture of this location. And the Studios are, well…they’re your typical studios. Just the standard, nondescript, warehouse looking buildings. Not what I was looking for…until…I accidentally turned the wrong way on the road and saw part of the building across the street!

The Aperture Center Building, part of University of New Mexico Entertainment Site, was immediately evident as the location. And the section of the building we see is literally right across the street from the studio.

I learned that patience and fresh eyes can often help out when looking for a particular tough location. That, and always check near the studios the films are shot at. Filmmakers are a lazy breed and will travel the shortest distance to get the shot!

To see the Filming Location listed above, and hundreds of others, please click the Map Icon on the left. From there you can explore all the Locations and Scout your trip to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Got tips? Got corrections? Let me know on Twitter @JovialJay!
MCU: Location Scout
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Behind every scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a location. Some are iconic. Some are functional. Some are completely fantastic. But all of them are there to support the story.

Here at the MCU: Location Scout, Jovial Jay digs deep to uncover the real-world filming locations behind your favorite super hero films. From Iron Man to Inhumans and everything in between!

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