The Set Jet Crowds

Imaginary Worlds

Eric Molinsky

Arts, Science Fiction, Fiction, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2023

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When a fantasy or sci-fi story is set in a real location, what happens when fans go to that place looking for a glimpse of magic? How do the locals feel about their hometowns turning into fandom destinations? I talk with tour guide Jen Cresswell about why Edinburgh has become a mecca for Harry Potter tours, even though the city is never mentioned in the books. Jelena Šimac is a tour guide in the city of Dubrovnik – a.k.a. King’s Landing on Game of Thrones. She explains how fantasy tourism changed the trajectory of Croatia after years of war and strife. Catherine Farry looks at why the town of Broken Hill has drawn filmmakers to the Australian Outback. And Adrian Bennett tells the story about how he became so enamored with Mad Max, he moved his family 10,000 miles to start a Mad Max Museum in a remote area of The Outback where the post-apocalyptic franchise is filmed. This episode is sponsored by Bombas. Go to www.bombas.com/imaginaryworlds and use the code imaginaryworlds for 20% off your first purchase. s Our ad partner is Multitude. If you’re interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Slack. With Slack, you can bring all your people and
0:05.9	tools together in one place. It's your digital HQ where you can increase productivity,
0:11.1	enable flexibility and automate workflows. Plus, Slack is full of game-changing features
0:16.7	like huddles for quick check-ins or Slack Connect, which helps you connect with partners
0:20.9	inside and outside of your company. Slack, where the future works. Get started at
0:26.9	Slack.com slash DHQ. You're listening to Imaginary Worlds. Show
0:31.7	about how we create them and why we suspend our disbelief. I'm Eric Mollinsky.
0:38.5	When it comes to science fiction or fantasy stories set in New York City, as a New Yorker,
0:43.7	I'm a little spoiled. In fact, when a new movie or show is set here, I go in kind of skeptical.
0:50.4	I want to make sure they've really taken the time to understand and appreciate the city
0:54.7	that they're about to destroy with aliens, robots, demons or supervillains.
1:00.6	Although I do have my moments, if I'm walking between a narrow canyon of skyscrapers,
1:06.0	I'd like to imagine that Spider-Man is swinging between them. Or if a really ominous storm
1:10.9	cloud is hanging over Manhattan, I'd like to think the ghost busters are out there,
1:15.7	getting ready for work. But for most places in the world, there is a chasm between their
1:21.3	lived experiences and what they see in sci-fi fantasy worlds. So when a show or a movie or
1:27.4	a book takes place in their hometown, fans will flock there to feel the magic in that location.
1:34.3	There's even a term for this, set-jetting. That happened to the town of Forks in Washington
1:40.0	State where Twilight takes place. The set of Luke Skywalker's home from episode 4 has
1:45.7	been turned into a hotel. You can actually stay there in Tunisia. And of course, the entire
1:52.0	country of New Zealand has attracted fans of Lord of the Rings ever since the movies were
1:56.7	filmed there. I think set-jetting is an interesting phenomenon because you're coming to a real
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