 Principal photography lasted about 50 days from December 14 , 1998 , to February 1999 . American Beauty was filmed on soundstages at the Warner Bros. <unk> in Burbank , California , and at Hancock Park and <unk> in Los Angeles . The aerial shots at the beginning and end of the film were captured in <unk> , California , and many of the school scenes were shot at South High School in <unk> , California ; several extras in the gym crowd were South High students . The film is set in an upper middle @-@ class neighborhood in an unidentified American town . Production designer <unk> <unk> likened the <unk> to <unk> , Illinois , but said , " it 's not about a place , it 's about an <unk> . [ ... ] The milieu was pretty much <unk> , USA — <unk> mobile <unk> . " The intent was for the setting to reflect the characters , who are also <unk> . <unk> said , " All of them are very strained , and their lives are <unk> . " The <unk> ' household was designed as the reverse of the <unk> ' — the former a pristine ideal , but <unk> and lacking in " inner balance " , leading to Carolyn 's desire to at least give it the appearance of a " perfect all @-@ American household " ; the <unk> ' home is depicted in " exaggerated darkness [ and ] symmetry " . 
