Films requiring distant-location work have existed since the embryonic days of the motion-picture industry. Although early filmmakers are known to have traveled widely to explore the capabilities of this wonderful new toy, they sometimes found it easier to recreate a street or a jungle on a backlot rather than to move a film company to the actual site. Admittedly, these early creations were pretty poor substitutions for reality, but the so-called backlots expanded and thrived. By the time of the major-studio era, the detailed replicas of European streets, Oriental temples, and Mississippi river boats had become quite sophisticated.