The production selected two adjacent properties on the Warner backlot 's " Blondie Street " for the Burnham and Fitts ' homes . The crew rebuilt the houses to incorporate false rooms that established lines of sight — between Ricky and Jane 's bedroom windows , and between Ricky 's bedroom and Lester 's garage . The garage windows were designed specifically to obtain the crucial shot toward the end of the film in which Col. Fitts — watching from Ricky 's bedroom — mistakenly assumes that Lester is paying Ricky for sex . Mendes made sure to establish the line of sight early on in the film to make the audience feel a sense of familiarity with the shot . The house interiors were filmed on the backlot , on location , and on soundstages when overhead shots were needed . The inside of the Burnhams ' home was shot at a house close to Interstate 405 and Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles ; the inside of the Fitts ' home was shot in the city 's Hancock Park neighborhood . Ricky 's bedroom was designed to be cell @-@ like to suggest his " monkish " personality , while at the same time blending with the high @-@ tech equipment to reflect his voyeuristic side . The production deliberately minimized the use of red , as it was an important thematic signature elsewhere . The Burnhams ' home uses cool blues , while the Fitts ' is kept in a " depressed military palette " .