‘BMF’: How the Set Designers Make Atlanta Look Like Detroit

Based on a true story, Starz’s BMF  follows brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory ( Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (Da’Vinchi). The series is set in the 1980s in Detroit as the brothers began building their drug organization.

Though BMF is set in Detriot, it’s actually filmed in Atlanta. It’s up to the set designers to make the series look as realistic as possible.

Did BMF start in Detroit?

BMF, aka Black Mafia Family, began in Detroit. The Flenory brothers started their organization as teens. They were called The 50 Boyz because they would sell $50 bags of cocaine. Eventually, they would become BMF. BMF creator Randy Huggins also grew up in Detriot around this time and knew about the Flenorys and some of the major players showcased on the show.

“I took some liberties, but everything there is based on a story,” Huggins told Urban Hollywood 411. “Obviously, you can’t have people’s names in there. Obviously, some of the places may have changed.” He added,

 I don’t think there’s a character in there, that I hadn’t heard of. I may have to take a creative liberty to make an art pop a little bit more. I may have to take a creative license to make a scene funnier than it may have been, but that’s just part of telling a story. This is not a documentary.

‘BMF’ set designers make Atlanta look like Detroit

From the mid-1980s to 1989, the Flenory brothers lived and ran their business out of Detroit. However, the series is actually shot in Atlanta. Therefore, the show’s set designers have had the tall task of making the Motor City, which is located in the Midwest, look like Atlanta, which is in the South.

BMF Production Designer Kathrin Eder explained the process.

“Atlanta has a very different personality from Detroit,” she told Show Snob. “The foliage is much more lush, and there are hills everywhere, whereas Detroit is flat. There is no presence of water or large bridges. We had to be very specific in the choice of our locations and then augment them to work for 1988. There was and is a huge desire to build an authentic world, and everyone supported that. I really loved it and loved being part of this show. I had a great team, and we had a lot of fun with the sets.

Why did BMF leave Detroit?

As fans of BMF have already seen, after seeing the possibilities in Atlanta, which is still considered a Mecca for many Black Americans, Meech, and Terry decided to expand BMF. Though Detroit was always their hometown, Meech would not live there after 1989.

While Terry remained behind for some years, he eventually moved to Los Angeles to run that branch of the business. By the time the brothers were arrested on drug trafficking and money laundering in 2005, they were each worth $100 million.

Detroit simply didn’t have the infrastructure the brothers needed to be as big as they became. Since executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is working on several BMF spinoffs, dubbed BMF Immortal, fans may soon see even more of the business.