Post-apocalyptic locations for MiniDV movie

Marco Leavitt · June 5th, 2004, 09:34 AM

Jan,
I suppose it's way too far for you, but the best place I know of to shoot a post-apocalyptic type move is Green River Utah. Economy is lousy, so hotels and other expenses would be very cheap. There are hundreds of miles of BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) that don't have environmental restrictions. You could even camp for free in the desert there if you wanted, with no permits or fees required or anything. You could do all the filming you want, even set off explosions (in the desert. Just get off the roads as far as possible), and nobody is going to bother you. I swear. Lots of people like to go shooting in the desert, so if you had actors running around with guns, it wouldn't freak people out. Best thing is the BLM roads. In order for their rangers to keep an eye on things, the federal government has built a huge network of fantastic (unpaved but still really great) roads that wind around through the desert and don't really go anywhere. Very seldom traveled. You won't see more than a couple of cars a day in most areas. This is very remote country. In fact, you could die if you got too far out and your car broke down. Anyway, with these roads you can access a fantastic variety of rock formations, with soil that ranges from bright red, to white, to purple (I'm not kidding). Last time I was there, it occurred to me that this is exactly what I would imagine Mars looking like.

Jan van den Hemel · June 5th, 2004, 01:25 PM

Marco, thats a very smart idea.

I might be able find a good desert area a little closer, in Spain.

But Green River Utah is definitely on my "must visit someday" list of places in the world!

Federico Dib · June 5th, 2004, 02:25 PM

Now that you mention Spain.. a few years ago I saw a short made by some guys at my filmschool..

It was shot in a deserted town that looked very creepy. The buildings were pretty old (early 1900´s) so it might not be exactly post apocalyptic.. unless apocalypse was after the Spanish Civil war or the WWII.

I´ve been trying to remember the name of the town.. but it was long ago..

Anyway I think there are a few ghost towns around here....

Marco Leavitt · June 5th, 2004, 04:13 PM

"But Green River Utah is definitely on my "must visit someday" list of places in the world!"

Well, if you do make it to Utah, remember there are many areas with much more spectacular scenery. They're also crawling with tourists. I mention Green River for filmmakers because it is one of the most desolate and ugly places I've ever seen. I few years back a group of bad guys went on a murder spree and disappeared into the desert in that general area. They killed a bunch of cops, and despite helicopters and a relative army of folks looking for them, nobody could root them out of the desert. This went on for months. So far as I know, they never did find those guys, although they had a habit of killing each other one by one and leaving the bodies behind.

Jan van den Hemel · June 6th, 2004, 07:53 AM

I remember an old photography website with abandoned buildings in Belgium:

http://www.abandoned-places.com/

Keith Loh · June 6th, 2004, 10:31 AM

So COOL!

I remember another photo site where the subject was abandoned hospitals, mills, factories and other institutions in the rust belt of the U.S.

Also there was a film recently called Session 9 that was shot on video that was filmed in an abandoned institution of some sort. Nice film but most of it was the atmosphere of the building.

June 5th, 2004, 01:25 PM	#17
Jan van den Hemel Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: PAL land Posts: 87	Marco, thats a very smart idea. I might be able find a good desert area a little closer, in Spain. But Green River Utah is definitely on my "must visit someday" list of places in the world! __________________ J.

June 5th, 2004, 02:25 PM	#18
Federico Dib Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Barcelona Posts: 312	Now that you mention Spain.. a few years ago I saw a short made by some guys at my filmschool.. It was shot in a deserted town that looked very creepy. The buildings were pretty old (early 1900´s) so it might not be exactly post apocalyptic.. unless apocalypse was after the Spanish Civil war or the WWII. I´ve been trying to remember the name of the town.. but it was long ago.. Anyway I think there are a few ghost towns around here.... __________________ Messenger Boy : The Thessalonian you're fighting, he's the biggest man I've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him. Achilles : That is why no one will remember your name.

June 6th, 2004, 07:53 AM	#20
Jan van den Hemel Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: PAL land Posts: 87	I remember an old photography website with abandoned buildings in Belgium: http://www.abandoned-places.com/ __________________ J.

June 6th, 2004, 10:31 AM	#21
Keith Loh Air China Pilot Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 2,389	So COOL! I remember another photo site where the subject was abandoned hospitals, mills, factories and other institutions in the rust belt of the U.S. Also there was a film recently called Session 9 that was shot on video that was filmed in an abandoned institution of some sort. Nice film but most of it was the atmosphere of the building. __________________ -- Visit http://www.KeithLoh.com \| stuff about living in Vancouver \| My Flickr photo gallery

June 5th, 2004, 09:34 AM	#16
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	Jan, I suppose it's way too far for you, but the best place I know of to shoot a post-apocalyptic type move is Green River Utah. Economy is lousy, so hotels and other expenses would be very cheap. There are hundreds of miles of BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) that don't have environmental restrictions. You could even camp for free in the desert there if you wanted, with no permits or fees required or anything. You could do all the filming you want, even set off explosions (in the desert. Just get off the roads as far as possible), and nobody is going to bother you. I swear. Lots of people like to go shooting in the desert, so if you had actors running around with guns, it wouldn't freak people out. Best thing is the BLM roads. In order for their rangers to keep an eye on things, the federal government has built a huge network of fantastic (unpaved but still really great) roads that wind around through the desert and don't really go anywhere. Very seldom traveled. You won't see more than a couple of cars a day in most areas. This is very remote country. In fact, you could die if you got too far out and your car broke down. Anyway, with these roads you can access a fantastic variety of rock formations, with soil that ranges from bright red, to white, to purple (I'm not kidding). Last time I was there, it occurred to me that this is exactly what I would imagine Mars looking like.

June 5th, 2004, 04:13 PM	#19
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	"But Green River Utah is definitely on my "must visit someday" list of places in the world!" Well, if you do make it to Utah, remember there are many areas with much more spectacular scenery. They're also crawling with tourists. I mention Green River for filmmakers because it is one of the most desolate and ugly places I've ever seen. I few years back a group of bad guys went on a murder spree and disappeared into the desert in that general area. They killed a bunch of cops, and despite helicopters and a relative army of folks looking for them, nobody could root them out of the desert. This went on for months. So far as I know, they never did find those guys, although they had a habit of killing each other one by one and leaving the bodies behind.