Locations

Locations are so important.

Finding the right locations give your story the authenticity that nothing else can. You can have the greatest script and the most amazing actors but a location that is not believable will take your audience right out of the moment. The challenge is to find the right locations when you have a minimal budget or no budget.

With Ava we definitely had challenges. Below are some of the locations we needed and how we solved our challenges.

Ava's Condo
London Restaurant and Hospice
Art Studios
Walter's Workshop
Beverly Hills Restaurant
Hospital ER
Bobby's Office and Department Store HR
News Stand
Gold Store

 

Ava's Condo

The condo was like another character in the piece. It established the kind of lifestyle to which Ava was accustomed and what she was going to lose. It needed to be beautiful, elegant and filled with art.

I had some friends that had the exact, perfect space but I couldn’t imagine that they would be open to us filming there and taking over their home for four days. So…I had access to a large one-room guesthouse and I was trying to figure out how we could dress it to make it work (see London Restaurant/Hospice.) Looking back I don’t see how that could have possibly worked out, especially with no budget to speak of.

The entryway, however, had me stumped. A large door and foyer was so important when Ava and Leanne come back from the ER and later when Paul ushers Bob, Jr. out of the condo, and further along when she is served with an eviction notice. So, I ended up asking them if we could use their foyer. To make a long story short, when they found out what I was doing, they actually offered to let me film in the condo! They are absolute ANGELS. I can’t imagine how we could have made it work without that space. It made all the difference in how the story plays out.

London Restaurant and Hospice

We finally used the guesthouse. We dressed the London Restaurant in one corner and the Hospice in another. They were both simple. The restaurant just needed the table, chairs, table setting and a picture on the wall (which we never saw), the hospice had a cot, nightstand, curtain, and crucifix (which we also never saw, and it was such a nice one, too.) We ended up just using close-ups of the two actresses. This shot is not in the final version.

Art Studios

This was another problem. We found that a commercial space was too expensive, so we looked for neighborhood art schools, which wasn’t working. Once again I was trying to figure out whether I could use the guesthouse for an art school. Hmmm. That would mean easels, paint, chairs, artwork, canvases, etc., etc. Then, a friend knew someone who rented out her garages to artists! Both artists agreed and I can’t imagine it being anywhere else. They were perfect. We used one as Walter’s studio where he teaches, and the smaller one is Walter’s personal space. See below.

Walter's Workshop

Walter’s “Art Workshop” which he offers to Ava to stay in, was located right next to the two-car garage that was actually an artist’s workshop and we were fortunate to use it for the three Art Studio shoots as well as this one. I just loved these locations.

Beverly Hills Restaurant

Hard to believe but we were searching for this location even after we started shooting! How’s that for being prepared! I wanted to find an old-time Beverly Hills dinner house with big booths, something that would have been popular in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but could not find anything that worked or was available. Once again we ended up using a friend’s courtyard. You know those old Spanish places from the 30s where the courtyard opens off the dining room but is behind walls and not visible from the street? That’s what we used. It ended up looking so fabulous that I’ve actually had two people who saw the first episode ask me where the restaurant is! They wanted to go! One of them thought it was The Ivy! Of course there was a problem. Right? Even though you absolutely can do this, you do know that none of this is easy. What was the problem? NOISE…airplanes, traffic, a jack hammer, a buzz saw (remodeling across the street) and a dog barking.

Hospital ER

Another space we couldn’t find until the day before we shot it. We used an office space that was empty except for the desk the Security Guard sat behind. It had three doors. One as an entrance/exit for Ava and Leanne, one that led into the waiting area, and one with a massive door for Bob, Jr. to burst through. We dressed it with an ER sign that we had printed.

Bobby's Office and Department Store HR

Bobby’s office and the personnel office were filmed at the same office location. It was on the second floor and we had the beautiful tops of
the trees reflected in the glass doors of the “personnel office.

News Stand

Originally we were looking for a kiosk but ended up with a news stand. There are so few of them anymore, but we got very lucky and found the perfect one. I’m really happy how it worked out.

Gold Store

The owner of the Gold Store was kind enough to let us use his store. He is a really nice man, who suffered total damage to his store during the “peaceful protests", a very unfair thing to have to go through. By the time we shot he was up and running again. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to shoot there. I love his store.