Where was 'HP' shot?

[Janine R. Shahinian]

Nicholas wrote:

<<Yes, it's possible; but as I said previously, I think it's too shabby to
be fake.>>

Having been a guest on a couple of tv series film sets - with much lower
budgets than a feature film - I can tell you that nothing is "too" anything
for the set designers. Locations that are too shabby can be given a complete
face-lift and locations that are too neat can be dressed to look torn,
peeling and old.

I have a photo of a particularly nifty piece of set decoration from one
location I toured. The location is desired by film crews for it's given
state of shabbiness, so when I first glanced at a dirty and curled posted
notice, I assumed it had been put there a long time ago through the normal
course of everyday life. The title of the notice, however, was "THE MARTIAL
LAW ACT," which seemed a bit odd. On closer examination, the date of the
notice read, "July 1st, 2009". It had been part of a post-apocolyptic scifi
set.

<<The other thing that makes me think that it's a real location is the
partial reflection of a neon sign in the window of the shop next door. In a
set, the sign would not have been there, as it served no real purpose.>>

Lighting is very precisely controlled in filming; it's part of a director's
"palette". Think of that hand gesture that directors and known for - thumbs
pointing to each other and index fingers pointing up - and everything in
that frame is the director's canvas. If natural light is too bright, giant
screens are set up to block the sun's rays. Too dark, and lights are aimed
exactly where the director wants light. If you've seen "The Addams Family,"
notice that Morticia's eyes are always highlighted - to comical effect. That
neon light achieved precisely the effect that the director wanted: to make
the set look real. So whether the neon sign was real or not, its reflection
was no accident.

On one of the film locations that I got to watch, the director wanted to aim
the camera through a tree branch, but the spot where he had his camera was
several feet away from the nearby trees. So they set up something called a
"dingle" - a pole with the branch clamped to it at the precise height. On
screen, the audience would never know that the branch was intentionally
placed there.

I think it's great that you're interested in film locations. I've been a
Vancouver location hunter since 1995. I've also found that the more I
learned about the filmmaking process, the more respect I have about all the
craftsmanship and attention to tiny details that goes into it. One of my
gripes about the PS/SS DVD is that it didn't offer enough in the way of
behind-the-scenes documentary.

- Janine
ja9shahinian at sprynet.com