1. Caves (Interior Set & Exterior)

Our search for our most challenging location – the cave – began with the legendary Bronson Cave in Los Angeles. This spot has been the backdrop for tons of classic scenes (including the original Batman TV show), and when we first checked it out, we were feeling optimistic.

But sadly, it’s now off-limits for filming due to safety concerns. And even if it were open, permits and fees would have pushed the cost to somewhere around $5-10k for a single day—ouch!

 

 

Luckily, we found the only rentable cave set in LA that’s way more affordable and perfect for what we need. Plus, we discovered some old mines nearby that could work for exterior shots or maybe even some specific shots inside the cave.

This mix-and-match approach can make even simple sets look like authentic, unique locations on screen.

2. Rivers & Woods

The river scenes were tougher than expected, because the landscape has to not only look like summertime Alaska, it has to have a stunning, larger-than-life quality to it.

Initially, we thought a friend’s ranch in Montana might work, but that option fell through.

Our next idea? Airbnb rentals!

We scoured riverside listings all over California, and after reaching out to a few hosts, we found one who gave us the green light for filming.

One thing that always helps when doing outreach like this – let them know that your production is fully insured, and they won’t be liable for anything. We actually haven’t gotten our insurance yet, but it’s a must for a film of this size, so we’ll cross that bridge later.

I booked a flight to northern California to scout out this AirBnB, but it would be wasteful of our budget to only scout a single spot while we’re there, so we looked at some other options nearby. Lake Tahoe had some stunning rivers & mountains that could double for Alaska, so I reached out to their film office.

 

They were fantastic! Just like our experience shooting Will the Machine in Richmond, VA, they happily provided a list of potential locations that would suit our needs, maps with parking areas, and all the paperwork we’d need for a (nearly free!) 5-day filming permit.

These experiences always remind me how much of a headache it is to shoot in public in Los Angeles compared to most cities.

Pro tip: if you’re ever scouting for locations, contact the local film office first!

As you’re reading this, my DP Casey and I are in NorCal & Tahoe scouting out these options. Wish us luck 🤞

3. The Tent

This is the easiest of our locations – we’re simply going to build the tent twice: First at the actual river location for the exterior tent shots, and later we’ll rebuild it in my backyard, and film all the interiors there.

The idea is to maximize the amount of time we can shoot on location. And since the tent will need lots of production design on the interior, this makes sure we don’t rush shooting anything inside the tent or outside it.

 

In addition we’ve continued refining the script and it’s feeling stronger than ever.

More updates as they come!

7-Day Challenge Results

Last week, I started a 7-day challenge to “make before you manage”—the idea being to create something, anything, each morning before diving into emails, meetings, or project management.

Here’s how it went:

• Day 1: Saturday — Kicked things off with some journaling. I hadn’t journaled in nearly 6 months, so it was refreshing to reflect on everything that’s happened since then.
• Day 2: Sunday — Toni and I dedicate Sundays to quality time, so I kept it simple and wrote a haiku from bed about what I saw our cat doing.

Snow white paws on skin.
Each claw skimming her surface.
Kneading fresh biscuits.

Lazy? Absolutely. But I didn’t break the streak.

• Day 3: Monday — I wrote this newsletter!

And you’ll have to take my word that for the rest of this week I’ll start each day by finally writing out another short film I’ve been tinkering with for far too long. Pinky swear!

Did you take on the challenge too? If so, leave a comment on this post and let me know how it went.

Favorites this week:

🍿 Movie: Heretic

 

I’d been wanting to see this one since the trailer dropped – I love seeing unlikely actors take on villain roles, and Hugh Grant carried the film on his back.

The movie wasn’t what I was expecting, IMO it got a bit too intellectual for its own britches dropped off in the second half, but they did an excellent job building tension and fear in the first half in a realistic way.

Worth it just to see Hugh Grant unhinged.

💬 Quote

People have forgotten how to tell a story. Stories don’t have a middle or an end any more. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning.

– Steven Spielberg

Let’s make some movies.

-Kent