Are your friends and family constantly commenting that your home seems stuck in the ’80s? For once, that could be a good thing.
Just like in real estate, location is a prime concern in the film industry. Lancaster-based production company Make/Films and New Zealand and London-based company Inspiring Films are co-producing “Brave the Dark” – a film about Garden Spot High School English teacher and theater instructor-turned-father-figure Stan Deen – and they are looking for locations to shoot.
The movie, which is currently in development, will be directed by Damian Harris (“Gardens of the Night”) and stars Jared Harris (“Mad Men,” “Chernobyl”) and Nicholas Hamilton (“Captain Fantastic,” “It”).
“Brave the Dark” is set in the ’80s, and the production team is searching for houses from the decade when movies like “E.T,” “Top Gun” and “Ghostbuster” were released. Shooting for “Brave the Dark” will also take place at Garden Spot High School, among other local settings.
The film’s production team is looking for four specific locations in northeastern Lancaster County. Make/Films director of photography Steve Buckwalter says his team is looking for the following: a suburban house in a nice neighborhood with at least three bedrooms and a finished basement, an upscale house with a pool to shoot the ground floor and the exterior, a downscale house with a long driveway in a more rural environment and a downscale house in a more remote wooded environment, preferably with an outbuilding or two.
“There are creative aspects of choosing the location,” says Buckwalter. “But there’s also logistical aspects of it come into play. We tend to not pick a house if it’s right next to a busy highway.”
Most of the shoots, according to Buckwalter, will be wrapped in a couple of days, but one of the locations will require a week’s worth of shooting. Shooting for “Brave the Dark” is set to take place in mid-September and mid-October.
“We’re hoping to find a house ASAP, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re are still looking as shooting begins,” says Buckwalter. “But we’d love to get to a place where we’re locking things down.”
Property owners will be able to negotiate a contract for compensation for use of their homes. The process is usually takes two or three visits as they narrow down locations before a final determination is made, says Buckwalter.
“We usually try to give neighbors a heads up and minimize impact on the community,” says Buckwalter.
If you have own a property that you think fits one of these descriptions contact Steve Buckwalter at [email protected] or Grace Wagner at [email protected]
To find out how to apply to join the crew or be cast for a speaking part in the film visit makefilms.cc/originalfilms/brave-the-dark.