Together, the darkly comic new horror film starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco has made waves since its breakout premiere at Sundance and a celebrated screening at the Sydney Film Festival. Now released in cinemas by Neon with a glowing 99% Rotten Tomatoes score, the feature is proving that smart location choices can help drive global success.
Producer Mike Cowap (Princess Pictures) said the decision to film at Docklands came after a conversation with CEO Antony Tulloch at South by Southwest. “He put a little twinkle of optimism in my eye,” Cowap recalled. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think filming at Docklands Studios was possible.”
“Our DP–once he got the idea [of filming at Docklands Studios] he wouldn’t let go of it! And our Production Designer wanted to service the director’s vision and build the set as high as possible.”
“We had a couple of scenes set in a cave and it had to feel big—we wanted it to be cinematic and to light it from above, and there was no other facility in Victoria that allowed for that.”
Mike Cowap – Producer
“Docklands Studios had the height and the rig to be able to help us hang our lights. We were able to build the set in the workshop and ship into the studio—obviously a huge cost saving not having to build it off-site and ship it across the city or reassemble it. Because of the space we were able to build that cave and also have a set of a bathroom on the same stage. We also had some very small sets—a dog kennel and a bedroom in close proximity. We didn’t have to move the unit, just shifted the crew a few feet to one side and started shooting on the next set.
“It meant an incredible saving of time and money. While our main location shoot was in the Dandenongs (mountains on the edge of Melbourne) the production design team was building sets at Docklands Studios where we were based for pre-production.”
“For Dave and Alison, who have worked on much bigger productions, it made us feel like anything was possible, like we could make something that could play to a global audience.”
Mike Cowap – Producer
“It’s got that intangible… just inspiring everybody and making them feel like there’s a certain expectation of the quality and to bring their best every day. And from a tangible perspective, it allowed us to be more ambitious with our sets and to move faster at the studio because there’s no compromise. And being greeted every day with a smiling face at the boom gate!
“It’s sort of magical ground—that drive across the lot to get to the stage feels like you could be at any of those major Hollywood Studios.”
Docklands Studios Melbourne continues to provide world class facilities and expert support, empowering filmmakers to create ambitious, high quality productions in Victoria.
