THE ROAD (The Film)

I'm pretty sure the film version of THE ROAD has wrapped. Apparently last week the finished in Oregon, doing some scenes for the coast, which most likely are toward the end of the book.

I'm writing about it here because the majority of the movie was filmed in Western Pennsylvania, where I'm originally from. It's a bleary place, especially in the fall / winter. A lot of overcast, clouds, gray skies, etc. and seemed like a perfect place for a film with post apocalyptic tendencies. Maybe one of the reasons my first manuscript is filled

One of the places I never knew about initially (even though I essentially pass it when I come home from Richmond) is near Breezewood, an abandoned turnpike now turned into bike trails. You can read about it here. The bottom photo, covered with ash and gray and smoke, could easily be a good location, which is why they decided to use it I'm sure.

There were some places in Pittsburgh (I think a warehouse in Shadyside for the scene where the father and son find the kind of bomb shelter with all the food), some scenes with farmland and "road" shots in smaller towns like Nemacolin and Gans, Raccoon State Park in Pittsburgh, and apparently the "cellar" scene (where they used actual amputees and naturally (?) skinny people in make-up) was filmed outside of Pittsburgh (Zelienople maybe?) in some mansion.

Then they went to Lake Erie and filmed again what I assume to be some of the coastal and beach scenes for the near-end of the novel.

The film is slated for a wide release November 26th, which is pretty quick considering everything has to be done in a lot less than 6 months. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are doing the score, so that should be great. And after seeing THE PROPOSITION last week, which I like but didn't go batshit crazy over like some folks, I have a lot of faith in John Hillcoat, though the environment will be the complete opposite of the aforementioned.

Thanks to the Pulitzer nod, Oprah raving over it, and people who don't usually read good novels starting to read THE ROAD, I hope the fact that it's being made so quickly doesn't hinder the quality of the movie. I hope Viggo can do justice to the father, though I don't have any doubts.

Read more about the movie here if you're interested.