Sartaj Singh
Kay Cannon’s 2018 ‘Blockers’ sets out as a raunchy teen comedy with three high school girls making a pact to lose their virginity, but adds a hysterical twist. Their parents find out about their plans and make a pact of their own to block their endeavors in reaching womanhood. Initially titled, ‘The Pact,’ the comedy takes place in the bustling city of Waukegan, with the backdrop of stately homes in suburban neighborhoods, a lively high school, and an expansive property for the after-party. As the characters scamper around the city, you might find yourself wondering if the filming actually took place in Waukegan and if all the shooting was done on location.
Where Was Blockers Filmed?
‘Blockers’ was filmed entirely in and around the city of Atlanta, Georgia. While the movie makes a few attempts to disguise its location with street signs and license plates, its filming has not been done on location in Waukegan, or anywhere else in Illinois. Principal photography began on May 2, 2017, and was wrapped up by June 20, 2017. Let’s take a look at the specific shooting locations used by the film crew of ‘Blockers.’
Atlanta, Georgia
The capital of Georgia — Atlanta — served as the primary production location for ‘Blockers.’ While the high schoolers cruise around the city, with their parents in hot pursuit, some prominent Atlanta landmarks are visible in the background. These include the Grant Park, Emory University area, and the Dragon Con taking place at the Hyatt in Downtown Atlanta. As the movie was being filmed in spring, and revolved around the prom night, shooting often took place at night in cold and rainy conditions. Nevertheless, the cast and crew members hunkered down and powered through the challenge.
A local school was briefly repurposed by the film’s production crew into Forest Green Elementary School, Waukegan, Illinois. The institution was used for the opening scenes of the movie, which sees younger versions of our pact-making trio being dropped off by their parents on the first day of school.
For the later scene of those same parents chasing their teenage children’s limo and drifting into a ditch, a studio in Atlanta was used. The filmmakers had set up camp in Shadow Box Studios, 1415 Constitution Road Southeast, formerly known as Blackhall Studios. To simulate a car being flipped vertically, a rotisserie was used. The contraption held the car in place, while the actors strapped themselves inside, and were tilted to nearly ninety degrees before being spun around.
So our daughters school in #Atlanta has been transformed for the @JohnCena movie called #ThePact which comes out in 2018 #movies #film pic.twitter.com/X3azPsQoMX
— Douglas Holtzman (@DouglasHoltzman) May 12, 2017
About the experience, as per the production notes, John Cena (the internet’s favorite invisible man) said, “Mitchell’s in the backseat, and Lisa spins the car so fast it lands on its front end. To shoot it, Leslie, Ike, and I were on this thing the stunt team calls a ‘rotisserie.’ They had us hang upside down and spun us around several times. It was awesome.” The wrestler-turned-actor joined the cast after being emotionally moved by the story and its humorous narrative, treading the road not taken..
The state capital boasts a sprawling metropolitan landscape dotted with parks and luxurious suburbs, along with a robust filming infrastructure to attract filmmakers. In addition to the tax credits received by filming in the state of Georgia, Atlanta offers experienced film crews and talent, along with a number of studios and soundstages to create sets. As such, a number of popular movies and shows have been produced in the city. These include, ‘Rick and Morty,’ ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘The Hunger Games’ film series, and ‘Loki.’
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