Naman Shrestha
Inspired by the eponymous novel written by Robinne Lee, ‘The Idea of You’ is a romantic drama movie that revolves around the unexpected romance between a single mother and the lead singer of a world-famous boy band. A 40-year-old single mother named Solène Marchand agrees to take her teenage daughter to Coachella at the last minute after her ex-husband fails to do so. Little does she know that going to the festival with her daughter would change her life for good.
Unexpectedly, Solène connects with the lead singer of August Moon — Hayes Campbell. As both of them feel the spark between them, they begin dating each other. However, soon enough, Hayes’ popularity and status get in the way of the couple’s whirlwind romance as life in the constant spotlight with him is something that Solène is not a fan of. Co-written and directed by Michael Showalter, ‘The Idea of You’ takes us for a spin around the world as Hayes tours the world with his band and Solène, performing at concerts and spending some quality time with Solène.
The Idea of You Shooting Locations
Despite the globe-trotting settings we see in ‘The Idea of You,’ you might be shocked to know that the entirety of the film was shot in Georgia, primarily in Atlanta and Savannah. Reports suggested that the principal photography for the Anne Hathaway starrer got underway in October 2022 and continued for the next couple of months, before wrapping up in December of the same year.
Atlanta, Georgia
A major chunk of ‘The Idea of You’ was lensed in and around the city of Atlanta, the capital of Georgia and the seat of Fulton County. Also known as the Hollywood of the South, it lies among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Moreover, given its vastness and diversity, the city makes for a suitable filming site for different kinds of productions. The fact that most of the shooting took place in Atlanta was emphasized by the director Michael Showalter in an interview with Manila Bulletin.
Michael revealed, “…We also go to Europe, we go all over Europe. We’re in Italy, we’re in Spain, we’re in Paris, London, we’re in the south of France. And we shot the whole movie, we’re at Coachella in the desert, and we shot the whole movie in the city of Atlanta, Georgia and so one of the challenges was to make Atlanta, Georgia look like all these other locations. But I’m very proud of the fact that a lot of people see the movie and are shocked when they find out that that’s what we did. In fact, there’s a lot of people from Los Angeles who can’t tell that we didn’t shoot the movie in Los Angeles.”
As a matter of fact, even the Coachella scenes that are set in California were recorded in Atlanta. According to reports, the crew members spent several weeks constructing a set for Coachella in the middle of an open field. After the construction, they also had to fill the space with hundreds of extras to create a crowd. Nicholas Galitzine, who portrays Hayes Campbell, felt nervous about performing on the stage. He told Fox 5 Atlanta, “We’re not playing to thousands of people, but, I mean, there were 500 extras or so, which still is an intimidating number of people.”
Praising the background artists, Hathaway said, “I have to actually shout out our background artists for that whole sequence, because we were filming in the freezing cold, and they were out there in their Coachella gear pretending it was Indio, California. Our background artists for that whole Coachella sequence, they were magical. They were amazing.”
Savannah, Georgia
A few portions of ‘The Idea of You’ were also reportedly filmed in the oldest city of Georgia — Savannah. Situated on the eponymous river, the city is home to diverse neighborhoods, some of which hosted the production of the romantic film. Moreover, it has also served as a filming site for other movies in the past, including ‘Forrest Gump,’ ‘The Last Song,’ ‘Something to Talk About,’ and ‘First Kill.’
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