Naman Shrestha
Adapted from a Wattpad story by Kate Marchant, ‘Float’ is a romantic drama movie that stars Andrea Bang as Waverly, who shares a tense relationship with her parents. With almost everything planned beforehand for her future, including starting her medical residency in Toronto after visiting her parents in Taipei, there are some last moment and sudden changes in her plans as she impulsively decides to spend the summer in the small beach town of Tofino with her estranged aunt. While at a beach party, Waverly nearly drowns, but fortunately, she is saved by a local and charming lifeguard named Blake.
Following the incident, Blake offers to teach Waverly swimming. As the two spend more and more time together during the swimming lessons, they unexpectedly fall for each other. With the intensity of their love on the rise, Blake’s past as well as Waverly’s ambition to begin a new job, have the tendency to interfere with it. Written and directed by Sherren Lee, the film, besides Andrea, also features other talented actors in supporting roles, including Andrew Bachelor, Rukiya Bernard, Michelle Krusiec, Sarah Desjardins, Ghazal Azarbad, and Tristan Arthurs. The visuals of the beaches, forests, and open waters mesmerize the viewers, but at the same time, it raises certain questions in their minds regarding the shooting spots of ‘Float.’
Float Filming Locations
‘Float’ was filmed in its entirety in British Columbia, particularly in a couple of cities — Vancouver and Squamish. As per reports, principal photography for the drama film commenced in September 2021 and wrapped up in a month or so, in October of the same month. Journeying over to all the specific sites, let us learn all about them!
Greater Vancouver, British Columbia
Located in the westernmost province of British Columbia, Greater Vancouver is the primary shooting site of ‘Float.’ The cast and crew made use of the varied locales of the picturesque city of Vancouver as well as other locations in the metropolitan area to create the visual canvas of the romantic drama movie. In particular, a few sequences were taped at Whonnock Lake, a muskeg lake in Maple Ridge in the northeastern part of Greater Vancouver. A beautiful but not-so-popular natural treat on the eastern side of the town, the lake has a beach, park, and docks, and enough area to swim, hike, and observe nature in peace.
In an interview with Hollywood North Magazine, director Sherren Lee opened up about the reason behind changing the setting of the film adaptation from the United States to the Great White North. She explained, “We wanted to showcase Canada. We thought Tofino was the most beautiful beach town in Canada. Wanted to shoot in BC and showcase its beauty. The majority of the cast is Canadian and the entire crew is Canadian as well. We wanted it to be a Canadian production and showcase our country.” As per the locals, a handful of scenes were also shot in and around Centennial Beach at 570 Boundary Bay Road in the city of Delta,
Also dubbed Hollywood North, Vancity is recognized as one of the leading filming destinations across the globe owing to several reasons — favorable climate for shooting, no dearth of local spots and renowned landmarks to film a vast range of projects, availability of skilled workforce comprising technicians and actors, lucrative tax incentives offered by the government, multiple production facilities, as well as friendly locals. Over the years, it has doubled up as a shooting site for numerous movies and television shows, such as ‘Titanic,’ ‘Virgin River,’ ‘When Calls the Heart,’ ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,’ ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,’ and ‘Midnight Sun.’
Squamish, British Columbia
For the purpose of filming, the production team also moved to Squamish, lying north of the coastal port city of Vancouver, to lens some shots for the movie. According to reports, the 100-meter-long Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge at Squamish-Lillooet D was also chosen as a site to capture a number of shots. At 1,000 feet above the ground, the suspension bridge showcases the spectacular mountainscape of Sky Pilot Mountain and Co-Pilot Mountain and overlooks the expansive views of the dramatic Howe Sound fjord.
Read More: Float (2024): Is the Movie Based on a Real Life Couple?
