Naman Shrestha
Adapted from Lizzie Johnson’s book titled ‘Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire’ about the tragic 2018 Camp Fire, Apple TV+’s ‘The Lost Bus’ is a biographical thriller drama movie helmed by Paul Greengrass. Starring Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay, a school bus driver who hurries a classroom full of children and their dedicated teacher, Mary Ludwig, into the bus as the campfire begins to take over the town of Paradise, California.
Determined to bring all the passengers to safety, Kevin drives through the burning town and battles to save 22 children from the terrifying inferno surrounding them. Besides McConaughey, the survival film also features other talented actors, including America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez, and Ashlie Atkinson. Set against the backdrop of the town of Paradise, most of the drama unfolds inside the school bus as the heroic bus driver puts his own life at risk to save others.
The Lost Bus Filming Locations
Although the story unfolds in Paradise, California, the production of ‘The Lost Bus’ was carried out across New Mexico, particularly in Ruidoso, Santa Fe County, and Rio Arriba County. Principal photography for the film got underway in early April 2024 and went on for about four months before wrapping up in August of the same year. Thanks to the vast and diverse landscapes of New Mexico, the filming unit managed to recreate the Californian city authentically.
Ruidoso, New Mexico
A significant chunk of ‘The Lost Bus’ was lensed in and around the village of Ruidoso in the month of April 2024. The production team took over multiple local spots across the village, such as a gas station and a pharmacy. In Ruidoso, located in Lincoln County, they also utilized an abandoned arts college, which allowed them to have full control over the roads and bends on the campus. This also saved them the hassle of setting up camp on more public roads and shut them down for shooting. Due to Ruidoso’s mountain roads and the Midtown district that bears resemblance to Paradise, California, it served as the ideal backdrop for some of the most important scenes in the film.
Santa Fe County, New Mexico
For the purpose of shooting, the filming unit of the Matthew McConaughey starrer also traveled to Santa Fe County. The cast and crew members reportedly utilized the space of an abandoned campus near Santa Fe, where they staged the fire under a controlled environment. What made the filming process challenging is the fact that they used a real school bus with children and a real fire. The production team spent long days on the bus and beside real gas fires, while the director waited to capture the eclipse-like glow in late afternoons.
In order to record the dramatic wildfire and evacuation scenes, the production team took over the Glorieta Camps at 11 NM-50 in the census-designated place of Glorieta. The adventure camp organizes fun activities for groups, such as summer conferences, retreats, wilderness treks, camps, and reunions. Garson Studios at 1600 St Michaels Drive, BLDG 14, in the city of Santa Fe, also served as one of the prominent production locations. Home to multiple sound stages, the film studio also features other amenities required to fulfill the needs of various projects, including production offices and mill space.
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Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Filming of ‘The Lost Bus’ also took place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The cast and crew ventured to several locations in the county to paint the canvas for the Apple TV+ production. In particular, the team settled on the city of Española to tape a few scenes. The arid desert, barren plains, rugged mountain ranges, as well as the quiet small-town charm, offered the film a visual aesthetic that proved ideal for capturing the heightened tension and suspense in the narrative. As per reports, some sequences were also lensed in the unincorporated community of Truchas. It offers a unique blend of backdrops, ranging from the stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the wilderness and rustic village roads.
During a conversation with NPR, America Ferrera, who portrays Mary Ludwig, was asked about her experience of filming the scenes involving fire and children screaming. She explained, “Yeah, it was really tense. I kind of, like, realized way too late that I had signed on to a horror film. Like, horror is not my genre. I don’t like watching horror. I never wanted to be in a horror film. I thought this was just, like, a real deep, true-to-life drama. And then a third of the way in, I’m like, I signed on to a horror movie…And the way Paul really directed the fire as a monster, you know, it has its own POV, and we’re being chased. You know, it’s a chase movie. We’re being chased by this fire. And that was physically and emotionally taxing, in a way that I guess I really underestimated.”
