Naman Shrestha
A remake of the 2007 British eponymous movie directed by Frank Oz, ‘Death at a Funeral’ is a dark comedy movie helmed by Neil LaBute that stars Chris Rock as Aaron, a novelist who has prepared his father’s funeral. What is already a dark day for him turns into the worst day of his life when everything goes south, from the funeral home delivering the wrong body to the fiancé of one of his cousins arriving stoned at the funeral. As Aaron tries to provide his late father with a proper memorial, he has to deal with sibling rivalry, unwanted family members, and a short stranger threatening to blow the lid off the coffin.
Besides Chris Rock, the comedy film consists of a number of popular names in the Hollywood industry, including Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, Peter Dinklage, James Marsden, and Tracy Morgan, whose hilarious performances captivate and tickle the funny bones of the audience. Set entirely at the memorial service of Aaron’s father, almost all the drama unfolds in the four walls of his residence and the surrounding areas. Thus, the viewers are likely to be curious about the actual filming sites of ‘Death at a Funeral.’ If you are in the same boat, we have got you covered!
Death at a Funeral Filming Locations
‘Death at a Funeral’ was filmed in its entirety in California, especially in Los Angeles County. According to reports, principal photography for the Neil LaBute directorial commenced in late March 2009 and wrapped up in May of the same year. While the original movie was set at a picturesque property in the English countryside, the remake was set in a lavish house in the suburban neighborhood of the city. Now, let’s visit Aaron’s father’s memorial service and find out all the specific locations that appear in the comedy movie!
Los Angeles County, California
‘Death at a Funeral’ was extensively taped in Los Angeles County, with the production team setting up camp mainly in two specific locations across the county. First and foremost, the 1901 wood-shingled mansion at 917 Buena Vista Street in the city of South Pasadena doubled for the residence where the funeral of Aaron’s father takes place. Various areas of the property, including the front, backyard, gazebo, pool, and sun porch, were utilized to shoot the film. Interestingly enough, only the exteriors were recorded on the property.
As for the interior scenes, they were lensed mainly on Stage 23 of the Sony Pictures Studios at 10202 West Washington Boulevard in Culver City. The film studio is home to 18 sound stages and a bunch of on-lot locations that offer a wide range of settings. The production designer Jon Gary Steele created and modified the elaborate set of Stage 23 by adding some new details, such as dark woods, rich patterned wallpapers, and stained glass to elevate the faux backdrop’s Craftsman look. The newly designed set was not similar to the interiors of the South Pasadena house that was used to shoot the exteriors.
As a matter of fact, Steele and his team deliberately constructed the set much larger in size than its real-life counterpart in order to accommodate the film’s numerous cast members as well as make it easier for the camera and the actors to move around the set. Moreover, a few other locales of the city of Los Angeles feature in some sequences of the movie as well. Over the years, LA County has hosted the production of a number of film and TV projects. Some of the popular ones are ‘The Parent Trap,’ ‘Bridesmaids,’ ‘Step Brothers,’ ‘Young Sheldon,’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’
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