Prerna Singh
‘Safety’ is an inspiring biographical-sports drama based on the life of Ray McElrathbey. Giving up is not an option for Ray (Jay Reeves), a football player on scholarship at Clemson University. His mother’s drug addiction causes her to lose custody of Ray and his 11-year old brother Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson). With no other option, Ray secretly raises his brother on campus while he continues to do his best in an attempt to turn their life around. Since it is based on a true story, we wonder if the movie was also filmed in some of the actual places that are part of Ray’s journey. Here is what we know!
Safety Filming Locations
‘Safety’ was primarily filmed on location in Clemson, South Carolina. The filming commenced in September 2019 under the title ‘Blue Ridge.’ Without further ado, let us take you through the details!
Clemson, South Carolina
The film revolves around Ray McElrathbey, who is a student at Clemson University. You may find it interesting that a large portion of the film was actually shot in different parts of the campus of Clemson University and areas of the city of Clemson. The University has several athletics facilities, of which Clemson Memorial Stadium (AKA Death Valley) is where the football game scenes were shot.
The filming took place during halftime at a game between the Clemson Tigers and Charlotte 49ers on September 21, 2019. The fans were requested to remain in their seats for the gridiron sequences and cheer the actors as if in a real game. The fans were extremely enthusiastic and ended up cheering much louder than they did for the real team at the beginning of the game!
Clemson University, founded in 1889, spans over 1,400 acres of land. It also manages the nearby Clemson Experimental Forest that covers an area of 17,500 acres. The University uses the space for research, educational, and recreational purposes.
Other locations on campus that feature in the film are the Robert Muldrow Cooper Library’s third floor, Carillon Garden, and the Reflection Pond. The scenes with football team activities were filmed at Clemson Athletics Facility on campus. The Esso Club, a sports bar, is a usual hang-out spot for the University students where some of the scenes for the movie were filmed.
Clayton, Georgia
A few fight sequences for the movie were shot around Wilson Valley behind the Main Street Shops. The traffic was affected as the area was used for filming for several hours in the day in November 2019. A police officer was also present on the set since the scenes involved a gunshot with a prop gun and multiple prop weapons. The exteriors of Clayton State University Athletics Building (Morrow, Georgia) stands in for the Athletics Building at Clemson.
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