Sartaj Singh
Helmed by Anna Kendrick in her feature directorial debut, ‘Woman of the Hour’ centers on Cheryl Bradshaw, an aspiring young actress in Hollywood during the 1970s. She lands an opportunity to appear on a dating game TV show and is greeted on stage by an excited, live audience. Cheryl is introduced to three bachelors and asks each of them questions, ultimately choosing bachelor number 3, Rodney Alcala, for her date. However, the charming Rodney is a cold-blooded serial killer who only appeared on national television to find his next victim. The Netflix thriller film is based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala, and impeccably recreates ‘70s Los Angeles, drawing us into the past era.
Woman of the Hour Filming Locations
‘Woman of the Hour’ was filmed in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, and Los Angeles, California. The movie was originally titled ‘The Dating Game’ and began filming under the working title ‘Rodney & Cheryl.’ Initially, Chloe Okuno was attached to direct the film but had to leave the project, vacating the director’s chair for Kendrick to make her feature directorial debut. Principal photography was carried out with cinematographer Zach Kuperstein behind the camera, beginning on October 31, 2022, and wrapping up by December 2022.
The cast members seemed to greatly admire Kendrick for her multi-tasking on set, both directing and leading the film. “You just see her on set in her hair with her curlers getting ready because she’s in the film as well,” said actress Nicolette Robinson in an interview. “(It’s) insane and wild to see this beautiful, passionate woman just telling everybody on set what to do. She’s amazing.”
Metro Vancouver, British Columbia
‘Woman of the Hour’ was primarily filmed in Vancouver and its surrounding territories, which make up Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. Known as the Hollywood of the North alongside Toronto, the city’s well-equipped sound stages allowed the production team to meticulously design and build the game show stage for the dating TV show. The production team displayed vintage production equipment and psychedelic color schemes that replicated the style of the ‘70s TV show. Beyond the game show set, Vancouver’s production locations and studio spaces also depicted various other indoor environments seen in the film, which blended seamlessly with the production’s costume and set design to create an immersive atmosphere.
Vancouver has long been a favored filming location for Hollywood productions due to its robust film industry infrastructure, tax incentives, and versatile urban settings, which allow it to stand in for other cities. Some similar films and shows to have been shot in Metro Vancouver include ‘Longlegs,’ Hulu’s ‘Under the Bridge,’ ‘Bad Times at the El Royale,’ and ‘Kiss the Girls.’
Los Angeles, California
The setting of ‘Woman of the Hour’ was brought to life by shooting in the sunny landscapes of Los Angeles, California. The city and its surrounding geography provided the perfect outdoor backdrop for the film. The distinct 1970s look of the Los Angeles was recreated with carefully chosen filming locations and expert production design. Shots of palm-lined streets, vintage cars, and sun-soaked suburban settings helped capture the essence of the era, while the drives on isolated highways and the dates in surrounding hills created an atmosphere of tension.
In the opening sequence of the film, Kendrick set up shots of Los Angeles and its surrounding rolling landscapes to establish the setting. “And even in the opening scene, I had shot two other setups that just kind of gave you more of a sense of the geography and the reality of what was happening,” said the actor-director about the sequence in an interview. “And I asked my editor to go back through some of the stuff we just rolled on before the actors came to set that morning. And we found that panning role focus shot.” She found it evocative to liken the beauty of the landscape to that of a woman’s life that was brought to a cruel end. Other films and shows that have used the landscapes of Los Angeles to tell similar stories include Netflix’s ‘Monsters,’ ‘True Detective,’ Netflix’s ‘You,’ and ‘Zodiac.’
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