Globe becomes the backdrop for a dystopian future

Yet again, Globe has become the backdrop for a film production. Since mid-May, scenes for a feature film have been shot throughout the city, transforming local landmarks into pieces of a dystopian future.

The film, which cannot yet be publicly identified by name, but could be released as early as this fall or winter, is a sci-fi action thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world. Desert-dwelling rebels clash with a militaristic corporation, and the main character struggles with divided loyalties.

The production drew talent from Phoenix, Los Angeles and New Mexico, and filming wrapped last week.

Among the locations featured in the film are the Elks Building, Round Mountain Park, the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts and Globe’s 1910 Jail.

For producer Justin Anderson and director Joshua Tessier, Globe’s locations were a major draw, not only because of their visual character, but because they remain largely untouched by major film productions.

“It hasn’t been shot out by Disney, Marvel, and Netflix 20 times,” Anderson said of the locations. “They haven’t been redressed a thousand times. It’s still kind of new.” 

One standout location was the historic jail, which provided exactly what the production needed for its prison scenes.

“The jail is great,” said Catch Henson, the production designer. “Because if you make a fake jail, it always looks fake. We build it out of wood and we paint it, so it looks okay from far away, but not as great up close.” 

The production brought in more than 60 crew members from outside the area, including producers, actors, set builders and makeup artists, while more than 25 locals were cast as background actors.

Both Anderson and Tessier, who are based in Los Angeles, said Globe stood out not only for its locations, but for how supportive the community has been toward filmmaking.

“Justin and I, both of us really felt the same way,” Tessier said. “This place is incredible.” 

“When you shoot in California for as long as I have, you know, it’s all just business and red tape out there,” Anderson said.

In contrast, Anderson, Tessier and Henson described Globe as highly filmfriendly, saying it felt as though nearly everyone in town was willing to help bring the project together. 

“And to me, that benefits both sides because then I can put some money into the community and also get help on my end as well,” Anderson said.

This marks his second production in the area. He first worked in Globe-Miami in 2017 while filming the horror movie “The Covenant,” where he met Globe-Miami regional film point Molly Cornwell. 

Cornwell played a critical role in securing locations and helping coordinate logistics for this second production, he said.

“I pretty much just called her our de facto locations manager because she basically handled all of that for me, as well as permitting, letting people know what we needed,” he said.

Cornwell also helped the crew locate building materials and other resources locally.

“Over half of our sets were built, or at least added onto,” Anderson said. 

Inside the Elks Building, the crew transformed empty rooms into multiple locations for the film, including a computer room, guard room, bedroom, interrogation room and cafeteria. 

“We have all these empty rooms, and then we just put up false walls, we closed some off, we built some hallways,” Anderson said. “You want to have very specific looks, especially with the utilitarian, the Blade Runner type aesthetic … It's in a certain time and we're building a world, not just telling a story.”

Together, Globe’s buildings, landscapes and hidden spaces became the foundation of the dystopian universe brought to life in this futuristic film.