Just got off the phone shooting at an old mill in Massachusetts

I drove 2 hours to this abandoned mill up in Lowell last weekend to shoot a short scene. The light coming through those busted windows was INSANE, better than any diffusion I could rig up. I spent maybe $20 on gas and got 3 usable shots that look like they cost a thousand bucks. Has anyone else found a random location that just worked perfectly for their shoot?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair62627d agoMost Upvoted

That 1920s textile mill in Lowell has that perfect north-facing window light that stays consistent all day, no sun shifts ruining your continuity. I shot a music video there once and the old wooden floors gave this natural reverb that saved me hours of audio cleanup in post. Makes you wonder how many other forgotten buildings are sitting there with perfect natural acoustics and lighting just waiting for someone to use them.

the_jordan27d ago

Man that's exactly the kind of place you can't find anymore... all these new build studios are just boxes with bad sound and harsh lights. There's gotta be dozens of old mills and warehouses scattered around New England just rotting away with killer natural reverb and window light that's been timed perfectly for decades.

jones.brooke27d ago

Actually, that mill closed in the 1950s, not the 1920s, but the north light is still killer.