On August 5, 2022, the science fiction horror movie Prey premiered. Critics praised the action sequences, Midthunder’s performance, special effects, direction, screenwriter, cinematography, and Comanche representation in the movie.
A skilled Comanche warrior defends her clan from a highly developed alien predator that chases humans for the game, fighting against the wilderness, threatening colonizers, and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.
After seeing the movie, viewers are curious about the filming locations, and it’s finally time to explore.
Prey Filming Locations
Filming was scheduled to begin in 2021 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Davis revealed in July 2021 that the movie was officially three-quarters completed. Filming was completed in September, and Dakota Beavers and Dane DiLiegro were confirmed.
Dan Trachtenberg said during the shooting, “We only used natural light. I think every place in the world has its own quality of light, and Calgary just looked phenomenal. There are not too many places in the world that have a special physical setting and a quality of light that is incredibly special, too.
Shooting in Calgary not only gave us incredibly grand landscapes, but also a very special long-lasting golden hour. We could shoot a lot of the movie to feel like dawn or dusk, even its broad sunlight looks unlike any other place in the world.”
Adding, “It’s the first time that I ever had to ford a river to get to set. It was very physically challenging, but it brought us to places that aren’t often captured on camera.”
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Calgary, a cosmopolitan Alberta city with a plethora of skyscrapers, owes its massive development to its position as the heart of Canada’s oil industry.
However, it retains the western culture that obtained it the moniker “Cowtown,” as evidenced by the Calgary Stampede, a tremendous July rodeo and festival that grew out of the farming exhibitions that were once held here.
This location was used for many pivotal scenes in the movie. The majority of the scenes were shot in Stoney Nakoda Nation, according to sources.
Stoney Nakoda Nation
Stoney Nakoda First Nation is a band government of Nakoda First Nations in Alberta, Canada. It’s west of Calgary, at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
The Stoney Nakoda First Nation is made up of three Nakoda Tribes: The movie’s production notes state that Indigenous leaders gave special approval for shooting scenes to take place on their ancestral lands.
And according to reports, Prey was shot entirely outside, rather than on a soundstage. The crew even took part in a private Stoney Nakoda Nation Pipe ceremony.
The epic amazing bear fight scene was shot in and around Calgary, Canada, including Moose Mountain and Elbow River.
More Talks On The Natural Aspect Of The Location
Cinematographer Jeff Cutter also spoke about capturing the scenes of the location as naturally as possible.
“The approach that we talked about was to be as ultra-naturalistic as we could be. Not to sound too weird, but to respect nature and to respect the landscapes that we were afforded to shoot in. As opposed to trying to overly stylize things or overly complicate things, let this beauty speak for itself.
The less that we could affect it, the less artificial light, I think this is just a general approach of not putting anything between the audience and the film. If you start becoming too self-aware of lighting or things that don’t feel realistic, then I think you get sucked out of the movie.”
What are your thoughts on the movie’s filming locations? You’re welcome to share it in the comment section below.
