At the core of Joel Schumacher’s latest thriller, “Trespass,” is the human story of some of the most basic, common fears — home invasion, being held against one’s will, themes of mistrust and deceit.
“This film is about the choices we all make and the things that we’re willing to bear for the protection of what we hold dear,” said producer Rene Besson.
However, it’s the glamorous backdrop that is also sure to catch the attention of moviegoers.
Viewers will likely take in the exquisite, two-story mansion with its chic contemporary style and modern functionality where the story takes place and some will leave possibly longing for such a fine home.
However, what they may not know is that the mansion they’re looking at is actually a 10,000-square-foot set built and housed inside the same place where concerts, festivals, conferences and other places are held — the Shreveport Convention Center in downtown Shreveport.
The 7,000-square-foot home on the set, complete with a backyard pool, is a replica of a home in the Oak Point Place community of the Cross Lake area, which was used for exterior shots.
Well, sort of. …
“The problem with the house is that it’s only one story tall. And as you can tell, the home on set is two stories tall. So that will actually look different from the real house. In the movie, we’ll digitally paint on the second floor to that,” production designer Nathan Amondson said. “But it was the best modern house with all the sort of attributes we wanted to get.”
For Amondson, who’s designed sets for four other films shot here, including “Tekken” “Cool Dogs” and “Drive Angry,” this was his first time using the Convention Center as a set. “It was a big challenge because, to build a two-story building indoors, you need a lot of space and before, on bigger films, when we built big sets, we built at, like the Hirsch (Coliseum,) but even that didn’t have enough space width-wise to be able to accommodate the entirety of the house. So, this worked just perfectly. I think there’s just a few feet between the set and the ceiling,” Amondson said with a laugh. “But it’s just enough to make it work.”
From the real, hardwood floors to the elaborate furniture and closet, each element of the house was carefully planned out and designed to match the story of the well-to-do-family. And while Amondson’s keeping mum on how much the elaborate set cost, he did offer this hint, “They probably won’t let me give the numbers,” he laughed. “But, yeah, it’s more than a Mercedes, less than a Lear jet.”
Getting the details just right are important in a film that takes place primarily in one location — the house — in a 24-hour span. “We’re able to tell it in continuity, which is really good for the actors. We can unfold the sequence of events in the film in linear fashion, which is really a luxury that very few films get to have these days,” Besson said.