Looking for a suitable city to serve as the backdrop for “She’s Out of My League,” the filmmakers first made a list of the features they wanted. First, there had to be romantic-looking settings and the city had to have an NHL hockey team. Perhaps most importantly, it had to have an airport suitable for intense filming.
“We prioritized the airport,” says Field Smith. “One of the most important locations in the story told was the airport. However, it was almost impossible to find an airport where we could film the way we needed. It would even be easier to set up an airport set.”
The filmmakers visited Pittsburgh International Airport while scanning the venue. After taking a tour of the facilities, it turned out that it was impossible to shoot due to time and entry-exit restrictions at the airport.
Field Smith describes the developments as follows: “We could shoot in certain areas between 2:00 am and 3:00 am. We would be allowed to shoot at 5.00 for another episode. Moreover, we could only use one camera. Just as we were getting ready to leave, one of the staff mentioned the existence of a terminal hall that is no longer in use. He said, “Would you like to see it?” We were getting ready to look elsewhere, but we thought why not.”
The director continues: “Then he opened a small door. We saw a huge terminal hall in front of us. This section, which occupies almost half of the airport facilities, was empty. We could see the planes through the windows. All the signs were in place; moving treadmills were still operational. Due to the low number of flights to and from Pittsburgh, they had to close it. We would be able to shoot by using all the entrances of the terminal hall as we wanted. Can you imagine, you open a door and the moment you turn on the lights, a place like a movie set appears in front of you. I felt like Alice in Wonderland.”
Even if they could use half of the airport, security restrictions were still tight for players and coaches. Let’s hear it from producer George Gatins: “Shooting at a working airport presented some logistical challenges. At the checkpoints, we had to take off our shoes and remove our belts and obey the safety rules. There were things that could and could not be done. After all, we were guests at the airport. We did our best not to prolong our stay there and not cause unnecessary inconvenience.”
Director Field Smith also explains: “The extras were warned not to bring anything that wasn’t taken on the plane with them. They could not even bring food and water. Things like guns and knives were, of course, strictly forbidden. However, this city has been an incredibly beautiful discovery for us. We felt as if we were lifting a veil of secrecy. The main reason we came to Pittsburgh was the airport, but then we discovered some fascinating places when we toured the city.”
The second item on the list was collaborating with a professional ice hockey team. Originally from Pittsburgh, producer Jimmy Miller worked as a host at Mellon Arena during his teenage years. Producer Gatins comments: “Jimmy still has season tickets for the Penguins. One of his college friends is currently the vice president of the club. Penguins club gave us entry to every place we wanted. They reserved luxury lodges, seats by the ice for us. They even let us film during a sold-out match at Mellon Arena.”
Learning about ice hockey, a popular North American sport, was a tough one for Field Smith, who was born and raised in England. “As a Brit, I knew nothing about ice hockey,” Smith admits. On our first night we were busy shooting in the front row right next to the ice. I can say that this was my test with fire, or rather my test with ice.”
The first production day of “She’s Ot of My League” took place during a match played at Mellon Arena. Field Smith’s impressions on this subject are as follows: “We had 18,000 extras in the hall. Penguin fans have been very patient with a film crew roaming the arena. We had to change the storyboard every 10 minutes. It was at that moment that the residents of Pittsburgh were patiently waiting and supporting us.”
Some moviegoers may be surprised by the beauty of Pittsburgh, known as the “Steel City.” Located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Alleghany rivers, Pittsburgh, with its many bridges and majestic city skyline, provided the dramatic backdrop for the story. The filmmakers scanned the city extensively and identified the locations to be seen in the film. These included the world-famous Andy Warhol Museum and Mount Washington, which was named “Best Urban Landscape” by the USA Weekend newspaper.
Director Field Smith summarizes his impressions of Pittsburgh with these words: “When we went to Pittsburgh, we were not aware of the possibilities this city could offer us. After we got there, we started to shape the story in our hands according to the Pittsburgh locations. Everyone will appreciate the fantastic scene with Kirk and Molly on Mount Washington and the city in the background.”
As a result, the director found everything he needed in Pittsburgh. Stating that the beauties he encountered made up a long list, Smith said, “We made a big movie in terms of place and number of people. Hundreds of extras worked in each scene. It took 10 minutes to reset 300 people to the starting position after taking any shot. When shooting a movie like this with thousands of extras, airplanes, stunt vehicles and cars, I felt like I was given a big toy to play with. The only thing we didn’t do was the explosion!”
When the shooting was over, Field Smith was more than satisfied that he was able to make the movie he had envisioned. He expresses his feelings on this subject with these words: “When I first read the script, I had shaped many scenes in my head. There were moments when we had to compress and contract in some cases, but I am happy that I managed to get results very close to what I visualized in my brain at the first stage.”
All about She’s Out of My League movie.
She’s Out of My League (2010)
Directed by: Jim Field Smith
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults, Lindsay Sloane, Kyle Bornheimer, Jessica St. Clair, Krysten Ritter, Debra Jo Rupp, Jasika Nicole
Screenplay by: Sean Anders, John Morris
Production Design by: Clayton Hartley
Cinematography by: Jim Denault
Film Editing by: Dan Schalk
ostume Design by: Molly Maginnis
Set Decoration by: Casey Hallenbeck
Art Direction by: Jim Gloster
Music by: Michael Andrews
MPAA Rating: R for for language and sexual content.
Distributed by: DreamWorks Pictures
Release Date: March 12, 2010
Visits: 124
