Back to the Buick Scenes

Revisiting a few of the key locations from the Buick to the Future shorts my friend Tyler and I made in the summer of 2007 was a trip.  With the series now 5 years old, it's tough not to think about it without film school memories flooding back in.  The project really marked the beginning of the end of my time in Regina and university, so it seemed fitting to explore these scenes along with the film school itself.

In addition to being a little bit older ourselves, the locations actually have changed quite a bit.  The Cinema 6 drive-in site where we shot the third episode was a giant marsh when we went out there.  The movie screen has since been torn down and only the sign remains in a flooded ditch.  In 2007 we took a picture underneath the sign, but couldn't get near as close this time.

The parking lot where we shot the first episode at the university has seen a few changes too.  The road where we got the Buick up to 8mph has now been paved, and a new lab building sits in the background.  Even the Buick now resembles a Jaguar.

Where the Wild Kings Are

Upon retracing our steps from last years Christmas short, We Two Kings, my friend Tyler and I were left to make reference to our Where the Wild Things Are surroundings. The crowns we wore for our movie closely resembled Max's and now without snow on the ground the comparison was a no-brainer.

We Two Kings was a play on the popular We Three Kings Christmas carol, with our basic premise being that we were lost on our way to Bethlehem. The sudden snowfall we received the evening before shooting last year made for some incredible winter scenery. The imagery alone made the project worth making.

It was cool to look around and try and pinpoint where we'd shot some of our scenes. Flooding over the summer had made one location where we sat last year into a sea of logs and debris. We also had a glimpse of what our movie might have looked like if it hadn't snowed on cue. Expect to see We Two Kings making the rounds again this season.

On Location: Scenes Around Regina

All of these photos feature locations where I shot various projects while in film school - recognize any? While I never really considered Regina, Saskatchewan to be all that diverse, looking back I've realized that you can make almost anywhere seem unique by what you bring to it. Check out a few of my past projects and their locations below.  

Wascana Park - A Chill in the Air (2006)

Golden Mile Parking Lot - Silent Shoppers (2005)

Abandoned Cinema 6 Drive-in - Buick to the Future 3 (2007)

Downtown Regina Alley - Homeless (2003)

Wascana Park - The Gizmo Tree (2007)

Geology Department U of R - The Geology Student (2006)

Campus Parking Lot - Buick to the Future (2007)

College West - Give it Time (2007)

On Location: The Gizmo Tree

Project: The Gizmo Tree
Shot: December 2007
Location: Saskatchewan Legislative Building - Wascana Park
Revisited: March 2009

I'm not sure you can really expect trees to change that much in just a few years, but revisiting the location of The Gizmo Tree was fun. Shooting was such a rush, and after everything that followed it's easy to see why the project is still one of my favorites.

On Location: Silent Shoppers

Project: Silent Shoppers
Shot: March 2005
Location: Golden Mile Mall - Regina, SK
Revisited: March 2009

On a freezing day in March 2005, Silent Shoppers (or what was Yellow Tag Clearance at the time) was shot in this parking lot as part of a film school assignment. Upon revisiting the location in March 2009 not a whole lot had changed. While the mall (which is behind me in this picture) has seen some major stores come and go, this vantage point I used for my movie is pretty much identical. Although, this time the weather was far more bearable.

On Location: Buick to the Future - Episode 3

Project: Buick to the Future - Episode 3
Shot: July 2007
Location: Cinema 6 Drive-In (Outside Regina, SK)
Revisited: June 2009


Tyler (or Doc in BTTF) revisited this location for me. You'll notice the Cinema 6 sign was used for several of the posters for Buick to the Future, and the this dirt road divided the open field and drive-in background that both appeared in the short. It was a crazy hot day when we shot out here, and the most noticeable difference is that all the grass looks considerably shorter than when we were out there. There was also an old steel frame in front of the Cinema 6 sign that we used in some of our earlier photos. The drive-in appears to be a storage lot now, it was already closed down when we shot there. Not much has changed here, but the fact that I have makes it seem so remarkably new again.

On Location: Buick to the Future - Episode 1

Project: Buick to the Future - Episode 1
Shot: June 2007
Location: University Parking Lot - Regina, SK
Revisited: March 2009


Just as it was in the summer semester of 2007, this was the parking lot that the few summer students living in College West used. During the regular year it was usually full, but with school out and a giant dirt lot to play in, it was the perfect backdrop for the first episode of Buick. Not long after we finished the first few episodes the lot was overrun with construction for new pipes, which was followed by half the lot being paved over. It's still pretty stark, but I think we used it to our advantage.

On Location: Mean Mr. Mustard is Homeless

Project: Mean Mr. Mustard is Homeless
Shot: March 2003
Location: Downtown Alley - Regina, SK
Revisited: March 2009


This is one of the bigger changes in one of my former film scenes. In the 6 years since this project was made, one of the buildings that used to be on this alley has been demolished, and the loading dock that served as Mr. Mustard's bed is now completely boarded up and enclosed. The alley, which was paved at the time, is now a muddy mess due to the construction in the area. While it wasn't difficult to recognize my shots again, the changes really emphasize how long it's been.

On Location: Siblings

Project: Siblings
Shot: July 2008
Location: Ross Glen Green Strip - Medicine Hat, AB
Revisited: April 2009

Funny, the transformation from the summer to the spring. The park currently in shades of yellow and brown is slowly coming back to life now. Siblings was all about an excuse to enjoy the weather, get outside, and have fun, so it's interesting being in the same spot and feeling like everything's so quiet and lifeless. Things change quickly though, and I know we're on the verge of warm weather and a new season of swinging. Not like I need much of an excuse to make another short though.

On Location: The Geology Student

Project: The Geology Student
Shot: November 2006
Location: University of Regina - Geology Department
Revisited: March 2009


Another film school project, another good time. The Geology Student was a character study assignment that I used as an editing exercise to manipulate my friend Jeanette's words as she gave me a tour. The location in College West looked exactly the same to me, including everything from the giant rock on the pedestal to the 'tiger' rock in the display case. Not that I expected anything to be dramatically different, it was just interesting standing in the same place again. See the 2006 short below.

On Location: Keys to Existence

Project: Keys to Existence
Shot: February 2004
Location: Parent's House - Medicine Hat, AB
Revisited: April 2009


Of all the locations I've shot, this one is probably one of the most unique. Were it not for the success of Keys to Existence, I would have omitted this location because of how insignificant it seems. But, therein lies the lure of the project. The fact that so much could be said and patterned using the literal 'keys' of the piano, resulted in the most critically acclaimed short of my film school career. See the 2005 version of the movie below.

On Location: A Chill in the Air

Project: A Chill in the Air
Shot: January 2006
Location: Saskatchewan Legislative Building - Wascana Park
Revisited: March 2009


Wascana Park was host to a number of my projects while I was in Regina, but one of the first was A Chill in the Air. While it may look like just a bunch of trees, it was actually the cluster in the middle of the picture that served as my opening shot and 'ascent to the heavens'. I recall it was a cold January day that I was out shooting by my lonesome, and among the trees I recorded myself questioning whether anything would come of the project. Sure enough the National Film Board competition turned into quite the experience. The trees may have grown a little, but mostly the location feels very recognizable and sparks some great memories. See the original 2006 short below.

On Location: Give it Time

Project: Give it Time
Shot: November 2007
Location: University of Regina - College West
Revisited: March 2009

Upon returning to the University of Regina, I took it upon myself to revisit a number of locations that I shot various projects and short films. Give it Time was one of the shorts I made at the end of 2007 for the Sasktel Cell-ebrities contest. Not much has changed since I was last there. The same desk and chairs remain, and it's not hard to imagine 'Keep the idiot to a minimum' scribbled on the chalkboard. Admittedly, it was still fun returning to College West and seeing the student lounge where I shot some of my own film history. The original 2007 short can be seen below.