The 1975 comedy-drama film titled “Smile” takes us to a fictional pageant called the Young American Miss, where we see teenage girls compete for the crown and cash prizes. Throughout the movie, we are treated to intricate details of how such events work, from training sessions to talent shows and interviews.
While this might sound like all movies shot in Hollywood studios with extravagant setups, Smile was different; it was filmed entirely on location in Santa Rosa, California.
Santa Rosa is an ideal location for filming because of its diversity in geography. From redwood forests to vineyards, there are various landscapes that filmmakers can use as backdrops for their scenes. However, Santa Rosa’s most crucial contribution to cinematography comes from its Moorish-themed Art Deco Theatre District – part of which served as one of the movie sets used while shooting Smile.
One prominent scene worth talking about is when three contestants perform their talents during the regional competition at Yuba City Fairgrounds’ outdoor amphitheater. This scene features large crowds watching the performers on stage surrounded by a carnival-like atmosphere complete with food stalls and rides—a perfect blend of fresh air fun that could only be captured outside real-life festivals or fairs.
At The Flamingo Resort Hotel & Conference Center located on Fourth Street and Farmers Lane in Santa Rosa, filmmakers found another area they turned into a movie set. During filming days here (mostly interiors), cast members would dress up as pre-teen pageant participants before stepping onto stages that had been built specifically for them!
Furthermore, Sonoma State University played host to another major shooting location used during production days thanks largely due their academic facilities’ emphasis on drama and performing arts programs. Filming took place inside classrooms transformed into dorms where contestants lived during rehearsals leading up show day making presentations more familiar since students still live within these buildings now over four decades later!
Lastly – But no less important – other notable Smile filming locations include Sebastopol’s rustic Gravenstein Highway and Santa Rosa’s Montecito Heights neighborhood. The movie contains a montage of contestants enjoying activities on the Sonoma County coastline (Gualala, Jenner, Bodega Bay) dotted with seaside cliffs that offer breathtakingly scenic views.
In conclusion, while Hollywood might have more sets than any other cinematic location around the world, flexibility in locating movement shots like setting up particular scenes is king. It appears Director Michael Ritchie wasn’t taking chances by opting for Santa Rosa rather than creating fictional landscapes or settling for interior shoots only. In his wisdom, he changed the tendency of keeping characters limited within studio sets –and thanks to him- we enjoy seamless storylines from different environments without feeling cheated out of on-location reality today.
The 1975 comedy-drama film, ‘Smile’, takes us on a journey to the fictional pageant called the Young American Miss. The movie follows teenage girls who compete for the crown and cash prizes, giving us an intricate insight into how such events work – from training sessions to talent shows and interviews.
What sets Smile apart is that it was filmed entirely on location in Santa Rosa, California. Santa Rosa has diverse landscapes ranging from redwood forests to vineyards that filmmakers can use as backdrops for their scenes, making it an ideal location for filming.
One crucial contribution of Santa Rosa’s Moorish-themed Art Deco Theatre District is part of which served as one of the set locations used while shooting Smile. From there, filmmakers moved onto The Flamingo Resort Hotel & Conference Center located on Fourth Street and Farmers Lane in Santa Rosa where cast members dressed up as pre-teen pageant participants before stepping onto stages built specifically for them!
Sonoma State University played host to another significant shooting location used during production thanks largely due to their academic facilities’ emphasis on drama and performing arts programs. Filming took place inside classrooms transformed into dorms where contestants lived during rehearsals leading up show day.
Throughout Smile’s storyline captures several notable segments shot in Sebastopol’s rustic Gravenstein Highway and Montecito Heights neighborhood in Santa Rosa. One prominent scene worth talking about is when three contestants perform their talents during the regional competition at Yuba City Fairgrounds’ outdoor amphitheater.It features large crowds watching performers onstage surrounded by carnival-like atmosphere complete with food stalls and rides – a perfect blend of fresh air fun taking audiences beyond what Hollywood studios could provide.
Moreover, throughout Smile’s movie montage contains clips of contestants enjoying activities along Sonoma County coastline (Gualala, Jenner, Bodega Bay). Seaside cliffs offer breathtaking views adding realistic backdrops prompt viewers imagination towards picturesque sand dunes or rocky cliffsides overlooking the waves. It is a refreshing change from sets closed off by artificial walls considering more outdoors shoots for productions soon continuing this trend.
In conclusion, Smile’s success is partly attributed to Director Michael Ritchie’s wisdom and reliance on real-life landscapes over Hollywood studios. Filming in Santa Rosa brought life into Smile presenting viewers authentic realities beyond sound stages creating seamless storylines unique to everything we might have seen inside studio locations before. Proving optimum flexibility with set movements and unleashing characters beyond fiction creates cinematic experiences fulfilling our fantasies not just as entertainment but as travel inspiration.