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Finding locations that would replicate the lush, picturesque settings and atmosphere that have long been identified with Kevin Sullivan’s previous Anne of Green Gables films was a significant element in the execution of Anne of Green Gables—A New Beginning. As most of the movie’s actual photography was shot in studio in Toronto on the Sullivan backlot, even the beautiful ponds and rural scenes from the opening had to be filmed in a relatively urban area adjacent to the studio and enhanced with the use of CGI technology. Location shooting began in an elaborate period mansion known as “Springhill” in Dundas, Ontario which became the Thomas Estate with all of its lavish grounds, stables and laneways. A nearby lake where authentic period sets were built, provided the river and lumber mills for the disaster sequence at the Thomas Mills. An historic Quaker Boys School (circa 1840) located in Rockwood, Ontario was converted into the Bolingbroke Poorhouse for the film. However all of the scenic, open landscapes and quaint town settings which were found throughout the Ontario and PEI regions were nearly all reconstructed digitally as three dimensional digital backgrounds and reproduced almost entirely in CGI to portray life in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Avonlea, Prince Edward Island.
More actual second-unit location photography also took place in a 150 year old operating lumber mill in Tyrone, Ontario (previously seen in Sullivan’s Wind at My Back) as well as at a historic reproduction of a log flume in Ontario’s legendary Algonquin Park. But because schedules, distance and inaccessibility often make it impossible to film entirely on location, the production crew and special effects team generally assisted the Production Designer with the use of “blue and green screen technology to digitally create perfect environments for specific sequences that were impossible to actually locate or to reproduce on location. Elements of location photography and set construction were then seamlessly intertwined with CGI sequences to create a picturesque and completely accurate historical backdrop for this new saga in Anne’s life; as well as restore numerous memorable settings familiar from the original book and original film series, such as the White Sands Beach and Hotel, portions of the original Green Gables Farmhouse, the Hammond House and Hammond sawmill, as well as the famous wooden bridge on which Gilbert proposed to Anne. All of these locations were either recreated or enhanced digitally.
Sullivan employed this technique to great effect when he recently filmed Salzburg and Vienna in his 2007 version of Mozart’s Magic Flute. He had originally planned to return to film on Prince Edward Island again, but the sophisti-cated digital techniques available to him after his experience on Magic Flute caused him to recreate many complex elements in the computer, allowing him greater control in achieving a richer look for his new film.
More actual second-unit location photography also took place in a 150 year old operating lumber mill in Tyrone, Ontario (previously seen in Sullivan’s Wind at My Back) as well as at a historic reproduction of a log flume in Ontario’s legendary Algonquin Park. But because schedules, distance and inaccessibility often make it impossible to film entirely on location, the production crew and special effects team generally assisted the Production Designer with the use of “blue and green screen technology to digitally create perfect environments for specific sequences that were impossible to actually locate or to reproduce on location. Elements of location photography and set construction were then seamlessly intertwined with CGI sequences to create a picturesque and completely accurate historical backdrop for this new saga in Anne’s life; as well as restore numerous memorable settings familiar from the original book and original film series, such as the White Sands Beach and Hotel, portions of the original Green Gables Farmhouse, the Hammond House and Hammond sawmill, as well as the famous wooden bridge on which Gilbert proposed to Anne. All of these locations were either recreated or enhanced digitally.
Sullivan employed this technique to great effect when he recently filmed Salzburg and Vienna in his 2007 version of Mozart’s Magic Flute. He had originally planned to return to film on Prince Edward Island again, but the sophisti-cated digital techniques available to him after his experience on Magic Flute caused him to recreate many complex elements in the computer, allowing him greater control in achieving a richer look for his new film.
