I had dinner with Clint Eastwood a few years ago up in Carmel and it was fascinating to talk about filmmaking with him. One of the main things he stressed was that, “most movies just cost too damn much,” and that growing up in the Great Depression had taught him the real value of a dollar saved.

Now, with more than 30 films to his directorial credit, Eastwood has mastered the economy of shooting and his latest – Changeling, which I just saw – is another great example of the frugal director at the peak of his creative powers. Set in the golden Jazz Age of the late ‘20s, the true murder story stars a terrific Angelina Jolie and the bustling city of Los Angeles as the backdrop of the story. But finding authentic ‘20s locations wasn’t easy. An extensive amount of research was necessary to duplicate specific locations and images of the late ‘20s and early ’30s.

Initial location scouts revealed that older buildings had been torn down, streets replaced by superhighways and complete neighborhoods razed. In the end, Eastwood and his team used untapped suburban locales in San Dimas, San Bernadino and Pasadena, among other sites, to stand in for ’20s-era Los Angeles.

The art department—complementing the location shoots and sets that were built on the Universal Studios back lot—supplemented key scenes. And visual effects supervisor Michael Owens was called in to add effects enhancements and re-create backdrops, such as the city skyline and the red streetcars that then populated the region.  Recalls Eastwood of Los Angeles’ changing landscape over the years, “I remember a lot of those things growing up.  When I first came to L.A. in the ’50s, it was quite a bit different.  Even then, the red streetcars were everywhere.  They were very popular at the time.” Another Eastwood trademark in the film? His loyalty to his crew. Leading the behind-the-scenes talent is a seasoned crew of Eastwood film veterans, including director of photography Tom Stern (Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers), production designer James J.. Murakami (Letters from Iwo Jima, Rails & Ties), Oscar®-winning editor Joel Cox (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby) and editor Gary D. Roach (Letters from Iwo Jima, Rails & Ties), costume designer Deborah Hopper (Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River) and visual effects supervisor Michael Owens (Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima)

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