Shubhabrata Dutta
Created by John A. Norris, Prime Video’s ‘Motorheads’ is a coming-of-age ensemble drama series exploring a teenage approach to living life “a quarter mile at a time.” The story follows siblings Zac and Caitlyn, who move back to their rural Pennsylvania hometown of Ironwood, where their uncle Logan Maddox, a former NASCAR mechanic, lives. Bent on keeping their connection to the town a secret due to a past tragedy, Zac and Caitlyn soon become friends with a group of outcasts their age in high school.
However, when Zac locks horns with Harris, a rich and arrogant kid who is a race-car maniac, the former realizes he must prove his worth by winning the race that the latter challenges him to. ‘Motorheads’ is a story of the many firsts of young adulthood, including first kiss, first love, first heartbreak, and the first car. Since the show delves deep into the passion for cars and racing, the visuals showcase this almost by becoming a camera rig retrofitted into the story, taking us from one scene to another as the gears of the narrative shift.
Motorheads Filming Locations
‘Motorheads’ is filmed across multiple locations in Ontario. Principal photography for the inaugural iteration began in the second half of March 2024 and continued for several months before wrapping up in the second half of July the same year. While a lot of hassle went into moving from one location to another, proper communication and cooperation with the local authorities and the public ensured a streamlined production, resulting in a visually stunning show.
Brantford, Ontario
The city of Brantford, which is surrounded by the County of Brant but has its own municipal government, became one of the main bases for the shoot. Various areas were closed off for interior and exterior scenes, including stunt scenes with maneuvers by professional drivers. 440 Paris Road, 324 Grand River Avenue, and Mohawk Park, located at 51 Lynnwood Drive, and the surrounding areas served as the urban backdrops. Affected residents and businesses were notified of the shooting and traffic closure beforehand, while parking spots were temporarily moved to other locations.
County of Brant, Ontario
Several locations in the County of Brant were accessed to capture many indoor and outdoor scenes in the show. Paris, a city located northwest of Brantford, served as the other base for the show’s filming. Many scenes were taped in downtown Paris towards the end of May 2024. Storefronts were altered, including that of the Paris customer service office at 66 Grand River Street, where an “Allegheny County” sign was put up and can be spotted in the show. Allegheny County is a county in Pennsylvania. However, the office was open for regular services.
Filming, involving drone shots and establishing shots, was carried out in and around Bean Park, located at 4 Spencer Street, including Spencer Street from Race Street to Ball Street, and Race Street from Spencer Street to Old Mill Street. Penman’s Dam Park, located at County Road 51, was used to tape a handful of scenes. Sections of nearby interconnected streets like Willow Street between Walnut Street and William Street, Elm Street between William Street and Willow Street, and the East side of the pedestrian path at Williams Street Bridge were lensed for scenes involving driving.
The section of Grand River Street North from Mechanic Street to the William Street Bridge was closed off as the production crew had to access the roads and the parking spaces. The area around the Home Hardware building, at 246 Grand River Street North, was also used for lensing a few scenes. With permission from the Royal Canadian Legion, the Canadian flags at the Paris Cenotaph, which can be spotted at the intersection of Mechanic Street and Grand River Street North, were temporarily replaced with American flags for the duration of the filming.
The County of Brant’s downtown office, located at 944 Powerline Road, was dressed for shooting but was open for public use. St. George, a small village between the cities of Cambridge and Brantford, and Cainsville, a community on the east border of Brantford, were used as backdrops too, incorporating the scenic streets and urban locales for races and establishing shots. The County of Brant itself has served as the backdrop for ‘Murdoch Mysteries,’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ and some Hallmark movies as well.
London, Ontario
The crew also shot a few scenes in London, a city located in southwestern Ontario. Although politically separate, London is the seat of Middlesex County. The historic wrought-iron Blackfriars Street Bridge, which connects Ridout Street North with Blackfriars Street, serves as the entry to Ironwood in the show. Many alterations were made to the bridge, including a sign saying “where the rubber meets the road,” welcoming fictional motorists to the town. Known as the Forest City due to its abundant tree population, London is home to a string of attractive parks, like Victoria Park, Harris Park, Fanshawe Conservation Area, and Springbank Park. The city hosts the SunFest annual festival, which celebrates culture, art, music, and food, and the Rib Fest, one of the largest barbecue rib festivals in North America.
Hamilton, Ontario
Additional scenes were filmed in Hamilton, a port city and a single-tier municipality in southern Ontario. The crew set up shop in Carlisle, a neighborhood in the community of Flamborough, and captured several scenes at 231 and 232 Concession 11 East, 159 Carlisle Road, and at the Courtcliffe Park, located at 155 Carlisle Road. To get full access to the streets, the residents were requested to park their vehicles in their driveways. Flamborough itself was also used to capture some scenes, including car races, which were shot at the Flamboro Speedway, at 873 5th Concession Road. The Port of Hamilton, located at 605 James Street North, is one of Ontario’s busiest ports, overlooking the Hamilton Harbor in the west end of Lake Ontario, and a popular tourist spot.
Grey County, Ontario
In Grey County, which is in southwestern Ontario, the township municipality of Chatsworth and the city of Owen Sound were used as backdrops for outdoor scenes. An ATV race scene was filmed in Chatsworth, and the crew reached out to local people between the ages of 18 and 40 for extras to play race vendors and spectators. Owen Sound was also used to lens a few scenes involving races. While Chatsworth is known for its rivers, like the Styx River, the Sauble River, the Saugeen River, and the Bighead River, Owen Sound is famous for its waterfalls, like the Inglis Falls, Weaver’s Creek Falls, Jones Falls, and Indian Falls.
Toronto, Ontario
The production team also used Toronto, the capital of Ontario, for some scenes. Various areas of the city were made to double for American towns, a pretty easy feat considering the city’s visual canvas, which incorporates skyscrapers, urban crossroads, neighborhoods, and districts. Toronto, along with Vancouver, is known as Hollywood North, a title earned for its service as one of the world’s biggest production bases and, by extension, the availability of state-of-the-art production facilities.
The crew seemingly moved a bit away from Toronto to its west and taped some indoor scenes at the Cinespace Film Studios in the district of Etobicoke. Located at 777 Kipling Avenue, the top-tier studio has 29 active stages and three campuses, enabling the crew to make use of the space creatively. Toronto offers a variety of tourist spots, some of which are the Toronto Zoo, Casa Loma, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum, the CN Tower, and St. Lawrence Market. Other projects shot in the city include ‘Another Simple Favor,’ ‘Murderbot, ’ ‘Bet,’ and ‘Overcompensating.’
Read More: Where Was Prime Video’s G20 Filmed?
