Shubhabrata Dutta
Directed by Joel Souza, ‘Rust’ is a Western thriller movie about a man trying to protect his grandson, who has been sentenced to death. Set in 1882, the narrative follows outlaw Harland Rust, who returns from hiding to save his daughter’s son, 13-year-old Lucas Hollister, sentenced to be hanged for killing a local rancher. However, in their endeavor to survive, they are deemed fugitives and must stay clear of a bunch of lawmen and bounty hunters looking for them. After all, the one who finds them will receive a $1,000 reward. Like in any Western, the visuals are of immense significance in ‘Rust,’ almost becoming a secondary character in the narrative.
Rust Filming Locations
Filming of ‘Rust’ took place in New Mexico and Montana, especially in Santa Fe and Paradise Valley. Principal photography began in New Mexico in October 2021. However, it was halted on October 21 after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and Souza was wounded by a gunshot from a prop gun Alec Baldwin was holding. After considerable delay due to court proceedings and settlements among parties, production shifted to Montana, where it resumed in the second half of April 2023 and continued for a few weeks before wrapping up in May of the same year.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
In New Mexico, the production team went to the capital city of Santa Fe, situated in the Rocky Mountains of the state’s northern region, where they accessed the Bonanza Creek Ranch. Located at 523 Bonanza Creek Road in Martinsdale, the ranch was seemingly supposed to be the base for the entire shoot, had it not been for the on-set tragedy. The ranch is a true-to-form Western-film set, with multiple separate sections, 24 structures, and four intersecting streets. It has different kinds of stores and dedicated buildings representing the Old West, including a saloon, a jail, a chapel, a hotel, and a bank, all of which can be customized for interior and exterior filming.
The ranch also offers a two-story pond house, a wooden horse barn, a single-story range house, and an adobe house. It previously hosted the filming of ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ and ‘Hostiles.’ The crew also used the ranch’s surrounding area for scenes requiring rustic terrains and landscapes. The ranch’s gorgeous 360-degree vista incorporates rolling hills, plains, and mountains on three sides. Santa Fe is considered the cultural capital of the Southwestern US and is home to many artistic monuments and museums, including the Santa Fe Plaza, the Palace of the Governors, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. The annual Fiestas de Santa Fe festival, centered on the Santa Fe Plaza, attracts tourists from around the world.
Paradise Valley, Montana
Montana became the base for the filming after it resumed almost 18 months later. This time, it was the well-known Yellowstone Ranch, AKA the Yellowstone Film Ranch, located in Pray, Paradise Valley, near the town of Livingston. It has a lot of resemblance to the Bonanza Creek Ranch, which is probably why the crew opted for it. Moreover, it is larger, with over 30 fully-functioning structures, intersecting streets, and numerous stores. It also has additional filming locations nearby, including a mine, a cabin by a creek, a church, and a saloon.
The ranch’s gorgeous Emigrant Peak backdrop helped the crew highlight the wide shots. The rolling hills nearby became the perfect setting for many establishing shots and outdoor shots involving horse rides. The ranch itself offers four-star and five-star lodging for cast and crew, which, along with Montana’s tax credit incentive, makes it a go-to filming spot for all kinds of Western projects, including ‘The Old Way’ and ‘Murder at Yellowstone City.’
Read More: David Halls: Where is the Rust First Assistant Director Now?
