Updated Photos of Shelter Movie Locations

I'm not sure how much interest there still is in this topic, but I have some photos that I took last weekend of many of the major locations used in the movie Shelter. I also did this last year and posted the photos at that time here on this forum. I happened to be back in California last week and was able to take a day to basically repeat what I did in 2009 except this time I started out in Malibu to get beach shots. Long day, lots of driving, but interesting. Bottom line: very little has changed in the year since I was last in San Pedro and the beach looks totally unchanged. And this means that very little has changed since the movie was shot in December 2006. A few members have said they plan to get down to San Pedro one day, and if they do, they'll be pleased. The movie comes alive on the streets and beaches. And yes, my photographs aren't professional -- they're only meant to show you what specific locations used in the movie look like today.

First up are four shots of Zach's house. As you'll clearly see, the "house" is actually a "triplex," that is, three apartments or units back to back. This means that Jonah, the director, had to rent/borrow at least the front and rear units. My plan was to knock on doors and ask if I could take some interior shots and a few photographs from the rear, overlooking the bridge and cranes. No luck with the front unit since three biker dudes left as I drove up and a fairly young Hispanic woman (and then a man) basically appeared, spoke in Spanish, and then locked themselves up as I walked down the driveway. I thought it best not to head for the backyard without their permission. Maybe someone else will have better luck getting in.





You'll notice in the next shot that a driveway leads to the rear of the triplex but also shows two side entrances to units. There are actually six entrances, two per unit, with one sort of formal, the other like a back door.



This last shot shows the other side, also with two entrances. If there's a change at all in one year, it's that the front and side yard looks neater and better trimmed.



Here a shot of the wall of the liquor store where Zach painted his tree-of-life mural. Amazingly, it's the same one that was there last September.



And now the store where Zach buys Cody a pair of flip-flops. Looks like a different sign outside and the store no longer sells clothes. It's more like a convenience store that is only half-as-deep as the store that appears in the movie.



Two inside shots of the Pacific Diner which is eerie to be in. It is so much the same that you expect to see Zach slapping burgers in the back. As you'll see, the front room is very, very small. That Jonah got his cameraman AND Zach in the same frame is no small feat. (There is a covered, outside room, by-the-way.) Good food. The 3rd shot of the diner is the last photograph I took on the way out of San Pedro,








The next shot is the "point" that juts out from the ridge line where Zach and Tori have their final talk. Looks the same but surprisingly dry and brown given the moisture from the ocean.



Here's Tori's house, or her half of one. If you hurry, you can rent the other half.



This location is from the opening credits where Zach is skating home. Same empty lot and alley and you can just make out the "San Pedro" sign on the far building to the left. I'm shooting from ground level but the movie cameraman must have used a ladder or crane to get some height.



This is also from the opening skating sequence. In the movie you only catch a quick glimpse of the flag behind bars in the background. I found it by accident while driving down Pacific Avenue.



The last four photographs are from several locations in Malibu -- all are beach scenes that figure into the movie at one time or another. The first is a shot from the parking area of the back of the lifeguard shack. The shutters are up 'cause it's summertime. In the movie, they're down 'cause it's winter. This is where Zach breaks off with Tori.



The next shot is from the guard shack looking north down the beach. In the distance is where Cody builds the sand castle.



This next location was hard to find at first but then became obvious when I went back to look at the one, long take from the movie. This is the path where Shaun and Zach talk after surfing and Shaun says he never knew that Zach knew about him. There are actually a whole network of paths along the edge of the cliff but only this one was wide enough for two guys with surfboards to walk side-by-side. Notice the fencing -- it matches the one in the movie.



Here's one last photo from the bluff. This clump of rocks appear in the movie but are shot from beach level.



I have another round of photos taken from the beach itself of most of the same scenes and a few others (for example, where Zach and Shaun talk after one of their first (or early) surf sessions. Unfortunately, I left the digital memory card with these shots in L.A. but it's being sent back to me. I'll post the rest in a week or so. I also have more street shots from San Pedro which appear mostly as background during the opening skate sequence but frankly, there're not all that interesting.

So what's missing: Shaun's beach house, the backyard where that awesome hug took place, and interiors of Zach's house.

As I said, maybe next time. Or maybe some of you will have better luck.

Oops! Somehow I goofed up on the photographs. They are way too small and for some reason have the location code running along the bottom. I'll try to correct and repost. Danny? Where are you when we need you?

I'm here, correcting the tags now. lol.

There you go, all fixed.

Many thanks! Our Administrator is also a hero!

OMG Eric - these are AWESOME!!! Thanks for doing this -- I bet it was fun. You are so right -- the inside of the Pacific Diner looks so much like it does on film, I expect to see Zach in one of the photos! And to locate that path where Zach and Shaun walked is quite incredible. These photos are so good I need to stare at them over and over! lol

Regarding the house -- I also thought it was pretty amazing that Jonah was able to arrange it that all three units were available for shooting. I guess most of the filming takes place inside the front unit -- we see Zach entering and exiting the front door, and Jeanie coming in from the side door (of course at the end, we see the rear door being used too), and most of the indoor scenes seem to be in those rooms. It was a perfect location for the film because of the view from the back (Zach's outdoor studio) -- Jonah did a great job in scouting out this location and making it seem like it was a single house that they all lived in.

Too bad you couldn't get inside -- but I would have left as well! Who know if other people have tried the same thing. Still, next time I am in LA, I will see what I can do to get a shot of the patio with the hug, but I'm not promising anything --- LOL I can imagine the people either not answering their door, or slamming it in my face!! (because of where the house is located). I probably won't be in CA until next year at the earliest.

It amazes me that you were able to notice that flag on Pacific Ave -- how impressive! Thanks for all of your hard work.... now I need to look at these pics again!

Take good care, man.

wonderfull work, really. It seems to be there!

Hi, Eric, that you were just then in San Pedro, when I asked in the forum after that, is great. Thanks for that.
I lives 7000 miles away from this place. Maybe you can understand, that your description is something special.
How was it possible to find this path on the beach? And in the Pacific Diner there are no people. How did you do photos?
Yes, unfortunately, is not to see Zach... Was closed, as with the visit of Gabe?
Also thank you again that you have taken time to make this visit.
And we still hope, that someday, striver, or baileybrat - or someone - still can make the missing photos...

Hello BaniLo!

Thanks for your comments and I'll answer your questions in just a bit. First let me thank Striver for his earlier post and his encouragement. I think the next set of Shelter photos will be his and they'll be the best yet. And all of us need to thank Baileybrat who started this whole business last year when he used Goggle Earth (or whatever) to pinpoint almost all the locations used in the film.

It's fun to visit all these locations because they still exist and for the most part look today just like they look in the film. And the crazy thing is that (having been there twice now) all the San Pedro locations make sense -- I mean, if Zach were real, he could literally skate west from his house to Pacific Avenue, turn south, and skate down to his job at the Pacific Diner. Or zigzag mostly west and hit his other job at the grocery store. Skating along 22nd Street would take him a little out of the way but he would have the ocean and cranes to look at. So when you're there, Zach's world seems super real.

I hit the Pacific Diner around two o'clock. There was a guy sitting at the counter but he left after awhile and there was a clear shot. By-the-way, the Diner is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. but closed on Mondays (or maybe Tuesdays). Before hitting Malibu, I took screen shots from the movie of most scenes that occur on or at the beach and then made small prints. I used these to compare where I was standing and what I was looking at. That's how I ultimately found the path that Zach and Shaun take in the movie. There are lots of paths, mostly used by hikers and runners, but I realized pretty quickly that they were too narrow for two guys to walk side-by-side with surf boards. Plus, the fencing on these paths was newer and simpler -- just poles and a single wire -- whereas in the movie the fencing is an older style and falling over in some spots. When I finally found a wider path I was able to compare my photo with what I saw and bingo! that was it. It's fairly short and flat, which is how you could get a couple of actors and a small crew moving smoothly.

When I post the next set of photos they will be of various beach scenes, shot from ground level.

One last note on Zach's house. It's located in a tough neighborhood-- lots of burglar bars on doors and windows. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think it's the kind of area where you can just wander where you want. That's why knocking on doors and asking for permission seemed like the safer thing to do.

And one last mystery. The one location we don't know much about is the bar/restaurant that Zach and Shaun eat and drink in. It appears in at least two different scenes in the movie. Could be located near the water, maybe in Malibu, or could be in San Pedro and just has that beachy look.

Thanks to all for the kind words.

Oh yeah, and thanks to Danny who makes all of this craziness possible in the first place!

Enjoyed all your comments Eric and BaniLo! I wonder if baileybrat has checked out your recent photos as well.

Interesting that you (Eric) mentioned that the Pacific Diner is closed on Mondays or Tuesdays. Maybe I'm analyzing things too much, but it always seemed odd to me in the movie that when Gabe visits Zach in the diner (when he has his hangover), the diner is closed. It seems like this takes place in the late morning -- and wouldn't a "typical" diner be open then? Many of the diners near where I live are open every day of the week, some even 24 hours. So it makes sense that if the Pacific Diner is closed one day of the week, Zach could have been there on "cleaning duty", and he had a pot of coffee brewing for himself while he was there (which Gabe desperately needed!!).

take care guys

Striver,

Here's an alternative take: The Pacific Diner closes at 4 p.m. Gabe visits shortly after 4, probably on Sunday since he has to head back to school for Monday classes. The Diner is officially closed and the door is locked but Zach is cleaning up and there is coffee left in the pot. And there's still a lot of sunshine outside.

Does this work?

Hi,
in my humble opinion is not important that Markowitz's movie choice coincedes with Pacific Diner timetible. Instead i find sorprising the work done by our 'shelter maniacs' (to find out movie locations).
And thanks again for that.

Hey Eric - That is a good (and more likely) explanation - thanks! I think I was figuring that Gabe's hangover was in the morning... but I guess it could have lasted most of the day! But it does make sense that the party at Gabe/Shaun's place would have been on a Saturday night.

Seraquive - You are correct - it is not all that important, but for those of us who have seen the movie at least ten times, it's fun to think about all these minor details as well. There are a thousand of them! Of course we never lose sight of the overall story and feelings evoked in the film.

Hey guys,
I agree with you, striver.
We all don't know how often we have seen the movie - or parts of them. I would like to know, why we have seen the movie so many times. A satisfactory answer I have not yet found. Does anyone know an answer?
Trevor play Zach with such charisma and complexity and Zach could indeed be a real person. There are many memorable scenes and, actually, it' s fun to think about all these minor details as well.
Of course, we all know, that the story is fiction... The special feature of the movie is, that everything else is real. One must indeed look only the photos.
I don't know, if we discuss it in ten years, but here and now it's fun.
I miss Baileybrat - he has the most successful topic of the forum opened.
Thanks to all for commenting on this.

Hey thanx for d upload....I am a huge fan of the movie and of Trevor Wright. Since the day I saw this movie for d first time, I went crazy..Its been a week or so since d first day and I see dis movie at least twice a day...Its like a doze that keeps me motivated and high on life!!.....It also helped me clearing my confusion and now I am like d most happiest person..thanx to mr Markowitz for making such a beautiful movie...

Well, I for one have seen it at least 12 times in the last 3 Months here in the UK, since I bought the DVD…. A beautiful film in every way.

For me, Shelter restores faith in human relationships having been through some ugly scenes myself. I think the film gives hope to everyone who perhaps is coming out in that you can find direction and happiness even when life seems to be at the darkest hour. Also that guys can show affection for each other without being ridiculed ( gay or straight ). And that masculinity is as natural to both gay and straight men as is femininity.

I’m very drawn to Zack because of his sensitive nature and deep character. There’s so much softness and kindness about him which just makes you want to hug him… not to mention his big blue eyes.

I have to rate this as one of the best love themed films ( gay or straight ) for a very long time and the films gets better each time I watch it. Every scene seems to produce a new emotion and feeling within the characters which I didn’t spot before.

Some people here in the UK have suggested that the intimate kissing between the two men is kind of awkward and unrealistic, yet did we not all experience initial awkwardness and surrealism when we first initiated kissing with another person. I certainly did and that’s why for me, the kissing scenes in this film are so realistic and energising.

The biggest surprise is the fact that the film is not on general release, quite shocked really. I’m hoping SKY INDIE will be showing on their movie channel here in the UK at some point as they trawl through Indies for 2008/2009

I found this utube link about Shelter’s actors comments, note at 5 minutes. Zacs thoughts on passion.

https://www.youtube.com/user/GPPictures#p/u/2/MqBcM6gCs8M

I love the photos of San Pedro. I have Google mapped the town, its sounds fascinating. Do you think its worth visiting and is it easy to get to as LA and SanFranciso are on my list of places to visit.

tony in UK

Tony,

I agree with everything you said.

By all means, visit San Pedro. Pretty much everything is accessible -- except the interiors of homes, of course. No surprise there. The movie takes on a greater realism when you see the actual locations used in the movie. It's all real -- no studio sets. And as I mentioned before, the locations tie together in a funny way that makes sense. Were Zach real, the story real, he could very well skate from his house to work, to Tori's, and so on. You'll see when you visit.

I have about a dozen more photos coming, all taken on the beach. Unfortunately, I left the digitsl memory card with these shots in L.A. and I'm still waiting for relatives to mail it back to me. When I get it, you see most of the locations used in the various beach scenes.

I waiting to hear from another member of this forum, but we think we have identified the "missing" restaurant/bar used by Zach and Shaun in the movie.

Thanks.

Eric

tonyinuk - I loved your insight into the kissing scenes -- I couldn't agree more!

Eric - Can't wait to hear your take on the missing restaurant bar!!

take care guys!