Are you searching for crime movies like The Irishman? Then we suggest you watch Traffic, starring Michael Douglas. Follow this article to know everything about this crime thriller film and also find out where was Traffic filmed.
The American crime drama film, Traffic was released in the year 2000. The original story of this riveting mystery movie was inspired by Simon Moore’s crime series, Traffik released in 1989. However, during the making of Traffic, Moore joined this project as a screenwriter alongside Callaghan.
The basic premise of Traffic revolves around the character of Robert Wakefield, the honorable judge of a session court in America. The story gets interesting when the lead actor finds out his own teenage daughter is a heroin addict while he is busy eradicating the drug problem in America.
Traffic won 4 Oscars in total, apart from winning another 70 major awards over the years. This critically acclaimed movie was not only successful in America but a roaring global success. The makers were satisfied with the commercial performance, too, as Traffic grossed over $207 million in worldwide collections.
If you’re intrigued to know more about this award-winning crime drama movie, then read this article till the end. Right now, we’ll discuss in detail where was Traffic filmed.
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Where Was Traffic Filmed? Let’s Know This Crime Drama Film Closely!
American filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, who is considered to be the pioneer of modern independent cinema, had previously directed movies like Out of Sight and Erin Brockovich. The latter legal drama movie starring Julia Roberts was also released in 2000.
In other words, before Steven started working on this project alongside Michael Douglas, he had the experience of working with other Hollywood superstars during the making of his previous movies.
So right at the beginning of this project, Steven arranged a special meeting with the lead actors of Traffic and exchanged views on a number of topics. As per reports, other than advising Steven to change the screenplay a little bit, Michael also helped in determining the filming locations.
Since the story of Traffic is set in around the bordering state of California, Douglas asked Steven to film some major scenes of this movie in San Diego. Steven took this advice seriously since he, too, felt that the overall backdrop of San Diego could be used to depict the background of Mexico.
Thus after a couple of weeks, Soderbergh and his team arrived in San Diego and started looking for ideal filming locations. As soon as these locations were finalized by the director, he moved to the state of Ohio.
A number of filming locations were selected in Ohio as well, after which the production members returned to Los Angeles. Soderbergh reviewed the scouted filming locations for the second time and eventually asked the filming crew to begin shooting.
The principal photography of Traffic commenced in the second week of April 2000 and continued till the third week of June of the same year. During the course of the shooting, a number of outdoor scenes were filmed in and around the city of San Diego.
While some sequences of Traffic were also captured in Ohio and Texas as well, the entire shooting process lasted more than two months. After the final day of shooting in El Paso, the production members used a well-equipped studio in Los Angeles and filmed the interior scenes.
Alright, let us now discuss in-depth where was Traffic filmed.
San Diego, California | USA
The opening sequences of the film, where we see the character of Salazar for the first time, were filmed in San Diego. The sequence where the characters of Manolo and Javier get apprehended by the DEA near Tijuana, Mexico, was actually filmed outside of San Diego.
The production members filmed the sequence of the first drug deal inside Rancho Bernardo Inn, located at 17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego. A couple of other important shots were captured near Whitefield Street and Balboa Park in San Diego, after which the production members moved to the next filming location.
Other Filming Locations | USA
The second half of the movie, where we see the character of Judge Wakefield inside his study room, was captured in Columbus, Ohio. The production members used a medium-sized house located on the outskirts of Columbus to capture the interior shots of Wakefield’s family home.
The scene where Judge Wakefield finds his teenage daughter shooting heroin was also filmed inside the same property. Additional outdoor scenes were shot in and around the city of Cincinnati.
The final quarter of the movie was shot in the city of El Paso, Texas. The sequences depicting the actual base of the drug cartel in Tijuana were filmed in this city, located near the Mexico Border.
After the production members finished shooting these outdoor scenes, they moved to Los Angeles. The remaining portion of the movie was then filmed inside a famous studio located in the downtown area of L.A.
Guys, now allow me to walk you through the plot of Traffic. In the meantime, you can also read The Sea Beast, Vertigo, and John Wick.
Plot Of Traffic | What’s It About
The story of Traffic revolves around the character of Robert Wakefield, an American judge, and his teenage daughter, Caroline. At the very beginning of the movie, the president of America appoints Robert to preside over the issue of increasing substance abuse in America.
Later in the film, the lead actor diligently works on the case and makes a considerable amount of progress. However, when Robert finds out that his teenage daughter is a drug addict, he completely breaks down.
Watch Traffic and find out how Wakefield is able to come out of a serious personal crisis while legally fighting against the Mexican cartel.
Final Words
Alright, friends. I have mentioned all the main filming locations of Traffic. I hope you found the information you were looking for. If you’re interested in reading other pieces like where was Traffic filmed, let us know in the comments.
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