Last weekend, my 2 1/2 year old daughter and I took a trip down Route 66. The purpose was two-fold: first, spend some quality time with my little girl, and second, do some preliminary location scouting for Project Echo.

Normally you would not begin location scouting when you’re only 50 pages into your first draft. However, the second act (which starts around pg. 25 and ends around pg. 85) can be a real bear to wrestle to the ground. As my friend Ryan put it, “It’s like you’ve gone from a river to an ocean: the possibilites are endless.” I had decided to weave my narrative down Route 66 but I’d never actually been on the historic Mother Road before. I needed some firsthand experience. So I checked a bunch of books out of the library, noted locations that I thought would be good for the film, and set off early Saturday morning.

Some vintage Route 66 signage.

The trip was a phenomenal success. I cannot begin to explain how valuable it was to the writing process. Seeing pictures in a book was one thing; actually visiting the places, getting a sense of physical space, and envisioning how a scene could play out there, was an entirely different experience. The next morning I immediately begain incorporating places I had visited into my screenplay.

In Arcadia we visited the Round Barn. Initially, I was unimpressed. It looks interesting but that’s about it. Downstairs there is a gift shop and a menagerie of dusty memorabilia and faded photographs. Hardly a good spot to film a movie. Then I went upstairs and the thought that immediately jumped into my mind was: I HAVE to write a scene here! The 2nd floor was spacious and encircled by an expansive wooden dome. The way the light comes in through the windows and skips across the polished wooden floor is gorgeous. Visually its unique and stunning. And the best part of all? They rent it out for weddings and other special occasions, meaning it should be a snap to secure during production.

Down the road from the Round Barn is Pops 66, one of the coolest places in all of Oklahoma. Out front is an enormous soda bottle wrapped in neon lights (which, sadly, are only visible at night). Inside is a restaurant and convenience store. Over 20,000 soda bottles line the walls and 500 different varieties of gourmet soda are available for purchase. An entire fridge is dedicated solely to root beer. I let my daughter pick out an orange soda and I grabbed a couple myself, and then we had a little picnic out front underneath the giant soda bottle. I’d love to shoot a scene at Pops, but the logistics and expense would probably prevent it. Regardless, if you live in the area, you owe it to yourself to take a day trip to Pops sometime.

Ultimately we made it about 140 miles down Route 66 to El Reno, which is on the other side of Oklahoma City. At this juncture Emily was snoozing in her carseat and I was exhausted. It had been over 7 hours and we still had to make the return trip. Thankfully, I decided to soldier through and visit the last place on my list: Historic Fort Reno. There, at the end of a dusty road, I found the perfect place to film Project Echo’s climactic confrontation. I was beside myself with excitement. It was ideal in every way. (I’d show you pictures but I have to keep a couple of secrets underneath my belt, don’t I?) Again, it shouldn’t be problematic to secure the spot for filming, and for a reasonable cost.

Not only was the scouting trip beneficial to my first draft, it was also liberating to get out from behind my computer and do something physically related to my film. It felt like I was one small step closer to making this thing a reality.

How cool is this abanonded drive-thru?

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