PROMISE

Pre-production on Promise began in the winter of 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona. Location scouting for the remote wilderness described in the script occurred over the course of several weekends with trips to Arizona’s high country before Happy Jack, Arizona was settled upon as the setting for all of the film’s exterior forest shots, and interior locations were located around the Phoenix area.

Casting was done entirely through local auditions with the exception of the role of Bethany, which was filled by “Scream Queen” Tiffany Shepis to provide a name-recognition actress to the production.

Principal photography began on Friday, June 13 2008 in Happy Jack, Arizona, a small mountain hamlet three hours north of Phoenix. The cast and crew were shuttled to the remote mountain location, where nighttime temperatures hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. All of the film’s exterior forest scenes were shot there until June 22, 2008, when the crew returned to Phoenix to finish photography.

Production continued in the Phoenix area from June 24, 2008 through July 19, 2008. The Gopher Hole Ranch in Phoenix, AZ served as the barn location while private residences in Mesa and Gilbert served as the remaining locations. Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit and cold water and fans were plentiful between takes.

Post-production began immediately after filming wrapped and a rough edit was done on September 28, 2008. Final edits, digital effects, and music were placed in and the film was officially “in the can” on October 31, 2008.