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  "path": "/one-location-direction",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-29T00:15:02.000Z",
  "site": "https://nofilmschool.com",
  "tags": [
    "Apple",
    "Directing tips",
    "Single location",
    "Colin mcivor",
    "No ordinary heist",
    "Location",
    "locations",
    "here",
    "www.youtube.com"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nFor indie filmmakers, every dollar on screen has to work twice as hard, and sometimes, the smartest solutions aren’t about spending more, but staying put.\n\nIn __No Ordinary Heist__ , director Colin McIvor and his team pulled off a deceptively simple, but highly effective production strategy: transforming a single farmhouse into four entirely distinct scripted locations. This is a trick Colin has done on all of his films.\n\nHe says, “You must constantly think about how to base yourselves somewhere that you can turn various rooms into totally different locations through a great design department and clever shooting angles.”\n\nThe film was anchored in one place over multiple shooting days, which dramatically reduced company moves, minimized setup costs, and maximized efficiency without sacrificing scope. It’s a reminder that in contained thrillers, creative geography and strong design can stretch a budget further than any line item, turning limitation into a logistical advantage.\n\nColin discusses this topic and much more in the conversation below. Learn where you can watch __No Ordinary Heist__ here.\n\n* * *\n\n- YouTube www.youtube.com\n\n**No Film School: What was the initial spark for** _**_No Ordinary Heist_**_**, and how did the project evolve from concept to final film?**\n\n**Colin McIvor** : I actually happened to pass the bank the morning after the robbery. It was always in my mind. When I became a filmmaker, and the more I read about the robbery whilst looking for projects after making __Zoo__ , __No Ordinary Heist__ bubbled to the top. So I wrote a very rough draft, and it gained instant traction, and then I hooked up with my co-writer Aisling Corristine and my amazing producers Ruth Carter, Damon Lane, and Johanna Hogan.\n\n**NFS: How did your vision for the film shift once you moved from writing to directing?**\n\n**CM:** Not hugely. You always try to remain loyal to the words on the page, but reality kicks in, and you must adapt in so many ways.\n\n**NFS: The film is based on true events. What sort of research did you do before beginning work on the****film to make sure it was accurate?**\n\n**CM:** It is inspired by true events. I was obviously incredibly taken by the true event, but I knew we wanted to do our own version of what was no ordinary heist!\n\n**NFS: What camera system did you ultimately choose for** _**_No Ordinary Heist_**_**, and what made it the****right fit for this story?**\n\n**CM:** We shot on an Arri Alexa, which has pretty much become the industry standard for indie films, in terms of budget and workflow.\n\n'No Ordinary Heist'  Courtesy of Epic Pictures\n\n**NFS: What were the biggest technical or logistical challenges you faced on set, and how did you solve****them?**\n\n**CM:** Our most difficult day was our day filming in the car. Having shot many car commercials, I'm very aware of the difficulty, but we seemed to have one calamity after another, but thankfully, we got two takes to get what we needed, and it made the final cut. The lesson being, never lose hope if you have a great team!\n\n**NFS: Can you talk about a moment where a constraint (budget, location, time) actually improved the****scene?**\n\n**CM:** With indie films, budget, location, and time are always your challenges, so it is hard to point to something specific where it became an advantage, but I had a fantastic cast and crew, and we all mucked in because of those constraints.\n\n**NFS: Were there specific references—films, photography, or otherwise—that influenced the look?**\n\n**CM:** Lots! As a filmmaker, you must build a mental library of everything you consume so that when needed, you can show, as opposed to tell, the look and feel you are going for. I guess films like __The Town__ , __Heat, Inside Man, La Haine, Dog Day Afternoon, Fight Club, etc.,__ were part of my 'look book' to show the various departments.\n\n**NFS:**_**_No Ordinary Heist_**_**is your third feature film to direct. How do you think your previous films****prepared you for** _**_No Ordinary Heist_**_**?**\n\n**CM:** Every indie feature is a huge challenge, but the more you work within those parameters, the more you are prepared for the challenges.\n\nCourtesy of Epic Pictures\n\n**NFS: What were the smartest ways you stretched your budget on this film?**\n\n**CM:** Again, with indie films, you must find ways to make your pennies stretch, and in all my features, we've found a way to use one single location for multiple scripted locations. On NOH, we found a farmhouse that we were able to use for four entirely separate scripted locations, which meant the film unit was based at one place for a number of days, which saves so much money.\n\n**NFS: For filmmakers trying to make a contained thriller, what are the key areas to invest in—and****where can you save?**\n\n**CM:** As with the previous answer, you must set out with the assumption that you have no money and therefore must constantly think about how to base yourselves somewhere that you can turn various rooms into totally different locations through a great design department and clever shooting angles.",
  "title": "One Location, Maximum Savings: An Indie Filmmaker’s Secret Weapon"
}