The Hudson Valley makes yet another film appearance – this time in an Amazon original using the iconic Ulster County venue as a backdrop.
The Hudson Valley isn’t shy about being home to sets for many television series and films.
In quieter times, the Hudson Valley Film Commission (HVFC) is a resource for securing locations, crews, casts, and more from across the Valley to help create award-winning productions. Need an example? Emily Blunt and John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place, Steve Gramaldi’s Twelve, Kent Jones’ Diane, and David Simon and Ed Burns’ The Plot Against America are just a few of the films and series that were born out of the Hudson Valley in one way or another.
Now, Amazon Prime releases a new series titled UPLOAD, which features one of the Hudson Valley’s most iconic locations. Does Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz ring any bells?
Released on May 1, UPLOAD is a 10-part science fiction comedy miniseries created by Greg Daniels (The Office) and featuring stars Robbie Amell and Andy Allo. The premise? Well… it’s an exciting one. In the year 2033, people can be “uploaded” into virtual reality hotels run by tech firms. One character, Nathan, gets uploaded permanently to a luxurious lakeview digital afterlife.
The luxurious lakeview digital afterlife is, indeed, set at the Victorian castle resort of Mohonk Mountain House, which is surrounded by 40,000 acres of forest.
Back in 2017, location manager Dave Gins reached out to the HVFC regarding a few scenes for his afterlife vision.
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“The Mohonk Mountain House is a national treasure, so it’s not surprising that productions want to film there,” says Laurent Rejto from the film commission. “It’s as idyllic and picturesque on the screen as it is in real life. Even though the series uses a lot of post-production special effects, the movie magic with a venue like that all derives from the location.”
While the majority of the film production took place in Vancouver, all of the background shots, or plate shots, are from Mohonk.
“The plate shots are used to give the impression that they are at Lakeview, as they call the location in the series,” says Rejto. “While it is certainly nicer to have a full production in the region, it’s also nice to have productions come to the region for plate shots.”
Several other productions use Hudson Valley locations for plate shots as well. In 2017, the HVFC worked with Marvel to film several background scenes for the final battle of Avengers: Endgame at Staatsburgh’s Mills Mansion and Esopus’ Black Creek Preserve.
Check out the trailer for UPLOAD and dive into the miniseries, now on Amazon.
