The Netflix sports biopic NYAD presents viewers with an adaptation of real-life athlete Diana Nyad’s attempt to complete an epic one-hundred-and-ten-mile swim from Cuba to Florida. Diana had retired from swimming, opting to become a sports journalist, but the lure of the challenge was too much. At the age of sixty-four, she would embark on the challenge known as the Mount Everest of swimming, recording the journey in an autobiography entitled Find a Way, which would be used in the making of the movie. Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin had the unenviable task of bringing this herculean effort to the silver screen in as realistic a way as possible, using various filming locations and some smart studio work to achieve the intended effect.
Where was Nyad filmed? A breakdown of filming locations
Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios
The Horizon Water Tank in Pinewood Studios Dominican Republic, here being used to shoot 47 Metres Down | Image via Pinewood Group
A YouTube video from Vanity Fair shows the directors breaking down a pivotal scene in the film, with Diana embarking on her swim. The directors explain how many of the shots were done in the Horizon Water Tank in the Dominican Republic. The tank, located in the impressive studio, was surrounded by a blue screen, except on one side, which allowed the filmmakers to look out into the ocean, creating the illusion that actress Annette Bening was in open water.
The blue screen allowed the effects department to put background elements such as the night sky and Key West into the scene. According to the Pinewood Group website, the Horizon tank boasts the following characteristics:
- 60,500 sq ft (5620 sq m) horizon water tank with blue screen capabilities.
- Deep water tank for underwater filming with a depth of 16 ft (5 m).
- Fully equipped diving and marine department
- Tip tanks, wave machines, water tank tractor, camera rostrums, SFX rostrums, support boats, metallic walkways, and movable stairs.
- Designed by Diving Services UK who run Pinewood UK’s globally unique water filming facilities.
Key West, Florida
Some location work was also done in and around the actual locations of the real-life swim, adding authenticity to the production. Key West was the final destination for the challenge, and scenes replicating the real life venture were recorded here adding to the realistic depiction of the events.
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Cuba
Location work was also done at the starting point of the swim in Cuba, once again adding to the authenticity of the production. The opening scene of the film uses real footage from her TV appearances and news spots to set the scene for the upcoming narrative.
Los Angeles
The first scene has Jodie Foster and Annette Bening on location in LA, and there are plenty of establishing shots of their neighborhood.
Filming and replicating Diana Nyad’s famous swim
Filming the grueling swim scenes would require many hours with Bening in the water tank, and Foster on the support boat, within the confines of the huge water tank in the Pinewood Studio set.
Bening was determined to present a realistic interpretation of the sixty-four-year-old’s challenge and trained for a year in the water to help with the role, with the filming locations supporting the intended effect by upping the authenticity. The race’s start point in Cuba was captured on-location for this reason, and scenes filmed in the Horizon Tank were touched up with many effects and flourishes to create authentic visuals.
Subtle makeup effects were added to create the illusion of the water on her face and body, some prosthetics were added to Bening in the water tank, and the actress placed gauze under her lips to create puffiness.
Clever lighting effects in the water would provide the right atmosphere for the swimming scenes, and the directors would often mix real-life footage with the water tank scenes to create the illusion of the boat and the actress being in open water.
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