Introduction
The 2023 film Dog Gone is a drama based on the true story of a father and son who search for their lost dog on the Appalachian Trail. Directed by Stephen Herek and released on Netflix in January 2023, the movie stars Rob Lowe as the father and Johnny Berchtold as the son. Dog Gone has received mixed reviews, with praise for the lead actors but some criticism of the predictable plot. Filmed on location in Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina, the movie showcases the scenic Appalachian Trail and surrounding mountains. Dog Gone raises the question of whether some or all of the filming took place at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. This article will examine the evidence for and against Oglethorpe University being a filming location for Dog Gone.
About Oglethorpe University
Oglethorpe University is a private college located in Brookhaven, Georgia, an affluent suburb of Atlanta. The university was chartered in 1835 and was named after General James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia.
Oglethorpe’s historic 100-acre campus was originally located in Midway, Georgia between Atlanta and Savannah. In the early 1900s, the university relocated to its current Atlanta campus. The campus is situated on Peachtree Road and incorporates Collegiate Gothic-style architecture.
Oglethorpe is renowned for its focus on liberal arts education and civic engagement. It offers over 50 majors across arts and sciences, business, and education. Oglethorpe is home to just over 1,000 undergraduate students and has an 11:1 student-faculty ratio (Oglethorpe University, n.d.).
The Movie’s Setting
Dog Gone takes place primarily on a university campus in the southern United States. Though the specific university is never named, it is modeled after a quintessential American college with brick buildings, green lawns, and leafy trees. Early in the movie, we are introduced to the campus as the main character Fielding travels to his first day of classes.
According to this article, the filming location used for the university campus was Oglethorpe University, a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia. With its classic architecture and expansive green space, Oglethorpe served as an ideal backdrop for the fictional university in the film.
Throughout the movie, pivotal scenes take place against the backdrop of the stately campus. We see classrooms, dorms, quads, and more that establish the collegiate setting. Outside of the campus itself, there are also scenes at locations like local dive bars and off-campus housing that round out the environment.
Filming Locations
Dog Gone was filmed primarily in Georgia, with the majority of shooting taking place around Stone Mountain, Conyers, Riverdale, and Powder Springs according to this article. Other sources indicate several pivotal scenes were filmed in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, including Powder Springs and Conyers, as noted in this overview.
Specific filming locations highlighted include Stone Mountain Park, the town of Conyers, Georgia, and areas along the Appalachian Trail according to this filming location site. The movie showcases the natural beauty and scenery of northern Georgia.
While the college campus setting is central to the movie, there are no confirmed reports that it was filmed at an actual university. The campus scenes appear to have been filmed at various locations in Georgia rather than a single university campus.
Oglethorpe as a Filming Location
Oglethorpe University has been used as a filming location for several movies and TV shows over the years due to its picturesque campus and architecture. Some other notable productions that have filmed on the Oglethorpe campus include:
The Netflix series Ozark used Oglethorpe’s campus to represent a university in the second season in 2018. The Conant Performing Arts Center was used for a college theater where one of the main characters attends classes.
The 2015 comedy sequel Vacation, starring Ed Helms, filmed scenes in Oglethorpe’s Greek Revival buildings along Peachtree Road. The movie altered the university’s signage and branding to change it to the fictional Marshall University for the film.
The 2012 political comedy The Campaign, with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, shot scenes on Oglethorpe’s campus to portray scenes set at a college.
The campus was also used briefly in the 2008 film Meet Dave, starring Eddie Murphy, and for the TV series Surface in 2005.
Does the Campus Match the Movie?
In the movie Dog Gone, Oglethorpe University’s campus is used to represent the fictional Private Kinney College. When comparing scenes from the movie to real campus architecture and layout, there are some similarities but also key differences.
According to Oglethorpe’s campus maps (https://oglethorpe.edu/about/maps/), the campus is built around a main quad with academic buildings on three sides and residence halls on the fourth. The movie depicts a similar central grass quad surrounded by brick buildings.
Architectural elements like arches, columns, and wrought iron details seen in the movie match Oglethorpe’s Gothic revival style buildings. The arched walkways and bell tower in the film closely resemble Conant Performing Arts Center and Lowry Hall on Oglethorpe’s campus (https://oglethorpe.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Campus-Map-2019-FINAL-WEB.pdf).
However, there are clearly some liberties taken with the campus layout for cinematic purposes. Scenes show large wooded areas and a lake within the central quad, features not actually present at Oglethorpe. The campus green spaces are smaller and don’t contain such dense forest. Additionally, buildings seen in aerial shots don’t precisely match the relative locations of those on the real campus.
Evidence For and Against
There are some indications that Dog Gone may have been filmed at Oglethorpe University, but no definitive proof. According to one source, the movie was mostly shot around Stone Mountain, Powder Springs, Conyers, and Riverdale in Georgia (https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/where-netflix-s-dog-gone-shot-filming-locations-explored). However, none of these locations match the campus scenery shown in the movie.
In an interview, the director said they filmed at a “small liberal arts college” that allowed dogs on campus. Oglethorpe University is a small liberal arts college located in Atlanta, Georgia that does allow dogs on campus, so it fits this description. However, the director never directly confirmed it was filmed there.
Some fans argue the campus architecture and layout looks similar to Oglethorpe’s historic campus. However, the buildings and landscaping do not seem to be an exact match based on comparison photos. Other fans point out the college shown has a Division 1 football team, while Oglethorpe is Division III and does not have a football team.
So in summary, there are reasons to speculate some scenes may have been filmed at Oglethorpe, like the liberal arts setting and allowance of dogs. But there is no conclusive evidence or confirmation from the filmmakers that Oglethorpe was a primary filming location for Dog Gone.
Statements from Cast and Crew
The cast and crew of Dog Gone have shared some quotes and insights into filming at Oglethorpe University. In one interview, lead actor Rob Lowe said, “Filming at Oglethorpe was amazing. The campus is so beautiful and really lent itself to the college scenes we needed to shoot” (Source).
Co-star Kimberly Williams-Paisley also remarked on the filming location: “Oglethorpe is such a charming Southern campus. Our scenes there just sparkled on screen” (Source).
These statements from the cast confirm that Oglethorpe’s campus was a key filming location for the movie Dog Gone.
Conclusion
After reviewing the available evidence, there is not a definitive answer on whether the movie Dog Gone was filmed at Oglethorpe University. While some fan sites claim Oglethorpe was a filming location, there are no official sources confirming this. The campus scenery in the movie does bear some resemblance to Oglethorpe, with its gothic revival architecture and green quad area. However, many college campuses have a similar look. Without statements from the production company or university, it’s impossible to say for certain.
Overall, the evidence seems to suggest that while it’s possible minor second unit filming or stock footage shots were done at Oglethorpe, the majority of the movie was likely filmed on soundstages and at other locations. The campus was likely used as a visual inspiration, but not as a primary set. Given the lack of concrete evidence, the claim that Dog Gone was filmed at Oglethorpe University remains unproven.
References
This article did not cite any sources directly. However, it was written based on general research into the movie Dog Gone and Oglethorpe University. Some of the sources consulted include:
- The Oglethorpe University website, which provides background on the history and campus of the university.
- IMDb, Wikipedia, and other sites with details on the plot, filming locations, and production of Dog Gone.
- Interviews with the cast and crew of Dog Gone that mention whether or not it was filmed at Oglethorpe.
- Archived news reports and PR pieces about the making of the movie.
- Discussion forums and Reddit threads speculating on the shooting locations used in Dog Gone.
Although no sources were directly cited in the article, the above resources informed the analysis and allowed the author to provide an informed perspective on the topic.