Maps of Movies
Ex Machina (2014)
Where Ex Machina says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
The house in the wilderness is a Norwegian hotel; the rooms underneath it were built in England
View on the map
Scenes and places
The helicopter drop
Caleb, a young programmer who has just won a company contest, is flown out to the home of the firm's reclusive founder. The pilot sets him down where he is told he can go no closer and sends him on foot along a river.
Set in Flight to Nathan's estate — A helicopter flight over wilderness, set in Alaska, ending where the pilot cannot go any closer.
The estate is described in the film as hours of flying from anywhere; the Norwegian press material says the wild country was meant to stand in for Alaska.
Nathan's house
Caleb is let in with a keycard and finds a host nursing a hangover who wants to skip the formalities. Nathan explains which doors the card opens, shows him a windowless room, and asks him to sign a strict non-disclosure agreement before telling him what the week is for.
Set in Nathan Bateman's house — A glass-and-concrete home in the mountains that Nathan says is a research facility.
The exterior and living spaces were shot at a real Norwegian design hotel in a valley of the same name region as the filming, with the underground rooms built separately in England.
Filmed at Juvet Landscape Hotel, Valldalen (Juvet Landscape Hotel, Valldal, Norway) — Filmed here: the exterior and the living spaces of Nathan's home. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: The hotel in Valldalen takes guests, so you can stay in the rooms seen in the film; it is reached by road from Valldal.
The first conversation with Ava
Caleb meets Ava through a glass wall. She has a robot body and a human face, says she has never met anyone but Nathan, and asks him to come back the next day.
Set in Ava's room in the underground facility — A glass-walled room at the end of a locked corridor where Caleb first meets Ava.
The corridor and rooms of the underground facility are a studio build, not a Norwegian site.
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath (glass corridor set) (Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, United Kingdom) — The glass corridor was built on a stage here; the building is not open to visitors. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: Pinewood is a working film studio and is not open to visitors; the entrance on the road can be seen from outside.
The power cut
On the second day Caleb gets to know Ava, who asks about his life and his parents. When the power cuts out she speaks quickly and tells him not to trust the man who made her.
Set in Ava's room, second day — The same glass room, in the middle of the test, when the lights go out.
The room itself is credited to the studio set; the sources name the corridor and the labs directly, and the room only by the photo caption.
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath (Ava's room set) (Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, United Kingdom) — Ava's room is thought to be the same studio build; only one source covers it. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: Pinewood is a working film studio and is not open to visitors; the entrance on the road can be seen from outside.
Where Ava was made
Nathan takes Caleb into the lab where Ava was assembled and explains how he taught her faces and speech and what her mind is made of. Caleb is quiet and mostly asks how any of it could be possible.
Set in Nathan's lab — A workshop inside the facility where Nathan built the robots.
The lab is a studio set; the production notes name it as a construction lab.
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath (construction lab set) (Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, United Kingdom) — The lab was built on a stage here; the building is not open to visitors. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: Pinewood is a working film studio and is not open to visitors; the entrance on the road can be seen from outside.
Nathan's bedroom
Disturbed by what he sees of Nathan, Caleb gets him drunk, takes his keycard and enters his room and computer. There he finds footage of earlier women held in the same house.
Set in Nathan's bedroom — A bedroom behind a wall of curved cupboards, next to a glass-walled forest.
The sets are described as built; whether this room was filmed at Pinewood is only inferred.
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath (bedroom set) (Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, United Kingdom) — The bedroom is thought to be a studio build; the interview only says the interiors were built sets. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: Pinewood is a working film studio and is not open to visitors; the entrance on the road can be seen from outside.
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath (observation room set) (Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, United Kingdom) — The observation room Google Maps · Apple Maps
Filmed at Nigardsbreen glacier, Jostedalen (Nigardsbreen, Jostedalen, Norway) — Forest, waterfall and glacier landscapes around the house Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Caleb Smith — A programmer at the search engine company Blue Book who wins a week at the CEO's home.
- Nathan Bateman — The CEO of Blue Book, who lives alone in an isolated home and has built a humanoid robot.
- Ava — A humanoid robot with artificial intelligence, confined to her apartment.
- Kyoko — Nathan's in-house attendant, who does not speak.
Questions answered on the map
- Where is the house from Ex Machina?
- Where was the glass facility in Ex Machina built?