Filming began 17 August 1970 in London at Pinewood Studios. The film's sets of Loudun—which were depicted as a modernistic white-tiled city— were devised by Jarman, who spent a total of three months designing them. In conceiving the look of the city, Russell was influenced by the cityscape in Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" (1927). The interiors of many of the buildings, specifically the convent, were crafted with plaster and made to appear as masonry; the plaster designs were then nailed to plywood framework.