20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Zodiac (2007)
4. The Film Boasts Some Very Expensive Trees
Another example of the incredible efforts the filmmakers went to for the sake of accuracy involves a story about two trees.
When it came to film the scene at Lake Berryessa, Fincher made a slightly out-of-character choice. Most scenes were filmed on a soundstage or utilised CG effects to recreate period accurate locations, but not this one. However, after arriving at the location, a big problem arose.
Comparing the scenery to photographs from the late Seventies, the team realised the oak trees - which the actual Zodiac Killer had hidden behind - were no longer there. Due to the significance the trees had in the Lake Berryessa attack; the production crew had a choice. Move the scene to a different location, digitally add the trees, or fly in two huge oak trees via helicopter.
In a move of possible lunacy, the team chose the latter option. To recreate the setting, set designers had to dig out holes and try desperately to keep them alive for the next few days of shooting. What made things even more expensive was the fact that the trees were a protected species in California, making an already expensive job even more costly.