Despite an extremely small budget many of the film's numerous settings were built sets. Director/production designer Daniel C. Nyiri is a scenic designer with experience in making the most out of limited resources. In the film hallways could only open onto one finished room at a time because the building materials (false walls, practical doors etc.) were re-used to save on expenses. One of the film's production offices was transformed into multiple settings. Some furniture purchased for sets was carefully disassembled after shooting and returned to their boxes exactly as they were originally packed (the art dept. used reference photos to insure this). They were then returned for a refund. Other furniture pieces were fake; one detective's unique bed was little more than a fake headboard attached to a false wall, and the scene in the lead detective's bedroom includes a completely false closet constructed just for the shot.
Woodland scenes shot in various locations had to be visually united by bringing grasses from one location to the others, and even by the inclusion of fake miniature trees, made out of cardboard and realistically detailed and painted, so there were consistent types of trees evident. The scenes also had to be carefully color corrected since some were shot in the fall and some inserts were shot in the spring.
The film was produced for a cash outlay of only $20,455.00 with all cast and crew deferring their salaries. It was shot on mostly half days, starting after 5pm and stopping after 11pm (because of actor availability) and as a result the majority of scenes were filmed shooting night for day, and had to be lit and staged to preserve the illusion.