The title comes from the 1977 Dennis Wilson album of the same name.
Originally wanting to film an adaptation of Stephen King's poem "Tommy," writer/director Mackenzie Gates had to shelve the project due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He then wrote the script for "Pacific Ocean Blue" taking ideas from the poem, the album of the same name, the book & film "Inherent Vice," and his own love for Southern California.
Although taking place in Los Angeles, the entirety of the film was shot in Leduc, Alberta, and Ma-Me-O Beach, Alberta.
Originally planning for a three day shoot, due to rain and clouds, the shoot took place over the course of five days to account for this. All scenes taking place at the beach needed to be done three days earlier than planned in order to get the sun.
The film was shot in Cinema 4k using a Panasonic GH4 with over 200 minutes captured. Director Mackenzie Gates chose Cinema 4k to get a wider image to show off the locations. The setting, California, is another character and having the actors feel surrounded by the vast space around was necessary, while also making them feel trapped when the camera is pushed closer to their faces.