Christmas came early to Orillia this week.
A crew from Brain Power Studio has been in town shooting a movie called Dashing Home for Christmas. It centres on a man and a woman, played by Adrian Spencer and Paniz Zade, who cross paths while trying to get across the country for the holidays.
After sharing a ride, they end up having other chance meetings, and a romance blossoms.
Brain Power Studio is based out of Newmarket and tends to shoot its films in that town and farther north, including Simcoe County.
For their latest film, executive producer Nancy Yeaman and producer Jessica Reis were drawn to Orillia.
“It had that cute, small-town look we were looking for. It’s a homey, cozy place,” Reis said.
They shot at various locations in town, including the former train station on Front Street, downtown Orillia and the Hasty Tasty diner on Laclie Street.
“It’s hard to find cute, little diners like the Hasty Tasty. We all fell in love with it,” Reis said.
Like other industries, film has had to adapt to the changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s really different,” said Yeaman. “On the upside, we had three or four months more to prepare.”
The main priority has been “vigilance,” she added.
That vigilance comes with a cost. Cast and crew are in their own hotel rooms, the mask and sanitizer budget is high, there are more cleaners on duty, a medic is on site every day, and everyone had to have a COVID-19 test.
“I think any producer will tell you it’s more costly,” Yeaman said.
“We always try to be safe, but it’s that extra step we have to take,” Reis added.
The movie is a romance, so one might wonder what happens with kiss scenes. Enter the “kissing doubles.”
Fortunately, Zade’s boyfriend is also an actor, so he’ll stand in for those scenes.
It’s not uncommon for actors from the United States to be part of Brain Power Studio’s films in the area, but the Dashing Home for Christmas cast is all Canadian, also a result of the pandemic.
Filming in Orillia took place over three days, with Thursday being the last. Filming will continue next week in Barrie and is expected to wrap up Aug. 19 in Sharon.
The movie will be released in time for Christmas 2020. Watch for updates on the Brain Power Studio website.
The studio is run by women, and women hold a variety of positions with the company.
“We have lots of guys, and we love them, too,” Yeaman said with a laugh, “but we’re really proud of that.”
