SFF's 19th Anniversary

Over the course of 19 years, Sine Fine Films has done a LOT of filming.  I thought about adding up all the days we filmed total, but that involves a higher level of math than I’m capable of at the moment.

So, let’s take a look back at some of the cast and crew’s 19 favorite filming days. I asked the actors via facebook, and 4 four years ago at the 15^th Anniversary Reunion, to tell me the days they remember most fondly. Here is what they said:

#19 – The Kitta Gray Shoot

 On a very hot Saturday morning, Tanino Minneci, Rachel Zoralee, Kevin Meyer, and Brittany Ann Whalen all got together to film TwistedTales: Kitta Gray.  Although the day was ridiculously hot, it’s still one of my all time favorite shoots because I got to work with both Rachel Zoralee and Tanino Minneci together for the first time in over ten years.  It was an honor to work with such talented people, including Kevin Meyer who was relatively new to the company, and Brittany Ann Whalen assisting as crew.

#18 – Filming at the Samii House (Pandora’s Box)

We needed a nice bedroom for Princess Zarina as well as Empress Zarynthia, and the Samii’s volunteered Monica’s room which had a nice vanity and a canopy bed.  During those scenes, Empress Zarynthia – played by Monica Samii – is very ill, and it is revealed that her daughter, Princess Zarina – played by Nina Samii – has been poisoning her in order to gain the throne.  The mother and daughter were played by the Samii sisters, and Monica fondly recalls her favorite filming day as “that one time my sister poisoned me.”

#17 – Filming with Horses (Dream Chasers)

I love filming with horses – which has only happened twice in all 19 years of SFF productions – because it makes me feel like I have a budget (cause only real sets can afford to have horses on set, y’all!).  The day we drove to Holly Simons’ sister’s farm was a great day – a very cramped ride with six people in a five person car for an hour and a half – but a great day.  We had three horses which the actors got to ride and it was a beautiful autumn day.

#16 – Playing at the Planetarium (Mind Games)

This one is as much a location as a single day.  We filmed at the William M. Staerkal Planetarium at Parkland College on multiple days for Mind Games, but they blur together and each one was a blast for the same reason:  “At the Planetarium you got to push all the buttons,” Rachel Anderson recalls, “and the things went around and the lights came on, and who doesn’t like that?”

 Edward Stasheff remembers, “it was just so cool.  We were able to play around with all the star lights and set up moons and galaxies and make the big robot Astrolabe move around. And the guy – David Leake – he was really understanding, we’re like: 

‘hey, can we drink liquids at the control boards?’

He’s like ‘Sure!’,

‘Can we smoke at the control board?’

He’s like ‘cool, no problem.’

We’re like ‘can we set off explosives next to your extremely expensive and sensitive equipment?’,

He’s like “uh…okay?”  He was really cool about it.”

#15 – The Magic Food Fight Day (The Gift Bearer)

Although most of the filming for The Gift Bearer took place in Southern Illinois, there were two main film shoots at the Homestead – one in the fall of 2001 and one in the spring of 2002.  During the Spring shoot there was a very long day of filming that included a multi-page scene where several characters are having dinner.  Some of the characters are sorcerers and they end up getting into a magic food fight, which was pretty fun to shoot. 

Katie Johnston remembers that as being her favorite filming day, “not only because I got to make large quantities of mac & cheese and instant mashed potatoes in your parents kitchen...but then I got to smear them all over my face. Actor, prop master, caterer...it's all the same on a sine fine shoot!”

#14 – The First Day of Filming (Destiny)

Who wouldn’t remember the very first day of filming for a company that would go on to produce over forty productions in 19 years?  Even if we only started out filming a movie as a summer project, it obviously became so much more than that. That day will forever be one of my favorite filming days for many reasons – including the fact that it was the first time I ever saw Allerton Park.  

I’m not alone in remembering that day, since it is also one of Michelle MacLeod’s. “My favorite filming day was out at Allerton with Tanino,” she said. “How many takes did we do? 19? I remember someone saying that it reached a professional level of takes.”

#13 – Fall Filming at Allerton (Pandora’s Box)

Allerton is beautiful year round, but it’s best in the spring and fall when it’s not too hot or too cold. We’ve filmed at Allerton in the fall on many occasions for many productions, but one day really stands out for Nina Samii. 

“We were filming in the gardens and right off of the gardens was that field. I just remember it being a blast and it was so hard to stay in character that day because everybody was laughing, the weather was good, it was just a really good time and everyone was getting along – it was just a magical day. We got to frolic in the field. I think that would be my favorite day.”

#12 – Generals in the Mansion at Allerton (Pandora’s Box)

Are we sensing a theme yet? Allerton is awesome, so it’s not surprising that a lot of people have fond memories of filming there. As Rachel Anderson says, “Allerton’s full of trees and things, and who doesn’t like trees and things?”

 But on this particular day we were filming less of the trees and more of the things – specifically the beautiful Allerton Mansion. Margaret Olson remembers it as “that day at Allerton with Annamarie when we got to run around inside. And we definitely didn't climb the ladder!
"

 This is the first time (and one of the few) that we were ever allowed to film inside, and we were given free run of the place more or less.  It was just Annamarie MacLeod, Margaret Olson, and I, so there weren’t a lot of people to keep track of.  It was a beautiful day in the spring with a clear blue sky and an afternoon of filming short scenes and montage footage so it was pretty laid back and getting to explore the mansion was awesome.

#11 – Montage Day at the MacLeod Farm (Destiny III)

 The MacLeod Farm, like Allerton Park, is one of those beautiful locations that creates many memories and has many fun days. “They were all so much fun,” Rachel Anderson recalled.  

“A lot of it's kind of blurred together,” Kate Weber added, “but I really liked some of the scenes in Destiny III out at the MacLeod farm, where Rachel and I just sort of sat around in the background and did whatever the hell we felt like. I was usually taking Rachel's lead - she's the one who came up with the Beans'n'Weenies song, for example.”

“Beans and Weenies!” Rachel added. “Yes, beans and weenie day. That sounds like an odd day though.”

#10 – Quatrain Filming at the MacLeod Farm

There were two days of filming for Quatrain, and one of them (the longer one) took place mostly at the MacLeod Farm. There were actors and crew with different scenes to film and different directors, but it was a pretty tight group.  We just happened to be filming on Annamarie’s Birthday as well, and celebrated it both on screen as a scene and afterwards as part of a late lunch. 

 “You know, by this point we were all in our late 20s – we did have the high school and college drama going on,” Edward Stasheff remembered. “People were much more experienced, much more professional.” Even though it was during the summer it wasn’t too hot, and there was plenty of goofing around on set as well as serious acting.

 “We were still able to goof around and have fun, when we were filming the two scenes in the back of my truck,” Edward continued. “We had Jacob sniff his armpit and stuff like that. So that was a very fun experience just because it’s the MacLeod Farm, which is always cool, the weather was relatively pleasant, we had good actors to work with, and it was fun.”

 My favorite part of that day (and that whole weekend really) was getting to see other people directing the same or similar scenes. It was great to see talent being used again or watching it emerge for the first time.  I loved watching Brittany Ann Whalen and Edward direct again, but I was most surprised with Jacob MacLeod.  He volunteered at the last minute, and did not have a lot of time to prepare, but he turned out to be an amazing director!

#9 – The Fairy Dance at the MacLeod Farm

(The King of Elflin’s Daughter)

As you can tell, the MacLeod Farm is just as popular a place for making fun filming memories as Allerton is.  One of my personal favorite days filming at the MacLeod’s was when we filmed the Great Fairy Dance. “The day we filmed the big dance number for the King of Elflin’s Daughter stands out,” said Edward Stasheff, “because it was really fun and there was a rainbow in the sky. Great weather, beautiful sunset, and it was just really fun.”

“Watching people dance in the south yard in costumes with some of the beautiful weather we’ve had out here,” Michelle MacLeod remembered, “that was a lot of fun.”

#8 – The Filming Weekend for Cursed Destiny

Another of my personal favorites, The Cursed Destiny of Pandora’s Gift Box was the first movie I had made since Mind Games and it was nice to stop making TV shows and get back to the basics so to speak.  It was filmed in April on two nice days that were not too warm or too cold, although it was very windy for both.  There were a lot of actors, a lot of goofing off, and a generally laid back feel to the set which I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Kate Weber remembers that as one of her favorite filming days to, “I think filming the Cursed Destiny stuff, particularly watching Mike Steen and his Charlie’s Extras, and his taco bell soda, it was pretty hilarious.”

#7 – Who Drugged Us Day/Weekend (Eidolon)

The first weekend of filming for Eidolon was very memorable, since it brought together actors from CU and SIUC in main roles for the first time. “It was the first day after such a large break,” remembered Morgan Thomas, “and everybody’s getting together again and we’re melding different generations of the actors and the crew. It just felt momentous for some reason.”

“The Memorial Day Shoot for Eidolon,” James agreed was one of his favorite filming day.  “It was the first time the whole cast met and worked together. Plus, we had the hallway Who Drugged Us bloopers”

“Brittany directed the "Who You Drugged Us" walking through doorways scene.  The Eidolon scene was a long day of filming and by the time we got to that scene, we were exhausted. The more we tried to get through the scene, the funnier it got and we were slap happy. I couldn't stop laughing. It was so much fun!”

#6 – The Shoots at Ferne Clyffe

There were only two shooting days at the incredibly beautiful Ferne Clyffe State Park near Goreville in Southern Illinois, and they took place years apart.  Both were very memorable however, and were favorite filming days for more than just me.

The first was the big cave shoot for The Curse in February of 2001, and was one of the longest days on record.  Filming in a huge, open cave with lots of boulders and sand was very cool – very dirty, but very cool.  It was the first day that Morgan Thomas joined the cast, and the first time I really got to work with Michelle Chapman, Liz Schafer, and Mike D.  It was one of those memorable days where you shoot fast, have fun, try not to get bitten by dormant snakes, and come home at the end of the day exhausted but happy.

 Even more exhausting, if possible, was the second shoot there in October of 2004 for Eidolon. It was a little bit chilly, but once everyone started running around we all warmed up pretty quickly. “It was absolutely exhausting,” remembered Bryan Kieft, “the one place with the large boulders that I jumped around on and Mordecai came back from the dead or whatever we did with him on the sand in front of the cave. It was fun. I was jumping from boulder to boulder like a goat, and fighting – we had a fight scene there too.”

#5 – C²

There are recent shoots that are just as memorable. In 2012, Syndi Eller, Brittany Ann Whalen, Dan Zangrel, and I filmed a fun little short film about a pair of Bounty Hunter sisters and the mythical creature they’re trying to catch.  It was a crisp autumn day in November, but the sun was warm so it wasn’t too bad.

“It was just fun, light and airy,” Syndi Eller recalled, “like no real pressures for time, and I finally had more lines than just like two or three.” 

“I haven't been on enough to say,” Dan said in regards to his favorite filming day. “Probably any shoot where I have been a villain... so basically all of them.”

With handcuffs, sticky-sticks, boob pockets, sexy tree-dancing, and the creation of a line of all natural skin care products, it was a very fun and memorable day for all involved.

#4 – Beach Day! (Eidolon)

I have wanted to film at a beach since Destiny III in 1997.  Finally, in July of 2004, my dream came true. “One of my favorite moments at a location was when I took everyone down to the beach for filming,” Brittany remembered, “and just the look on Eleanore and Jen’s face because I don’t believe they had ever seen a lake like that before.”

 Jen and I had been to Lake Michigan, of course, but it had been awhile and we’d never been there for a film shoot before.  The weather was gorgeous, the water was wonderful, and it was one of the perfect days. 

It’s one of Jen Weber’s favorite filming days too.  “When we went up and stayed with Brittany and then went to the beach and we did the swimming on the beach. That was fun. We got to climb out on the rocks. It was good times.”

#3 – The Frozen Fortress (Dream Chasers)

Coming in at #3, decided by the number of people who mentioned it in past interviews when asked about their favorite filming days, is rather surprising to me. The freakishly cold day at Fort De Chartres when we were filming scenes for Episodes 5 and 6 of Dream Chasers was miserable in many ways.  The actors were so cold they had to huddle for warmth since their costumes didn’t include coats, and some of them (Morgan Thomas) even had to fall down in the snow.            

“I liked filming in the snow,” said Holly Simons, as she looks back on both the De Chartres Day and the one after it. “We were shivering and turning blue around the edges, but still a very good time. It was also nice that even though she didn't have to Eleanore took off her coat and suffered with us.”

Surviving a particularly rough film shoot is a badge of honor and can really bring people closer together, as Syndi Eller recalls, “Fort de Chartres! The miserable weather made us enjoy each other so much!”

“I was gonna say Fort De Chartes for Dream Chasers,” James agreed, “but I think Syndi beat me to it.”

#2 – Dream Day at Allerton (Destiny III)

And we’re back to Allerton! Which is hardly suprising, all things considered.  One of the most beautiful filming days at Allerton was when we were filming scenes for Destiny III in the late Spring of 1997. There were lots of actors, some great costumes, and nice weather.  Some actors were in almost every scene, but some were only in a few and got the chance to wander.

Rachel Anderson remembers when she and Jen wondered off at Allerton for a good chunk of the afternoon
. “We were at Allerton for the first time and we hadn’t been here before so we kept wandering off because we weren’t being used. And we were like ‘oh shoot, we should probably go back”, and then you guys were still filming in the same spot and nobody had noticed we’d left, so we just did it again.”

Jen Weber also remembers that day and considers it one of her favorites.  “I believe there was a point when Rachel and I just wandered around Allerton - that was one of my first Allerton experiences – and we explored and explored and we thought “well, maybe we should go back, but we’ll explore a little bit more,” and then “oh maybe we should go back,” and we did finally go back and we had not been missed at all.  I don’t think it was still the same scene but not much had happened.”

“In my head there is a magical non-existent day that combines all of my feelings around filming,” said Annamarie. “At Allerton, schools out, not too hot yet (I said it was in my head), wearing floaty dresses and surrounded by my friends. That’s what I remember about filming, the emotional memory of it. The reality is a lot funnier and sweatier and messier and colder and stickier (‘cause of fake blood), but it still always feels wonderful.”

Although it may not have been the perfect magical day that Annamarie remembers, it was definitely the closest day at Allerton like that.  It was a little like a fairytale, where actresses got to wear princess gowns and hang out in a beautiful garden on a bright spring day.

#1 – The Parthenon Trip (The Gift Bearer)

Unsurprisingly, the day the most people chose as one of their favorite filming days of all time was the road trip and film shoot in Nashville, Tennessee.  On October 12, 2001, 12 people – 8 actors and 4 crew members - piled into three cars and drove over 200 miles to film the Greek scenes from Episodes 5 and 6 of The Gift Bearer at the ParthenonMuseum. Although I think the most fun for the cast was the ride down there, rather than the filming itself.

“Technically it wasn’t a filming day,” Morgan recalled, “but we were on film and I think that would probably be when all of the cast and crew were heading to the Parthenon road trip, I think that was the Parthenon road trip, maybe the Champaign road trip - I know it was a road trip! We were spazzy as all get out that night, just hyperactive and I think there was a seesaw involved.  That was just a day that everyone was just nuts, and it was fun.”

“I guess you have to say filming days – it was over a few days – I’m gonna have to go with the Parthenon.  It’s the one that will always stand out to me for the Gift Bearer,” Brittany agreed. “We traveled to Tennessee to film at a recreation of the Parthenon for two half-hoour episodes of the Gift Bearer.  I just really enjoyed the bonding experience of being in the car ride, the camaraderie with everyone as we were filming, and it was just a fun episode to play through – it was the first time the girls find their mom and their mom meets them – there’s a lot of different elements for that film shoot.”

“I like all of the road trips we took, the several times we came up to Allerton park. Or when we went down to Tennessee to film at the mock Parthenon – it was so cool!  And there was that statue, and it was SO cool!” Christine Komiskey added, “I remember I liked the floor, it’s hard, it’s cold, and it’s not going anywhere.”

Honorable Mentions:

There were a few people who listed non-filming events such as the 10^th Anniversary and the 15^th Anniversary reunions, but I’m only listing actual filming days because I’m mean like that. 

Also, Michelle MacLeod mentioned Spoon River which was a film shoot I did for a mini-documentary on a TV show called Prairie Fire for WILL-TV, but since it was a work-for-hire I cannot claim it as a SFF production (although I wish I could, because it was awesome!).