The latest movie for the Hallmark Channel to be filmed in the region is For Love and Honor — if you happened to be in downtown Sudbury yesterday, you might have noticed all the production vehicles along Elgin and Grey streets, as the Townehouse Tavern was being used for a scene in the flick.
David Anselmo of Hideaway Pictures, which is one of the production companies involved in the film, told Sudbury.com the film is spending around $1.3 million in the region on the film, as well as employing 70 local crew and 500 extras.
Among those extras are members of the 547 Canuck Air Cadet Squadron out of North Bay and the members of the 2912 Sudbury Irish Royal Canada Army Cadet Corps. The teens are not only getting a crash course in filmmaking, but they’re getting paid as well.
Casting director Micheline Blais said the cadets appear in several big scenes in the film, which is set at a struggling military academy, and are being called upon to march in formation for a parade scene, a graduation scene and a scene involving an honour ceremony.
“These kids are amazing and this is a really cool opportunity for them,” Blais told Sudbury.com.
She said Hideaway Pictures is providing a great opportunity to showcase the talents of the local cadet corps, pay them for the time and even help them get in some training — the cadets have been rehearsing for weeks for some of the complex marching scenes.
Plus, Blais added, now that she’s gotten to know the teens, she’s going to keep their names on file in case she can cast them in other productions.
What’s more, she added, when Hideaway Pictures found out 547 Squadron was fundraising to go to Vimy Ridge in France next year, the production company made a sizeable donation to the cause.
Blais also said Capt. Amanda Johnson, the commanding officer of 547 Canuck Squadron, also serves as the film’s military consultant.
“For Love and Honor” stars James Denton, who you might recognize from his role as Mike Delfino, Teri Hatcher’s love interest on the popular ABC-TV show “Desperate Housewives.” Denton is also executive producer on the film, which stars his son Sheppard.
The film also stars Natalie Brown, a Timmins native who has starred in several movies and TV shows over the years.
