What if a dream you had since childhood began to come true?
What if it was over 30 years later?
That is the question ruminating in the mind of Donnie Emerson (played by Casey Affleck) while supported by his parents Don Sr. and Salina (played by Beau Bridges & Barbara Deering), his bandmate brother Joe (played by Walter Goggins) and wife Nancy (played by Zooey Deschanel) in the new film Dreamin’ Wild. The movie is a perfect mix of the Rock-Funk-Soul music from the original 1977 album (sharing its name with the film) and modern day characters coming to terms with the sudden realization of a long-forsaken dream. Young Donnie is played by Noah Jupe and Jack Dylan Grazer plays young Joe. Matt the record exec is played by Chris Messina. Director and Writer Bill Pohlad does a masterful job of bringing the story to the silver screen.
“Musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson spend everything they have to produce a record in the 1970s.”
-Dreamin’ Wild
In 2021 there was some local chatter about a new movie filming around Spokane and other nearby locations. This news was not surprising for many in this tight-knit production community, as lots of feature films, episodic television series, and music videos have been produced here over the years. Soon we learned that this was a film based on a true story about two brothers from Fruitland Washington, a community located just a little more than an hour from here.
In the film, Donnie and Nancy run a small recording studio in Spokane. When the location scout and the director found the studio they knew it was exactly what they were looking for. The scene opener shows a fictional company logo on the door with downtown spokane in the background but the interior of the studio takes place in our Liberty Lake location.
The space was transformed by art & set dec from a modern production studio to a vintage scene with tapestries on the walls and an old Allen & Heath analog mixing console brought in from a friend. The mixer was kept in his garage for years after a local church had retired it for a digital system. It was period-correct and looked the part. The crew reserved one of the large conference rooms to be used as dressing rooms but it was eventually taken over by literally every other department; crafty, art, production, and sound…
A second scene filmed at Spokane Productions shows a local radio show where Donnie and Joe are being interviewed about their album. The conference room was transformed for this scene. Set dec added foam treatment over the whiteboard, a lamp, some microphones on stands, headphones, and I dug out an old analog mixer to the table to complete the look — and we now have a radio booth!
We are excited that the cover shot for the film was captured in the studio!
During post-production there were several requests for ADR with some of the Spokane local talent and we were able to record the audio for it. It was fun to hear the new dialogue for the film added in real time.
Watch the trailer for the film here, the scene that takes place inside Donnie & Nancy’s studio from 0:19-0:24 was captured inside Spokane Productions and the radio interview scene from 1:41-1:43 was filmed in the conference room. We were honored to be chosen as one of the locations for the movie!
I enjoyed everything about the film, from the music, to the acting, to the local story getting national attention. The ending with Donnie, Joe, and Nancy was a nice touch. For your next film, narration, ADR, or music album, call Spokane Productions. Our team produces high quality content for clients, or the studio can be rented for projects just like Dreamin’ Wild!