1. The Dream Garden was shot entirely on digital video using Canon XL1 cameras, and is being converted to HD in post-production.

  2. The total number of people directly involved in the film to date (whether it be cast, crew, or extras) is roughly 350.

  3. The largest scene with regards to the number of extras was filmed on the Village Green in downtown Fairhaven. There were 3 additional directors required for the 110 extras involved in this scene, which depicted a town festival set in 1942.

  4. The longest unbroken shoot to date was filmed on Capital Hill in Seattle, WA. The scene was shot over a 3-day weekend, the first two days beginning at 7:00 AM and wrapping at 10:00 PM, and the final day actually wrapping at 3:30 AM the following morning. The actors that underwent this grueling schedule: Jolaina Crawford, Brice Bielaski, and Douglas Zwick.

  5. 11th Street in downtown Fairhaven was closed for filming on two occasions after permission was granted from the Police Dept., Fire Dept., Transportation Dept., Public Works Office, 23 business owners, and City Hall. Total number of extras: 27 (first closure) and 34 (second closure). The second closure shoot had to take place in 1942, and the city block had to be dressed as such that it appeared appropriate to the time period.

  6. Actress Mikala Miles was cast early as Jolaina Crawford's younger sister Regan Kilik after inadvertently displaying her natural acting talent amidst a fake hissy-fit in front of Director Andrew Lahmann at a local Hollywood Video store.

  7. Supporting actresses Carter Anderson and Joan Harris were selected from an open casting call to all junior high schools in Bellingham, WA, for their incredible talent and remarkable ability to take direction.

  8. Lead actors Brice Bielaski and Jolaina Crawford underwent nearly 13 months of training for their roles as Sam and Katrina, including working with WWU acting professors Jim Lortz and Deb Greer, as well as costar Vanessa Melton.

  9. The scene that occurs in the ice-cream shop was actually added to the script after filming began. Supporting actresses Carter Anderson and Joan Harris helped cowrite the dialog for this scene, which required 36 extras.

  10. A few prominent props used by actress Jolaina Crawford in The Dream Garden were actually also used by actor Andy Bishop in the production of P-51 Pictures' other film, Room 113.

  11. The opening nightmare sequence which occurs at night was actually filmed in bright daylight with extra film lighting, then color-corrected during the editing process to appear as though it was actually dark in the bedroom. This process, coined "Day-for-Night," is exercised so that the scene may possess a sort of "storybook" effect, as well as allowing the filmmakers more control over what the audience will ultimately see in the final cut of the scene.

  12. Makeup artists Mikaela Borman and Brandi Camilleri turned 21-yr-old actress Vanessa Melton into a 35-yr-old woman for her role as Jolaina Crawford's film mom, Kathy Kilik.

  13. Supporting actor Douglas Zwick was not allowed to wash his hair with shampoo for nearly one month before the shooting of a critical scene in the film.

  14. Supporting talent Amanda Juris, Carter Anderson, and Joan Harris each have their own theme colors that represent their individual characters in the film. These colors were selected by Costume Designer Lisa Garr for both their costumes and makeup themes.

  15. In one instance, two scenes that will occur back-to-back in the final film were actually shot 7 months apart.

  16. The Edward Eldridge Mansion in Bellingham, WA, is the location for Katrina and Regan Kilik’s (Jolaina Crawford & Mikala Miles) house in the film, yet for artistic and appearance reasons, each of the girls' bedrooms were filmed in a different location. However, scenes shot in the kitchen, hallways, and staircases of the Mansion will indeed be seen in the film.

  17. The "haunted house" location in the film was actually owned by Edward Davidson as the Castlegate House Bed & Breakfast, the large purple mansion on the hill overlooking the bay just above Old Fairhaven. It has since been purchased by new owners.

  18. In every occasion of filming or rehearsal, actor Brice Bielaski traveled a total of 3 hours round trip from his house in Redmond, WA. Moreover, actress Jolaina Crawford made the 6-hour round trip from her home in Toledo, WA. Ironically, lead actors Crawford and Bielaski were the only members of the production that had to travel farther than 10 minutes to reach Bellingham, and their characters were the main focus of the film.

  19. The songs and musical score in the final cut of the film are original. All of the music contained in the movie was written and recorded specifically for the The Dream Garden.

  20. The pajamas worn by Jolaina Crawford in three scenes were designed specifically for her character by costume designer Lisa Garr, and created by Joelle Winters of Toledo, WA, a close family friend of Director Andrew Lahmann.

  21. While filming the 11th Street closures in downtown Fairhaven, several local business owners opened their shops at 5:30 AM in order for the scene to appear as if it took place around 10:00 on a Saturday morning.

  22. The quickest shoot was filmed in the Castlegate House Bed & Breakfast. The scene only required the presence of lead actress Jolaina Crawford. After the initial equipment setup and makeup/hair application was complete, the scene only took one hour and ten minutes to film.

  23. In an un-named scene in the film, actor Brice Bielaski actually appears in two places at once (intentional).

  24. Lead actress Jolaina Crawford shot her crying scene in an impressive one take, an extremely rare occurrence in filming.

  25. Actor Brice Bielaski's real-life mother, Lynne Bielaski, actually plays the mother of Sam, Brice's character, in one scene in the film.

  26. Actress Jolaina Crawford's mother, Lisa Crawford, has appeared as an extra in 5 different scenes, each time as a different person.

  27. Director Andrew Lahmann's parents, Tom and Kathy Lahmann, as well as his brother Ben, all appear as townspeople during Sam & Katrina’s (Bielaski & Crawford's) first visit to Fairhaven seen in the opening of the film.

  28. Actress Jolaina Crawford had to spend over nine hours elevated by a harness and safety wires during her rehearsal and shooting of a particular stunt she chose to perform herself. After all the work, this sequence will last less than one second in the final cut of the film.

  29. Actor Brice Bielaski had to spend over 4 uninterrupted hours in 8 inches of dirty basement water for one scene. His total amount of time in the water topped 11 hours over a 2-day period.

  30. Although his scenes span nearly 20 minutes of screen time, supporting actor Dan First Scout Rowe shot all of his footage with Bielaski & Crawford in one day.

  31. Throughout filming, several of actress Jolaina Crawford's friends from Toledo, WA, visited the set. During their visits, most of them filmed rehearsed bloopers with Crawford that will be viewable in the DVD release of The Dream Garden.

  32. For several of the largest and most complicated scenes, videographers were brought in to document the behind-the-scenes process of all that went into the "making" of each scene. These featurettes will also be available on the DVD release of The Dream Garden under Bonus Material entitled "Anatomy of a Shoot."

  33. The shooting script for The Dream Garden underwent several screenwriting workshops at Western Washington University, during which the insight, advice, and opinions of students and professors were called upon to help make sure the story was as impactful as possible, as well as to help locate and eliminate any plot holes that may have interfered with the ultimate telling of the story.

  34. Maggie Anderson, younger sister of supporting actress Carter Anderson, was used as a double for Mikala Miles in a couple scenes due to her close resemblance in body type and appearance.

  35. The longest shooting scene in the film was shot in a total of nine days over a 2-week time span. All shoots for this scene took place from 8:00 PM to 5:00-6:00 AM. For purposes of the story, the title and details of the scene mentioned cannot be revealed.

  36. In addition to the original musical score composed for The Dream Garden, a 10-song soundtrack had to be written and recorded for the film as well. Reborn under the title Project 225, the group who wrote and performed the songs consists of the following members: Drew Anderson on drums, Tim Carlson on lead guitar, Jay Comfort on lead guitar and vocals, Chet Zender on bass and vocals, and Ann-Marie Wilkerson on vocals.

  37. The 10 songs written and performed by Project 225 are titled as follows (in album order): "Just Me," "The Key," "Live the Dream," "Breathe," "Fear," "If I Knew," "Light I Hold," "One Light," "Godspeed," and "Summer's End." Both soundtracks (Original Score Soundtrack and Songs From and Inspired by The Dream Garden) will be released and available upon the film's premiere.

  38. Portraying the role of the police officer in a pivotal scene in the film was Officer Warren Ochs of the Bellingham Police Department. Permission was granted from the BPD's Assistant Chief of Police for the usage of the city's patrol vehicles as well.

  39. As in most films involving adolescents, voiceover work was necessary for the changing tones of the lead actors' voices during filming, especially Bielaski.

  40. Two main actors from P-51 Picture's film, Room 113, have appeared as extras in The Dream Garden. Lead actor Andy Bishop of 113 appears as a young soldier heading off to service in WWII, among 12 others. Supporting actor Rik Dalvit of 113 appears as the Mayor of Fairhaven in flashbacks to 1942.

  41. One of the largest sets for the film was constructed in the giant armory building that now belongs to Western Washington University. The set itself was assembled on an old roller-skating rink needed for its massive amount of open space so that parts of the set, including the walls and larger props and structures, could be pulled away and put back in place in order to situate the camera and lights in the positions most beneficial to telling the story visually. This particular set was built by WWU's Stage Construction class under the supervision of Mike Marlin of the university's theatre department.

  42. Permission to film near the railroad tracks and tunnels that run parellel to the Puget Sound coastline along side Chuckanut Drive in Northern Washington was granted by local residents on their private property.

  43. During the filming of a scene shot in the tunnels underneath the buildings of Fairhaven, the fog generated by the smoke machines was unknowingly being sucked out of the tunnels and into the eating area of a nearby restaurant by the ventilation systems that were running underground.