Movies are usually elaborate productions involving an extensive list of filming locations to provide the right settings and moods required for each scene. So when I heard that it is possible to film an entire movie in one location, well one house in this case, I was pleasantly surprised.
Jane Seymour’s latest project, a Hallmark Channel movie called Perfectly Prudence (formerly called Prudence, Again), was filmed entirely in a private home of a physician in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as confirmed by West Michigan Film Office’s Rick Hert. The house was also the former residence of the DeVos family.
“Beautiful piece of property. We were fortunate enough to find owners who were willing to share their beautiful home with us,” said Executive Producer and script writer Rob Gilmer. “I don’t think we were for a second off of that property. We designed the film very specifically to be able to shoot in one location to save ourselves some money.”
Gilmer is the co-creator of the Prudence franchise. Perfectly Prudence is the sequel to the 2008 Hallmark Channel film Dear Prudence, a lighthearted mystery about a Martha Stewart-type television show host who plays detective to solve a murder.
“We were fortunate enough to find owners who were willing to share their beautiful home with us. I don’t think we were for a second off of that property. We designed the film very specifically to be able to shoot in one location to save ourselves some money.”
The original Dear Prudence movie was filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with Jane Seymour as the titled character. Her husband James Keach and daughter Katie Flynn were also part of the talented cast.
The sequel Perfectly Prudence was filmed at the Ada house from September 13 to October 1, 2010, and employed all local crews in its production.
“Oh, gosh, we loved Michigan. We had a fantastic experience,” said Gilmer on his first filmed-in-Michigan project. “It’s just beautiful out there. The location was great. The crews were excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed Michigan and look forward to the opportunity to come back and do much more work there.” He added that should a third script for the Prudence franchise work out, he would love to film it again in Michigan.
As to Ms. Seymour, Perfectly Prudence is not her first movie filmed in Michigan. She was at the Grand Hotel on beautiful Mackinac Island where she filmed the romantic tear-jerker Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve in the summer of 1979. For her own trip back in time in 2010, Seymour revisited the Grand Hotel on September 19, during her break from filming Perfectly Prudence.
“Jane sat and met guests and signed autographs. She had a great time. She loves Michigan, so I’m sure she would be thrilled, as well, to come back,” said Gilmer.
“We loved Michigan. We had a fantastic experience. It’s just beautiful out there. The location was great. The crews were excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed Michigan and look forward to the opportunity to come back and do much more work there.”
Perfectly Prudence is scheduled to premiere on the Hallmark Channel at 9 p.m. on January 8, 2011. I hope you’ll watch it!
Personally, I would love to see how the entire movie was filmed in a real private home. Imagine, it could be your own beautiful house starring in the next Hallmark Channel movie!
For a list of current and past productions filmed in Michigan, visit our client the Michigan Film Office’s website.
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Image above via Google.