3-D film begins taking shape in Naperville

Filmmakers Kevin and Deanna Cooper have experienced the rush of making a feature film in L.A. and when the couple moved to Naperville in recent years to raise their children, they vowed to continue doing what they love.

They began making good on their promise Tuesday as they filmed the first scenes of their 3-D feature film "Shakey" in and around Ss. Peter and Paul Elementary School just east of downtown Naperville.

The story is described as a "wonderfully sweet, heartwarming story about a 35-year-old widower, his 10-year-old daughter and their mischevious dog, Shakey, as they move from Toledo, Ohio, to Chicago so the widower can follow his dream job of being a big-time chef.

Steve Lemme, of "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest" fame, stars as widower J.T. O'Neil and 10-year-old Rylie Behr, of Mason City, Iowa, plays his daughter Chandler.

"We want to continue making movies but we want to make movies with a meaning, family films that will endear for years to come," Deanna Cooper said as crews set up 3-D cameras and other equipment at the closed-off intersection of Ellsworth Street and Franklin Avenue. "We're taking a nice taste of Hollywood and bringing it right here to our backyard in Naperville."

When the film releases in September 2011, however, Ss. Peter and Paul will be transformed into the fictional Chaplin Grammar School in downtown Chicago. And the Hotel Arista, where several scenes will be filmed in coming weeks, will become the Independence Plaza, a luxury, 50-story high-rise in the North Loop.

Naperville, however will be home to some characters who enter J.T. and Chandler's lives along their journey.

Behr and Lemme, who shot several scenes together in and around the school Tuesday afternoon, said their relationship already has blossomed off-screen, despite a 30-year age difference and both playing roles outside of their comfort zones.

For Lemme, the father role of J.T. is quite different from the more juvenile roles he played in "Super Troopers" and "Beerfest." For Behr, "Shakey" is her first feature film and fifth film experience overall.

"Coming into this project, I expected some challenges playing a responsible adult and being cast alongside a 10-year-old and a dog," Lemme said. "But Rylie is an unbelievable talent and one of the more mature people I've worked with, even at the age of 10."

Behr was equally complimentary of Lemme, calling him the best "movie dad ever" and sneaking into his hotel room Monday night to leave him bags of M&Ms and Oreo cookies, his favorite treats.

"If that doesn't say it all about the relationship and the chemistry we have in these roles, I don't know what does," Lemme said. "We work great together and I think it will be reflected in the final product."

Crews expect to film in Naperville through Aug. 30, including shots at private residences throughout the city and Herrick Lake.