When director Christian Sesma and producer Mike Hatton started working on their Coachella Valley-centric film “Pay Dirt,” Fantasy Springs Resort Casino turned out to be the perfect to play the film’s casino — so good that Sesma said he and Hatton would be back.
The director and producer doubled down on the Indio area resort with their new film “Take Back,” but this time the casino went from a starring role to a big location behind-the-scenes. Fantasy Springs housed the cast and crew and hosted production meetings, rehearsals and script revisions as Sesma and Hatton took on the tough job of completing principal photography amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Sesma said that Fantasy Springs’ list of COVID-related safety protocols was a big factor in using the resort.
“Fantasy Springs has become integral in, not only just providing locations for us, but also just providing hospitality for cast and crew in this COVID environment, which is key.”
Coachella Valley’s next action flick
The film stars actors Gillian White, Michael Jai White, James Russo and Mickey Rourke and it’s as much a work grounded in the Coachella Valley as “Pay Dirt” was. Filming locations include downtown Coachella and Thermal.
But while “Pay Dirt” was centered around a heist, “Take Back” tells the story of two parents, Zara (Gillian White) and Brian (Michael Jai White) whose lives are turned upside down when a man from Zara’s past (Rourke) kidnaps their teenage daughter and they must race to save her before she’s sold into the sex trade.
Sesma said that film starts with Zara, a martial artist, getting virally famous after she thwarts a dangerous stalker and security cam footage captures her doing it. The viral video draws the attention of Rourke’s character.
“That is kind of the flame that kicks the whole story off between these two and the history that they share,” Sesma said.
He wanted the film to be a hard R-rated action film akin to “Taken” or “Man on Fire,” but this film doesn’t have the standard male lead.
“We get to bring a female Black lead to the forefront,” he said.
Filming during COVID
Sesma said he believes “Take Back” was one of the first movies in the state to complete shooting following the novel coronavirus shutdown and things were a lot different.
The movie began filming in July and wrapped in August. Sesma said the shooting was done quickly to minimize the potential of exposure to COVID-19.
The cast and crew received rapid testing for the novel coronavirus every four days; there was a “COVID officer” on set every day to make sure that safety and sanitation protocols were followed; and the crew constantly wore masks and social distanced.
“Obviously we were wearing masks 100% of the time while we worked and that wasn’t easy because we did that in 115 degree temperatures,” Sesma said.
One challenge was that a large portion of the independent production’s budget had to be dedicated to the safety protocols such as the rapid testing, but Sesma noted that was a necessary obstacle.
“Not only did we want to make this movie, but we also wanted to be one of the first successful productions to provide an example that we could work during the pandemic, we can provide a safe environment,” he said.
“Take Back” is expected to be released in November.
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September 04, 2020 at 12:50AM
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How Fantasy Springs Resort Casino helped make an action movie during the coronavirus - Press-Enterprise
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