Business & Tech

Photo Gallery: On the Set of 'Freaky Deaky' in Oakland Township

Crews are spending several weeks in the area filming the Detroit-based Elmore Leonard movie.

The cast and crew of the Elmore Leonard film Freaky Deaky were busy Friday afternoon working on a pool scene for the Detroit-based movie at an undisclosed location in Oakland Township.

The movie , and leading man Christian Slater was filming a scene at Lytle Pharmacy last month.

And though Christian Slater wasn't present Friday afternoon, co-stars Michael White and Billy Burke spent much of the day filming scenes by the pool of the luxurious Oakland Township mansion where the movie is being filmed.

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"It looks very traditional, and that's why we picked this house," Assistant Locations Manager Teena Constas, of Hamtramck, said.

The stately 19,600-square-foot home is up for sale for the modest sum of $3.5 million, though the owners said they are sticking around during much of the filming.

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"It's been a lot of fun," Tim Copacia said. "I think it'll be really a great story for us to have for many years."

Copacia lives in the home with his wife and three children, though he said they are looking to downgrade to a smaller home within Oakland Township soon. Copacia said they have already listed the home for sale.

Meanwhile, Michigan crew members – who make up 90 percent of the total crew, Constas said – say they are enjoying working in Oakland Township and in Michigan, in general.

"If it wasn't for the film industry, I would've lost my house," New Baltimore resident and special effects technician Gary Strobel said. "It's keeping me employed."

Strobel was laid off from the automotive industry in November, he said.

"Thank God I stumbled into this," set medic Enrico Fin said. The Italian-born automotive engineer came to Michigan in 1992 and worked in the automotive industry until he was laid off in 2007.

Fin earned his EMT-B certification while working as a volunteer firefighter for the Lake Orion Fire Department. As set medic, he treats everything from headaches and stomachaches to minor injuries like cuts and bruises.

"If it weren't for the film industry, I would be underwater. I'm thankful," he said.

MSU student and locations intern Claire Church of Lansing said she hopes to continue to work in Michigan after she graduates next year.

"I love the change in weather," she said.

And while Michigan crew members are happy to be working, crew members from out of town are simply enjoying the beautiful scenery Oakland Township has to offer.

"This is my first time to Michigan," camera operator and Los Angeles resident Randy Nolen said. "It's interesting. I expected a more urban, industrial environment."

"I like it," camera operator and Chicago resident Michael Kohnhorst said. "It's beautiful."

"It's absolutely beautiful," production supervisor Michael Williams, of West Hollywood, CA, said Friday afternoon. "We're all struck by the incredible beauty."

Freaky Deaky is under the direction of Charlie Matthau, who it would be made entirely in Michigan, where Leonard lives.

"We originally changed the locale to L.A., but I knew it wouldn't be as good as if it were set in Detroit," Matthau said in a statement reported on Birmingham Patch during the Elmore Leonard Film Festival in November.

"Freaky Deaky can turn into a monument in Detroit, just like Woody Allen's Manhattan is for New York … If ever there was a film for Detroit, it's Freaky Deaky."

Last summer, Demi Moore and the cast of A Reasonable Bunch filmed at a home in Oakland Township and also spent several consecutive days filming in downtown Rochester.

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