WIU students involved with production of farm-themed film

MACOMB, Ill. — Two Western Illinois University students were

connected to the production of the newly released movie “At Any Price,” which

stars Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron.

According to the Internet Movie Database, the drama is about

a farming family’s business in Iowa, which “is threatened by an unexpected

crisis, further testing the relationship between a father and his rebellious

son.”

Although the film’s farming operations are set in Iowa, the

family farms of Julie Herrmann, a senior from Hinckley, were used as the

locations for the family’s farmsteads featured in the movie. Parts of the movie

also were filmed at another WIU ag major’s family’s raceway.

According to Brett Gerace, a junior from DeKalb, several

scenes of the movie were filmed at Sycamore Speedway in Maple Park.

“For an entire weekend, the stands at Sycamore Speedway were

shoulder to shoulder with Zac Efron’s fans, who wanted the opportunity to be

extras in the movie,” Gerace said. “It was an interesting experience to work so

closely with a small section of the film. My family, who are the owners and

operators of Sycamore Speedway, took part in many scenes. Look for me driving

the official pace car, a convertible Mustang.”

Herrmann noted that her family’s farming operations — the

movie was shot at both of her family’s farms in Hinckley and Leland — as well as

members of her family, were very involved in the movie.

“They used our entire home for the movie as the characters’

home,” she said. “They were filming for about five months, but the crew and

director were around the farm for about a year.

“My mom cooked Zac, Dennis and Kim (Dickens) breakfast on a

few occasions and helped provide props for the rooms. My dad was utilized a lot

in the filming to make sure the facts were accurate and the characters were

portrayed in a tasteful way.”

“We were able to watch almost all of the production of the

film, whether it was at one of our farms or at Brett’s family’s raceway,” she

added.

“During the filming, they let us view the monitor and hear

the audio of the raw footage. My mom, dad, two sisters, brother and myself were

all given parts in the movie, but due to editing, some of our parts have been

cut and my brother, Keith, is the only one to keep his speaking part. We had a

great time.”

According to an April 26 Chicago Tribune article by movie

critic Michael Phillips, “At Any Price” was made for $4 million.

“At Any Price” opened May 3 in Chicago and, according to the

movie’s Facebook page, will be “coming soon to a city near you.”