Quaid, Efron movie a wrap in county

It was a chilly September afternoon when 9-year-old Rachel Gray met Zac Efron.

The DeKalb youngster was standing outside with her mom, Michele Gray, at First Lutheran Church in DeKalb while one of her favorite actors filmed a scene from an upcoming Ramin Bahrani movie.

"She was in awe because four feet from our side was Zac Efron, and then four feet from our other side was Dennis Quaid," Michele Gray said.

Other DeKalb County residents have similar stories from this summer. Bahrani and his film crew made the county their home while filming a currently untitled movie about a farm family.

The movie wrapped production last weekend. Debbie Armstrong, executive director of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said some crew members are still in town dismantling the film's office and taking care of other business needs.

When news broke that Efron and Quaid had been sighted, Armstrong received several calls from fans asking where the actors were staying.

"I'm not sure I still won't be receiving calls about Zac [Efron]," Armstrong said. "My answer now is, 'I'm sure he's back in California by now.'"

Armstrong said she's also received a number of nice emails and phone calls from people who were part of the production.

"I am just amazed at how many people had on their bucket list that they wanted to be an extra in a movie," she said. "It's such a good thing to have something the whole community is talking about and enjoying."

Michele Gray first heard about the film at church when it was announced extras were needed to film a scene there. When Rachel and her 13-year-old brother, Travis de Oliveira, asked to do it, Michele Gray said she thought it would be a fun experience, too.

"You don't really get an opportunity to meet celebrities, especially in the Midwest," she said.

It wasn't all fun. Because the film takes place in the middle of summer, actors had to dress like it was July. Gray said her daughter was freezing in the actual weather while standing outside in a sundress. The film crew soon noticed and brought a blanket over to keep Rachel and others warm between takes.

Fellow parishioner Cliff Gordon said he thought the experience was a great way to see how movies are actually made.

"You think of how exciting it must be for the film stars, and then you see the monotony of what they have to go through," he said. "I think our scene was about three minutes, and it took about six hours to get."

The film also drew in people from outside DeKalb County, such as Melissa Revels of Rockford. She and several of her friends make short films in their spare time and drove together to the Egyptian Theatre in September to register to be an extra in a scene shot at Sycamore Speedway.

She said they were less concerned about getting close to Efron and Quaid and more concerned with seeing how Bahrani worked.

"It really opened my eyes because it made me think, 'Oh, what we do in Rockford is not that different from what they do,'" she said.

Apart from the personal impressions the film made on locals, Armstrong said the economic impact on the county will be largely positive.

Armstrong said the Illinois Film Office tracked what the film crew spent while filming in the county. That way, the office can calculate how much in tax credits the filmmakers will receive for shooting in the state.

Armstrong said the numbers won't be ready until December or January. But she's anticipating hundreds of thousands of dollars in reported economic impact for the county.