Naman Shrestha
Co-written and directed by Jillian Bell, Hulu’s ‘Summer of 69’ is a comedy-drama movie about the sexual awakening of a high school senior named Abby Flores. When the sexually inexperienced teenager realizes that her crush, Matt, is single for the first time in a long time, she decides to make the most of the opportunity and try her luck with him before graduation. After she learns about his favorite sexual position, she turns to a professional stripper named Chloe, also known as Santa Monica. She enlists her help to teach her everything about sex and confidence.
The stripper from Diamond Dolls strip club agrees to help Abby out. In a week’s time, the latter not only realizes her true self-discovery but also understands the importance of friendship in life. Led by the stellar and hilarious performances from SNL star Chloe Fineman, debutant Sam Morelos, and Matt Cornett, the raunchy drama unfolds mainly in the protagonist’s high school, house, and the strip club where she meets Chloe. With the help of different backdrops, the makers managed to enhance the film’s visual appeal too.
Summer of 69 Filming Locations
‘Summer of 69’ was filmed in its entirety in the State of New York, specifically in the city of Syracuse. Principal photography reportedly took place over the course of a month or so, between July 2024 and August of the same year. As the shooting wrapped, cast and crew members expressed their gratitude for being a part of the movie. Chloe Fineman, who portrays Santa Monica, took to social media and said, “That’s a wrap on Summer of 69. I love all these people so much. @jillianbell is a DREAM director.”
Syracuse, New York
The city of Syracuse served as the primary production location for the directorial debut of Jillian Bell. From what we can tell, the filming team of ‘Summer of 69’ reportedly set up camp at the headquarters of American High — Syracuse Studios, which was the former AV Zogg Middle School. Situated at 800 4th Street in the suburb of Liverpool, the film studio is spread across a 100,000 square foot campus, which is home to pre-built high school sets like classrooms, a break room, a cafeteria, a full basketball gymnasium, a 500-seat auditorium, and administrative offices. You might spot several of these areas of the high school set in the backdrop of numerous scenes.
The Syracuse Studios also provide filmmakers access to over 20,000 square feet of production offices, wardrobe rooms, a fully shelved prop room, and a soft goods storage room, making it an ideal filming destination for different kinds of projects. Santa Monica works at a strip club called Diamond Dolls, which is an actual adult entertainment club situated at 6720 Townline Road in Syracuse. So, the production team utilized the exterior and interior of the establishment for taping several important scenes, especially those involving the adult entertainer in the movie.
Talking about the filming process with People, the director, Jillian Bell, said that she was either laughing or crying daily because of the cast’s brilliant performances. She added, “We shot in the summer in Syracuse, and it felt like the most fun summer camp of our lives. When we weren’t shooting together, we were barbecuing, playing Mafia or taking a pontoon out on the lake.” Apart from Bell, Sam Morelos also made her debut on screen by portraying Abby Flores. Given the star-studded cast, “I felt like a small fish in a big pond with a lot of big fish,” Morelos told Collider.
She elaborated, “But the fact was that everyone just wanted to see each other succeed, especially Chloe. When we were doing those scenes, I felt like I was playing the straight man. I wanted to also just see you shine and be like the funniest, funniest, funniest person ever. I’m all the time just holding back laughter, and just watching you work and knowing that we went to the same school… She went to NYU, and I’m in NYU now.” Besides being the ideal backdrop for ‘Summer of 69,’ the city of Syracuse has served as a filming site for various other comedies, including ‘Big Time Adolescence,’ ‘Crush,’ ‘The Ultimate Playlist of Noise,’ ‘Adult World,’ and ‘Looks That Kill.’
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