Alex Russell's feature-film debut as both director and screenwriter.
The concert sequences were actual parties where Zack Fox, who plays Swett, and others were DJing. When the venues reached full capacity, Fox would tell the people already there that a friend was shooting a film, and encourage them to let loose and be themselves. Archie Madekwe would then rush onto the stage to perform for the audience whilst the crew captured everything. Madekwe also changed his outfit after each song. All of the concert footage for the film was shot in a total of seven minutes.
During filming, Baz Luhrmann offered writer-director Alex Russell this advice: when screening the rough cut, take on board everyone else's opinions, hear them out, and then step aside to a corner to listen to your own instincts. Luhrmann even wrote the suggestion in Russell's production notebook.
