the ten-week shoot took place during the summer of 1988, with dante directing hanks and the high-profile supporting cast. dante's laid-back, casual style encouraged improvisation among the actors. he noted, "tom doesn't like to do scenes the way they're always done. he goes out of his way to put a different spin on everything and his being good as he is and as open as he is encouraged the other actors to do the same. it set a tone for the movie that made it a lot of fun to make."