Some of the songs in the film appeared on his debut solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles.

Much of the film takes place inside the French Château de Courson outside of Paris, where the band met, lived and rehearsed for nine days.

[3] Sting said he "resisted" Apted's suggestion of filming the birth, but then he "realized there's a tenuous link between the band being born and the baby, so it fit.

The New York Times noted that Sting appeared "aloof" and "elitist" at the beginning of the film, but loosened up with his new black bandmates through a series of rehearsals.

Sting's "pushy" manager Miles Copeland III is seen frequently in the film, complaining about the backing vocalists, and venting his displeasure to Colleen Atwood, the costume designer.