Fran's house was a set built on to an existing railway station. In the most expensive shot in the entire film, a train was hired to pass by the house twice. Once, a real food inspector came onto the set and demanded paperwork because he thought it was a real shop.
The first scene filmed was the big finale at the dance competition. It was filmed at a real dance competition during the 1-hour lunch break.
Though Paul Mercurio was a dancer, he danced ballet, not ballroom. After landing his role, he attended an intensive six-week boot camp to learn the choreography.
Baz Luhrmann: at the Pan Pacifics; the guy with a silver dress over his shoulder, who Scott pushes past while looking for Fran.