Inside 'Snow White for the Basketball Team': Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Access and On-Set Highlights

It’s not just the story that’s full of surprises. The set was just as unpredictable. Here’s what really went on behind the scenes of “Snow White for the Basketball Team,” from wild energy on set to the little moments that made it all work.

What looks like a sun-soaked basketball scene on screen was anything but.

In the opening moments of “Snow White for the Basketball Team,” the players are running across the court shirtless, lit like they’re under a blazing sun. But in reality, there wasn’t a single ray of sunlight that day. Autumn had already kicked in, and it was actually cold on set. Everything you see was created with film lights.

It’s one of those details you’d never guess just by watching. And it’s exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes moment that shows how much goes into bringing this story to life.

With exclusive access to photos, videos, and insights from AMO Pictures, here’s a closer look at what really happened on set.

The poster of "Snow White for the Basketball Team" | Source: AMO Pictures

A Fairy Tale—But Not the Way You Expect

At first glance, the title might sound familiar. But this version of "Snow White" plays by completely different rules.

“Our team wanted to experiment with bringing the stories of fairy-tale princesses into the modern world,” creative director Danylo Holovanov explains, adding:

And that’s exactly what makes this story work.

“Now it is not the prince who chooses one princess; instead, several men go down on one knee before an ordinary girl so that she can feel like a princess,” Holovanov adds. “And our charming actress Tetiana Baytalenko seems to have portrayed this beautifully.”

Instead of waiting to be chosen, the heroine ends up surrounded by multiple men, each trying to win her over. It flips the usual dynamic and turns it into something more playful, a little chaotic, and definitely more unpredictable.

It All Starts With an Escape

At the center of the story is Sophie, played by Tetiana Baytalenko. Sophie is a romantic, emotional young woman who just wants love and a real sense of family.

But what she gets instead is control.

Volodymyr Antonov as Sophie's abusive boyfriend Carl and Teitana Baytalenko as Sophie, filming the proposal that doesn’t go as planned, which sets the tone for everything that follows. | Source: AMO Pictures

Stuck in a relationship with a manipulative fiancé, Carl, portrayed by Volodymyr Antonov, Sophie makes the decision to run. And that escape leads her somewhere completely unexpected—a basketball court, where a group of lively players ends up giving her a place to hide.

From there, things get complicated fast.

What starts as protection slowly turns into rivalry, tension, and something much harder to define.

Sophie’s escape is where everything begins, leaving control behind and stepping into something unknown. | Source: AMO Pictures

Meet the Basketball Team

A big part of the story—and the chaos—is the basketball team itself. This includes Jake “Casanova” (Yevhenii Aria), Marco “Sweet Tooth” (Anton Artyomov), Shai (Dmytro Lyakh), and Kevin “The Joker” (Hilarion Thea). Watching over them is their strict coach, Nick, played by Kyle Fragnoli.

They’re loud, energetic, and constantly in motion. And that energy wasn’t just acting.

“We really wanted to capture the youthful spirit of these guys,” Holovanov says. “They sweep the main heroine off her feet with their whirlwind of love.”

A lot of the actors were new or just getting started, which actually worked in the show’s favor. It gave their interactions a more natural, unfiltered feel.

The team’s energy shows up right from the first scene, and it wasn’t just for the cameras. | Source: AMO Pictures

Dmytro Lyakh, who plays Shai, shooting hoops on the court | Source: AMO Pictures

And sometimes, that energy went a little too far.

According to Holovanov, the actors ended up becoming just as lively and unpredictable as their characters, which made things fun… and a bit harder to manage.

The "Blazing Sun" Scene That Wasn't Real

That same energy carried into the opening basketball scene, the one that looks warm, bright, and effortless.

But behind the scenes, it was the opposite. As Holovanov reveals:

Still, once filming started, something shifted.

The actors got into it. Running, playing, reacting, at some point, the cold just didn’t seem to matter anymore.

And that’s what you see on screen. It may look warm, but this scene was filmed in the cold, with lighting doing all the work.

Telling a Big Story in a Vertical Frame

Telling this story wasn’t just about the plot. It was also about how to show it.

With a full lineup of characters, from four basketball players to their coach, the team had to figure out how to give each one space in a format that doesn’t leave much room.

“The team was most concerned about how to present such a large number of main characters,” Holovanov shares. “Four guys from the basketball team, plus their handsome coach, played by vertical-format star Kiki Fragnoli, who came all the way from the US especially for the shoot.”

That alone would be a challenge in any format. But in vertical, it becomes even trickier. Holovanov explains:

Instead of relying on wide shots, the production leaned into something more focused—close-ups, reactions, and one-on-one interactions that let each character stand out.

What Happens Behind the Camera

On screen, everything moves quickly. But filming itself is a different story.

There’s a lot of adjusting, waiting, and fine-tuning before anything actually happens.

Director of Photography Bohdan Haidash, Director Kateryna Murakhovska, and actress Tetiana Baytalenko preparing for the proposal scene | Source: AMO PIctures

Director Kateryna Murakhovska and First Assistant Director Yevheniia Fursova keeping everything on track | Source: AMO Pictures

These quieter moments are easy to miss, but they’re what make the final scenes feel smooth.

When the Cast Gets a Little Too Into It

The basketball team was supposed to feel chaotic.

Turns out, that part came naturally.

“Probably the funniest part was that, in the story, the basketball team is just a group of lively, unruly guys,” Holovanov says. “But no one guessed that such a match would occur between the actors, that they would actually become like that.”

And while the cast seemed to be having the time of their lives, not everyone on set was as relaxed. According to Holovanov:

It made the set more unpredictable, but also more real.

But beyond the chaos and energy, there were also moments that revealed more about the characters themselves.

Getting to Know the Characters Off-Camera

These quieter moments gave the "Snow White for the Basketball Team" cast a chance to show a different side, especially when they talked about their roles.

Anton Artyomov describes his character, Marco, as someone who expresses love through cooking, which adds a softer, more playful dynamic to the story.

Anton Artyomov as Marco and Tetiana Baytalenko as Sophie filming the kitchen scene where Sophie samples Marco's cooking | Source: AMO Pictures

The Details You Don’t Always Notice

Some of the most important work happens right before filming starts. These are the parts viewers rarely see, but they make everything else possible.

A Small Moment That Stands Out

And then there are the simple, unexpected moments, like a quick off-camera exchange between the two leads, Tetiana Baytelenko and Kyle Fragnoli. When asked about each other’s eye color, both actors gave the same answer.

From Chaos to Story

Looking at everything—the energy, the movement, the unpredictability—it’s a little surprising how well it all comes together.

But that’s kind of the point.

A modern fairy tale. A group of very different characters. A set full of personality.

And somehow, it all works.

Because behind every scene, there’s a mix of planning, spontaneity, and moments you never see, but definitely feel.

“Snow White for the Basketball Team” premiered on December 6, 2025, and is available to stream on MyDrama.