The screenplay was developed, written, and finalized for production in one month, with the first draft finished on December 8, 2021 and the final production draft completed on January 1, 2022. A few months later, the production went on hiatus. It would later be resurrected in 2023.
Eric Norcross wrote the first draft of the screenplay in two weeks. This is not his fastest turnaround (he once wrote an entire feature in one night, in one sitting). However, "A Year Up" is the fastest turn around between first draft to final production script. In 2023, the script was revised for a production in Maine, and re-titled, "43 Degrees North".
After the production went on hiatus for two years (due to circumstances beyond the director's control) the script was revised in April 2023, with the intention of bringing the production to an island in the Gulf of Maine. This is because writer/director Eric Norcross is originally from Maine, and felt he could mount a meaningful production there (whereas the Virginia locations weren't working out).
The first phase of principal photography took place in 2023, from September 22 - October 27 in the State of Maine. This phase of production included filming on the mainland, plus three of the Casco Bay Islands (Long Island, Chebeague Island, and Peaks Island). Mainland locations included Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Old Orchard Beach, Brunswick, Pownal, Windsor, Georgetown, and Augusta. These scenes largely consisted of flashbacks detailing the love story, and elements of a dance montage that would take the characters around the Casco Bay region.
The cottage used in the film is located on Cliff Island, Maine. It was previously used as the primary filming location for the 1987 movie, "The Whales of August".