Catching Up on the Set of “Night Rain” With its Writer/Producer/Director/Star Jeanne Marie Spicuzza
On the heels of her success with “The Scarapist”, Jeanne Marie Spicuzza and her Seasons & a Muse Productions are currently in post-production on “Night Rain” an exciting new suspense thriller. The screenplay for “Night Rain” was written by Spicuzza, a published, award-winning actress, and filmmaker. She co-directed the film with Synthian Sharp (“The Scarapist,” “How I Became an Elephant”) and stars in the film with Adam Lesar, Clarissa Thibeaux, Thessa M’loe and Mattia Chicco.
Seasons & a Muse Productions’ premiere thriller “The Scarapist,” also directed by Sharp and Spicuzza, has been hailed by audiences, critics, film historians and industry professionals. It was featured in festivals like the LA Femme and Weyauwega International Film Festivals, achieved a successful limited theatrical run at Landmark Theaters and domestic and foreign VOD release. “The Scarapist” screened at the 2016 Berlinale European Film Market and was awarded best picture by the Verein Deutscher Kritiker und Filmemacher, or VDKUF.
“Night Rain” is the story of Ava, an actress and single parent with a loving daughter who heads an independent production company in Los Angeles. Ava and her team, the Goth director Ezra, sassy production manager Nefreri, Ava’s young and eager assistant Thomasina, Italian cinematographer Vittorio, ambitious executive producer and attorney Lew, and the handsome actor and leading man Alan, played by Scott Javore, take on a motion picture project penned by a mysterious investor, portrayed by J.L. Forbis. Their project is based on real life experiences and one of the most brutal and notorious unsolved murders in history.
“Night Rain” has been Spicuzza’s passion project for four years and I recently caught up her on the last day of filming.
Tell me about the film shoot and how you realized such as complex script on a low budget?
JMS: Sometimes when you shoot on a low budget you have to make a lot of sacrifices and then you are magically in awe when things miraculously come together. We had a really good team – working long hours, I’m very proud of them. It’s not an easy script to realize. You want to do things that are more complex but you are doing it at a low budget. That’s the push and pull. The more you can plan in advance can help. That’s the biggest challenge in indie filmmaking - keeping the quality when the budget has constraints.
There’s a model in indie filmmaking – fast, cheap and good. You can have 2 but it’s almost impossible to get all 3 – if it’s fast and cheap it can’t be good. If it’s cheap and good, it can’t be made fast and if it’s fast and good, it can’t be cheap. We’ve been trying to do it all somehow and coming close to getting all 3 as we can. It’s not an easy thing to do. Being on a shoot like this is like being in the trenches!
How long was your shoot?
JMS: 18 days.
What was your most successful day?
JMS: Probably the day I ripped my 1930’s glamour robe. The very last scene we all heard this ripping sound. We got the shot anyway – it was a drone shot from Pershing Square and we pulled it back and you could see this amazing city with twinkling lights. It was really a sight to behold! We lost wardrobe for the day to get the shot. The destruction of one was the creation of a new.
How did you feel about your role and wearing the hats of writer, producer and co-director?
JMS: It’s been a challenge. I was a co-director on “The Scarapist” but the material was not as labyrinthine as this. We had a smaller cast and crew – this time it was a larger cast and budget. From the technical point of view it was like trying to do something big while maintaining a low budget. I’m in awe that we could pull this off.
What are some of the biggest obstacles you faced on the shoot and how did you overcome them?
JMS: Scheduling for sure. Trying to get what you want and not sacrifice story or quality and still get everything on time. A lot has to do with the quality of the people who work with you and, in that, I have been so fortunate. Especially the actors. They were great!
What’s it like to be acting and directing yourself?
JMS: In acting itself there is an element of directing. Hiring very talented and able actors, co-directing with Synthian (Sharp), that helped! When I lose myself in the role, I know I’m hitting it. And, like talking and listening at the same time, I can observe and participate with actors simultaneously. This is my favorite part of directing. That, and guiding the story. A director must really know and see and understand the story that he or she is filming.
What is the plan going forward?
JMS: Because of the elements we need to work on, the post should run around 6 months. We have plans for release, that I don’t want to say too much about yet.
What is your overall career plan and how does this fit into it?
JMS: I have 2 new projects that I want to ascend into the higher budget realm with. “Making Angels” and “The Breath of God.” The goal is to keep going up and going forward.
What have you gained from this experience?
What I’ve said before that “Night Rain” is about an independent woman hired by her stalker to make a film about a famous Hollywood unsolved murder, and soon she and her young filmmakers find themselves victim to their own terror. This is inspired by actual events – on the other side I have experienced being stalked more than once in my life. So in a way this gives way to personal resolution as well as universal resolution. Often times the woman is blamed for the violence perpetrated against her – this is a recurring theme even now and how does one deal with this and maintain their dignity.
