"Ronni" Breaks a Leg

Veronica Narang is the lead in our movie, No Sleep For Ronni. However, it'd been years since we actually shot anything with her. We filmed a ton of sequences back in 2014, before she moved to Phoenix. Unfortunately, the Ronni script we were going with then was rushed together, and as a result, it had real problems. We made numerous attempts in post-production to create a flow, but eventually the project stalled out.

Fast forward to mid January 2018. A breakthrough story idea materializes that could fix the issues we were having. I contacted Veronica on January 25th. She was excited about the new direction. We began sharing thoughts on potential locations, wardrobe, etc. In the blink of an eye, it was feeling like a brand new project again, except with the added bonus of having many of the scenes already shot!

On the 26th, I sent her a quickly-sketched outline of the new story. Things were moving in the right direction. Then a mere few hours later, I received a text. Veronica had fallen down some stairs while carrying her dog. She was in the hospital and had fractured her leg in three places! Of course any talk of making a movie came to a halt. All that mattered was Veronica's health.

On the 27th, I checked in via text to see how she was doing. I saw photos of her and the leg. It was bad! Most of the day had passed when a truly awful, yet marvelous thought popped into my head. The new story called for a scene where the Ronni character looks like she's at death's door. From the pics I saw of Veronica, we would need no makeup. She simply had to deliver a few lines and find someone to shoot it on an iPhone.

I was hesitant to share this with her. She'd just broken her leg! Yet, the Veronica I knew here in Madison was the most dedicated actor I'd ever seen. Never tiring. Never giving up. Always working to the end to get the right take. So I texted her my idea. And of course she said yes!

Over the next several days, some of our texts were slightly odd. This was to be expected. Veronica was in extreme pain at times, and at others, the drugs were really kicking in.

On the 30th, I heard back from her and we made plans to shoot the scene, and a bunch more, once she returned home. I would direct the Phoenix actors from my office in Madison, Wisconsin via FaceTime. A long-distance first for me. Filmmaking is the best! --Robert

“No Sleep For Ronni” Awakens From Hibernation

We have three films we’re working on this year. It’s the same three we’ve been working on for several years. Strindberg's Assistant, Benjamin's Ride, and No Sleep For Ronni. All are in various stages of completion, each inching forward clip by clip.

The most recent advancement has been with No Sleep For Ronni, a project that sat on the shelf for over a year and in limbo for even longer. The reasons for the delay were many but probably the most significant was good story--or rather a lack of it.

The tale we were telling just wasn't satisfying. We had good acting from the lead, Veronica Narang. And good footage and production values. Yet something was missing. Until now.

In late January, inspiration struck! A new idea came, one that connects our characters to ancient Egypt. Without giving away too much just yet, we can say it was a simple solution with a monumental impact on the story.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

The climatic scene that we filmed back in 2014 will now been moved near the beginning of the movie. Instead, we have a totally new ending. Some roles will be expanded, including Veronica’s. And additional characters will be introduced too. Stayed tuned for more updates.

Additional Recording for Shiatsu Video

In November 2017, we shot footage for a Shiatsu instructional video for practitioner Donna Boucher. Over the last month, we have been working closely with her on the project edit. Today, we filmed an introduction which featured Donna, and we also recorded her voice-over narration. The edit is nearing completion.

Work Continues on "Strindberg's Assistant"

Micheal Holly was visiting from Brazil this past week, so we took advantage of the opportunity to hash out some of the story issues we've been having on the Strindberg's Assistant project. It was a very productive couple of work sessions.

Shiatsu Instructional Video Shoot

Today we shot footage for an instructional video that Tarazod is producing on the Japanese bodywork system of shiatsu. Donna Boucher has been a practitioner of the art for well over 20 years. She also teachers courses to other bodyworkers and will be using this video to aid her students.

Tashai was the body model for Donna to demonstrate on. Cynthia Nolen directed and ran camera. She is a veteran of television work and happens to also be a practitioner of bodywork herself. Robert ran behind the scenes keeping things moving smoothly.

Robert will now bring the footage into the editing program to begin post-production work, which will also include a couple sessions of voice-over with Donna.