Late House
Written & Directed by Justin Kumeiga

Lily believes she’s just another struggling actress. But as her strange night progresses, Lily’s forgotten Hollywood past comes back to confront her. 

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Planning to shoot this ambitious story on our limited budget was a daunting task from the very beginning. Since this was Justin's first directorial film, it was essential that we stayed two steps ahead to allow for any inevitable set-backs. Working through the writing process, we settled on a script that seemed appropriately ambitious yet achievable. Much work had to be done in preparation, so we started our pre-production process 3 months in advance- December 2024. ​

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One of the biggest obstacles we faced was shooting outdoors in the winter. Not only because of the below-freezing temperatures, but also getting the necessary permits from the city to allow us to tow a car and set up lights outside in the street. I took the lead on this task and with the help of the CNY VP of Film and Television, Eric Vinal, we were able to receive a permit just in time. This allowed us to shoot our 3 exterior scenes without obstruction. 

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​As the EP and 1st AD, I was able to oversee and work alongside Justin with every department through the pre-production process. With 7 different locations and only 3 shoot days, planning every day to maximize efficiency was of the utmost priority. This film is highly stylized and has some very technical outfit changes, so we had to allow for the lighting and production design teams to work without being rushed. A streamlined schedule was absolutely necessary! 

 

It was an extremely rewarding experience to see the various parts of this film come together. Working closely with Justin and other department heads throughout was very creatively fulfilling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite unexpected snowfall messing with a few of our plans, I am extremely proud that we pulled this off. It was an extremely challenging shoot, yet our crew stuck with it through it all. A testament to what building a good set environment can do.

 

One of the very technically challenging scenes was a conversation in a moving car. To ensure safety and allow us to setup a lighting rig, we decided to tow the picture car on a trailer. With unexpected snow during the scene, and brisk 20-degree winds, it was no easy task to stay outside and keep filming. Despite the struggles we faced to shoot this very simple scene, the end product makes it all worth it. The snowfall in the background ended up adding to the magic of the scene.

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