EVOLUTON OF THE SCRIPT:

Meager Beginning

The No Sleep for Ronni story took a long time to coalesce. It began on a whim on March 16, 2014. Spring was fast approaching in Madison, Wisconsin. The temperatures were on the rise and the last of the snow would soon be gone.

At the time, director Robert Lughai and actor Veronica Narang were working together on another short film, Don Circles the Drain. But Robert wanted to shoot something out on the frozen lake before the snow and ice had melted. No script. No story. Just the idea of Veronica struggling to make her way over the frozen surface. The thought came to them that this could be some sort of nightmare scene, as if she were being chased by an unseen nemesis.

It was around this time that we learned Veronica would be moving away to Phoenix at the end of July. So if nothing else, she'd have some "snow" footage to add to her reel before heading to the desert.

First Version

It was early June before the story was fleshed out and short scenes written. It wasn't meant to be any longer than a 2-3 minute film, more experimental than narrative. And yet we did give the Ronni character a problem. She was an unwilling patient at a sleep disorder facility where she was suffering from somnambulistic episodes. During her sleepwalking, she'd have vivid and strange dreams.

The Start of Production

We quickly scouted locations, developed wardrobe, secured props, and gathered our crew. Shooting began on June 25, 2014 and continued on and off for the next month. We filmed on the sixth-story rooftop of the downtown Madison Senior Center, at night on the sidewalks outside the University of Wisconsin Hospital, before sunset in a secluded city park, on a hot steamy afternoon in and around an old abandoned railway tunnel, and upstairs at a friend's Victorian-style apartment.

On the Shelf

July came to a close, Veronica moved to Phoenix, and Robert went back to work on Don Circles the Drain. Nearly a year and a half would pass without any further progress on No Sleep for Ronni.

In Limbo

In March of 2016, Robert sat down with his good friend Colin Cameron, the Executive Producer of the project (and the actor who played Dr. Cillion). They looked over the footage and created a rough cut of the frozen lake scene.

However, both Robert and Colin were focused at the time on another film collaboration, a documentary entitled Benjamin's Ride. There simply weren't enough hours left in the day for Ronni.

Sadly, Colin would pass away suddenly and unexpectedly in November 2016. All of Tarazod's film projects came to a halt.

Another year passes. Still no movement on Ronni. More than anything, the holdup was due to story problems. In the initial rush to shoot Veronica while we still had her, not enough time was devoted to the development of a proper script. We had nice shots, interesting settings, and well-made scenes. But how do we fit them together? How do we make it all work?

 New Direction

It was in late January of 2018 that the inspiration came. Robert had a dream one night about an ancient Egyptian queen in the age of the pyramid construction. When he awoke, he knew how all the parts of the story would now tie together. Boom baby!

Excited about the possibility, he contacted Veronica in Phoenix to see if she was still interested in completing the film, even if it meant more shooting. She was indeed! In the blink of an eye, the project had new life.

Then the very next day, Robert received a text message. It was from Veronica. She'd had an accident and fractured her leg in three places. She would be hospitalized for weeks, followed by months of rehabilitation. Of course all that mattered at this point was Veronica's health and well-being. But seriously, it was starting to feel like this movie was cursed!

Yet the two of them continued to text and talk. She was still onboard. They even incorporated her new situation into the story. The project was definitely back on, albeit delayed for a little while longer.

Re-Writes & Momentum Building

With our lead actor secured once more, we needed to insure that this time we'd have a solid script to follow. Robert invited writer Michael Holly to join the team, and the two worked back and forth, weaving the new tale in with the original. The goal was to take advantage of as much of the original 2014 footage as possible, yet not to the point of sacrificing the overall story.

As new scenes, new characters, and new lines were created, new locations were found, new actors were invited to join, and new crew were recruited. Veronica brought her unit together in Phoenix while Robert did the same in Madison. The tweaking and re-tweaking of the script would continue throughout the entire production phase.

Production Resumes

May 24, 2018 marked the first day of shooting in Phoenix. Robert would direct remotely via FaceTime. More scenes were filmed throughout July and August in both Arizona and Wisconsin. Production continued in Madison for the month of September, then finally wrapping up principal photography on November 17th.

Post Production & Pick-ups

The edit is progressing. As we move through scenes, certain pick-up shots will be needed to fill in the gaps. Yet, the long journey is nearing the end, and that feels really, really good.