The first phase of filming for this project began in the summer of 2018, during the months of June and July. At the time, I was quite young and inexperienced on a film set, and this was not an easy production to start with. The pace was relentless: 21 days of shooting, the majority of which were night shoots.

The second phase took place in 2021, right after the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic had started to loosen its grip, and life was gradually returning to its normal rhythm. Nearly three years had passed from the beginning of the shoot to its conclusion. And yet, that only accounts for the filming process. Behind the scenes, there were many more years of groundwork conceptualizing ideas, drafting and redrafting scripts, securing funding, pitching, and finally navigating countless iterations of the same story through the editing process.

Much of the story unfolds within the confines of a small van, a space that, at any given moment, held two to three actors performing their scenes, alongside the director of photography, the first assistant camera, and the sound technician. It was a tight squeeze, to say the least. Meanwhile, the director and producers worked from a separate van outfitted with monitors, enabling them to watch the live feed of the filming as the vehicles moved through the streets. Communication between the two vans relied entirely on walkie-talkies, creating a unique dynamic of coordination and control.

The process was far from leisurely. Once the vans left the base, they would often drive around for thirty minutes or more, filming continuously. Every moment counted, making efficiency a non-negotiable priority. This high-pressure environment demanded a near-360-degree functional setup for shooting, a logistical and creative challenge that likely haunted the whole team.

The van featured in the story was anything but practical when it came to rigging standard lighting equipment. Its compact interior and limited structural flexibility made traditional solutions impossible. On the rare occasions when a low-loader was available, a specialized vehicle that transports a car being filmed and offers multiple rigging possibilities, things ran a bit smoother. However, for the majority of the shoot, the team had to rely on an inventive workaround: At time quite new in the industry I believe, small LED lights, about the size of a smartphone, clamped to the exterior of the van.

This unconventional solution initially felt precarious, but it ultimately delivered results far beyond expectations. The tiny LEDs created precise and beautifully sculpted pockets of light, just enough to illuminate the actors while preserving the shadowy intimacy of the setting. These glimmers of light didn’t just serve technical needs; they enhanced the storytelling, often requiring only a glint in an actor’s eye to convey the emotion of a scene. It was a testament to the creative resilience of the crew, a moment where limitations became opportunities to craft something uniquely atmospheric.