Epilogue

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In The Keys of Madness is a 20-minute featurette that I wrote, directed, and produced as my senior thesis film for the Motion Picture Production major at the University of Miami. It was my first “bigger production,” and I truly took on every aspect of it — from creative to logistical. Beyond being the writer and director, I was also the person managing it all: finding crew, casting actors, creating detailed schedules, managing timelines, scouting locations, organizing reshoots, handling equipment rentals and insurance, coordinating transportation, managing the budget, planning finances, resolving conflict,, and building shot lists and pitch decks.

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I. Pre-Production

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The writing process for In The Keys of Madness began in mid-August 2024, and truthfully, it didn’t come easily. I experienced an unexpected wave of writer’s block — not from lack of inspiration, but from the weight of wanting to get it right. I had the story in mind, the themes were clear, and I knew the emotional tone I wanted to strike, but translating that into a script that felt grounded and honest proved to be more difficult than anticipated. After multiple revisions, I finally locked in the screenplay by mid-September, and with that, pre-production began.

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Spanning from mid-September to mid-October, the pre-production phase was a demanding and revealing stage of this project. I took on every aspect of preparation — casting, budgeting, insurance coordination, shot listing, location scouting, equipment renting, scheduling, and more. I built my entire team from the ground up, working with many collaborators for the first time. The logistics were extensive, but the real turning point came unexpectedly.

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Shortly after finalizing the cast, begining rehearsals, and ready to move into the production phase, our lead actor, who had been set to play Lucas, stepped away from the project. At the time, I was across the country in Los Angeles, visiting my sister at UCLA. With deadlines quickly approaching, I had to re-open auditions and conduct an entirely new round of casting remotely, which ultimately proved succesful as we casted Hagen to play Lucas. This moment marked the first major disruption to the process, and it tested my ability to adapt quickly while maintaining momentum. Once I returned to Miami, I resumed the rest of pre-production with a renewed focus. Insurance was finalized, locations were confirmed, and a new set of rehearsals with the cast began.

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II. Production

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We shot the film in November. It was a massive undertaking  for me— especially since I worked with a large team (approximately 30 people in the core production and post teams), most of whom I had never worked with before. That’s excluding the external support I worked with, including professors, insurance staff, location managers, and casting applicants.

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One of the most challenging parts of the production was filming the diner scene. We had a local Denny’s confirmed before filming, and then it fell through unexpectedly. On short notice, we pivoted to a Coyo Taco location— but it was right by the highway, making sound unusable. Moreover, the color palette and ambience of the location mismatched the tone of the scene (which was written as a classic diner). Therefore, I made the tough decision to scrap the scene and go for a full reshoot.

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I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to pull the cast and crew back together. However, with the Holidays, Spring Break, then the Super Bowl, and considering that these were unpaid cast and crew,  it was understandable. Subsequently, after a long search, the only available location that somewhat fit the scene free of charge was the campus food court — but the catch was that we were only allowed to shoot there on a Saturday, and only early in the morning. 

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It took nearly three months to lock in a day that worked for everyone. But eventually, we did it. We filmed the diner scene reshoot on a Saturday mid-March of 2025, and the film finally moved into post-production in April. 

 

III. Post-Production

 

We are still in the post-production process as I write this (April 9), but even without seeing the final cut, I can say that this film has shaped me significantly as an upcoming filmmaker. It forced me to become more strategic, organized, resourceful, and patient. I’m proud of what it’s becoming, and even prouder of the journey getting there. 

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All in all, this project taught me more than I could’ve expected, primarily about team management, strategic decision-making, and the importance of clear communication (both between myself and the team, as well fostering transparency between team members themselves). I learned the importance of always making sure the team is updated on all fronts, thinking fast under pressure, and leading with clarity and intention.