People around the world have become woefully aware this year how little personal control they have in fixing the suffering that are plaguing not only themselves, but society in general. Actor Matt Lanter’s protagonist of Eric is truly realizing that dilemma in the new drama, ‘Chasing The Rain.’
The tantalizing and thought-provoking movie is now available to rent and own on North American digital HD internet, cable and satellite platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, courtesy of Indie Rights. Cindy Jansen made her feature film writing, directorial and producing debuts on the drama.
‘Chasing the Rain’ follows Eric, a shy photographer who desperately tries to fit in with his friends and hold on to the decent life he seems to have. But when tragedy befalls him, his unresolved past begins unraveling, which threatens to destroy his work and relationships.
Jansen generously took the time recently to talk about scribing, helming and producing the movie during an exclusive interview over Zoom. Among other things, the filmmaker discussed that she decided to direct the drama after she completed the script, in part because she did so much research into the story and felt connected to the characters. She also mentioned that she worked with casting director Scott David to find the performers who appeared in the feature, including Lanter, who she felt had the right genuine personality to play the protagonist.
The conversation began with Jansen delving what inspired her to make her feature film writing debut with the movie, and what the process of scribing the screenplay was like once she came up with the idea. “The script came together fast, but the research took awhile. I interviewed a lot of people, who I knew professionally and socially, who had gone through very serious trauma or points of suffering in their lives,” she revealed.
“I researched what the biggest issues they’ve dealt with, and what people’s reactions are to what happened to them. I also looked into what the most annoying and helpful things are to them,” the writer shared. “The script really started from there. I started off thinking that this story was going to be a play, and then it ended up turning into a screenplay,” she also revealed.
Jansen then spoke about how in addition to scribing the screenplay, she also made her feature film directorial debut on ‘Chasing the Rain.’ She mentioned how working on the script influenced her helming style, and what her overall directorial style was like on the set.
“I actually didn’t think about directing (the movie) at all at first. I had no connection to Hollywood, and really knew nothing about the process,” the filmmaker admitted. “I felt like I was so out of the loop of what that (directing) process is. I didn’t even realize how frequently people write and direct their own work, especially when they’re first starting out.
“So I was actually looking for a director. But when I then realized that our budget was so tiny, I wondered how someone could commit to something so long-term as directing a feature with such a small budget that I realized there was just no way” we could hire a director, Jansen revealed.
“Then a friend of mine, who’s also a filmmaker that I got to know here in Michigan, said, ‘You know, you just have to direct it yourself.’ I was like, ‘What?,’ the helmer divulged with a laugh. “That was something that I wasn’t thinking about doing at all.
“But once I started to look into it more, I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve directed some plays, so at least I have some kind of foundation,” Jansen also shared. “That was a very late decision that I made not long before we started pre-production.”
The filmmaker then went on to discuss how the drama stars Lanter in the lead role, and what the overall casting process was like for ‘Chasing the Rain.’ “I was able to get a great casting director, Scott David. He’s incredibly passionate about what he does. I would say he was one of the most vital people to me early on because he was my first Hollywood connection, and he responded so much to the script,” she revealed. David “was willing to help me cast the movie, and he had such great ideas.
“I found Matt, and became interested in casting him, by just flipping through IMDb. I put an age range in, but didn’t really know what I was looking for specifically in an actor at first,” Jansen admitted. “But when I saw him, there was something about his pictures and the work that he had done that made him seem like a genuine person. That’s who I imagined for (the actor who would play) the character.”
Once Lanter and his co-stars were cast, the director cherished the process of working with them to build their characters’ arcs. She called the rehearsal period “great. I love every single person who’s involved in this movie, and enjoyed working with them.
“But again, with low-budget films, you don’t get a lot of face-to-face rehearsal time. So there were a lot of phone calls back-and-forth with different cast members. Then they’d show up on set, and we’d start shooting,” Jansen revealed.
“Everybody was so well prepared. I joked with them that they didn’t give me any blooper reels because everybody knew their lines and was ready to go. They brought really interesting and unique performances to the film,” the filmmaker added.
While the movie focuses on the dramatic effects that people are forced to contend with while they’re suffering from hardships, the story also features moments of humor. Jansen shared why it was important to her to also include those humorous moments in the story.
“It was important to me because I think it’s real. I think when movies are too dark or gritty, everyone is depressed. When you’re going through something really terrible, I think one of the most cruel things to happen to you is that you can go into a restaurant and have a super quirky server who’s really funny, and has no idea what you’re going through,” the helmer divulged. “I think all of this happening together is very much real life…Also, the humor gives us some rest from all of the serious things that are going on with the character.”
In addition to making her feature film writing and directorial debuts, Jansen also cherished the opportunity to serve as one of the producers on ‘Chasing the Rain,’ as well. She then delved into why she decided to also produce the film, and how she balanced her helming and producing duties throughout the production.
“I found that writing, directing and producing to be a bit difficult. I know people do it all the time, but wearing all three of those hats was challenging in a lot of ways, especially not having experience. There are things that I would do differently now, looking back on it,” the producer admitted.
“I’ve realized that being the sole producer probably wasn’t a good idea, especially when you’re on set. Things came up, and there wasn’t anyone to go to,” Jansen noted. “But I had a great production manager on set (Sandra Jones Hoffbeck), and she was, and still is, very vital to the project.
“While wearing all of those hats was challenging, I read a lot, and ask a lot of questions. I feel like I learned a lot during this process,” the filmmaker added.
The process of shooting ‘Chasing the Rain’ on location was also an experience that Jansen appreciated throughout the production. She discussed how she decided where she would shoot the drama, and how filming on location helped created the authenticity for the story.
“I live in a small- to medium-size town in Michigan, and because this film was low-budget, this is where we decided to shoot. This is where I had connections to get restaurants and different locations,” the director noted.
“We actually found an old cab factory. My production manager actually located this great place, which had a lot of debris. We were also able to consult with people who lived in particular areas of Kenya, where part of the story takes place, advise us,” Jansen shared.
“We had a great lead construction man who built this world. Even though we knew that only a small part of the film would be shot there, he still did an amazing job in creating the across-the-globe look here in Michigan,” the filmmaker continued. “We found the rest of the locations here in town. Kalamazoo, Michigan is a cool, eclectic place that has a lot of neat place for filming.”
Jansen then followed up the fact that part of ‘Chasing the Rain’ is set in Kenya, where Eric travels to in order to volunteer to help the citizens there gain access to more clean water in the beginning of the story. She explained why she felt it was important to include that element in the story.
“The first draft of the script took place in South America; Eric was going to travel to Guatemala. The water element was still going to be a part of the story. But we had connections to Kenya, so we moved the story there,” the helmer revealed.
“I was volunteering with some water charities at the time, so the issue was in my head. Looking at how suffering befalls both individuals and entire communities,” Jansen knew that she wanted to incorporate that element into the movie’s plot. “So in tackling the theme of suffering, I wanted to show how it affects communities, cultures and individuals, and how everyone’s kind of in the same boat. I also wanted to show how they pursue hope in these seemingly hopeless times.”
With ‘Chasing the Rain’ now being available to rent and own on digital platforms through Indie Rights, the filmmaker expressed her happiness that audiences are able to watch the drama. She also delved into what was the process of deciding how to release the film was like.
“That process was actually a whirlwind. I met Linda Nelson (the co-founder) of Indie Rights at AFM (American Film Market) a year ago, and had a really nice conversation with her,” Jansen shared. “I was working on another film at the time, and was on production on it. But when I told her about this film, she told me to send it to her, but then COVID hit.
“During that time, I realized there were still things I had to do, including editing the credits. There were little things that prevented it from getting out the door,” the director revealed.
“But when all of those things got done, I sent it all to her, and she said, ‘I think we need to release this around the holidays.’ There are so many winter and Christmas elements as a backdrop to the story, even though it’s not a traditional Christmas movie. Christmas is very much a character in the film,” Jansen noted.
“This was all decided very quickly; we decided to release the film on December 18 about a week before that date,” the filmmaker divulged. “That week was just a whirlwind. We hadn’t done any promotion, and we hadn’t even released our trailer yet.
(Watch the official debut trailer for ‘Chasing the Rain’ above. We’re honored that our quote about the powerful nature of the movie is included at the 1:04-1:06 marks!)
“So we had about seven days to pull off the release. That was challenging, and sometimes felt like it was a bad idea,” Jansen admitted with a laugh. “But there were enough people who were passionate about seeing it happen. The actors got involved in helping with it, and we’re really happy that it’s now available for people to watch with their families.”