Gina & Me began with a story idea based on a real life incident written by Dennis Downing. Dennis and John then collaborated on the screenplay, generating dozens of drafts, while consulting experts in the art and architecture worlds in order to perfect the story. As the script neared completion, actors (including former Miss Maryland Marcia Davis) and locations (including Mica’s main building and Baltimore music hotspot The Windup Space) were secured.

The next step: principal photography

Principal photography is the actual production of the project. Different projects take different lengths of time to complete, and each production is usually unique unto itself. Some productions are shot entirely on sound stages. Others are shot on various locations around the world. Others share a combination of the two. (Future Dark Matter productions will be a combination of the two; Gina & Me, the first project, will be a 33 day shoot, shot entirely on location in Baltimore and Annapolis.)

With the completion of principal photography, the producers take the project into what is called post-production. Here, the film is assembled into its finished form. The film is edited, and visual and audio effects polish off the project. The music score sweetens the end-result.

The entire time frame from pre-production to completed project varies from film to film, However one year is a comfortable time-span to allot for most films. One to three months of preproduction, one to three months of production, and three to six months of post-production.

After careful observation of similar projects in the same genre, Gina & Me was produced with a very conservative time line, and is expected to be completed and ready for the 2014 film festival season.  We at Dark Matter Films are hopeful of a warm reception of Gina & Me and look forward to your support of our film.