EXT . DARK SUBURBAN ROAD — NIGHT
A humid summer night . A WRITER drives cautiously down a quiet , curving stretch of road along a lake .
He follows the instructions on his GPS down a sharply inclined driveway toward a darkened house . Unsure of himself or the location , he pulls out his phone to send a text message : “ I ’ m here ... I think ?”
After a long , agonizing pause , the response comes : “ I don ’ t see you . You sure it ’ s the right place ?”
The Writer nervously backs his car up the driveway . The house is located at a sharp , blind turn and he holds his breath as he reverses into the road .
He continues down the road until he sees another house , this one with lights on . As he pulls into the driveway , a WOMAN screams inside the house .
WOMAN ( O . S .) Get away from me !
An audible scuffle ensues , followed by what sounds like the woman being thrown to the floor .
A CREW standing around in the open garage warily eyes the approaching car . The Writer parks and steps out , searching the group for a familiar face .
A MAN with piercing blue eyes steps out of the shadows .
MAN Hey , glad you were able to find us ! You want some clams casino ?
THE BLUE EYES BELONG TO CHAD VERDI JR ., son of film producer Chad A . Verdi and an emerging filmmaker in his own right , and the platter of clams casino is bestowed by a kindly neighbor who is so excited to have a film crew next door that she dropped off a hot appetizer to show her appreciation . “ People get really excited about a film production company being based here in Rhode Island , shooting in their backyard ,” Verdi says . “ We ’ re not in Atlanta or L . A . where that ’ s happening on a twenty-fourseven basis .”
The house is a rental on Stillwater Drive in Smithfield . There ’ s a violent marital spat happening inside , but it ’ s all part of the script . Verdi , along with his business partner , Paul Luba , and roughly three dozen cast and crew , are camped out for a weekend of overnight shoots , the last sprint to the finish line of an eleven-day shooting schedule .
78 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I MARCH 2025