Joe Raffa’s behind the scenes of his new film DOWNEAST

Screenmancer Exclusive: While New England mob films might seem unusual given the Puritan heritage, DOWNEAST is a new film that mixes the subcultures of Lobster fishing and opiate smuggling and joins the ranks of THE DEPARTED, MYSTIC RIVER, and others set in the US Northeast, specifically Maine.

Screenmancer is proud to offer a behind-the-screen look through the POV of Director Joe Raffa on DOWNEAST.

Director Joe Raffa on the making of film DOWNEAST (2021) 

It was a sunny February afternoon in Studio City when myself, Greg Finley (actor), Edwin Stevens (executive producer/DP), and Cory Pyke (producer) met for lunch to discuss Greg’s idea. It was a story Greg had been living with for over a decade, one he deeply wanted to tell. He had auditioned for our previous feature film “Dark Harbor” and had done extremely well. He just wasn’t right for the part. Minutes into lunch, it was clear we shared the same creative DNA. And I was honored that Greg trusted me enough to write “Downeast.” Over the next several months, the four of us developed the script together until we felt like we had a script ready to shoot.

Our casting directors Jami Rudofsky and Christy Faison found amazing talent to help bring our story to life. I remember sitting in the casting session with Greg and Cory thinking, “Why does this feel so easy?” We got very luck. And it was all due to our amazing casting directors. Writing the script, I had Greg in my head when writing Tommy, the lead. But we didn’t know who would play Emma, his co-star. I had worked with Dylan Silver in a limited capacity before, but she wasn’t on my radar. Jami and Christy brought her in, and within seconds, we knew we found Emma. Dylan brought elements and layers to the role I could never imagine. It was moments like that they made me feel something was aligning, something beyond our control was bringing this film to fruition.  

Greg and Edwin Stevens, being from Maine, knew how camera-ready the city of Portland was with its old, salt-stained structures and fishing docks. And Edwin Stevens shooting a movie in Maine is a match made in heaven. It was a brilliant idea to set the film there. But it was really dumb idea to film it in the dead of winter. Shooting in the harsh Maine conditions was daunting. But lucky (again) for us, we had an amazing cast and crew. Despite shooting in temperatures like 0 degrees, -5 degrees, -10 degrees, we had an absolute blast. And the community of Portland welcomed us with open arms. Without their support, we would not have been able to execute this movie. 

The most challenging day was the day we had to shoot all of our lobster boat scenes. Shooting on the water is a different animal. Our AD (Anthony Hanna), Edwin and I, came up with a plan on how we wanted to execute the day. But after heading out to open water, seeing the mechanism of the boat in action, considering blocking, we knew our plan wasn’t going to work. It was the only time on our shoot that I felt panicked. But I said, “Let’s just film a conversation between Tommy and Marty, get that in the can. We know how to film conversations.” So, we did. And we felt better. And then we just kept putting one foot in front of the other until we made our day. It was nerve-racking, but now I look back at that day fondly. It was my favorite day of shooting. 

I want my experience on “Downeast” to be the template for the rest of my career. I think art is extremely important, but at the end of the day we’re not saving the manatees or performing open-heart surgery. We’re playing dress-up and make-believe. I think it’s important to remember, because there’s a toxic idea in the industry that you have to be this tortured auteur to create good work. I don’t think striving to make the best final product is worth treating people with disrespect, or losing your temper, or running your set like a dictator. Film is a collaborative artform. I want everyone involved to feel heard and appreciated. I want them to take ownership of their work.  And I want to keep telling stories with people that I love. People that I enjoy working with. The process is what matters, not the results. “Downeast” is a testament to that philosophy and I will try to emulate it again and again throughout my career.  – Joe Raffa

Studio/Distributor: Gravitas Ventures

Release Date: July 13, 2021 (Streaming)

Director: Joe Raffa

Writer: Joe Raffa, Greg Finley (story)

Producers: Cory Pyke, Greg Finley, Edwin Pendleton Stevens (exec producer) 

Cast:  Greg Finley as Tommy, Dylan Silver as Emma, Judson Mills as Kerrigan, Gareth Williams as George, Kirk Fox as Marty

How to watch:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Downeast-Greg-Finley/dp/B098KM59WF/

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/downeast/id1574486843

Vudu: https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Downeast/1773118?

Screenmancer thanks the cast and crew of DOWNEAST, especially Joe Raffa.

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