Winter-2022

Now that “From Black” is about to be released for public viewing, Marchese is turning his attention to his next film, a detective thriller titled “Innocent.” Currently in development, he hopes to begin production in early 2023. Photo: jasonharperphotography.com When the cast gathered on location, it was readily apparent that there was something extraordinary afoot. “When we did our first table read in an old mansion in Natchez, Anna poured her all into it,” Frazier says. “That’s unusual because actors typically just give 20 per- cent at this point. It was chill inducing.” “Anna just completely blew us away.We were in tears,” Marchese says. “That’s when we knew that we had something special going on here.” Marchese says his “secret weapon” in the production was New Zealand cinematograph- er Duncan Cole. “Thomas and Duncan spent hours going over each scene before we got to Natchez,” Frazier says. “It was fun watching them geek out on lenses and techniques.” She says that even though Marchese was a first- time director and is an autodidact in film, he had a firm grip on how to get the look he wanted.This level of preparation was essential to a film company with limited resources. By the time the team arrived on set, the crew knew exactly what to do. “I have never worked with a director as well organized as Thomas was,” Frazier says. “There are barely any outtakes from the movie because every- one was so well prepared. Everyone brought their A game. It was one of those films where everything hit just right…this is one of the rare ones where everything clicked.” So, what’s next for Thomas Marchese? “Before ‘From Black,’ I pitched a cop thriller script to Netflix called ‘Innocent,’” he says. “They liked it, but because I only had one doc- umentary under my belt at the time, they asked if I’d consent to using another director. If I had been in my 20s, I would have said okay. But I was in my 40s and kind of late to the party. I said ‘No, I’d rather let it go than let someone else do it.’” He says that he will revis- it that project next. And guess who will be on board? “I want to do every movie with Thomas and his team,” Kelly Frazier says. For more information about Marchese’s films, visit www.darkroomfilms.com . From start to finish, fortune smiled on this first-time feature film writer/director. His recently completed movie, “From Black,” will soon be available on both AMC+ and AMC’s Shudder streaming services, and a theatrical release is in the works. 148 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2