Trivia

• Silent and Forgotten had a 220-page script and was shot in 11 days on a tight budget. There were plenty of crew who didn't think it could be done. 
• The makeup and wigs are bold on certain characters- like Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish. The film was intended to be shot in Black and White, so the makeup artists prepped accordingly. However, in editing, the Director had to make stylistic choices after discovering that the DP had failed to inform him the first 3 days were shot in 1080 instead of 4K. With horrendous sound and lighting issues, the editing process was grueling. He felt that these disappointing revelations actually led to more creativity. 
• Director, John Lewis, began exhaustive research a year in advance. The original concept involved 4 historical actresses and with more research, this enthusiastically expanded to 14 actresses. Thirteen actresses made the final cut. 
• This film was shot a year before the #MeToo movement. 
• Jacquie Donley was given the script 6 weeks before the first day of shooting. She created 14 scripts to stay focused on each character and used her sleeping disorder to memorize in the middle of the night during the 11 days of shooting. She was in every scene in the film and had enough time for a quick change, hair and makeup, drop into character, and walk onto the set. 
• A few months into editing, actor- Chris Spotz- was driving a stolen car and chased by LAPD in San Bernardino County. It ended in a shootout and Chris took his own life. There are still questions of whether or not he killed his then girlfriend, actress- Adea Shabani. She was found in a shallow grave soon after. Silent and Forgotten was the last film Chris Spotz acted in.