Sonic Muse Feature 'Signals in the Dark' Sets NYC Shoot for September 2026 with Writer-Director Jay Karales

A new independent feature film is taking shape in New York City, and crew working in the five boroughs should take note. "Signals in the Dark," a drama from writer-director Jay Karales and production company Sonic Muse, is currently in casting and pre-production ahead of a confirmed September 16, 2026 principal photography start. With the cameras-up date still several months out, this is precisely the window when productions begin assembling department heads, and that makes now the right moment for working professionals to get on the radar.

Jay Karales is carrying significant creative weight on this project, functioning simultaneously as writer, director, and casting director. That triple role is relatively uncommon and signals a production where the filmmaker maintains tight creative control from the page to the performance. It also suggests that crew who come aboard can expect a closely managed creative environment with clear artistic vision at the center. Karales is the creative engine here, and understanding the kind of intimate, auteur-driven set that typically produces should help crew calibrate their expectations accordingly. No additional producers or department heads have been publicly confirmed at this stage, which reinforces that staffing is still in its early phases.

Sonic Muse is the production company behind the project. While not among the major studio banners or streaming-funded production houses, independent companies like Sonic Muse are a consistent source of filmmaker-driven features with lean but dedicated crews. Productions at this scale tend to value versatility and collaborative spirit as much as raw credits, and they often provide crew with meaningful creative proximity to the work. No distributor or streaming partner has been announced at this time, though a project with this kind of international scope and period setting has natural appeal to the festival circuit and specialty distributors who handle prestige independent drama.

The story itself is ambitious in scope. "Signals in the Dark" traces a radio broadcaster's journey from his early days in Kyoto, Japan to his rise as a legendary disc jockey in America during the late 1990s, all while his private life fractures under the weight of infidelity, distance, reinvention, and loss. The late-1990s American setting is a meaningful production detail. Period features set in that era require careful attention to wardrobe, props, set dressing, and picture vehicles that convincingly evoke the late analog and early digital moment, and New York City in that decade has a very specific visual texture. The art department, costume department, and locations team on this film will likely have rich material to work with and a clear stylistic target to hit.

New York City is the confirmed filming location, with production scheduled to begin September 16, 2026. Shooting in New York means access to one of the deepest and most experienced local crew bases in the world, and the city's infrastructure for independent features is well established. New York State's film tax credit program, which offers a 25 percent credit on qualified below-the-line costs with additional incentives available in certain circumstances, is almost certainly a factor in anchoring this production to the city. For local crew, that is good news. Productions taking advantage of New York's incentive structure are generally required to hire locally, and a September start in the city puts this shoot in a busy but workable season, past the summer crunch and ahead of the holiday slowdown. Department heads in New York who work in drama and period-set features should be paying attention to this one now.

Given the period setting, the multinational narrative arc that moves between Japan and America, and the emotionally intimate subject matter, this production will likely draw on a range of specialized crew. The costume and wardrobe department will need to dress a late-1990s world with authenticity. The art department faces the challenge of recreating period-specific broadcasting environments, including radio studios that reflect both the Japanese and American settings of the story. If any scenes depicting Karales's Kyoto origins are shot practically in New York rather than on location in Japan, the production design demands become even more interesting. A strong locations department will be essential in a city where period-appropriate exteriors are increasingly hard to find and require creative problem-solving. This is the kind of feature that rewards department heads who love research and specificity.

"Signals in the Dark" is still in its early assembly phase, which means the opportunity window is wide open. Crew interested in this project should move sooner rather than later. The full listing for this production, including contact information, production office details, and crew list updates as they become available, is live now at ProductionList.com. Check back regularly as the production moves deeper into pre-production and additional department heads are confirmed. The September start gives everyone enough lead time to make a real run at this one.

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