Rainy Carolina was written by Thomas F. O'Brien and Jackson Begley in ten days during the winter of 2017/18, and primarily shot from January to April 2018. It was produced as a class project under the supervision of film producer Jack Rajasekar, professor of a Producing class in the Cinema and Television Arts program at Regent University.
The sign "The Sun" over Ellie's head when she walks down a street in Rainy was not planned, but it was perfect in the frame.
Young Sonny: "So, what's it going to be, fellas?" (The first line). Sonny: "So... Ellie: What's it going to be? (The last two lines.)
The initial idea for Rainy Carolina, thought of twenty years ago by Co-writer and Director Thomas F. O'Brien, is on a title card after the credits: "What if there's a town where a bunch of retired weathermen live?" The second idea was: What if they lie about the weather to keep strangers out.
Pre production began two weeks before production, and on many production days filming, editing, and pre production was done, sometimes lasting until 2 a.m. or later. Production lasted 3 months and one day, from 6 February 2018 - 2 May 2018. Filming was done an average of four hours a day, two days a week.