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November 18,
2008 - Films about Filmmaking
Oy Vey, Oh My ...
The other day I saw the film,
"What Just
Happened". It certainly had some entertaining
moments, and there certainly were a few things I could relate to,
but it didn't quite do it for me. However, I have to say,
it's always a trip to watch the struggles of filmmakers actually
be the subject of films. Of course, I'll bet the general
public probably doesn't necessarily agree with me, as they may
seem a bit too insider for them. Although on second thought,
I could be wrong seeing the odd success of the series
"Entourage",
which actually is a show I've not really been able to get into ...
But since I'm on the subject, I thought I'd throw out a few of the
other films you can check out, if you haven't already. To me
one of the best is Altman's "The
Player". If you haven't seen this one you really
must. It is the ultimate insider film, totally from a studio
production point of view. Having worked for a major film
studio, I can tell you some of the scenes seemed right on.
Plus, having myself pitched film projects for a number of film
companies on the studio lots, I could totally relate. Having
experienced some of the knucklehead moments at pitch meetings (and
I don't just mean by me) is priceless ...
Another
one that's great, one that I get almost continuous belly laughs
from is "Living
in Oblivion". If you have any plans to shoot a low
budget Indie, you have to see this. And even if you just
want some great laughs while also understanding the craziness of
Indie film, this a must-see. Several of us actually watched
this before we shot our film. Afterwards, we each shot each
other knowing glances. No way would we make any of the
mistakes they made. Right, best laid plans. And then
after we shot our film, some of us watched it again. It was
even more funny, because we'd just been through it all ...
Anyway,
I'll throw out a few others, each which have some redeeming value,
although none as good as those mentioned above. From the
crowd that brought you "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind,
also did "For
Your Consideration". It had its moments, but doesn't
totally deliver. Another two to consider are
"Hollywood North"
and "And God
Spoke". They're all good for a few laughs, and
you'll probably also learn a few truths about the nutty world of
filmmaking ...
On another
front, we actually do have some news to report about our little project.
Those of you who've been following this blog since near the
beginning know that I have been looking for a composer for a very
long time, knowing how important the music was going to be. Well, we've finally found that guy,
Geoff Levin. For
those interested, you can also check out
his website ...
And I also
forgot to mention that we have a highly recommended, great visual
effects guy hard at work, that being
Jeff Varga,
who's been trying very hard to work under our low budget
constraints. So far, so good ...
Jerry
November 9,
2008 - A Creator's Creed?
Do we do harm or not? ...
Having taking a few days off to get refreshed and recharged, when
I wasn't fighting this damn lingering sickness, I've had a little
time to reflect lately. Kind of nice for a change, freeing
me up to take in some of the current content I haven't been paying much
attention to. Reading a bit, watching a little TV, taking in
a few films. Oh, I guess there was a World Series I missed,
and I think we had a major election, as well as a few others, and
it seems there's a world economy taking a spin. Boy, the
things that can happen when you're not paying attention. The
nerve of that, the world moving on without me when I'm not looking.
No such self importance, huh?
...
As I took all this in, I also got some new mental juices flowing
again. And when that happens, the questions all start
pouring out again. Usually ones I just ask myself, sometimes
over and over, wondering who's ever going to answer me.
'Cause I'm not sure I can answer myself. Anyway, just have
to ask. Why do we
create? Really, why? Why do we put ourselves through
all this? Why films? They are such damn hard work.
Can't we just sit and watch the grass grow, and forget about how
much greener it is on the other side of that white picket fence?
And who do we create for? Ourselves? Our world?
Our friends and family? What do we owe to those who we create for?
Anything at all? Any words of wisdom out there? ...
Ah, well.
Maybe, just maybe I should take a crack or two at all that.
Don't we create, because we can? We can leave a piece of
ourselves behind, a piece left for the world, to remind it we were
here. How egotistical. Who made us think we were so
special? But, aren't we? Aahh, this is all too pat,
too easy, so predicable. I personally think it's all just a
test. I think there are creative forces in the universe that
allow us to run simulations, just to see what we would do if we
could really create. By really create, I mean worlds, and
stars and universes. Crazy? Maybe. Gods in
training? Possibly? Put on the those training wheels
and see what us mere mortals can do. Maybe allow us into
their pantheon. Grandiose? Delusions of grandeur?
Hhhmm, not hardly. And I'll tell you why. And no,
don't order those strait jackets just yet. And why not?
'Cause ...
'Cause, it
could be the old R & R rule. No, not rest and relaxation.
Far from it. So very far. The balance and the weight,
how rights and responsibilities work in the world. Or at
least should, in the very real world. I feel very strongly
that those who create, and I think we all do in some way in
our lives, all have a responsibility to our creations and what
affect they can have in our world. Say what? You read
me right. We need to own up to it. There is so much
content out there that seems so negative, and that can have a
negative effect on us all. No, I'm not moralizing. I'm
speaking very practically. And no, censorship really isn't
ever an answer here, but ...
But I do
firmly believe that we reap what we sow. And if we focus so
much on the negative things in the world, then that's all we get,
all we eventually deserve, all we eventually know or care about.
When I evaluate what film has been created the last two or three
decades, it just seems so much darker than ever before. Does
that reflect our changing world, or a desire to delve much deeper
into the darker bowels of ourselves? Those who argue that it
only reflects where our world has gone may be only partially
right. These arguments could also just be self-fulfilling
prophecies, helping create the path we take. And if that
could be so, then we have a very obvious responsibility to
ourselves and our world, because we could be shaping the direction
it takes. On the other hand, hopefully pop culture never
truly directs where we go at such a whim. Many times those
who argue that we should never dictate artistic freedom and who
usually stand behind the first amendment are usually the
corporate suits just hiding behind that amendment, because in
actuality it's their hidden amendment to their right to make
profits that they are exercising. The first amendment is
just a handy gadget to grab with one hand while they grab your
wallet with the next.
I think
they should have called 'The Bill of Rights', 'The Bill of Rights
and Responsibilities'. I have a feeling that was the intent,
but then they were expecting an enlightened populace to understand
what they were trying to do. Hhmmm, anyone think
that's what we have now? As responsible creators, we could
create one, if we really wanted to. It only takes our
imagination. And if we exercise it responsibly, maybe, just
maybe, the powers that be may let us create something really
important, something really awesome, something we can't even
imagine yet ...
Jerry
October 29,
2008 - Heading South
Yep, it's that time again ...
Well, Bob and I have been working furiously lately, and are
getting pretty close to a picture lock. But the weather's
cooling down up here and it's time to set up final operations down
in the southland. At this point it looks like the film is
around 106 minutes, and I doubt it will end up at less than 100
minutes ...
Bob and yours truly tweaking a scene
Anyway,
I'm breaking down our post suite and hauling everything down south
to re-setup. And then on to the finer finishing. We
of course have sound work to do, as well as a film score and some
of the visual effects to incorporate. I'm estimating we
should be done by the end of the year. So we're gearing up
for that final home stretch ...
But I have
to be honest with you. I am totally exhausted. The
only other time I've been this beat is after production.
I've also been physically sick and suspect my immune system has
been compromised and is overly stressed. So, I'm finally
declaring a few days off for myself before I get back into all the
fray ...
But in the
meantime, I'm taking a closer look at the film festivals out there
and need to start devising a strategy. A lot of deadlines
are coming up at the end of this year and the beginning of next.
So, I'll need to jump on that ASAP ....
Jerry
October 18,
2008 - A Fun Weekend
I thoroughly enjoyed it all ...
I couldn't have planned it better. And in fact, I felt so
relieved that we had the panel we had. They really put the
icing on the cake. So, what am I talking about here?
Well of course, the seminar I did at the Mt. Shasta Film Festival.
You can read about it here,
"Area gets high praise during film weekend".
Erin Gray and Tim
O'Connor were there, as were Renee Prince, our Production
Designer, and Bob Gordon, our editor. And, it was certainly
nice to see everyone here again ...
"Dreams Awake" actors Tim O’Connor and Erin Gray
during Sunday’s filmmaking seminar
at College of the Siskiyous in Weed.
And also,
if you haven't seen this,
"Go behind the scenes of ‘Dreams Awake’",
then check it out.
A scene from “Dreams Awake,” which was filmed in
and around Mount Shasta.
I had lots
of fun at the seminar, as did everyone else (I think). Also,
we taped the whole thing, so eventually we'll have excerpts on our
web site. In addition, we did a small screening of the film
for just the few of us. And we got some very positive
feedback and suggestions to make it even better. We're
getting there! ...
Jerry
October 9,
2008 - My New Treasure Chest
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me ...
As we get
material together for the upcoming Film Festival, I just had to
reflect on what I've learned shooting this film. Not an easy
task, but several people have asked me and I've yet to answer
succinctly. I will make a brief attempt here. Yes yes,
I imagine I could go on about this a long time and come up with
lots of tales, lessons and anecdotes, but I really need to
simplify. I mean c'mon, in all reality I could probably
write a book about this whole process. And maybe later, I'll
do exactly that ...
I can
probably narrow down almost all of this into three main points:
1) Arm Proper -- When you shoot a film, you go to
war. Every day there are battles to fight. You won't
win them all, but each day you can position yourself strategically
for the next day and the next set of battles. The idea is to
win the the bigger picture, to win the war. Now some may
think this is a militaristic view of the process, but many of the
battles I'm talking about happen inside you. Obviously, you
can't be fighting with people all the time, but you will be
required to make lots of decisions every day and there will be
resistance. You have to tough it out and stick to your guns.
The spirit of the warrior way is very appropriate here. No
one is going to give you your film, or allow you to make it.
You must fight for it, for it's creation and for it's very
survival. Day in and day out, no matter what. You
cannot give up! ...
2) Humble Pie -- Big egos don't fly, but strong ones
are paramount to survive the marathon. This is a hard lesson
for some to accept. This industry breeds XXL egos by its
very nature. Accept that, but try to stay clear of them.
Their insecurity can disrupt the best of projects. Usually
these people have not learned their lesson here, but I do have
faith that somewhere down the path they will learn. Big egos
are hard to work with, as they tend to get in the way of true
collaboration. I've never worked well with these, but let's
not dwell on that now. You will however need a very strong
ego, which understands that working with other strong egos is a
luxury you should afford yourself. Because these
collaborators are ones you can count on down the home stretch,
when all the others have flaked out, whining about the size of
their trailers or that special equipment they have to have to be
creative. Making a film is the most humbling experience I've
ever had. And how refreshing! ...
3) Mental Flex -- Allow your vision to expand and
sprout wings. This is a no-brainer. Now matter how
complete you believe your vision to be at the beginning, there is
no way you can predict how all the details and pieces will come
together in the end. You must be flexible all the way
through, and be open to all the surprises that can enhance the
vision, making it richer, more vibrant and more alive.
Beyond what you ever imagined. So, please don't handcuff
yourself, or paint yourself into any corner. Move with it,
because this is where the passion for your project lives, grows
and soars, and in the end will change you. There just aren't
words to describe it! ...
On the
surface it may appear that these things contradict each other, but
actually they complement quite well. For a filmmaker is the
ultimate multi-tasker, balancing lots of opposing forces
constantly at work around him/her. Just remember to try and
enjoy the process. I have to remind myself of that every day
...
Jerry
September 30,
2008 - New News
Hot off the presses ...
A new one about us and the film festival. Enjoy ...
"Film Festival seminar to feature Hollywood stars"
Erin Gray as Hope and Tim O’Connor as Ambrose
look to the sky in this still from the movie "Dreams Awake." Gray
and O’Connor will be in Mount Shasta Oct. 12 to participate in a
filmmaking seminar as part of the
Mount Shasta
International Film Festival.
September 26,
2008 - Flying Along
I feel the need for speed ...
All right, now we're clicking. Bob and I are finally soaring
along, fine-tuning the edit. I'm feeling a lot better now,
even though post is sure brutal. Letting go of so much we've
shot is beyond what I thought it would be, but very necessary.
And while it's never easy, it has become a lot easier. Maybe
I'm just getting used to it? Or, after losing a couple
limbs, what are losing a couple more? Nothing, as long as I
can still fly...
Some of
these changes have been subtle, but we have made a couple major
ones that do reflect a new direction in part of the story. I
have finally come to realize the limitations of film. It
seems that injecting too many things for the audience to think
about and consider can easily bog them down and tire them.
It is so much easier to do that in script form, or in the normal
dramatic narrative form of a novel. However, the other side
of that is that film can narrow your focus and thus present a more
direct, sure path to story, allowing you to strip off the excess
baggage we're all so fond of carrying. Usually to our
detriment ...
And right
now, as we get closer to finishing the picture edit, we are
considering the most radical change of all. One so dramatic,
I can barely speak of it. In fact, I'm not going to.
First, because I'm not sure we're even going to do it. And
second, because it is going to be very difficult to do, both for
me emotionally and for us to actually physically do it and make it
work. I do believe that if we do it and can make it work, it
very possibly will enhance the film to a different level.
But, that's a big if ...
Anyway,
our edit will be a little sidetracked a few days, because we have
to prepare clips and behind-the-scenes footage for the upcoming
Mt. Shasta Film Festival. Ha, in my spare time, I've been
going through the hours and hours of the b-t-s footage to pull the
gems out that an audience might find interesting. And I have
found some great tidbits. In fact, I've seen a few things
happening behind the scenes I was not even aware of. Very
enlightening ...
Jerry
September 18,
2008 - Got Gremlins?
Here, there and everywhere ...
Yeah, it usually happens at one point or another in every film
project these days. Getting trapped and enslaved by the very
technology that has allowed us to be here. I guess you have
to pay the piper sooner or later ...
Anyway,
here we are, seemingly coming down the home stretch in the picture
edit, and...we're practically dead in our tracks. The old
Mac Pro has decided to bloody our lip and make us fight for it,
crashing at will now several times a day. Frustrating, as
for almost two weeks now we've been wrestling with it's demons.
And technology was supposed to serve us, right? ...
That
reminds me of the "Twilight Zone" episode, about the space aliens
who came to Earth to 'serve humans'. Problem was, the book
they had 'To Serve Man' was a cookbook, which the knucklehead
humans figured out too late into the course servings. Yeah,
technology is serving us, huh? Say what's on that menu,
again? Grilled gremlin? ...
So, we've
called in an expert from LA, who we'll probably work with through
the weekend and try to get this all smoothed out. We did all
the updates, both with operating system and with Final Cut Studio
that everyone told us to do. They thought that would fix it,
but, ha ...
But hey,
there is some good news to report! We have hired a VFX
wizard to do our special effects. And we have chosen our
composer and are preparing to hire him. More about both of
them in the next installment. Provided the gremlins don't
take over this blog ...
Jerry
Comments --
ELEVATE Film Festival -- 9/15
ELEVATE Film Festival, the first ever
filmmaking competition to challenge the international film
community to create works of social and global importance,
announced today that the fifth annual ELEVATE event will take
place on Sunday, October 5 at the brand-new, 7,100-seat Nokia
Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. Founded by producer Nadia
Salamanca and award winning filmmaker Mikki Willis, ELEVATE 5 will
premiere 20 short films by some of the industry¹s hottest young
talents for a night of cutting edge cinema devoted to stimulating
positive change.
Growing from just 500 attendees in 2005 to 3,600 at last year's
star-studded event at Hollywood¹s Kodak Theatre, turnout this year
is expected to top 7,000 guests, making ELEVATE the largest single
screen film festival event in the world. "All Tribes Unite" is the
theme of ELEVATE 5 with the competing filmmakers challenged to
create works that inspire people and societies to break out of the
limited thinking and prejudices that persistently divide mankind.
The search for emerging and professional directors is global,
supported through numerous filmmaking outlets and networks. Once
selected, the competitors¹ challenge kicks off two weeks prior to
the October 5 event, when they are randomly assigned the topic on
which they must create their film around. Seven tension-filled
days and sleepless nights follow as the filmmakers hustle to
complete their music video, narrative short documentary, or
commercial for its debut on October 5th.
ELEVATE is free to the public and tickets are awarded on a first
come, first serve basis at the Nokia box office starting at noon
on October 5. Additionally, a limited amount of guaranteed premium
seats can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Nokia Box
Office. For more information, please visit:
http://elevatefilmfestival.com
September 9,
2008 - A Story About Us
What the local press says
...
MOUNT SHASTA HERALD
Wednesday,
September 3, 2008
"Deal's
'Dreams' moves toward Big Screen"
A small one-room
outbuilding surrounded by tall pine trees on a hillside with a
view of Mt. Shasta has served this summer as a film editing studio
for Jerry Alden Deal’s “Dreams Awake.
A powerful Apple computer
with a 4 terabyte hard drive contains all the raw footage for
“Dreams,” much of which was filmed last year on and around Mt.
Shasta
Some of it was shot on the
same piece of land where veteran film editor Bob Gordon was quite
content to sit for hours in front of three computer monitors for
several weeks electronically stitching together scenes using one
small high definition video segment after another.
The property belongs to
Deal, the writer, director, and producer of “Dreams Awake,” which
features a cast of both Hollywood actors and a few Siskiyou County
residents
Deal has said previously
that Mt. Shasta, too, is a character in his film. He said he uses
stories about the mountain “as a tapestry for the story that
happens to the family” the story revolves around
"Dreams Awake” is the
feature length film directorial debut for Deal, who has made film
shorts in the past and has written numerous screenplays.
Though the film’s final
mix won’t be ready until sometime after this year’s Mount Shasta
International Film Festival in October, Deal said he plans to show
a trailer of “Dreams” at the Festival, as well as clips from the
film and some behind the scenes footage shot by John Cumming of
MCTV. He will also be giving a
seminar for the Festival.
Gordon, who lives in
southern California, has been a film editor for 30 years and has
worked on more than 30 films. He started with some low budget
features before his first studio film, 1980’s Blue Lagoon, which
was filmed on a small island in Fiji and starred a young Brooke
Shields. Gordon also edited 1985’s “Return of the Living Dead,”
which he describes as one of the first movies in the horror/comedy
genre.
Then in 1991 he began a
year and a half of working as a consultant, and eventually editor,
on the first all-digital full length animated film, Disney’s “Toy
Story,” which was made by the animation studio that later came to
be known as Pixar.
A self-described
“inveterate game player and puzzle doer as a child,” Gordon sees
film editing as “the ultimate jig saw puzzle. It satisfies me; I
get great pleasure in doing it and seeing it when it’s finished.
It also pays well."
Deal said Gordon came
highly recommended, and it wasn’t difficult to convince him to
leave crowded and smoggy LA for a while to do some work in the
mountains of northern California.
Using the film’s script
supervisor notes as his guide, Gordon created what’s known in the
business as a “first assembly,” which has all the scenes of the
movie put together without a film score, sound design and visual
effects.
The “real editing work”
began after the first assembly was complete, Gordon said. That’s
when he and Deal made further changes in the process of getting
Deal’s “vision of the film onto the screen."
At each stage the film
will be pared down to an approximate final running time of about
100 minutes.
In the end, about a third
of the raw film material – Deal calls it “the clay I needed to
work with” – gets cut. Individual scenes as they were originally
conceived were shortened or expanded to get the tempo right.
Deal described his script
as the film’s blueprint. Once the assembly process began with the
real footage, things changed. “There’s a saying that you really
make three movies,” Deal said. “The one you write, the one you
shoot, and the one you edit."
Deal said the film will
soon move on for visual effects work, after which a DVD will be
created and turned over to a sound designer in Los Angeles, who
will work closely with the film score composer
Then it moves to the
mixing stage, during which all the tracks are blended together.
“Dreams Awake,” according
to Deal’s description, tells the story of a disconnected family
that gets stranded while on vacation near Mt. Shasta. “A family
drama grows into a spiritual mystery, and finally becomes a
mystical adventure. A glimpse into the subtle but intense
possibilities of the human spirit, this story delves into that
magical lore between reality and illusions, dreams and awake, and
life and immortality."
The film’s title comes
from a quote by Henry David Thoreau, “Our truest life is when we
are in dreams awake."
The mother in the film is
played by actress Erin Gray of “Buck Rogers,” “Baywatch” and
“Silver Spoons” fame. It is during her journey of self-discovery
that “she wakes up in the dream of her life,” Deal has said.
September 2,
2008 - Story Work
A few more beats, a few less
...
Well, we've got the film under two hours now and will be viewing
the next cut very soon. Beyond the normal trimming of most
of the scenes, several scenes have been repositioned, and of
course a few others have been cut entirely. Not only that,
it seems a few of the minor characters are not only trimmed down,
but gone completely. To make the story work better, we just
had to ax them. Oh well, so goes the way of the story, an
ongoing journey that never seems to end. Expansion,
contraction. Not just a creation, but a deconstruction ...
We're
still doing voice auditions for our fantasy sequences, and I think
we've found some local drama students who will work.
This will be a bit tricky, since we will not be putting faces on
the trees, rocks, flowers that talk. Meaning the voices will
need to carry the character of what (who?) is speaking. Not
an easy task. Yes, the animator can help some, but the voice
work will have to pull it all together. I hope to get in
that studio soon and put all this together ...
On the VFX
front, Bob and I are still trying to determine what we can do in
house and what we have to contract out. We do know some of
the scenes that will be outsourced, but a few are still up in the
air. I think by the end of this week we will have a handle
on all that ...
I'm
getting close to choosing a composer. Guess it's about time,
but this decision has been the most elusive of them all for me.
I really don't think I'll know I've chosen that right person until
I've worked with him for a while. So on this one I'm diving
into the deep end of the pool before I've ever swam there before.
Another adventure to take on ...
Over the
Labor day weekend I hiked around to take a few POV shots we needed
in a couple scenes. These were shots from the characters
point of view that we just didn't have time to get, or didn't
realize we needed. But the edit has shown we do need them.
They'll enhance those scenes a bit and underline some story
points. And it's about the story, right? ...
Jerry
August 24, 2008
- Have you heard the one about...?
A bold, hard-headed rock, a couple sappy, yapping trees, and the
nutty flower with a bad joke
...
We recently spent most of the day dealing with the
fantasy-mystical parts of the film, more specifically parts of the
mountain who speak to our main character. Yes, speak, as in
proper English. However, we will doing some intriguing sound
design with the voices. And it looks like we have some local
actors who may be up to the task of providing us with those much
needed voices, as well as a local sound studio to do the work.
Hooray! I don't have to travel to do that bit ...
But, I
will be leaving tomorrow for the Sacramento area for a day to
transfer some of our full res HD footage to a hard drive for our
visual effects person(s) to work with. Yeah, we're finally
getting that together. We also need to get some stock
footage of some space, stars and galaxy shots. It's actually
amazing how much of that there is these days ...
FYI, I
will putting on a seminar at the Mt. Shasta Film Festival in Oct.
More specifically, on Sunday October 12, 10am--2pm. Called
"Behind the Scenes of 'Dreams Awake'", we will have
several clips from the film, a slick trailer and some
behind-the-scenes footage that our videographer shot. Also,
there will be a drawing for five people to win tickets to the Mt.
Shasta premiere of the film. There may also be a surprise or
two. In addition, we're also going to have a videographer (2
or 3 cameras) there to get it all on tape. And, we're
considering doing a live Internet stream. So, if you can't
make it, maybe you actually can. Should be fun! See 'ya
there ...
Jerry
August 15, 2008
- Spinning Hats
Do this, no that, go here and/or there
...
Bob (editor) and David (sound designer) hard at work
We all know indie filmmakers wear lots of hats, usually out of
obvious necessity and often times more than we thought we'd really
have to. Having already been the writer, director and
producer on "Dreams Awake", I figured there would surely be
more to hats out there to try on. Of course. Having
been the Post Supervisor for a while now, I was wondering what
would surely be on the horizon. Looks like VFX Supervisor is
around the corner, but wait, cameraman is actually next in line.
Looks like I have to go capture a few shots this weekend.
Hey, should be fun. So bring it on ...
As you can see above our post crew is hard at work. In fact,
five of us got to view the first real cut (since the assembly)
yesterday. New running time -- 127 minutes. I figure
we need to end up between 100 and 110 minutes. So we got
some serious work ahead of us. As far as the film itself, it
was mixed. When you're in this phase, it's usually about the
warts, since that's what you need to get rid of to make it
palatable for an audience. Whereas, we could find a number
of things that needed to be worked out, for the most part they
were minor. Everyone agreed that we had a film, we're just
not completely sure what we have. Intriguing, there's still
some mystery in the process. Not so cut and dried. I
love it ...
The editor
(not a reporter) from the local newspaper came in a couple weeks
ago and interviewed us (mostly Bob since they're probably getting
tired of me by now). So there should be a story about that
soon. We are officially the first feature film that was
written, shot and edited in the Mt. Shasta area ...
Jerry
August 7, 2008 -
Letting Go, II
Threading the needle, narrowing the destination
...
There are times when trying to balance the good parts and bad
parts of filmmaking can be quite a unique balancing act. For
me, one of those times is right now. Watching footage we
labored so hard to shoot getting trimmed and stripped before my
very eyes. Oh hell. Did I sign on for this? Yes,
of course I did. Watching this film, this child, turn into
something beyond what I thought my genes had programmed it to be.
Gad, beautiful and ugly at the same time. What's a
filmmaker, a parent, to do? ...
Try and
let it be all it can be? Insert yourself more into the
formula, and force it to be exactly as you had envisioned it to
be? Maybe a balance between both? I'm fighting all
kinds of forces inside myself right now, the closer and closer we
get to our final destination with this film. Sometimes I can
hardly look at what it's becoming. Other times I'm
enthralled and amazed at what it's becoming. Nice surprises
pop up here and there, and new challenges never considered
sometimes block our way. Yet through it all, there seems to
be a way to go, a solution to uncover, so that this piece of work
can actually be realized in this world ...
There is
one thing I'm certainly thankful for. That I even had the
opportunity to be here and do this. No matter what happens
here on out, I got to do this. I got to be there and
participate, and create something the world has never seen before.
I feel lucky and yet even so, that makes me want to do it again
even more. Will I know more, do it better, realize even
more? Speculation never really does much for me, so let's
drop it here. I know there is a place this film will call
home. And I hope the people who it's made for will get to
see it. In these changing times, such wishes appear to be on
shaky grounds. But not any more than the way it was made in
the first place. So I'd say we have an even change to find
our place ...
Yet in the
end, the letting go never seems to end. Except. Maybe
that's what moving onto another project is partly about.
Letting go of the kid that has found its own way, and creating a
new one to try and bring into this world. All over again.
All new again. All ready again. Yes, beyond this
horizon, I'm almost getting there ...
Jerry
July 28, 2008 -
Moving Forward
Looking good, feeling good
...
I just got back from the southland of LA last night, after a
number of interviews with prospective composers the past few days.
I was hoping that the skies might be clear at Shasta again, but it
seems the fires up here are still dirtying the atmosphere.
Never thought I'd see the poor air down south competing with the
usually pristine air up north. Anyway, I met with six
different composers and have narrowed that down to two, but I
wanted to meet with two others who were too busy. I've
scratched one of them off the list and am now down to three
possibilities. I'm hoping to make my final decision by
August 15th at the latest ...
For me this decision is as important as my DP and editor decisions
were. Because of the importance of sound and music in this
film, the right composer is paramount to make all this work.
I feel we already have the right sound designer and once we put
them both together, the final leg of this journey will really fly
...
Bob and I
spent several hours going through a couple more reels today,
narrowing in for a true first cut. We should be there in
about an about a week and a half. It's looking good, and I'm
feeling good about it. We also finally imported all the
footage from my Panasonic HVX and I must say the footage looked
pretty darn good. In fact, we're making a list of some
possible supplementary shots we may need to shoot. And since
we're right here where we shot it, that shouldn't be a problem.
I recently
did a visual effects breakdown and a voice-over breakdown, since
those are areas we still need to nail down and process. So,
things are rocking and we're moving forward full blast ...
Jerry
July 19, 2008 -
Oh My!
The pieces assembled, a new film takes shape
...
142 minutes, 2:22, two hours and twenty-two minutes. A monumental day. In the beginning was the word, and now we
have a film. I just saw the assembly of the film for the first time.
I am very happy with what we have. Of course it's rough and
too long, and we need to snip and add here and there, and we need
visual effects, sound effects and a score. But hey, if it's
this good without all that, we're certainly way into the ballpark
...
Now the
heavy lifting for me begins as we bring this baby to home plate.
Monday we start that before I head down to meet with several
composer candidates later in the week. I have six, maybe
seven, possibles to speak with. I have leanings towards a
couple of them, but we'll see how this goes. I now have a
much clearer understanding of what we need musically ...
On another
front I'm going to bring aboard a visual effects person (people?).
Bob is handling some of the simpler effects, but we're going to
need some heavy duty work on possibly a dozen shots. I have
no idea how long (or how much?) that is going to take. It's
an area I wish I had a better grip on ...
And, I'm
still waiting patiently for the new website to get together and be
up ...
And, I'm
still trying to put together a marketing and distribution
strategy, of which getting into film festivals is a more immediate
issue. I just made a list of about fifty possible ones, and
dividing them into three different tiers of importance. Part
of this will determine when we actually have a viable film to
show. I do have an arrangement with the Mt. Shasta Film
Festival in October to show a work-in-progress preview showing.
My feeling at this time is that we will have a finished film
between November 15 and December 15. (Don't even get me
going about Sundance) ...
Jerry
July 9, 2008 -
Letting Go
An originator's growth process, no easy duty
...
Jose (left)
assists Bob (our editor) with sound issues
Moving forward through the process of this film hasn't come
without some unusual pains for me. In the beginning was the
word, and of course the writer has to eventually spit it out.
Right there in that first word, from the imagination to the paper,
an act of creation, is also an act of separation, of letting go.
For once out, it has realization, form and impact. For all
the world to see, a decision was made and there it is for all to
see (if you're so lucky). We write and write, edit and edit,
and finally have a workable script in hand. But to get to
the next step, another letting go, one of greater magnitude, has
to happen, for you turn it over to a team to try and realize a
possible potential, or maybe not. Either way, you still have
to let go to get to the next stage, whatever its fate. If
you can't or won't, then there is no place from here. Except
the desk drawer or the trash can ...
If you're
so fortunate to get into production, you watch your work expand
and grow into, into what? Very possibly into something you
didn't quite envision, or didn't like, but hopefully into
something beyond what you had ever expected. But through it
all, you continue to let go, for it's in the letting go that you
help give it life. You let it grow up to something totally
separate from you. A force with momentum and traction in the
world, a force hopefully someone will want to see and experience
for themselves. For it is a gift, a gift of creation to the
world, one that rises or falls on its own ...
Yes, as
the originator and creator, its merits or lack of will fall on
you, but it is as a separate entity from you. You are it's
father and mother, creator and nurturer, but in the end it must go
off into the world without you. To have its own life and
livelihood. For you will move on to create again, hopefully
having learned enough to do better the next time, and the next
time. Always letting go, insuring more will come, for we are
creatures who must create, one way or another ...
For me,
watching our editor put the pieces together, I've had to let go
even more with each passing day. It is the only way, and it
feels right no matter what else may be going on. But I also
find it getting easier to do as we move on. Maybe after
doing it so much, I'm getting used to it? Possibly, but in
the end I think it's because we are getting closer to the end.
When the film will have to stand on its own, whatever it turns out
to be. I will love it and be proud of it, no matter what
anyone else thinks. For it came from me, and will leave me.
A creation. A film. A gift ...
Jerry
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