hearing voices

Today I recorded 4 women for the possible roles of re-dubbing the mom and the narrator, including myself. All of them were quite good (except me), and now I have to decide which to choose.
Whenever I make an ounce of progress on the film I feel so much better, like maybe someday it'll get finished and screened in some sort of theater. I'm trying not to abadon my hopes for a 35mm blowup just yet, but video is looking so much more practial...why didn't I plan that all along??? Stupid school holding me out for false hopes.

holding pattern

I know I am neglecting my dear blog. I'm embarassed to report very little progress on my little film. Basically, there is no money to finish my film, I am fixing an apartment instead of becoming a great artist, and its hard to imagine ever getting a negative cut and a film printed. Having gone through it before, I know there are a million steps between having the film "edited" and actually having a film print in hand. At the moment, I have neither the time, money, energy or enthusiasm....but maybe once I actually unpack my bags in my new apartment and have a moment to take a breathe, then these qualities will emerge.

I'm "squatting" in a friend of-a-friend's apartment for the meanwhile, praying that the new apartment will magically be ready to move into in ten days, complete with people to move my stuff and a new couch to sit on and waiting will be a grant to finish this film and graduate from graduate school. But realistically, I'll be "squatting" a little longer, wearing the same shirt for the third day in a row, writing my feature script that will also never be funded, and wondering when it will be time to sell my soul and work for MTV in London. 6 months?

(sorry to be so pessimistic today, need to take my vitamins)

holding pattern

I know I am neglecting my dear blog. I'm embarassed to report very little progress on my little film. Basically, there is no money to finish my film, I am fixing an apartment instead of becoming a great artist, and its hard to imagine ever getting a negative cut and a film printed. Having gone through it before, I know there are a million steps between having the film "edited" and actually having a film print in hand. At the moment, I have neither the time, money, energy or enthusiasm....but maybe once I actually unpack my bags in my new apartment and have a moment to take a breathe, then these qualities will emerge.

I'm "squatting" in a friend of-a-friend's apartment for the meanwhile, praying that the new apartment will magically be ready to move into in ten days, complete with people to move my stuff and a new couch to sit on and waiting will be a grant to finish this film and graduate from graduate school. But realistically, I'll be "squatting" a little longer, wearing the same shirt for the third day in a row, writing my feature script that will also never be funded, and wondering when it will be time to sell my soul and work for MTV in London. 6 months?

(sorry to be so pessimistic today, need to take my vitamins)

sound off

I have travelled 6000 miles to get a visa so that I can go back to France and stay and work there. It seems a bit nuts but I'm happy to have the green sticker in my passport. Now, turning back around after on 4 days, back to Paris tomorrow.

This visit did afford me a chance to meet with a brand new soundguy, one who seems far more confident and committed. Yesterday we showed the film to one of SFSU's best professors, Pat Jackson, who is completely amazing and one of the top sound editors working now- she works with Walter Murch (probably one of the most famous editors in the world)...
So she saw my film and then provided a very detailed hour-long session on how we could use sound to make the film work better. It was so fantastic and useful and I am feeling really good about that...except for of course she thought my film was quite difficult to understand and had some really amateur qualities. But I'm very excited to move forward now and get this sound done. I have to record some new voiceover, which is a bit of pain but I think will be well worth it.

It's October 6th today and I have a goal of finishing sound in 3-4 weeks. I want to enter the film in Clermont-Ferrand and Berlin, and those deadlines are pressing on me. Most importantly, I need money to finish this film. Whether I go to 35mm or Digibeta tape, both are going to cost mucho dinero, I'm praying that my school in Paris is feeling very generous. Unlikely.