The past year has been a bit tumultuous, from my father's death to helping a loved one recuperate from a heart attack. And now, after a three month hiatus, I'm back at my day job at Warner Bros.
I'm still dedicating a lot of time to making the film, though, and in many ways, I've never been busier. I'm juggling things on three different fronts: cleaning, restoring, and animating the artwork, shooting more interviews, and transcribing the video footage in preparation for editing.
For the transcriptions, I've been extremely fortunate to have a team of amazing volunteers and interns, located all over the country, to help go through over 40 different interviews -- entailing well over 100 hours of video footage filmed over the last three years. It's a labor-intensive but critical step in preparing for an assembly, and there's no way in hell I could have done it on my own.
I'm also working closely with a group of volunteers and interns on the motion graphics...and for me, that's an ABSOLUTE BLAST. Their enthusiasm is infectious. We hold weekly Skype sessions where I give tutorials in Photoshop and After Effects. We brainstorm ideas, collaborate on breaking down the images, etc.... It motivates me to do more work, and up my game.
In time, I'll have to give a proper writeup for crediting all those who have been helping me thus far in my crazy, maddenning endeavor. But for now, it's comforting to know that other people are excited about the film. I certainly am.
I've also had early discussions with a professional colorist and a film composer, and I'm really, really excited to see what they might be able to do once the picture is locked. After the stress of editing, those are THE FUN PARTS!
So...this begs the inevitable question: When will the film be done? I'm not sure, but the finish line is no longer a hypothetical. There are still some interviews I'm trying (okay, struggling) to get. I've made at least five trips to the east coast for shooting, and I know I'll need to make at least one or two more. Patience is a virtue...but so is a little damn timeliness.
As things stand, however, there's more than enough content to make a heartfelt, powerful movie. Just how the hell I'm going to condense it into a two hour feature, I have no freaking idea. (Ideas and collaborators are most welcome.) I'm really hoping to at least have a polished trailer ready in the near future, and take another crack at crowdfunding, since I finally have enough decent material to show.
Wish me luck! I'll need it.
