Editing Update

I haven't done much blogging about the editing process, because there really isn't much to say beyond what has already been said.... Jim n' the editor try new things. Our producers (and Bruce) put in their two cents. The movie gets shown to a test audience. Afterwards Jim, the editor n' producers review the surveys and discuss their own notes. New things are tried. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Anyhoo, the cut was supposed to be locked on Monday the 7th, but given all the tweaks on his plate, our editor said there was no way he could have it done until at least that Thursday. So an extension was given until the following Monday - no later than noon. Jim spent many late nights over at the editor's place, as the two of them tweaked scenes frame by frame. (They seriously get down to the nitty gritty!)

There was a viewing on Friday the 11th, and then more tweaky nitty gritty notes were made. The deadline was extended by another week in order to get these new notes done - which meant more late nights for Jim.

This past Friday I helped out by babysitting our editor's kids. (Who were already in bed, so really I just watched TV-- and did you know there's an aquarium channel now, much like the fireplace channel? Crazy...) By 10:30ish, the boys decided to call it a night.

Copies of the latest cut were distributed for everyone to view at home over the weekend, with plans to once again lock the cut no later than noon the following Monday. However, Sunday night further notes came in from our Toronto distributer. The feedback is that the film is very strong and that they really like it... BUT, they want the first act sped up a bit. The initial big hook doesn't happen until the 12 minute mark, and in the movie sales world, that's two minutes too long.

A while ago, TC explained that it's interesting to attend these preliminary sales screenings at festivals like Cannes (where ours will be shown). He said the room often starts off full, and within the first ten minutes, the audience will decide what sort of movie it is. If it's not the genre of film they're looking to buy, they will leave. (Most will leave.) If you still have a handful of people in the room by the one hour mark, then there's a good chance the movie will make a couple sales.

So. As I was saying, our first ten minutes needs to undergo more tweaking to either push up the first big hook, or use other imagery to somehow insert a different sort of hook in the opening montage... which is what the boys are playing around with right now.

There will be yet another screening tomorrow night at AS's place, and then hopefully the cut will be locked by next Monday. It has to be. (Then again, I thought that the last two times...)

In the meantime, today Jim n' les producers met with the music composer. Jim said that he really likes this guy and feels that they share the same sensibilities. He's excited to see what sort of score he will come up with.

I don't know how many times Jim (or even I!) have been propositioned by random people who have a friend/son/cousin who's in a band, and would love the opportunity to do music for a film. And while some of those bands are really quite good, they just didn't have the right experience or qualifications. Jim's inbox has also been getting inundated with emails from experienced composers who do qualify, and one or two of them have been especially persistent. Jim somehow handles it all in stride... I'm glad I don't have to. ;)

Outside of this blog or places like FB (where I obviously know everyone on my friends list,) I feel kind of awkward discussing our movie. Whenever I meet new people and they ask what I do (which seems to happen a hell of a lot more now that I'm so self-conscious about it), I try to simply answer, "I'm a writer." Instead it always leads into, "What do you write?" And I feel like such a dope saying I write screenplays, since I've only co-written ONE screenplay. I don't think writing one produced screenplay makes me a screenwriter - it just makes me incredibly lucky.  So I just mumble the screenplay stuff into the mix, "I write a lot of marketing stuff like flyers n' web content, and different things, like a screenplay n' stuff like that..."

It's been a while since Jim has been asked what he does for a living, (I think that's because I'm more social than him and so I end up falling into these conversations more often), but when the time comes, I know he'll be very self-conscious saying that he's a director. It just sounds so pretentious. :P

We always joke in funny voices saying, "I'm in pitch-ahs!  I write the talkies."

Ah yes... Anyway, I don't know where I'm going with all of this. I guess that's all I have to report for now, but just thought that some of you might be wondering how the cut is comin' along.