troubleshooting the unpredictable

For those of you that have taken notice (or actually give a rat's ass about the forward progression of our little project), we've been knocking out scenes and production shoots at a steady clip for some time now. The weekends have been full of talented and dedicated people working on "our" movie for free. I keep mentioning this tidbit of information so that no one will forget or take the sacrifice that our troupe of actors and production crew gives every single weekend lightly. Without this "love of the game" that everyone brings to the table we simply could not do this. With that said, the dedication and sheer child-like enjoyment that people are taking away from this project (as well as putting into the project) is really starting to show on screen. I've been having a lot of fun editing and troubleshooting through other "challenging shoots."
This weekend was the first "vacation" weekend we've taken in a long, long time. I had a feeling that some of us were getting close to the point of burnout. I love making this film. I have a blast working on Indie projects in general. It's an adventure, a step closer to living the dream, and an opportunity to share your talents and desires with those that wish to view the final product. Yet, I will be quite glad to get this puppy finished. There is a lot of life put into this film... a lot of my life, specifically. I'm a little drained... but I'll be reborn when this film is DONE. Until then, we keep working the long and winding road. It would be similar to being in a band, traveling from city to city on the Great American Highway, pressing the flesh before the Friday Night Show, and selling a couple copies of your "album" after the show. You put it out there to share with people... I want people to see the film finished.
...And when people see the film... I want it to roll them. I want people to see this film and be blown away with the quality and professionalism that we put into it. I don't want people to look at this and say, "That was a nice Indie film." So far I've gotten, "This looks like a real movie." It is a real movie... we just don't get paid very well doing it. I kind of like the George Clooney approach to filmmaking. Don't take out $20 million dollars before hand because you'll probably never see it on the screen. But if you make the film, sell it, and make some money on the back end you'll be a hell of a lot more satisfied... or if you don't make any money, you still made a film that you wanted to make... or won't be embarrassed by... or be able to take the cop-out, "Well, the movie kind of sucks but I'm getting paid $20 million dollars to do it." That's a big problem I have with the Hollywood offerings lately. They're not throwing money at a problem. They're just not fixing the problem... the money is part of the problem. People with no integrity or spine would be another. I could go on forever... but what's the point of bitching? Instead, we fight the good fight with no money, credit card debit, thrift store wardrobes, cheap disguises, and laughs. I don't know about you but someone getting kicked in the balls is always funny.
Being rich would be great (don't get me wrong)... but I could be quite happy with being able to pay the bills on time... maybe a three bedroom house.
Enough rambling. We needed some time off to recharge the batteries, do some Christmas shopping, take a step back in reflection, and allow people to actually spend some time with their families. I didn't hear anyone complain about not filming this weekend, that's certain. Next weekend is Christmas... and we'll be prepared to start back on New Year's Eve-day. Hopefully the weather will be all-copasetic-an-shit.
I edited a few scenes on Saturday, got really really really trashed at M. David Lee III's "going away party" (dropped a shit load of money on the tab and physically paid for it all of Sunday - - I remember now why I quit drinking so much), cleaned house, and hid from the sun all day. The down time wasn't too bad. However, it all kind of started with the possibility of re-shoots. We haven't re-shot anything so far. I was editing a scene earlier in the week and Anthony and I decided that we were going to have to re-shoot a small scene... because there was a hum in the audio and it just wasn't going to work. There was the possibility of having to re-shoot a few other scenes from that Saturday because of wind noise... but I think I've edited around most of the problems.
It is a little frustrating to deal with those elements after the fact but I think that we're all in agreement that the quality of this project has to be top notch. We won't sacrifice quality just to make a date or to keep a schedule. We're not over budget... just a little behind... and there is nothing wrong with that. The only person I'm burning is myself... because we got a late start... and that's my fault.
I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Enjoy the downtime. We'll see everyone on the other side of a Tucson Christmas. The Charlie Brown Desert Christmas isn't too bad. They do actually decorate cacti... and the sand kind of looks like snow after a few too many margaritas. Tequila and I don't speak the same language (and Christine's father is well aware of that).
-B