A couple of weeks ago, before I was able to begin the edit of ‘TIME AND PLACE’, I was filled with doubt. Had we got what we needed for the film? Was it going to be any good? Had we done the best we could? I felt we hadn’t achieved what we had set out to achieve. I was full of regret, self-doubt and really wasn’t looking forward to spending months editing a project I had essentially given up on because I was certain I’d failed.
Luckily, I was wrong. Two days before my Mac was finally fixed (thanks again to Joel Dunn for repairing it. Completely saved me) I watched through all the footage, from start to finish, and suddenly it dawned on me – the quality of the camerawork and performances were really, really great. What had I been so worried about? When it eventually came time to start the first rough cut I was full of enthusiasm for the project again. I literally sat and edited for three, full, consecutive days, spending every second available on getting the footage rendered and into a rough order. It’s taken me four days to do the equivalent of ten days work (in comparison to how long it took to edit the last few features). It feels great to have the Mac back and finally be back in full-on productivity mode. Although the damaged equipment has led to a six week delay on the post-production schedule, if I continue at this rate we may even be able to screen the film ahead of the self-imposed deadline.
But anyway, enough about schedules and deadlines, how do I feel about the first third of the film as it stands? I’m overwhelmed. I try to be as brutally honest with myself each time we make something, in order to evolve and improve with each project, so when I say that I feel like I’ve come dangerously close to ‘making my masterpiece’ I really mean it. I’ve shown the opening sequences to a couple of people (involved in the project – no one else gets to see until it’s finally complete) and their reactions have been a resounding ‘wow’. It’s gripping, surreal, unsettling, erratic, funny, anxiety-ridden, and most importantly – original. I couldn’t be happier with it so far. All my doubts and anxieties over the project have subsided, and I’m now in a self-confident daze. It’s the best thing I’ve ever made (and frankly looking at what we have so far, could possibly be the best thing I ever do make – which I’m okay with). I set out to lose myself to a project and I did. Was it worth it? Apparently so. I’ve never been prouder.
So what’s the plan? Well, all going well, the rough cut of the film will be ready by the end of the month, we’ll be releasing a trailer in June, and the film itself will be ready to screen at the end of October. Cannot wait for you to see it!
