Home Stretch (Hopefully)

Well, the May 1st rough cut never happened. I ran into a number of technical issues, and couldn't get the footage that I needed in time. However, there is no need to fear, as I have charted my course to finish this film by the middle of May. After evaluating what I have, looking at what I need, and cruelly giving the axe to certain things (sorry high schools) I've arrived at 10 segments, each of which should run about five minutes. The segments will be as follows: Opening> Resettlement > Webster Introduction > Culture > Stories > Post-Settlement > Religion > Webster Future > Closing > Credits and Thank Yous. I realize that A. The components of each sequence aren't explained here and B. These could change. But, I've drawn up a check list of all the footage I need to get, written down what each sequence seeks to address, and I am well on my way to the next stage: Screening, social action and further building.

Cut, Cut, Cut!

As I mentioned last post, this month will be a time of heavy editing. Long stretches of time spent in my room with the shades drawn working on the doc are starting to yield results. It's amazing what happens when you trim the fat. Today I successfully removed 10 minutes from a sequence, largely by cutting out clips of people saying "um..." The resulting sequence on culture is fairly tight, bouncing from Africans to Irish to food to language. Now that the interview clips are in order, I get to do the fun part: putting colorful b-roll on top to illustrate the points made.

May 1st

I've written on my giant calendar-which I plan my life on- that May 1st will be the day of the rough cut. This means that April is going to be a month of editing and picking up a few interviews/shots. Whatever comes out on May 1st will be a far cry from the final piece, but having a deadline is a good motivator. As I edit, I go from "how will this ever work" to "this stuff practically edits itself" and everything in between. I have a map in my brain of how to address everything with the footage that I have, and I need to make that come to life.

April

I've set a goal to have a first cut by the end of the month. I was invited to show the film at a Souther New Hampshire English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) meeting in June, which means I definitely need something by that time. This month will be some heavy editing and the collection of the final interviews. Hopefully, I will get more leads/interviews after the screenings start, and I can keep building this project all summer. Now I have to find a good place to show it...

Summer

It's about time for a new post.

I recently accepted a summer position with the Breakthrough Manchester Program (who you may remember from the promo video I made a few posts back) which will take up the better part of eight weeks this summer. I am also in the final stretch for the first big milestone in filming. I've identified all of the pieces that I need to have, and am taking steps to get them all on video. I am sure that I could continue to build this piece for years and years, and I may, but I need to show something soon. So I need to put my nose to the grindstone and churn this thing out!

Ali Museum

You meet interesting characters through video work. I walked in to an automotive dealership today to get an interview for the Blarney Breakfast video (see previous post.) As I waited in the lobby, a stone Torah caught my eye. It bore a plaque commemorating the hard work of the man I was to interview. I noticed other awards hanging on the wall. I wondered why this guy was working at a car dealership. Then he came out.

He was dressed in a blue button-down, cowboy jeans, a studded belt and blue shoes bearing images of wolves. His curly salt-and-pepper hair was slicked back, but the lower ringlets bounced just above his shoulders. It was a striking image, and it gets better.

We went to the inner sanctum of the dealership, where I started to notice Mohammed Ali memorabilia. There were gloves, pictures, tickets, metal fists, all bearing signatures. The crown jewel was a life-sized Ali sculpture, standing in an 8'x8' ring surrounded by other sculptures which I was too overwhelmed to take note of. This was a full on museum. And that was just the hallway. His office, complete with a mini-chandelier, had more framed items, books, and a copy of that movie "Ali" on VHS. The entire office and surrounding area had been consumed by one man's obsession with Ali. He sat down, did the interview, and I left. What a morning.

Projects

Last week, New Hampshire was rocked by Mother Nature's winds, leaving us without internet until today.

I've picked up a few new side projects recently. One is a short video, using mostly pre-taped footage, for the Blarney Breakfast, an annual charity event. I'm fairly sure that the video will involve refugees in some way, but I have to see the footage.

I am also assisting the Somali Bantu Community Association of New Hampshire with a short video on their agricultural program. In addition to more experience, it was agreed that I could ask my own questions of the subjects. Refugees and interpreters can be hard to track down, so it is very fortunate that this project came along.

In other news, The Refugee Rap is almost done. This is a song about two kids' experiences as African Refugees in Manchester. It was a lot of fun to record, and now it's time to edit. I'm starting to wonder when this whole thing will be done. I hope to have something in the next month or two, but this could continue beyond that. I have to trust in the work.