Rough Cut

Yesterday marked the first time that "Our Community" (which I've officially titled it) was put to DVD. I premiered it to my family. The cut is still rough, but it's almost there. Still waiting on those historical photos and name confirmations. Then I have to do a technical viewing to fix up some sound and transition issues, cut out any excess, add more B-roll (I've come to loathe B-roll) and generally make it shine. I also have an hour or so of footage marked "good stuff" which I need to look through to make sure it doesn't belong in the finished piece somewhere. The current piece runs 48 minutes long, and I must say, I'm very happy with it. I am hoping to have an official premier close to June 17th.

Final Pieces

The film is almost done. I am finishing the credits and adding titles to people's interviews. I am still waiting on confirmation for a few titles, but that shouldn't take long. I'm also waiting on some historical pictures from the Historical Association. Once I have those pieces, the rough cut will be ready to go. I haven't watched the whole thing through yet, but I am happy with it when I watch it in bits and pieces. Some things- my b-roll, shot composition, camera settings, sound, etc.- still look like they were done by a 19 year-old. However, it is mostly the technical details that aren't always where I'd like them to be. I must say that I am rather happy with the way I've put the puzzle pieces together. This project was always about content over form, and I would say that the content comes across. There are some things about this experience and this topic that will not come through in the film, but I am OK with that. While it could be better, I think this film will do what it is intended to do.

Home Stretch (Really)

I am pleased to announce that I should have a rough cut done by the end of May. It may not include everything, but it will touch on most of the topics I set out to explore. I may not get very far with the religion piece, as the person I want to interview is out of town this week, but I'll see what I can create. I cut the final sequence yesterday, which needs just a bit of tweaking. I'm very happy with it as it is though. So here I go, 5 more days of serious editing.

June will mark the beginning of the screening period. I have a number of possibilities up in the air, but have avoided pursuing them strongly because I didn't know when I would be ready. I first want to hold a pre-screening with everyone involved in the project, then take it out into the community. I'll likely keep building it as the summer goes on, but it will be so good to have a rough cut circulating.

I'll keep this blog updated with screenings, just in case people are out there reading this (someone must be, right?) So far the most interesting proposal has been to show it the barber shop where I get my hair cut. If there's a screen and an audience, I'll show it anywhere.

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...