HEY! How ya been???

For this post I'd like to just talk about what I've been up to in terms of "That Asian Thing." First off, this editing portion is VERY time consuming. I don't joke when I say that it takes me literally 5 hours to come up with a solid 10 minutes for the film. "But how is that possible Jonald?" Well, novice filmmaking inquirer, there are many reasons for this. 1.) I have about 5-10 hours of footage on my computer that needs to get broken into less than 2 hours. 2.) I'm learning as I go along since this is my first feature length documentary. You gotta think about it: there really is an art to how documentaries are made. What shot goes with what audio; what feeling or thought am I trying to convey without written dialogue for an actor to say; or how can I transition from one subtopic to another in cohesive flow? 3.) effects, lighting, transitions - all these additions and making sure everything is cut into place takes time. It's all detail.

SOUND - I can't emphasize enough how important sound is for movies. There needs to be a consistancy and a basic level for everyone to understand what's going on with the image. I need to make sure words spoken are understood and clearly said. It's like editing the movie all over again, but this time, just concentrating on sound.

That's my first main deal - FINISH THE MOVIE!

Next - I'd like to show a raw cut to 2 sets of people. The first set would be friends and family who aren't hardcore, cinema interprative, film critics. They watch movies for fun and have 2 opinions, either they like it or they don't like it. For me, they're the "regular viewer." The next group would be a focus group comprised of people who I feel are advanced in film studies and know aesthetics of cinema to another level than the "regular viewer." With the feedback of both parties, I think I can re-edit my raw cut to have it ready for festival submission.

FESTIVALS:

A few dynamics to this equation.

1. Does this festival fit the theme of my movie?
2. Is it located in an area where I can get a group going through email or contact to hype up an audience?
3. Do I have enough funding for submitting? (Submission fees add up!)
4. Can I meet the deadline and the requirements to not override another festivals requirements? To extrapolate: if you want your film to go up for competition in that festival, some of them require that you make it a premiere in that state or country. Now that makes me ask the question - where do I REALLY want to make a premiere?

And the last thing I've contemplated with this project: is this saying what it needs to say? All of these artists are doing their art to convey a message about their truths, but with my project/my art, I have the pressure of conveying their message as a whole. I need to construct their voices to mesh up as my own voice and make sure everyone gets their just say about the issue at hand.

All I can say is - this day job thing can sometimes get in the way....