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| Well, I've really only been able to edit one to two nights a week, but the rough cut of the film is now at 40 minutes. Kinda surprised me considering I'm only at scene 21 (out of a little over 50). Originally I thought the entire movie would be about 40 minutes long. But I'm finding it'll be more like an hour and a half to two hours long. And we did all of the principal shooting in about a week (!!!).
I'm challenging myself by trying to edit the film without a temp track--that is, without any music initially beneath it, but to find the rhythm through the visuals alone--and it's really really challenging to do. In fact, I'm giving up on that and starting to use a temp track.
I'm happy with some of it. I'm unhappy with the rest.
I'll probably have other short films completed before this one is. Could be over a year. Could be longer.
You know, one of the greatest things about producing this film is that, as I become more familiar with the story through editing, I'm realizing how much of the story actually comes from my own life, and when I had no conscious intention of putting anything biographical in there. To be honest, it's getting very creepy, and I'm seeing where some of these characters came from--people who have had deep psychological effects on my life. And it's not just characters, but also plot, story, incidental events within the film, and etc. It's very very weird. At times I feel like I'm living my movie.
Um, that's all I have to say about my life right now. The rest is pretty depressing.
Go to my vox to check out some teaser frames. | | |
| So, what have I been doing lately? Well, I'll make a list:
1. Filming a few weekend wedding. Not EVERY weekend, but a few for a local videography company. It's not bad money--$15 an hour. But my friend James told me that I probably deserve more for that, and that got me thinking. The lowest possible rate I would charge to film and edit a wedding ON MY OWN is $500. And, believe it or not, THAT'S CHEAP. Maybe that this is something I should do myself, and not under another company. I have the capabilities to do it, so why not?
And it doesn't just have to be weddings! It can be commercials, infomercials, documentaries, etc. Man, I would LOVE to professionally edit a documentary or two. And there's REAL MONEY involved. The idea gets me excited. How does one go about becoming a professional documentary filmmaker? It's a serious idea I have.
2. I've been reading a book by Sergei Eisenstein entitled The Film Sense. The first chapter (or "book" within the book) was called Word and Image. Mainly, Eisenstein was discussing montage and how montage actually existed before film was even invented, and that it existed even in old literature. He cited Milton's "Paradise Lost" as one of the main examples, by excerpting a passage and breaking it down into "shots." It's very exciting to read an old text like Milton's and to see how the basic concept of film existed before film itself. Eisenstein also said that Milton is an excellent teacher for any filmmaker.
Of particular interest to me--Eisenstein conveys the idea that an artist of a particular medium can only better understand his own medium by studying and becoming involved in other mediums. Thus a musician, for example, who has knowledge and experience with painting, writing, filmmaking, theater, and etc., will become a better musician for it. And who can better prove this principle than the artist as filmmaker? Film is the only medium that contains all of the other mediums in art. It is the very embodiment of the Gesamtkunstwerk Wagner described in his writings (Eisenstein, who even designed his two "Ivan" movies in leitmovic structure, mentions Wagner in the book.).
I feel behind with film, even though it's basically what I've been doing since I was ten. In the last four years of college I didn't take a single course that pertained to film, except for Film History my very last semester; and I haven't produced a single serious film my entire college career. But even though I feel behind, I don't think I should feel so bad about that, because I have been striving at music (and from a certain view, failing at it) and I've been striving at writing (and, also from a certain view, failing at it). I've been absorbing myself into mediums that I don't have a significant amount of experience in. And even though I've put the filmmaking on the shelf for a few years, why should I feel guilty for this? When I now return to visual storytelling, and with the knowledge I now have of these other mediums involved in it, then certainly I've only gained something from my time in these other fields of art.
I have to remind myself that, to be a great filmmaker, you don't necessarily have to be a brilliant musician, or a brilliant writer, and so on. But it's my conviction that you must--MUST--have an adequate (and "adequate" is certainly an understatement) knowledge of these arts. If I didn't have Brahms or Tchaikovsky, Homer or Shakespeare, van Gogh or Picasso, then my own art would be dead.
So I'm liking the Eisenstein book. He has a lot of good things to say.
3. I'm setting aside the film editing for a few weeks until I can clear my head of these other things. I'm just distracted. I have a temp job that I'm trying to work out with my schedule--It's canvassing/surveying job for the US Chamber of Commerce, which goes on until about Nov. 3rd. It's been an interesting experience, and plus it's been paying $10 an hour which ain't bad. I mean, just to go around asking people a couple of questions! Also, I'm starting a new full-time overnight job tomorrow evening (overnight stockman for Wal-Mart. woohoo!), I'm trying to put together a montage for my church, and I'm still trying to think through this health insurance crap which is really just...a bunch of crap. My plan is, in about a week & 1/2, after I'm settled into to a routine, to seriously get down to editing my film.
And here's a crazy thing: I'm thinking of redoing this movie next summer. Not that I'll throw out this one, but I want to make a shorter, much more condensed, and a silent version of this film. I didn't have enough time to plan out this film. And though I think it turned out all right, I don't think it's beautifully brilliant or anything. I want to plan it so well that every single shot is already ready before it's shot. AND...I want it to be about ten minutes long so I can submit it to CalArts in a few years. The current film I'm making will be over an hour long, at least.
4. I have ideas for other films. The script I'm writing now is another fantasy film. I'll say no more in that area. It's bad to "release" an idea to people, because it releases creative energy, as I've found.
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| Hello, everyone. Now I have a VOX.
http://jacobsnyder.vox.com/
I will continue posting here, but I will also post there. The posts will most likely be identical most of the time. Except that my VOX will probably have more media-related, visual stuff. So maybe the posts won't always be identical. *shrug* | | |
| Howdy doodie, everyone! It's Sunday afternoon. I'm just sitting back, listening to Classic 99 (some guy I've never heard of, but he's pretty good), sipping some Ethiopian coffee (black, of course), and doin' as one should do on Sunday--resting!
A nice thing is that I have a job interview tomorrow. With the Crestwood Barnes and Noble music department. I was thinking they wouldn't call me, as they said they get a lot of applications and were pretty much filling up the department with seasonal workers. But 2:30 tomorrow I have an interview! I think it would be a very nice job.
It's been a frustrating week without our main computer. We had a hard drive crash. Luckily, all of my video files are on an external drive, but I haven't been able to edit anything all week. I still have my friend Callie's wedding to edit (in case you know her, she was Callie Myers, but now she's Callie Tankerwanker or something).
And of course I have to get down to editing this movie!!! I admit, I have some worries about the final product of this film. All of these questions keep going through my head-- "Was the acting very good there?" "Is the plot embarassingly predictable in this instance?" "Was that shutter speed really appropriate for that scene?" "What if this effect looks corny?" "What if this whole dang thing is just an amateur piece of CRAP?" You know, questions as such. I guess one concern is that I'll finish the film the best I can, watch it, and just decide, "well, better luck next time" and just never show it to anybody.
Yes, I am typically this hard on myself.
In Sunday School today, the teacher (Larry Poertner) and I were arguing over an Old Testament question: Was the ghost of Samuel, who came up and foretold Saul's doom, really Samuel or was it an evil spirit? I am fully convinced that it indeed was Samuel. I don't see why not, unless you really really read into the passage to fit your own little theological agenda. I mean, if you really have trouble with the idea of ghosts, then take it up with the Bible. It mentions ghosts on at least a few instances. May I ask for some opinions on this? I'd be happy to continue an online dialogue with anyone willing to debate the subject.
And speaking of ghosts, Halloween is coming up soon! If I have money this year for the Holiday, then I'm gonna make it a really good time. I already have a number of ideas for my costume:
1. a crow-skulled-faced ominously robed fortune-ball-holding creature (my own creation)
2. W.A. Mozart
3. Frodo Baggins--with my Elijah Wood history, I could really freak people out with this
4. Borat--even though I really look nothing like him in build, but whatever. actually, I think I'll save this one for the movie premiere in November
5. a mysterious mage...dude
OK, those are 5, but I know I've thought of others--and much cooler others--in the past few weeks, so I'll just have to update when I think of them. Shoot, I have to pee!! Darn Ethiopians. Einstein's on the coffee mug from which I'm drinking. HEY! I could be Einstein? Maybe. It seems kind of typical, but seriously, who really really dresses up for Halloween anymore?
Does anybody know of some great Halloween parties coming up? I want to really dress up and come and blow everyone away with the best costume in the world.
I've started to play in an adult string orchestra. My violin teacher leads it. It's pretty fun. I'm trying my hand at writing a string ensemble piece or two. Crap. I just spilled coffee over some papers. It's all right, they're not important papers. They're not, like, my freaking birth certificate or any crap like that. My teeth feel sensitive. I've recently switched to Sensodyne toothpaste to fix the problem. I'm in an Aaron Copland-listening mood. Ooohhh, really lovely violin piece just came on. Don't know who it is.
Forgive me if I have given in to writing a banal post. I'll make it up to you, next time, with something more intelligent.
*NOTE!!!:
The lovely violin piece that just played is Brahms!! Brahms really kicks ass, people. I've been listening to the guy's four symphonies for the past few weeks, and all 4 of them ROCK. I'm especially fond of the first movement to his fourth, and the first and second movements of his third. I really wish he would have written more than four though.
Listen to Brahms or I will torture your children.
Just kidding, but listen to Brahms.
*NOTE #2:
This is for the ladies. Girls, if any of you decide to dress up on Halloween as Pallas Athena, and if you pull it off well, then I might just have to make wild love to you!
Um, I'm not sure if that was an invitation or a warning. Dude, Ethiopians are crazy (sure, Jacob, blame it on the coffee, you horny devil!).
NOTE#3: Just so you all know, I've been reading The Iliad and The Odyssey. Homer's crazy! And Pallas Athena is a hot momma.
NOTE#4: We could make wild love to the 2nd movement of Brahms's 3rd. If you're into that kind of thing.
NOTE#5: Or maybe... no, no... 2nd of the 3rd. That one's the best.
NOTE#6: But if you like Prokofiev, let me know.
NOTE#7: This is for everybody, not just the womenfolk. Leo Kempf has read my entry and has informed me that the term "ROCK" is inappropriate in describing Brahms's symphonic works. So allow me to correct myself and say that Brahms's symphonies "CLASSICAL." I appreciate your attention. | | |
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