The D-Word's life is one of glamour and riches, as only a documentary filmmaker can live it

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Back from the editing wars.

Marjorie is pissed. I’m not well engaged, she says.

Okay, then, I check out The Well. The Home Page conference is not, well, engaged. No comments for days.

The opening of the film isn’t working. It’s taking too long to get to Justin’s story. The sample works well but this isn’t the sample anymore. And it’s hard to see where to deviate.

Debbie says be patient. Cut it long and see how it all fits. Trust the process.

Where’ve I heard that before?

Jared says mebbe we should build up Justin’s rep before we ever see him. Get the audience frothing at the mouth.

Mebbe he’s right.

Jared’s officially the Assistant Editor but he’s much more important than that. He’s sound editing, online editing, even cutting some scenes that don’t involve too much character or story development. He cut the E-Minds launch scene and did a real good job.

He’s also 23 and chomping at the bit. Born for non-linear editing, he thinks Debbie and I goooo toooooooo damnmmnnnn slooooooowwwww. When he has to wait on us ‘cause we’re doing something hopelessly outdated like re-screening all the footage in a scene before we actually edit, or endlessly deliberating, or laughing over something stupid, he can barely contain himself. His feet start tapping and he looks like a caged deer.

We depend on his speed to push us faster and meet pressing deadlines. Hopefully, he’ll learn to relax and lighten up. In the meantime, we take his ideas real seriously. We're lucky to have him.

Jared says I’ve inspired him to put up a home page. Oy!

Beo, the composer and sound designer, came up to the edit room today to look at the launch scene. Everyone in the scene is jamming on something percussive (with differing rythyms and proficiencies), and it builds to a wonderfully ragtag celebration of not just the launch of another web site but the growth of a genuine online community. It’ll need some augmented instrumentation, to smooth out the rough edges. Also want to get a handle on just how problematic some of our most problematic audio really is.

We talk about the completion schedule: 1st assembly by mid-September, 1st rough cut by the end of September, 2nd rough cut by mid-October, locked picture by the 2nd week of November, mix by mid-December. All to give us time for a transfer to film, allowing for color correction of answer prints, by the 2nd week of January, just in time for Bob’s Big House Party. Assuming he invites us, that is. If not, push it all back a few weeks for Berlin.

We talk about payment schedule, too. Gulp. Always the same sad story: can you bear with us ‘til the promised funds come through? The till is just about dry right now, but we can pay a chunk when the Excite check comes, hopefully within the next 2 weeks. A 2nd chunk after the rough cut is approved by Cinemax (and another 20% of the license fee is released). The final chunk if and when the ZDF/Arte contract goes through (Jane’s angling to get 50% upon signature).

The art of producing indie films is in spreading the chunks artfully. That’s why it’s important to let everyone know exactly what funding is coming and when it’s due. (But not the whole web-wide world, I suppose.)

Luckily, Beo and I go back some. We’ll pay faster this time. Promise.

Carolyn at Brandon Tartikoff’s company calls and talks about a possible hook-up with AOL’s Entertainment Asylum. She’s intrigued by interactivity between the film and web site. Thinks AOL will be, too. But will they be similarly intrigued when they read about deals-in-progress on this intriguing web site?

Ahhh, but that assumes they have time and inclination to visit. Methinks mebbe they’re too well engaged with bigger deals.

Methinks I need to be weller engaged with the films’ opening section before I get too bent over dealmaking.

Foist things foist.

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