“You can start with nothing. And out of nothing, and out of no way, a way will be made” – Michael Beckwith
This is one of my all time favorite quotes because it is the very essence of the creative process. For most filmmakers, including myself, the only two ingredients present at the beginning of “nothing” is an idea floating around in their gray matter (pun intended) and a combustible amount of passion. And it’s those two ingredients that not only start the process moving forward but also serves as fuel to keep things going when everything else seems to be moving at a snail’s pace. And such is the case now. Since my article last month which you can read here, there are only a few updates to share. Personally I find this disappointing and frustrating. I want to and can make things happen at lightening speed, however I have to do that snarky little thing called work which slows me down. Mon dieu! Oh if only I didn’t have to have a “money job.” Then I could be making progress on a daily basis and be at the post production stage in no time at all but then of course without that money job paying the bills I’d loose my apartment, my car and membership to my gym so alas I must work. Thus everything is moving as fast as a “heard of turtles” as they like to say in the south (east coast).
In last month’s article, Part One, I talked about having a photo collage done of the beautiful photos submitted to me by many of my Silver Sisters from the various, private Facebook groups I belong to. This collage was to be used for the Facebook page and website however I had an epiphany one night as I was laboring over where each photo should go and its best placement against the other photos around it along with the creative input by the artists who were actually doing the work and it became clear I was spending way too much time on this simple collage and I recognized I needed to move on. So I decided to use a single, professional photo instead, of a Silver Sister who is also a model. The permission from both the photographer and model came to me very easily so I have to believe it’s the universe’s way of telling me it’s the right way to go. Doing so allowed me to move on, redirecting my focus towards the logo. That said, I am still planning to use all or most of the photos in either in the pitch video for the crowd funding campaign or in the actual movie itself. I have several, very cool ideas taking shape in my mind for both options so I’ll see how things play out.
And speaking of the logo, I had thought I would have it done by now (see, snail’s pace) and be able to share it with everyone here, first but that was not to be the case. I did have a logo done as of last week and even though it was gorgeous it was not quite right so I continue to have work done on it. My mom, who is a photo shop wizard has taken over the process and together we are getting the logo done exactly the way I want without having to spend any more money which is always in short supply so I am thankful she has the professional knowledge and time to help me with this. By next month’s article it will be done and I can share it. And as well I’ll have the FB page at least started and the website will at the very least have a landing page.
Aside from the many ideas that enter my mind every minute of every day which are intangible at this point, I have started to think about who should be on my team. Obviously this is a huge undertaking and I cannot do it alone and to be honest I am not totally sure who it is I have to hire but I am learning. To date I’ve had conversations with an entertainment lawyer, a stills photographer and a sound mixer.
The lawyer I found via MsInTheBiz. I plan to talk with another lawyer or two. Due diligence is a good thing – haste makes waste so conversations with at least two lawyers is the smart thing to do. As for the stills photographer…for those who may not be familiar with what they do, he or she takes photos of the filming and behind-the-scenes on set as it’s happening for future marketing and publicity of the film. The person I have in mind is a photographer who I met three years ago while living in FL. He hired me as a model to do a shoot for one of his many books. Ideally I’d like to hire him however I’ll have to see if my budget will allow for a stills photographer. And the sound mixer I know from NYC from back in the day. We traveled in all the same circles and know many of the same people from within the club scene in NYC and Fire Island yet have never actually met. What I really like about him is he and I are on the same page musically. In my world music is food for the soul so to have someone like him is pure gold or should I say platinum given the subject matter of my documentary. He’s the person who will come in at the end to “balance and sweeten the sound on tape, add voice over (if necessary), add sound effects if needed, mix music, and all elements together to create a cohesive final audio mix.” Having that cohesive sound is critically important to the overall quality of the final product so I will be sure to work him into the budget.
In closing I am taking things slowly despite my impatient nature. I want this to be good, really good, and so taking things slowly is the way to go.
Til next time…Victoria xox