nyc

late last week, i found out that PRAXIS was not selected for this year's IFP Rough Cuts Lab. i was a little disappointed about the news. but there are a lot of factors that could have determined the outcome, most of which i don't know about. for example, one of the major criteria on submission was specific questions on what i was hoping to get out of the lab. the two major things that i wanted to learn the most about were a festival and marketing strategy and also information on digital intermediate post-production. because the lab is run by different people each year, it's possible that the mentors that were selected may be unfamiliar with either of these two things, particularly the DI post-production. in either case, i'll probably never get a chance to find out exactly why PRAXIS was 'passed' on. but to be an independent filmmaker, you have to have a pretty thick skin when it comes to these things. in a lot of ways, it's given bit of breathing room for the project, similar to the decision to postpone the submission to sundance til next year. as a result, i decided that i wasn't going to attend the IFP Market this year as well, mainly because without the lab, i don't think i would get that much out of attending. the market also does not have a category for independent narrative features, which is a little ironic, since the IFP stands for the Independent Feature Project.

instead, myself and paul are planning to head up to nyc the following weekend to shoot some promotional interviews for the film. these are going to be rather candid, and can be used for behind-the-scenes / making-of stuff as well as short sound bites for promotion and publicity. there's a good chance that we'll shoot more of these things later, but for now, these things are good to have. and it will also give tom and andrew an opportunity to talk about the project on camera.

i also plan to have a private cast and crew screening both here in DC and in NY, hopefully by january. this is meant to celebrate the completion of the film, screen it on the big screen, and also invite certain members of the press to help publicise the film. the important thing here is that it is not a public screening, and we're not charging for tickets. if we did, we would automatically disqualify the project for potential festivals. it is a small invitation only screening, and it's important to make that explicit.

for now, i'm concentrating on the sound and music for the film, and the post-production. yeah, i'm a little disappointed by the news about the IFP. but at the same time, i do realize that PRAXIS is an art-film, and that not everyone will get it. i do hope, at the least, people are able to see the beauty in the film, and i do think that's definitely there. there are a lot of really beautiful images in the film, and getting to see that on the big screen is really what it's all about.

chances are..

late last week, i decided to give the IFP a call to see if they had made any final decisions about this year's Rough Cuts Lab. i assumed that since the deadline for notification had passed, PRAXIS did not get in, since i had not heard anything either way. it turned out that they were still reviewing submissions, and we're planning to make final decisions this coming week. at the time of submitting the film, i turned in as much of the rough cut that i had, which was about and hour's worth of footage. i let the IFP know that a more complete rough cut was available, 1hr and 40 mins, and i asked if i submitted this version, would it help? they in turned asked, "how soon can you get it to us?" so me and paul had a bit of a mad scramble to fed ex overnight two new copies of the rough cut. hopefully, this will increase the chances of the project getting in. and if so, me and paul plan to spend a few days in new york not only with the Rough Cut Lab, but also with the IFP Market. we also plan to shoot promotional interviews with Tom and Andrew if we have time, and we also want to hang out with our friend Will.

it is really nice to know that PRAXIS still has a chance. watching the rough cut really closely this past weekend, i hope that the IFP can see the potential in the film, even though there is no music or sound effects or the such. the film is not perfect, but i think you can see the potential. we'll see...

traveling to new york in the fall is really the best time - and i think that's when i enjoy the city the most.

in the meantime, i've been thinking alot about the kind of music that's needed for the film, and i plan to do some foley work for a couple of scenes this weekend.

in due time...

So, after much thought, i decide not to enter into the sundance film festival this year. the film needs a lot of work before it's ready to be sent out for consideration to any festival. but it does free me up to be able to concentrate on the film itself, tightening it up, composing music, and such. the film will be ready when i think it's the best version possible. 'til then, i really should not even be thinking about any festivals.

This past weekend i experimented with including chapter numbers in the film, and i decided to keep them. they do help clarify the different sections of the film, particularly scenes that end and start different chapters, so that they don't just blend in together. i've sent a version minus these chapter numbers to Bob Massey out in LA to assess the music for the film, and i've also given Rob Brewster a copy that has the chapter numbers. i highly respect both of their creative opinions on the film, and i'm curious if they even notice whether these chapter numbers are essential to the narrative. for now, i'll wait and see...

rough cut and abstraction

this past week, i finished up the first version of the rough cut of the film and it's currently about 1 hr 40 minutes. i'm really happy with the way it turned out, but it also needs a lot of work: there is no audio sweetening, no color correction, no sound effects, no music, etc. it also needs a fair bit of tighting up on a bunch of the scenes. i'd like to edit it down to 90 min to 85 mins, which i think is entirely possible. i'm relieved, but also realize that there is a ton of more work to do.

basically, this is the first time that i've able to view the entire film all at once, and i've tried to keep the structure constistent to the original script, except for one major change: the original script had separate 'chapter numbers' inserted into various places of the film to help qualify the structure of the narrative. currently, the film does not have these title breaks, and i'm wondering if not having these titles affects the overall film. i'm sending out this first version minus the chapter breaks to my friend bob massey out in l.a. so he can assess the music. but i plan to experiment this weekend with including these title breaks to see how it affects the overall film. either they will be too distracting, or they will be essential. we'll see...

PRAXIS is an art-film. it is experimental and it also has a non-traditional narrative structure. the film is also very abstract - the narrative doesn't immediately jump out at you, things are more symbolic and less literall, and there are a ton of 'unspoken connections' in the film. that's the beauty of film in that you can communicate a feeling or sense through the visuals and not the dialogue. these feelings do not always have to be that literal. they can be quite abstract, and that's what makes the film much more dynamic.

my partner saw a portion of the rough cut and asked me,"how did you come up with this idea for the film? it's so different that the way that i think." i'm intrigued by this question. the idea for the film comes from very simple concepts, but the presentation is abstract, is experimental, is an 'art-film'. that's what makes the film much more dynamic: an ability to express a non-traditional narrative through visuals. but i don't think that it goes too far that it loses the audience.

the narrative is there, you just may have to look a little bit harder to get it.