But this time I went in with a purpose: buy Final Cut Pro and an external hard drive. I had grown tired of waiting for someone to help me with the digitizing. Whether or not I would make the money back, I figured it was worthwhile enough to go slam a credit card down and buy it myself anyway.
Well, that’s what I thought. Then I started talking to a Mac Genius, who went over the system requirements for the program. Compared to the general public, I feel like I know a thing or two about using a Mac. Then I walk in there, and realize how little I actually do know! (My parents are right; I suppose it is all relative.)
We discussed the program, and how I can’t return it after I open it. So I had better be sure that’s what I wanted and it could work on the G5 I have waiting for me at home. He asked me a lot of highly technical questions I had no answers to (yet again). This seems to be a theme for this project. It’s happened at every turn: camera store, Apple store, requesting estimates, etc. I have gotten quite the education! Pretty soon I’ll be throwing jargon out left and right.
Anywho…I got home on Saturday and sat the heavy boxes on my kitchen counter, excited but too nervous to open them. Sunday would be the day instead, I told myself.
Rumplestiltskin
Well, Sunday came and went. Some how I managed to sleep through the day, despite having woken up at the regular 7:30 a.m. call of Louie to eat. At about 2 p.m., I laid down from a headache and slept off and on until about 11:30 p.m. The strange coma-like sleep made me realize how much I must have needed to rest. On Monday night, I slept another 12 hours. Again on Tuesday night I slept about 10 hours.
Today, for the first time in a few days, I am feeling myself again. Work hard, play hard? That’s been my motto, but some times you need to stop and sleep, I suppose! I am happy to report that I am much more rested today, and feel like myself again.
My Distaste for Time Warner Cable
Last night, though, was completely wasted. I finally got the courage to install Final Cut Pro on my computer—meaning that I was fully committed to owning the program once I had opened the box. I inserted the first installer CD, only to find out that, in fact, my computer was not up to snuff on the requirements. My operating system is behind, and my hard drive might not have enough operating power.
Without internet connection for a week, I was finally motivated to fix the problem. Three hours later, I still had no internet connect, though. I had been on hold with TWC for entirely too long, and the Road Runner online assistance was of no support in any fashion. This morning I gave them an earful about how poor their customer service was last night, and the rep continued to tell me she couldn’t do anything about it. Finally, I got a supervisor on the line with some inkling of intelligence. He did his best to mend what about six others had managed to destroy, and now I am only mildly pacified. My anger towards waiting on hold so long has yet to dissipate.
Tonight, I am hoping that I will go home to an internet connection so that I can finally install Final Cut Pro (FCP).
Digitizing and Editing
Many other conversations are in motion, though. I bought FCP so that I could do the digitizing myself. However, it would be much more agreeable to work with a trusted partner to do this for us. I have put a few requests out there, and have gotten some guidance and perspective from folks that do this for a living. One student has provided an estimate for me, and a friend has agreed to meet on Saturday to talk more about the project. Although I feel like this is moving forward at a snail’s pace, I am trying to be patient and know that it will happen.
There are a lot of fears about handing someone my mini-DV tapes to be digitized. For one, there’s no other copy of the interview. If something happens to those tapes, I’ll have to conduct that interview all over again. That is not possible with the time line we’re working on, and even if it were possible that would be embarrassing to have to conduct the same interviews over again. These people have shared so much with me, and I certainly wouldn’t want them to not trust me because of a minor thing like a tape being destroyed or lost.
Beyond that, I have a lot of concerns about handing my work off to someone. Perhaps I am being too paranoid, but I have been burned in the past and certainly don’t want our hard work to be claimed by someone else before we even get the film out to the public. But, experience teaches you the hard way. As I said, I’ve been burned in the past, and I certainly don’t want anything like that to happen with this project.
Regardless of my concerns, these conversations have me in a hopeful state that this will happen some time very soon. And, if I cannot find a trusted partner to digitize the tapes and help with the beginning stages of editing, I now know that I can handle that once I get my G5 up to par so it can run Final Cut Pro.
Screening Events
My mind keeps jumping forward to screening events. For whatever reason, I cannot stop thinking about this next stage of the project. I keep trying to stay focused on what needs to happen now, but I suppose my full time job as a planner has me conditioned to not waiting until the last minute to set events in motion. If you know me well, this is a huge shift from where I was years ago. If ever there were a procrastinator, it was me! But, now, I see that you have to plan months in advance to make an event like what I have in mind take shape.
So, over some of those sleepless nights in the past week, I have created a list of venues for some of these screening events. The list came as a reaction to conversations with various people who have found out about this project. As more and more people find out, they want to know more (specifically when they can see the final product). I’m starting to understand a lot about the way
Some of the event venues that keep coming back to mind are local, but eventually I would like to focus on statewide screenings. Places like The Rialto, ComedyWorx and the Brier Creek Country Club are at the top of my list right now. I have already spoken with managers at each of these locations to find out how much it would cost.
I’d like to have a private screening for anyone involved with the film. Sort of a first draft preview so that we can make any edits needed before it goes to the public. I learned the importance of critiques in college, and rely heavily on my family for present-day critiques. To not have that chance in filmmaking (before going public) is a bit frightening, so I want to give these valued players a chance to preview the film first. It also offers a chance to thank them and bring them together, to build camaraderie and trust, to talk about the past, and to look hopefully into the future. I feel like that is the least I can do for those who took the time to sit down with us and talk about their experiences.
Last but not least, I want to use these events as a means to raise funds for the film and the Montagnards themselves. These details have not been fleshed out, as I have to focus on the tasks at hand. But my mind does jump forward to this matter frequently.
Eat an Elephant One Bite at a Time
There is much to do, and very little time. I realized today that July starts next week. We are aiming to have the project completed by September, which means we only have two months left to work on it. There are a handful of other interviews I would like to conduct as well. Time is of the essence, to be sure! But the only way to get something huge completed is to take it one step at a time. Thankfully, there are many people supporting this project. And, that is a reminder to me of the very reason why I adore the film industry as much as I do: collaboration. Everyone has their role to play. And, as cheesy as it sounds, together we can do great things.
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