Giving thanks
If you ever have the crazy notion to make a feature-length documentary film, I recommend NOT doing the following things:
- Choosing a topic that requires a lot of archival footage unless you already have a trove of that footage at the ready
- Having a demanding day job while making the film
- Learning certain technical aspects of filmmaking as you go
- Underestimating just how much an entertainment lawyer charges per hour*
- *Related, opting not to just go to law school instead
- Forgetting to capture enough B-roll of your subjects and their surroundings
- Having a surgery in the post-production stage of the film that makes it difficult to sit for extended periods of time
But, seriously, I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn all these lessons (and more) along the way as production on Parkway of Broken Dreams (hopefully) nears its end and post-production begins in earnest. It’s been a slow but steady churn since we embarked on this project more than a year and a half ago, but we get closer to a finished film every day (or every other day).
Every time I think we’re almost there, another footage need is identified. Every time a scene feels close to finished, a way to make it more compelling or concise reveals itself. Every time I watch a new documentary, a different approach to editing or visual presentation inspires experimentation.
That’s all to say: Documentary filmmaking is a marathon, not a sprint, and I appreciate the patience of those who have supported this film’s creation so far and those who have shown an interest in its completion. So, in the spirit of this week’s Thanksgiving Day holiday (the showing gratitude part, not the screwing over indigenous peoples part), I thought I’d take a moment to list out some (but not nearly all) of the things for which your humble director is thankful related to this project:
- Firstly, for all the people who supported our Seed&Spark campaign, financially or otherwise. Literally, without you, we wouldn’t be where we’re at with the film today. I still cannot thank you all enough. But I will continue to try.
- For everyone who has agreed to let me barge into their homes, set up all sorts of lighting and camera equipment, and generally disrupt their day, all to record an hour’s worth of interview footage. Especially the people who donated their homes for me to record multiple interviews back-to-back.
- For those who have let us use their professional space thus far or in the future for both filming and for screenings.
- For the ability to travel all around the United States in order to capture interviews and gather materials from folks in as disparate locales as Seattle, Washington, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Middle of Nowhere, New Jersey.
- For the side benefit of reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances while getting to know people who somehow never crossed paths years ago.
- For knowing people who have been so generous with the donation and usage of their home movies, photos and other visual ephemera.
- For having a life partner who understands and supports my passions, and who has kept me focused on this project even when I get distracted by shiny new things.
I know this has been a more personal than usual update, but hey, this entire film is a somewhat personal project. So thank you all again for sticking it out as we ride out this marathon, and we hope you’ll be there with us at the finish line. Have a great Turkey Day!