Sometimes when I consider the viability of a future career, I ask myself whether or not I could do it all day, every day. For years. And there really is no way to answer that question. Unless I DO do it all day, for multiple days in a row. That's how the past two days have been for me.
Yesterday I spent a long time researching, brainstorming, editing, and acquiring resources for a video project. Almost nine hours. Nine hours in front of two computers, on my feet for at least half of it. Just going, going, going. And I enjoyed myself. I did not get sidetracked by facebook or comics or YouTube. Any breaks I had were short and infrequent. I clocked almost nine hours of well-spent time. Then after dinner, I jumped into preparing for the second of two video projects for this past afternoon. I compiled a packing list, made phone calls, secured permission to borrow things, assembled props, costumes, and various BTS resources, and constructed a very ad hoc piece of equipment to help capture a tricky shot. Feeling I had things well in hand, I lay me down to sleep.
More after the jump.
Despite an excitement-induced insomnia, I felt energized and refreshed this morning. I finalized my immediate preparations, added some additional items to my large cardboard box of the stuff listed above, and jotted down a shot list--incomplete over all, but complete in the knowledge I had at the time. Then it was time for my sister Naomi and I to load up, grab some coffee, and be on our merry way. After a brief stop for some borrowed equipment and a rather not too brief detour that turned into another detour, we reached the backup shooting location-my friend's farm out in the boonies. (The road they live on doesn't even have a street sign! Impossible to find, except for those who know where to look...unless they have a magic compass formerly in the possession of a fictitious yet amusing pirate)
The afternoon began with costuming and prop construction. Well...more like, prop dress up. Bedecking ordinary props with a some unsubtle flair to make them seem less like what they are and more like what you want them to appear to be...*sigh*...I took a gun, added some wires, tape, and a glowing, round light to make it look like a near-future ray gun. (Sometimes the more direct approach is more beneficial than that which comes naturally?)
We were going to attempt two videos in one afternoon. We had roughly four hours. upon trying to obtain permission, we were disappointed to learn that we could not use an isolated service station as a filming location, and were warned about using our weapon-resembling props within the village limits. The police chief attempted to scare us by telling us how some boys had been made to do community service for causing alarm among the populace. His ploy succeeded. We retreated to my friend's farm.
A whirlwind of innovative (hopefully) and improvised (very much so) filming later, we had one video in the can, but not enough time for the second-the one I had been planning so hard for. So we postponed it one more week. We had waited four months. What was one week more?
We hopped back in our colossal van, navigated our way through precarious country roads (It's hard to not sweat having to worry about horses and buggies hiding just beyond the next rise when the speed limit tops 55), returned the borrowed eq, picked up my other younger sister, grabbed some Chik-fil-a for dinner, and returned to our dwelling to watch Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, one of my favorites.
And now I am reflecting on two solid days of activity that encompassed a large percentage of the activities in the life of an indie filmmaker. I can't recall once wishing I was doing something else. Not one moment of boredom. Not even frustration at the further delay in my project, but excitement at the prospect of doing it right next week. I think there is a message in all of this.
All glory to God.
~Tommy
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