:: anne in the attic ::

Create Your Own Countdown

:: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 ::

Making this film is without a doubt the most fun I've ever had. Now I see the draw-- it's astounding. And addictive. The creative decisions, the focus, the attention, the sound-- the big picture. I suppose the adrenalin rush at the editing bay when you see something click perfectly (or better than you'd hoped) is akin to a drug high, to be sure. I guess, having shot and viewed the footage mostly myself, I didn't expect to be surprised. As I've been saying for a while now, I could do this all the time. If only someone would pay me what I make now, just to keep me in cat food and guitar strings....

I had an interview yesterday that was all of this and more. It's amazing what happens as you gain people's trust through this process of capturing who they are. It's like holding a wild bird gently in your hands while it sleeps. There is enormous responsibility in it, but you want to do and say as little as you can so as not to intrude upon what takes place naturally. You simply want to be there to witness and record it, hoping they'll just forget you're there. And when everything gets going and the real stories begin, there are moments that are nothing less than magical.

Also, to avoid having to cover countless royalties for the film, I've decided to compose some transitional and interlude themes -- instrumentals -- in the studio myself: backing music, non-distracting, to fill it out a bit in places. I came up with one last night I like a lot; it may end up being the central recurring theme unless I pull out a better one later. It required a softer connective sound, so I got out the nylon-stringed Takamine that sits in the shadows much of the time (as the Gibson and the Martin are really the stars of the show most often). Added a sparse, gradually building strings accent with the synth, not too much, and it really gelled, at least for me. What a process to have all in your head like this. There are times when it really does feel like a "psychic sauna" (said Jane's character, the producer from Laurel Canyon), and I need to bounce it off of other eyes and ears. I'm looking into a larger venue for an eventual screening, but that's at least a year down the road.

:: Anne 4:22 AM [smartass remarks] ::
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