Being in post production is much like hibernation. As evidenced in my recent work with the team on "January," I spent a majority of my time huddled up inside constantly slaving away at literally each frame of the film. Never before have my skills and knowledge of filmmaking been put more to the test. If plotted on an XY axis, the amount of new knowledge gained would be grotesquely exponential, but of course, this is the farthest thing from a complaint and is instead the closest thing to a blessing. The amount of detail put into this short film is unparalleled in my body of work and at some point, I believe I have scoured over every individual frame.
Or at least it feels like it.
As the finishing touches of January are finished and the bags under my eyes slowly start to disappear, the total effect of this film starts to come into view. Much like you can't see the forest through the trees, you can't see the progress you've made until you look at the original bin of footage you started with.
If anyone gets excited at the thought of editing all of this, they're either 1) mentally insane or 2) going to fit in well in the film industry.
To think that in just a few short (or long, depending on the perspective) weeks' time this film has progressed as far as it has surpasses my comprehension. From shooting in sub-freezing temperatures to editing until 6am, this film has wrestled every bit of patience and sanity out of me. In return however, my work with some extremely talented individuals has taught me more about film than I could ever gain on my own. The importance of collaboration, group dynamics, communication and especially patience has made me a better and more well-rounded person; traits that transcend the film industry and into ordinary life ("ordinary" is a relative term here if my life pans out in any way close to how I plan it).
Spending long nights and giving up typical college socializing to work on a film is trying at times, but the payoff in the end is immeasurable. The final look of these scenes is enough to drive me towards always perfecting what I can do and becoming the best at whatever it is I choose for myself. Now, my general rule of thumb for a future in film is that its not a job, its a lifestyle and given the last two months, this couldn't be any more true. I found myself going beyond my comfort zone when I climbed onto an overpass to grab what we thought was the critical shot.
The large rip in my jeans and the tiny little cut from the rusty fence was justified by a cool photo.
In the end, the pains seem trivial and the efforts marginalized once you get back to the editing bay and pull up the images.
This was taken in passing in the front seat of a car with my phone. Edited with Photoshop Express.
"January" is a result of many weeks of hard work from an extremely talented team of people. Reflecting on my own contributions, they seem incredibly small compared to the rest of the time the team has committed. I am extremely happy with the results of the film, and hopefully you will be too. Look for a link the coming weeks.
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