Do You Believe In Miracles?

Watch this:

That’s how I feel today.  No, I didn’t deal a crushing blow to the Soviets.  I do, however, have wonderful news.  Nearly two years have passed since we shot Let It Be War, but today, the film is finally finished.

I had a short conversation yesterday with Spencer (audio post) earlier on about the latest round of audio notes, and by 5 PM, the final mix was in my inbox.  At that point, I put the mix into the timeline and watched it through a couple times.  Spencer did a stellar job.

I took my hard drive to Brad Bear, who put in some final tweaks before attaching the credits (here’s hoping I have the correct spelling for everyone).  Brad then set his computer to export several versions of the film, and when I decided to surrender/head for home, there were 10 hours left on the counter.

1:10 PM  The master files for Let It Be War have now been exported, so where do we go from here?  The short-term plan for the future is to screen it for the cast, the crew, and the communities that threw their support behind us.  We’ll be organizing screenings in Ashland, KY, Paintsville, KY, and Athens, OH.  After that, we’ll submit the film to as many festivals as humanly possible and hope that it gets accepted to a few.

Anyway, if you see me dancing in the streets in the next few days, you’ll know why.

In other news, the trailer should be ready by the end of this week, or shortly thereafter.  Many thanks to Trent Pekkala for being proactive and cutting a solid trailer together for us.

I’ll post the info for screenings as soon as we get those dates set.

Thank you all for your patience.  It’s been a long wait, but we’re finally there.

Coming Soon (Not an Exaggeration)

I made a remark to a friend a couple weeks back that accurately describes how I’ve felt about postproduction.  ”Remember that movie we made about coal miners?  Me either.”

Until last week, news of the epic misadventure that has been postproduction for Let It Be War hadn’t changed—no change at all since January of this year.  If you recall, we hit picture-lock on October 1st of 2010.  Halfway through the following December, the color was finished but the audio hadn’t yet gotten underway.  At that point, Brad Bear (VFX) introduced me to an audio company he’d worked with in Atlanta.  A few emails and conversations later, Creative Sound Concepts came on board for audio postproduction.  The budget for the film grew a little bit, but the final mix is going to be solid, and well worth it.

Last Monday, Robert (new composer; see last post) delivered the score.  After a short celebration, I forwarded the music and some missing ADR to the guys in Atlanta, which means that they finally have all the pieces that they need to finish the mix.

I’ve been saying “we’re close” since November of 2010, and today, we’re closer than we’ve ever been.  The movie will be finished soon, and people will finally be able to see it.  Good days are coming.

This Way Out

I swiped this photo from Teresa.  I think it adequately describes the way we’re all feeling lately.  We’re ready to finish Let It Be War and to show it to people.

We lost our composer in mid-February, but luckily, Brad Bear was there to recommend fellow OU alumnus Robert Bowlus to me.  In the short amount of time that Robert’s been on the project, I’ve been very impressed with his work.  After a quick phone conversation and a couple emails, it was clear to me that he had a great fix on what to do with the music and how it would affect the entire film.  It’s also been one of those situations that reaffirms my love for technology.  Skype is a great tool when you’re in Kentucky and your composer is in Los Angeles.  We met this morning and I got to listen to quite a bit of the score.  It sounds great.

Audio is still rolling along, though it won’t be finished until we have a completed score to throw into the mix.

The audio folks sent me a copy of the script a while back, marked up with different notes for sound.  There were a few spots that were deemed necessary for ADR (automated dialogue replacement), and I journeyed into the Columbus area twice in the past couple weeks to get it.  Those actors who were involved delivered solidly again, and now there’s only one line left to get.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to record that before the end of the week.

A Team-Sport (Because It’s Never a Simple Thing)

I realize that I say this far too often, but surprise, surprise, I dropped the ball again with the updates.  In truth, progress has slowed over the past couple of months.  Things are certainly looking up for the project, though, as we’ve been fortunate to have a very productive January.  Here’s where we are:

The color is completely finished, as are the visual effects.  The only remaining pieces are the audio and the score.

David Jeffries and Brad Bear both put forth great efforts in tackling the color and VFX.  We shot a video update with David back in December, in which he discusses the color-work.  You can see that HERE.

I’m not going to tell you specifically what Brad Bear did with the VFX, but I will say that a couple of “simple fixes” turned into hours and then days of meticulous work.  The reason for that, it seems, is that when it comes to something I’m working on, there are no simple fixes.  I’m thankful to have had Brad working on the project because he’s driven and he does exceptional work.  I’m very pleased with the product.  He was able to enhance the practical effects in a way that will be visually stunning for the audience, and that was exactly what we set out to do.

Brad also had a hand in the color.  We revisited several things this past week, which again, took up a good amount of his time.

Audio is underway, and we’re aiming to record the score inside the next week and a half.  That should make for a decent video update, so be sure to check back for that.

I’ve  been incredibly fortunate to have worked with this great group of people.  Make no mistake about it, Let It Be War is the product of an intense group-effort.  Our cast and crew were sharp, solid, and they all brought value to the table.  The finished movie won’t be what I originally envisioned two years ago.  It’ll be better than that, and it’s because of those who contributed to the project, shaped it, and then executed it.  More news should be coming soon.

Today’s Newspaper

If you live in the Ashland area, you may have seen that we were featured on the front page of today’s Independent.  Many, many thanks are due to Mark Maynard, the Managing Editor of The Independent, who has now written two stories about Let It Be War.  The first article, which ran back in February, jump-started our fundraising and sparked several connections that ultimately led to our success.  Today’s article was an update on the state of the project.

You can read the article HERE.

Mark’s book (Mark My Words) is into its second printing.  The book is a collection of his stories and columns that ran in The Independent from 1975-2010, focusing on the impact and history of sports in northeast Kentucky.  You can find out more about the book HERE.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate while working on different projects over the past few years.  Great, wonderful people have thrown their support behind us, and for that, I am very grateful.  I sincerely thank all those who have contributed (and those who still are contributing) to Let It Be War.

Postproduction Update: We’re still pressing along.  The visual effects are looking great, the color correction is nearing completion, and our composer is making great strides in developing the score.  Audio will get underway at the end of next week, so new updates should be coming soon.

PICTURE-LOCK

Wednesday was a day of jubilee.  The Cincinnati Reds had clinched the central division for the 1st time in 15 years, and we reached picture-lock for Let It Be War.  Many thanks to David Jeffries and Dan Young, who spent countless hours cutting this film together.

That morning also marked the 16th day that I had been in Athens.  I’m very grateful for the hospitality of my friends.  Trent Pekkala, Bruce Evans, and Nathan Hurley let me crash with them for the better part of a month while we worked on the movie, which was a life-saver.

There’s an old adage that goes along with filmmaking that says that there are ultimately three movies to every project: 1-the one you write, 2-the one you shoot, which brings in the talents and influences of others (actors, production design, camera, etc.), and 3-the movie you edit.  Something I learned about a week ago is that you can’t force the film you shot to be the story you wrote.  Certain things don’t translate to the audience, and those things need to go.  Many thanks to Eric Williams, David Jeffries, Dan Young, Teresa Strebler, and Trent Pekkala, who all contributed feedback during the process of cutting the movie.  It’s much stronger.

Picture-lock is a critical step in the direction of finishing Let It Be War.  From here, the cut can go off in different directions for the audio, the score composition/recording, the color correction, and the visual effects.  My hope is to have the film completed and ready to screen in November.  Hopefully, we’ll have a few video updates in the near future to show you the things that we’re doing.

We should have a trailer released in a couple weeks or so, as well, so keep an eye out for that.

Jim Rogers

We’ve nearly made it through the entire cast now.  The final role to talk about is that of the Storekeeper of the Wilkins Coal Company Store.  The Storekeeper is a conflicted character.  He understands the plight of the miners because he sees it first-hand, every day.  The problem is that he cannot embrace his sympathies and offer assistance to his friends and neighbors.  If he were to deviate from company guidelines, his position at the store would be in danger, which would then jeopardize the livelihood of his own family.

This is Jim Rogers:

Jim has studied acting, voice and dance and performed in theater, film, television, dance and performance art.  He currently works for Redbox, the DVD rental company, but has a diverse work history which includes a stint as a legal advisor to the former coal town of David, KY, which was beginning a new life after the departure of the coal company.  About this film, Jim says, “I have worked at a variety of jobs, some of which seemed kind of dreary.  But nothing compares to the grueling, even punishing work of the coal miner.  I hope in the film to honor the amazing grit and determination of coal miners and their families.”

Jim came to us from the Ashley Talent Agency in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he was a good fit for the Storekeeper role.  He definitely had a believable look, and I liked the spirit that he brought to the part.

Post Update: We’re making headway, that’s for sure.  David and Dan are putting in some long hours, tweaking things and carrying us toward picture-lock.  This evening, we were able to grab one of the missing pickup shots at the Eclipse Company Town, just outside Athens, Ohio.  The plan for tomorrow is to shoot the final pickup, which completely finish off the shooting of Let It Be War.  We’re getting closer.  Special thanks to Rob Nyerges for shooting these final shots.

Maya Sayre

There are two women that have defined parts in Let It Be War.  A few months back, I talked about Tina Pryor, who played the role of Norm’s wife.   The other female character is Susan, the wife of Jim.  Together, these two characters paint a portrait of Appalachian women in the 1940′s as I understand them.  My perception is mainly based on the impression left by my great-grandmother, Grace, though I’ve known other women from the time and the region.  My great-grandmother, in a word, was tough.  Her mother passed away when she was 12, I believe (1926).  She quit school and stayed home to care for her younger siblings while her father worked at the railroad.  She completely assumed all of her mother’s responsibilities, which is pretty incredible.  I vividly remember watching her cook.  She’d pull things out of the oven with her bare hands and casually walk across the kitchen with them.  I’d ask her if it was painful to do that and she’d just shrug and wave a hand at me,  saying “don’t bother me none.”  I think she had some intense callouses, but that’s the thing about these women that sticks out at me.  In the worst possible times, and I’m talking about the Great Depression, they dug down and dealt with things because they had to.  They were incredibly strong-willed, they worked hard, loved their families, and they protected the ones they loved.

Susan, Jim’s wife, is the cornerstone of the family in Let It Be War.  Jim draws his strength and confidence from her because she is the steady hand that holds them together.  It really was a long time before we found the right woman to take on the role, but in the end, we did.

This is Maya Sayre:

Maya was another great find that came to us from Acting in Columbus.  It was clear from her audition that she was right for the part.  I’m very pleased with how she took on the character, giving us different variations of things to expand our options.

Pinkertons and More

I know I’ve talked about the guys in Paintsville, but I don’t think I’ve ever properly introduced them.

This is Wade Smith:

Wade is pretty much a Renaissance man.  Among other things, he’s an environmental consultant, an actor, and a producer.  His recent credits include Toxic Soup, a documentary which premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival this past year.  Toxic Soup is now making its way through the festival circuit.  Check out the website HERE.

Wade contacted me after the article ran in the Ashland Daily Independent.  He was interested in the project and wanted to help.  When we got to the shooting week, Wade had period signs made for our mining operation, helped secure a location for the WWII scenes, and he suited up as a Pinkerton as well.

Next is Rick Roberts.

Rick was another guy that contacted me after the newspaper article.  He really did great work for us in Van Lear.  A few people have asked me how we were able to wrangle as many period cars as we had.  Rick is the reason.  He nailed down the company store location, found us extras, props, clothes, cars, and he stood in as our mine foreman when we shot in Athens and Beckley.

Shorty Roberts:

Mike Mihm left, Shorty Roberts right.

I’m not sure exactly how we got Shorty (it was either Ronnie, Wade, or Rick).  He came to set for the first night in Van Lear and generously provided the crew with soft drinks and snacks.  The next day, he shaved his goatee, put on the Pinkerton suit, and was with us for the rest of the week.  Without a doubt, Shorty is a character.  He kept us laughing on set and he did great in front of the camera.

We had a third Pinkerton in Van Lear, which was Bob Castle (far left).  Mr. Castle also brought his early 40′s Plymouth to set and drove it through a few shots for us.

Post Update: I’m heading to Athens at the beginning of next week to work toward a new cut.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to reach picture-lock soon and hand the movie over to audio.  Composer Sam Brown has started to develop ideas for the score.  He sent me a sample of that today.  It definitely shows promise.

Jack Carnes

Jack Carnes was another great find from Acting in Columbus.  He played the role of the Union Man, who quietly plugs along in the hope of organizing his fellow miners.

I remember watching the audition tape with Jen and coming across Jack.  We immediately agreed that he was right for the part.  Jack was good sport, too.  Not only did he shave his beard for the production, but he took a couple of good rifle-butt-beatings from our Pinkertons.  He also did some really neat things with the character, I thought.  In short, he delivered.

On the post front: I delivered the files of the missing scene to our editor yesterday evening.  I’m looking forward to the second cut.