Crash Bang Wallop

The gargantuan task of editing my very first feature film is nearing its end, albeit a travel documentary and not a dramatic, action-packed, star-studded big-budget thriller, but it's my first feature film nonetheless. However, the computer system I'm using is crashing more times than a demolition derby.

As I get nearer and nearer to the end, Final Cut Pro, the editing software, is the culprit, crashing as many as five times in a day. There's obviously a bug or something seriously wrong somewhere, so it's nerve racking just now trying to get the film output in a format I can save just in case all goes pear-shaped. As I type I've been trying to reach this goal for the last 36 hours and I'm still not there.

Whilst trying to remain calm and patient, my thoughts turn to how long the whole project has taken. From the initial proposal to cross America by bicycle, through to actually doing it, to reaching this near-completion stage of the film, has taken one month short of two years, and for a film with "no budget" has taken a surprising amount of money to achieve, mostly spent on equipment.

Then there's the thoughts of "what next?" After the film has reached it's moment of completion, I suppose there is the next mammoth task of choosing and entering it into film festivals, which will no doubt keep me just as busy, just as stressed out and be just as expensive overall. I've set my sights high but my attitude is I've made this much effort to get this far I have to at least try to achieve the best end result.

I already have an idea for the next film, but that is some way off, maybe in 2013.

But I can already feel  the approaching inevitable "down" after it's all over, so I've been trying to create an event that I can set my sights on to look forward to.

Next March I turn half a century, and I have no idea how to celebrate, if that's the right word.

Until now.

As Pauline and I crossed America, the town that we looked forward to the most, and which lived up to all the expectations, was Fargo in North Dakota. In the four days leading up to my birthday next year, Fargo holds its annual film festival. So I'm going to enter the film into their festival, and if I'm lucky enough to be accepted, I'd like to go to attend. The town and its art-deco theatre feature in the film afterall. Then there's then one day after the festival for me to travel home and join friends on their way out to Italy for a cheapy ski trip.

That sounds like a pretty good 50th to me.

Hopefully there wont be any serious crashes that week.