Rough Cut; or the Joys and Sorrows of Finally Looking at What You’ve Done

Well, that’s that isn’t it? I just finished the first cut of MirroLantern, and after doing some test screenings with my close confidants (my mother, father, Patrick, and Anastasia) I’m feeling wonderful. Getting a rough cut finished feels like a weight leaving my shoulders; no matter how rough the film is in it’s current iteration, I know at least that it works. Not that it works on a fundamental emotional level (yet!) but that in theory, these clips can be sequenced in such a way that the film makes sense. Having chipped away at all the excess, I feel like a sculptor slowly removing bits of stone until the final form is revealed. What I see in my timeline now isn’t pretty, and in some cases downright bad, but therein lies the paradox of a rough cut. On one hand, euphoria at having something to look at, on the other, horror at what it is you’ve done. This is the juncture at which I acknowledge what parts need work, what parts need a lot of work, and what parts need to be completely overhauled. Is this rough cut close to the final form of MirroLantern? Not even close. In a way, this rough cut has been the easy part. All the decisions so far have been large scale, choosing what takes to use and what order to put them in. But now, the hard work of diving into the minutiae begins.

That perhaps explains why I feel I am at a bit of an impasse. Where should I even begin to start working? Scene 3 has been on fire ever since I first cut it together. It’s an exterior scene where the light changes drastically between takes, so I was locked into certain editing decisions based not on performance, but on continuity. Ah, the joys of indie filmmaking! Scene 7 is one of the most pivotal in the film, but currently falls flat. I can see pieces of it’s beauty, but like a prized painting after some protestors have thrown paint on it, much work needs to be done to remove all the shit covering it.

But even the prospect of fixing these things doesn’t affect my otherwise excellent mood. It’s rare that I get to look at something this early on and like it. Sure it’s not perfect, far from it, but the images our DP Alex McClaran has crafted here are stunning. The film feels more like portraiture, character’s faces painted in soft oranges against stark backgrounds. I always marvel at Alex’s work, it’s why we’ve made so many films together. His shots are always impeccably composed, always have the perfect bit of movement, and while they are perfect they manage to stay grounded. A little camera shake, a slight breath of focus, these things make the images feel human, real.

But enough praising Alex, I do that enough as it is. I’m going to go take a walk and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

xoxo