THE ONE-LEG KICK FARM MONSTER

Ok, let's bring that very long drumroll to a cymbal crash.

With the movie done, lots of non-production and extra-production work is also underway. Testing our dvd copies on a projector was enlightening and frightening in varying parts. Midnight sessions in the sound studios are winding to a close, with the trailer sound edited, and so we've been crunching up on the next big step. Getting it out.

Local premier

Many of you have asked me when the local premier is gonna be. Well, it's equal parts exciting that we're heading out to the festivals but also mildly frustrating that some of these festivals won't entertain you if you've already had your local premier - they want a world premier or nothing. So, because we've all worked too hard on this to risk not getting picked up by any festival for a technical reason like this, we've elected to hold off on the local premier until we get a clearer picture on that front. I am proud of the film, and we're all eager to share in the viewing of it together. Just gotta sit tight on the local dates!

The wild festival circuit

And so, with the film bound for somewhere - anywhere! - we've hunkered down and shortlisted close to thirty film festivals from around the world, the highlights of which would, naturally, be Rotterdam, Toronto and Pusan. Why not Cannes? Well, we're planning to try Cannes, but as we researched film festivals, it became very apparent which festivals were big on nobodies like us and which festivals were big on "only 35mm or 70mm film" kind of people. Cannes, to their credit, are still within trying reach, and they still represent the holiest of grails in this circuit. But for folks like us... Rotterdam, Toronto, Pusan, these are the festivals that make you. As such, we've enlisted another team member in Miss Athalia Lee, who will be keeping track of our festival submissions, all of their respective requirements, researching the fests in detail and overseeing getting the submissions out. First submission is due in July and others will follow for the rest of the next year.

Poster artwork

Elsewhere, Jack and I have been hammering away on our respective Photoshops. I told U-Fu (our sound editor) last night that we've been working on poster art and he asked me who we got to do it. I said we were doing it ourselves, and he laughed, commenting that we've been doing that the whole time. And I realised now that it's true. This film, if nothing else, has been extremely independent, almost to the point of looking fiercely protective. In actual fact, it's really down to it being a budget film. One leg kick. Pau kah liao. Like the mythical egg-laying, wool producing, milk-generating, piglet-birthing farm monster.

And so, as a build up to more good things to follow soon, here's something very simple, which involves going online, downloading a font, applying it to normal text and telling everyone you've busy working on it. Here's a sample of the credits line on the main poster. More on artwork to follow!

THE SLOW BURN OF LATE NIGHTS

That my friends is the icon for iDVD.

That my friends means that we are at the stage where we export gigantic movie projects into gigantic .mov files and then can the thing into an ordinary-looking disc.

That icon, my friends, transports your movie from the studio to the living room.

We are hitting that icon.

Prepare for the cast and crew party.

*CENSORED*?

That dreaded slasher of scenes... decapitator of storylines... the mighty hand carrying the scythe of... nevermind :)

A shadowy informant whispers that RSD is slated to be submitted for the censors over the next month.

The is a change in the air.




Watch out for the rain.

ALWAYS BE CLOSING - 30 APRIL 2008

Hello patient world.

We've finally fixed a date to record the hindi singer and we are now looking at a completion date that's still within the month, albeit right at the end of it.

It's been a roller-coaster April, with the steady progress of sound editing juxtaposed with the melodrama of Justin getting hospitalised and my notebook crashing, but all systems are going again and I sincerely apologise for the delay.

Will keep posting as we all head towards that date.

Not long ago, I saw Glengary Glen Ross again, after many years. In that film, a bunch of down-on-their-luck real estate agents have one mantra drilled into their heads.

ALWAYS
BE
CLOSING

I've been repeating this mantra to myself today when I think about RSD. A Always. B Be. C Closing. Always be closing. 30 April. Keep posted.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

HANDOVER

Apart from the fact that some gear keeps going to sleep on us, preventing a few scores from getting mixed-down, The Red Street Diner is due to meet its sound engineers tonight. It will say hello to Mark Yeoh (the Vernon-type) and U-Fu (the Fergus-type) of Uber Sound, and will return with all the clings and clangs nicely levelled.

On Thursday night, we screened the film for Mr Producer and it was a positive meeting. Especially because at this juncture, the end is very much in sight. For all of us.

Stay tuned.

ps. on a completely inside knowledge basis, today for tea, i had papaya with... "a bit of honey". but alas. no orange.

SCORE!

Scoring this film has quite simply been amazing. I told Fai and Christine last night that this past week, scoring the film with them, has been the happiest I've been with the film since we wrapped the shoot. When they played the LTW theme for me two nights ago, I had a smile from ear to ear. Last night, they played me more scores.

Christine: You're smiling

(Fergus keeps smiling)

Christine: That's good! You're smiling!

Yes, I am dearly indebted to the beautiful art of these two folks. The end is increasingly in sight. And I can't wait to start dumping music into the movie sequence. I can't wait.

I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait!