June? Already? Unlike my nephews, for whom the past couple of weeks dragged
as school wound down, my past few weeks have been nothing short of a blur.
Here’s why.
1. The Bunker
Back in full-on post-prod mode, we’ve been stripping out the old score and
music, and working on the new. Robert Feigenblatt, my new composer, has been
turning in just stunning work, fully-orchestral, moody, creepy, jarring…in
short, everything you want in a film score. It’s really tight stuff, it
sounds top-notch, and perhaps the best part, is that it *feels* pro. I
oughta be able to explain it better, bein’ a word-slinger and all, but that’s
the only way to describe it. You listen to Robert’s music, and it feels like
something you just picked up at a record store (okay, suspend disbelief and
imagine record/CD stores still exist), from John Barry or Jerry Goldsmith or
even Danny Elfman. And no, not to take a shot at Elfman, because I like a
lot of his stuff and was a big Oingo Boingo fan, but this doesn’t have that
sameness of an Elfman score. True, it’s cohesive. Like a Barry score (think,
Dances With Wolves), you can tell it’s the same man behind every piece of
music. But Robert’s really stretching his wings with this project, and while
I’ll always regret that Gary and I couldn’t eke out enough time to work
together to finish The Bunker before his death, I can’t deny that when that
door closed and this one opened, it offered an opportunity to add an
entirely different piece of filmcraft to the movie.
2. Reshoots
I’ve been working on a few insert shots, very simple setups that I think’ll
add greatly to the finished film. The more I return to the movie and grind
down the rough edges, the more ways I discover to make things that once
seemed unworkable, workable. Of course, that’s time consuming as hell, but
hey, if it means getting a finished version to one of the distributors
already interested in The Bunker (based on the old cut) by summer’s
end/early fall? Ain’t like I punch a clock at a day job…
3. Music that isn’t score
This is where it’s been the most tedious. Tracking down who has the rights
to what song, which record label currently has a contract with the band in
question, getting people to call you back about an indie film from a company
very few have heard of… Frankly, this part sucks, and takes up its share
of standard business hours. But, it’s a necessary evil, and I really want to
grab a few of these songs if I can, particularly because I genuinely like
the bands. I’ve met the lead singers and some of the band members before,
and they’re all good guys. They may not be signed to SONY or Time Warner or
whoever is the big fish in the recording industry pond these days, but if I
can get one more person to check out their tunes after seeing The Bunker?
Heck yeah, that’ll be worth it. And the time I’m spending now navigating
seas of red tape? Yes, worth the investment.
4. Other stuff
Sure, I’m still turning in fiction assignments, doing freelance editing for
a tech blog, working on Sight Unseen Insider, and planning some other
shoots. One, in particular, will be a fun one for the techies out there,
especially those of you who follow my wife’s columns in mags like Practical
eCommerce. We’re already in pre-prod on that one, so check back regularly to
see how it’s comin’ along.
5. The documentary
For the most part, the documentary we produced chronicling the making of The
Bunker has been sitting in the can for well over a year. But, there’s some
things that have changed since we wrapped shooting on the feature, some dead
weight tossed over the side, and some new people who I’ve brought on board,
so I think the documentary should reflect that, and spotlight some of the
newcomers who are driving hard to help me finish the film. So, we’re gonna
trim a little here, add a little there, and then sub it to a few
docu-friendly film festivals.
So, with the long weekend both offering a chance to get some things done and
slowing down the rest of the world at large, today’s been a day of catch-up.
Probably more catching up to come throughout the week, but my latest fiction
assignment has been turned in, next one’s not due for a couple of weeks, so
things feel-for the moment at least-under control.
Pretty soon, we’ll be uploading some new clips to our YouTube channel, but
for a hint of what the documentary’s going to be like, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrrKjzNepzc
(There’s no nudity, but I’m a foul-mouthed SoB, so you probably want to keep
the speakers down if you’re at work.)
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Hook up with me (well, not in the biblical sense…) on Facebook, where none
of my stuff violates anybody else’s copyright:
http://www.facebook.com/joemonks
and, on Twitter, where I occasionally manage to entertain in 140 characters
or less:
http://www.twitter.com/JosephMonks
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Currently listening to: Funeral Night by Bella Morte
