Deadlines looming

It's hard to believe it'll ever be finished!

I heard Henry Selick say once that you can't start a stop motion project with the sole aim of getting to the end of it and he's right. You have to enjoy the process or else lose your mind!

However there is an undeniable feeling of satisfaction when the animation comes to an end and you know you have those ephemeral, slippery performances locked down on a collection of frames; a mere 3055 individual images in this case.


It's a good time just now, a lot of projects are concluding for me.  These last few takes, for example, have been held up by a naive attempt of mine at directing live action.  Boy, that's hard!  I don't know where people find the patience. So that went up last week freeing up several hours for what I've always affectionately (anachronistically) called the Firebird Production Schedule.  A fabulous work of fiction!

I've set myself the arbitrary deadline of 10th April to complete the film.  I'm not necessarily going to make it any more than all those other deadlines I've set myself in the past, but I have got an inclination towards screening dates, the first of which may be towards the end of April so....

Calling the final slate last night, I felt the same kind of satisfaction as when the fabrication was complete, the sets were ready and the filming could start. Only a year ago, I remember getting very frustrated that, much as I loved building and painting the scenery, sewing (Yes, sewing! Me!) the costumes and styling hair and make up on the puppets, I hadn't fired the shutter once in three months!

Looping ADR is the really fun part!

Now, like then, a new process begins; this time I can start erasing rigs, painting in backgrounds and compositing.  I finally get to loop additional dialogue and foley and compose and record the music. I've said before that I enjoy not knowing for sure that it's going to work.  But you have to be committed to whatever you think it can become so that as you watch it slowly develop you get that warm paternal feeling of nurturing a creation into life.  Frankenstein, eat your heart out!  If - and it inevitably does evolve into a completely different animal to the one you expected, the fact that you have the ability to let that happen makes you feel like a much better person.

...It might give the financiers an ulcer but, really, isn't that going to happen anyway?