Chopping Away!

I've been on a "Edward Sissorhand" tear.  Since my last trip to L.A. all I have been doing is cutting away with my doc. Right now I shaved off about 20 minutes or so.  There was fat in my film that needed to be taken out so that my story can flow.  After hearing my peers and soaking in all their thoughts about my doc... made me realize what I needed to do to enhance my story. The feedback has helped me understand a lot about my film... and has open my eyes to see what my my film is really about.  Like I mentioned before, I was the only one looking at my cuts (edits).  It was good to hear what people thought.

Yes, my film revolves around music, but its a lot more about music. Its about a culture, its about a history,  its about having a voice.  The music plays a major role in my film because its a metaphor of people expressing their thoughts and its vehicle to drive and send the message.  For me .... getting on the mic, podium, TV,  or news means (most of the time) you are always trying to say something about a cause, a problem, and in this case is the importance of representing a culture in a positive light... a culture that has been oppress for so long.

At this moment I am getting really emotional about my project because I don't think I have ever done something at this level and never felt so close to an issue or a film.  I have done many films in the past, but their was never a emotional connection to them. Don't get me wrong their are some films that I feel proud about, but I have never experienced something emotional to a film.  I guess I am now understanding what a filmmaker is about and not just someone who makes films.  Their was a term that I always heard in the past. The term was "give your film a heartbeat." I'm understanding it now...  it just doesn't meant to make it come alive.  Its a little more than that.

I'm really digging deep into my film. Editing at this point is become a lot more fun than the earlier process. I am mostly shuffling around scenes and testing what works within the doc.  I really feel like I am coming close to a picture lock.  Once I get to a picture lock .... I am pretty much done with the editing process.

I'm getting there ... being patient and working efficiently.

That's it for now.


Junior Gonzalez
The filmmaker