Today LA, tomorrow Dusseldorf ~

Posted on by

Tomorrow Jennifer and I fly out of Los Angeles to Dusseldorf in Germany, after a whirlwind three weeks working in North America.

We started in New York, then went to Dallas, then to Santa Cruz south of San Francisco, then north to Sausalito, then further north to Mount Shasta, then south again to Los Angeles, which is where we’ve been since Sunday.

The trip has been successful so far, in that I’ve shot some terrific stuff – interviews and overlay material for the film – and I’ve had some very useful conversations with some key people regarding marketing and distribution.

Last night I spent nearly 5 hours shooting a sequence which comes early in the film, and which prompted the whole thing: a sequence where I’m driving to the airport before dawn and I hear a voice telling me to slow down. I do slow down, then narrowly miss getting smashed to death by a truck that runs a red light on the cross street.

So we recreated that whole sequence last night, with full police lockdown in an intersection in downtown LA. We had permits, insurance, the whole deal. As you do. Oh, and a marauding truck. It was a long night, but I got the shots I needed to make a nice little sequence.

Also on this trip we’ve been receiving feedback on the current 88 minute Work in Progress cut of the film. I wanted to get a North American perspective, because Americans look at films differently to the way Australians look at them. Even simple things such as comprehension of language and clarity of storytelling. It was a very useful exercise, and I gained some important insights which I’ll take back into editing when we recommence in mid January. We see North America as being the major market for this film.

Tomorrow is Dusseldorf, and then a week of scouting before we start the Romantic Road Tour in Bavaria, Germany. I’m really looking forward to that. Also we’ll be doing some filming for the intuition film in Germany too.

So it’s been a busy time, and it will remain so until Christmas. But I’m excited about the film, the reaction here to it, and what I can do to make it even better….

img_0260

10 thoughts on “Today LA, tomorrow Dusseldorf ~”

  1. The film is going to be very successful. Getting excited for the opening or premiere!
    Have a safe flight and post lots of pictures!

    Hugs to you and Jennifer
    Lynda and Dale

    Like

      • Mt Shasta is a very special place. We were happy to drive down (except for the one snowy pass). It was wonderful to see you and Jen again and to meet Michael and his wife Raphaelle. Wish we were joining you in Germany. Christmas time, the snow, the mountains, the castles, the Christmas markets! You are all sure to have a splendid time.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Wow–that is a whirlwind! You always amaze me! Hope you had a chance to have enjoy our American Thanksgiving. We had the family together in the mountains up in Mammoth,Ca.. (and we even had snow)
    Safe travels in Germany it sounds magical.

    Like

  5. So we recreated that whole sequence last night, with full police lockdown in an intersection in downtown LA. We had permits, insurance, the whole deal. As you do. Oh, and a marauding truck. It was a long night, but I got the shots I needed to make a nice little sequence.

    Wow !!! That must have been a bizarre experience …

    Like

    • Hi Julian – when I work I disassociate from the past. I concentrate totally on my shot-list, what I have to get done, the time frame and keeping to schedule, and the necessary interactions with crew etc. Also safety issues, always crucial when you are filming on “live” streets with trucks traveling at speed through red lights etc in amongst regular traffic, even though the cops do lock-downs. But yes, it was bizarre!

      Like

Comments are closed.