Going, Going, GONE!

This week we have come to terms with having to cut out the horror sequence.

This sequence was my favourite at the start of the project. Drag me to Hell had really inspired me with sound. However, due to location and actors scheduling dates it just doesn't seem like we can pull it together to happen within the next week. Any longer than that would just mean we have less time for the edit, colour, Visual Effects and the main area Sound.

I cannot see why we should compensate the sound and effects, and rush! ourselves to make this happen. I would rather say we have failed now and concentrate on getting the other two right.

This sequence never seemed to take off from the word go. We could talk about the visuals, but getting them down on paper, both script and storyboard seemed far too difficult. I honestly don't know why we struggle so much with pre-vis. It should take no longer than a few hours to storyboard sequences of this length, I am not trying to place blame on Mark because I've tried story boarding this scene myself, and failed.

I think the problem we have is, we have lost sight of what we indented to do on this project. The sequences have grown and grown, and have become short films, rather than short sequences. They shouldn't have been anymore than six to nine story board cells. We have become so fixated on the narrative that we have let the projects get the better of us.

The sequences were about action, art direction and sound. Is the location needed to get a action sequence right? It makes it look better, but it only adds strain to the goal. I got so worked up about making a set that the seance sequence has fallen apart. Do I need a set to make good sound? The only location we needed was for the art direction and that is the one sequence we didn't try and find a location for! and have ended up using our last option (our own house!).

I can hold my hands up and say I've completely lost direction on this project. I don't even know what the project is anymore, I'm not 100% sure whether I'm still apart of it, because I ain't done too much recently, except point out what we've done wrong. The only thing this project has done for me is doubt my abilities as a filmmaker. I have no control over this project. I started out as the director and now I am nothing. Hopefully in post I can pick up the editing and colour, which I was indenting to do. But as directing goes I do not feel comfortable with these sequences anymore.

I feel I'd much prefer to be part of the crew on set and observe how somebody else would go about directing. I think I would learn much more from this experience having never seen anybody else in that situation.

The journey I have been on during this project has been long and hard, luckily I still have my hair. With me not sleeping anyway its make it hard to loose sleep over anything. My aim now is to complete the task, but put more effort into the dissertation and major project. Before this week I have barely thought about them. That is not saying I'm not going to try on this project, because that is not my nature. I do my best at everything, and I have no doubt that these two sequences will look better than anything we have done before.

As I am writing this I have asked Graeme if he would like to direct, he said yes. I am really looking forward to seeing his approach to the shoot and compare it with what I would have done. I am also a little scared that he will shout at me on set...