Showing The Rough Cut

This can be nerve wracking since the sounds sucks and there are no visual effects (if you had any). Back in the old days, some really picky directors would never show a rough unless there was sound mixed, and picture close to lock. People respond to odd sound issues, or edit points (color correction) despite what they are told to ignore. Can you get the story?

The most famous one was having Alan Ladd Jr. screen "Star Wars" to the suits, to which even without effects they were hit with the fact that they had a real movie. They scrambled to market it. Rest is history.

An interesting preview screening one was with "Gone With The Wind" They took a rough print to some small theater in the valley. To which the audience was told they were going to watch one movie. But then, were announced they were there to preview a movie.

When Margaret Mitchell's name came up, the audience went into a frenzy. Everyone had heard "Gone With The Wind" was in the works, but also all the insanity that went with it. They hit gold in thar' hills.

So I showed my rough to my friend Jared. Who is also coloring the project. He was impressed. Not only impressed, he went to say "everything that shouldn't work...somehow does." This is a glowing review as far as I'm concern. Why? It tells me that through bad edits, bad sound, bad lighting and so forth...it is still a story where people do...do something. Are they compelling, interesting characters? In a short format, it's near impossible to flesh that out. But I think you know enough. And as I watched it through his eyes, I felt every problem or issue or whatever. Jared's one of those dudes who can be brutally honest. Especially to me. Let me rephrase that...perhaps some people just don't feel a filter does anyone any good. So it meant a lot that he saw what we were doing. And even more so that seeing the final potential, I saw a spark of being proud of his work and getting that motivation to make it the best we can. Sometimes it backfires. Sometimes when you show your movie, you lose a lot of motivation. Because you see what you can't save. This is the worst feeling ever. When you just have to throw your hands up and admit defeat. I'll be honest, I was scared shitless. Yeah, it's some private showing, and it's between us, but...the disaster factor is closer than people realize. A movie can implode on some dumb thing. Every moment is such a battle. A look, a phrasing, a false moment. It is that fragile. I guess when you're experience in making movies, you understand what does work and what doesn't. You know Orson Welles did mention that making movies is the best train set a boy could ever have. I kinda' understand that now. The craft is meticulous, and takes time to do right. Sometimes you will derail. But you keep building where you can. Fix the problems and move on. You have a plan, and sometimes those plans aren't fully realized, but you still get the experience.