Yes, you read that aright - Folie à Deux is finished, at long last. We are doing the end credits in about half an hour, and then I'm going to burn a DVD, check that it works and then get it off to a film festival in the US. All that we have to do in January is make masters (on HDCam, probably) and possibly do a few sound tweaks, but, essentially, it's done. And once those things are taken care of, there will hopefully be preview screenings in London for cast, crew and creditors.
We've been discussing whether to do more ADR, or to trim the film, but we've decided that it should stay as it is - none of us can face any more tinkering on the fucker. Sorry, film. It's been far too long in the making, but has turned out better - and different - to the film that I originally intended to make. But that's how the cookie crumbles, usually: you have to make the best of the material you've got, rather than trying to force your material into being someting it frankly isn't and can never be.
There will of course be a long list of things to do in 2012: website, edit a trailer, festival submissions, previews. I've even considered writing a book - how to make a micro-budget feature film, experience far more difficulties than one originally envisaged, but somehow find ways to overcome them and come out the other side, if not smiling, then at least with a finished film that is good enough to show the world.
During the utter nightmare this film has been, I've also considered giving up, but as I've been writing this blog entry, I've just had a text from a producer asking me to pitch him a few ideas. And earlier this morning I had an email relating to what could be my next project, a documentary about the writer David Lindsay. (Another film, another blog...)
Anyway, I'd better work on my pitches for said producer, and then spend the p.m. making DVDs of Folie. When the trailer is up, probably in the New Year, I will blog again. Until then, have a very merry Yuletide and Hogmanay, and see you in 2012:-)
