May 6, 2010 post update: I have recut and made shorter Island Dog Robber. Now it’s 17 minutes and 24 seconds and has all original songs by local musicians/my friends. Check it out again.
It’s been a long time since I have last checked in. However, rest assured that I have been busy with numerous projects that are going on all at once. One of the things that I have been working on is submitting my short movies into various film festivals. One of them includes the D.C. Shorts Film Festival, which only accepts submissions of movies that are under 20 minutes. Since Island Dog Robber has a run time of around 22 minutes, I had to slice and dice it down to under 20 minutes. After all the downsizing was finished and the dust cleared, I was only mildly surprised to find that the movie was much better paced with the extra 2 minutes cut out. I am slowly learning how to cope with beautiful footage that is simply not needed in the movie. No matter how beautifully lit or well-choreographed the shot, if it doesn’t add to or progress the story, I must leave it on the cutting room floor. However, that is easier said than done. Imagine scaling to the top of Mt. Everest and your brain being so oxygen depleted, you see a truly majestic Tibetan dragon flying around in the valleys of the surrounding lower mountains. Then you return home the next week and you tell no one. Now you know what it’s like to see and not be able to share. Well, okay maybe it’s not as dramatic or painful. Moreover, directors of big budget movies have to do it all the time. For instance, I have read that a multi-million dollar action sequence involving explosions and fast cars didn’t even make it into the final cut of Bad Boys 2.
Enjoy the newly revised Island Dog Robber short movie as it was meant to be watched: streaming in one video clip on vimeo and under 20 minutes. I have noticed that there is a noticeable drop off when I upload a movie into 2-3 parts onto youtube. The first part of the movie may receive 160 views. The second part of the movie will then receive 140 views. Then undoubtedly, the last part of the movie will get something like 100 views. Maybe if I eliminate the need for people to click more buttons than they have to, then people will actually watch my movies all the way through. However, uploading movies onto youtube into 2 or more parts does have its benefits. I can see how many people actually watched my movie all the way through and how many people were bored or disgusted enough to not even bother and watch the ending. Well, maybe i’d rather not know the truth.
