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May 24, 2008
No More Cuts To Black
I showed the first cut to Yen and James and Clay last night; it was the first time I'd watched it all the way through, too, and I was surprised to see that it was a lot more complete than I thought it was going to be. All the things I thought would be problematic weren't. The most exciting thing I realized was that I didn't need any of the cuts to black that I'd inserted regularly throughout the film. I added them a few weeks ago, when I was feeling a bit lost and aimless in the middle portion of the movie. It felt like it was both an epiphany and a compromise; I didn't want them, but they allowed me to keep the delineation straight in my head, to get a grasp on the pace, and I figured audiences would need them for the same reason (a similar half-panic inspired me to put numerical chapter headings in the original cut of The Outlaw Son). As it turns out, they're completely unecessary. Which is a relief. Out they go, and with a few more trims and some preliminary sound work, the rough cut will be in ship shape form.
It's really good. Better than I thought it would be. It makes me trust myself again.
James and I tried to come up with some loglines for the film this evening, and we've pretty much settled on The adventures of a brother and sister trying to survive on their own in the rural Texas. Actually, we're mulling over whether it should be rural Texas or rural South. The former is more accurate, but the latter is more evocative. Thoughts?
Posted by David Lowery at May 24, 2008 11:46 PM
Comments
Man, I wish I could have been there... Oh well, I'll see it soon in NYC!!
You know I like the "nowhere" theme; so, I feel the rural south to be most appropriate.
Posted by: Adam Donaghey at May 25, 2008 8:36 AM
SOUTH, for sure.
Posted by: Clay Liford at May 25, 2008 3:01 PM
when i hear rural south, i think Georgia, Alabama, Florida
Posted by: Lucas McNelly at May 26, 2008 8:03 AM
I agree with Lucas on this. Texas has enough of it's own geographical and cultural significance to make a difference in peoples expectations.
Of course I'm a known Texasphile so I'm biased.
If we use "Texas" we should drop "the" before rural.
Posted by: James M. Johnston at May 26, 2008 11:48 AM
I've got the same hesitation with using the word South - it evokes something that the film doesn't really represent.
Posted by: Ghostboy at May 26, 2008 12:35 PM
how about "... in the rural." A noun, not an adjective. Or, "...rural U.S.A."
Posted by: rural at May 26, 2008 10:06 PM
'The Rural' would be a great title for a movie.
Posted by: Ghostboy at May 27, 2008 1:18 AM
As someone with marginal experience with film publicty, I say go with "Texas"; it's far more specific and evocative. "Rural south" brings to mind DELIVERANCE, which I don't think is what you're going for... "The outer edges of Texas"?
Posted by: wells at May 27, 2008 9:51 AM