Sure, I’d read many articles and books about shooting too much of “nothing” or not having a coherent story as being common mistakes made by documentary filmmakers. The problem is I simply didn’t see it. I planned my story prior to shooting. I thought it was a good solid story. However I did shoot more content than what would support my story and the reason why I did that was because I really didn’t know what my story was in the first place. What I thought was a good story was too immense. It was like trying to take an entire season or two or three of a reality show and making it into one feature length documentary. A lot of what I shot wouldn’t even support the story of a multi-volume academic release.

This past week I decided I was going to finish this documentary once and for all. I want to get it done and I want to do it well. So I went back over the footage again. As if a light came on in my head, I wrote out an outline that had a much narrower focus and picked out the footage I’d already shot which supported this story. I’m still in the process of doing this. Whatever is missing, I will arrange another shooting event with the twins.

I found what made this story so difficult was that I started to think I had two stories and my brain was unable to see the interconnectedness of two very connected concepts. My mind kept thinking, “well this movie is about twins.” and yet I had all of this footage about their family. Then it occurred to me that no, this film isn’t about twins. It is about two women with an awesome relationship and the film’s goal is to discover what makes their type of relationship possible. It turns out that their twin-ship, i.e. having shared a life and entered all the normal stages of growing up together has helped but the biggest contributor to their happiness and awesome relationship is their family, how they were raised, their family values and the continued efforts of their family to remain a cohesive unit. It became clear that the footage I have about their family supports the story of what makes these two women happy and why they have such a fantastic relationship with each other. It was equally important to point out their effect on their family as they represent a pivotal and vital component of their family’s lives.

Now let’s see if I can carry this all the way through to the final cut. My next hurdle is editing. I have concerns about my ability to edit this in a creative fashion as to resemble that of a professional documentary. I will certainly try. It’s very important that I produce the best film that I can.

Part of the reason is when looking at the film I’ve already shot, so much has changed in the twins lives. They are now both single, living together and the kids are 2 years older. So I felt that was a good reason to shoot more footage. I also noticed they were far more comfortable and expressive during the last interview. I think they would be even more so because they are more familiar with the process.

I also heard the most useful bit of information about documentary film editing I’ve ever heard that can and should be applied to the production phase of the film. Part of my problem is I have a lot of footage that simply doesn’t support a fluid story. I thought I had my story together before filming but I didn’t. I was out Googling for information on the best ways to edit documentary films when I stumbled across a short video clip where a guy talked about how he categorizes his footage like chapters in a book. It was quite a Eureka moment for me. Being that I’m a writer, it instantly made sense. I am telling a story! Yes, it is on video/film but it’s still a story. Organizing a documentary like one would the chapters of a book works and it works well! As soon as that sunk in, I began a documentary “Table of Contents” so to speak. It helped me plan a better story for my film and now I know what I need to shoot to support that story. It also helps me remove all footage that doesn’t support my story.

I also think this new process will help me film more documentaries and complete them quickly with high quality storytelling results. I’m already in the planning stages of my fourth documentary.

I’ve decided to make a list of 15 16 movies I feel have outstanding soundtracks. This means I feel that not only did the soundtrack create the magic the viewer experiences by watching the film but that the soundtracks are just as powerful and entertaining alone.

1. Ray

Fantastic music hands down. I could listen to it every day. I actually had no idea how great Ray Charles’s music was until this film. I was a child of the 80′s and the only time we saw Ray Charles was when he was slamming his hands down on the piano and kicking his legs up from side to side while playing some jingle or what not. Like my new found love for the music of James Brown, I was delighted to hear some of his more soulful music that truly reflected his talents.

2. Wild Orchid

I love most music with trumpet melodies and I was immediately mesmerized by this one. This soundtrack is extremely powerful not only because of the fantastic theme song that featured an outstanding trumpet melody but combined with amazing Brazilian rhythms it was absolutely perfect for the movie. Wild Orchid was such a wonderfully unique story it was only right that the music be equally so.

3. Siesta

Two words. Miles Davis. This soundtrack is just hauntingly beautiful. My favorite song from the soundtrack is Los Feliz. It is “Siesta” summed up into one song. Amazing move. Amazing soundtrack. I’ll be learning how to play this one for sure.

4. 5th Element

This soundtrack has a sexy mix of charged rhythms and delightfully elegant opera. Opera is another favorite of mine and a singing style I happen to be pretty good at. So I have quite a bit of fun singing along with Lucia Di Lammermoor performed by Inva Mula-Tchako. Overall this soundtrack is extremely inspiring if you are a filmmaker and is perfect for sitting around on a rainy day putting together a large puzzle.

5. Alien 3

Ahhh where do I begin? Well the movie was so horrible, it was the first time I wanted to riot after a film. However, the sound track is by far the most amazing thing I’ve heard. I can’t even be specific about why this soundtrack is amazing other than it’s moving and for a creative person such as myself, it really provides fuel for my imagination. I can instantly think of at least ten stories that would fit this soundtrack. I live for that!

6. Collateral

This soundtrack really solidified my love for jazz. More Miles Davis. I love it! Boy did this soundtrack have a sexy & eclectic mix of music.

7. Yesterday

Moving music for a moving film. The guitar pieces in this film were just beautiful.

8. Coffy

This is one of my all time favorite films featuring Pam Grier. The first time I watched this film I knew I had to have the soundtrack. The main theme song is HOT! It made me want to dance and dress badly and throw a house party where everyone else dresses and dances badly too. This soundtrack is packed with gems from the 70′s. I love it! Original Radio Advertisement for “Coffy”

9. Tsotsi

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful soundtrack, just like the movie.

10. Beat Street

The most appropriate thing to say about this soundtrack is “Oooooh Snap!”. This one takes me way back and I love it! It reminds me of all the fun music that came out of the 80′s and a lot of fond memories I have of break dancing and having music be at the forefront of my life.

11. Snatch

There is a lot of different music styles on this soundtrack and it works well. It either makes you want to party or sit around with a cigar and a glass of wine.

12. Monsoon Wedding

This film had AMAZING music. There were different styles; different energies… just wonderful. This really belongs in the top 5. This soundtrack is nothing but the truth in music.

13. Blue Streak

This soundtrack is slammin. I remember going to see the movie when I lived in Idaho (yeah I can’t believe I lived there either) and I couldn’t wait to get the soundtrack. It featured songs from many of my favorite rap & R&B artists and I played it until the CD couldn’t be read anymore. Mmmhmmm sure did.

14. Casualties of War

This is another rainy day soundtrack, however it would not be wise to listen to this when you are not at your emotional best. This soundtrack was simply an absolutely brilliant match with the film and I think without it, it definitely wouldn’t have been such a moving film. Elegy For A Dead Cherry is just simply classic cinematic scoring. It’s absolutely moving. It reminds me of all the great films I’ve seen growing up when filmmaking was still an art.

15. The Signal

One day I stumbled upon this film and was like “Whoa! Where did this gem come from?”. Not only was The Signal a fantastic movie but on some level I found myself watching it more than once just so I could listen to the music. This film has a very skillful mix of music types that really makes the film and soundtrack standout. Heaven’s “Leave” is featured prominently in this movie and although it is a rather simplistic song, it’s absolutely addicting. I believe I listened to that song every day for over a month after watching the move.

16. Hannibal

This was a last minute addition to this list. I can’t believe it wasn’t the first soundtrack I thought of. I LOVE to sing along to Vide Cor Meum on this soundtrack. I was not a fan of the movie. The filmmakers dove into the abyss with this one. However the soundtrack, like that of Alien 3, is just outstanding. I listened to it for a good year on a near daily basis. Again, it was fuel for my creative mind. I can dream up wonderful stories listening to this.

Later, I bought an acoustic guitar and because of my extreme affection for songs by The Cranberries, I was able to overlook the finger (and arm) pain and at least learn one or two of their easier songs. I learned to play “Dreaming My Dreams” and part of “Zombie” (which I later started playing on the red electric guitar). This was many years ago and definitely didn’t last long.

Lets fast-forward 10-12 years to today. My life is different and I’m different. So I thought, “why not really learn to play the guitar?” and I added learning to play to my creative life goals. This change of heart partially stems from the realization that the guitar is a complete instrument, meaning one can compose entire complex songs using only a guitar. On the other hand I’m also a musician. I learned to play instruments starting in elementary school onward and stopped playing about my 2nd or 3rd year of college. I wanted to have that part of my life back. Also, playing by ear has always been easy for me so I can imagine what I’ll be able to play when I master my new instruments of choice.

About six months ago, I impulsively set out one day to buy a guitar and strolled into Drome Sound near my home in Upstate, NY. I strolled around for a while looking at the different types of guitars and I knew I didn’t really want the average cheapo electric guitar one might pick up when first starting to play. My thoughts leaned towards getting an electric acoustic but to be honest what I dislike the most about acoustic guitars is how wide they are. I’m short and I have short arms. I remember it being uncomfortable for my picking arm because of the thick guitar body and my short arms. Just to see if that would still be the case, I tried a few acoustic electric guitars at the store and yep…still uncomfortable. I am aware that I simply could have gone with a smaller acoustic guitar to solve this issue but I guess I wasn’t that committed to using one.

During my quest for the perfect guitar I kept finding myself standing in front of the hollow and semi-hollow body electrics. I’d never liked they way they looked but at that moment, it was as if a choir were singing behind me and I knew I was going to buy one. How could I have not liked the way they looked? They are the smoothest looking guitars in existence. *Smile*

One of the employees sensed I was really digging the hollow and semi-hollow bodies and came over to tell me all about them. You know he was one of those 100 year old cats that eats, sleeps, and breathes music, who claims to have met many a fantastic musician in his day (I’m sure all true). He took some time to play several of the different guitars (hollow, semi-hollow, solid body electrics), playing different music styles so I could hear the differences.

Ultimately my choice was a delicious sounding and looking Epiphone Dot Studio semi-hollow body electric. I love it! It was well within my budget and I can practice on it without needing an amp. I did buy an amp but at night I like to sit and play a little with it unplugged.

Feast your eyeballs on my guitar:

My next quest was to learn how to play the thing. The circumstances were such that I did not arrange for lessons. I had too much going on at the time. However I made attempts to learn on my own as I did before. I was already messing up. I’m pretty good at learning things on my own and surely the guitar will be no different but I had to force myself back to the basics. I tend to naturally want to jump in at a higher level than I should because it’s how I learned to play many different instruments growing up. I had to come to an understanding that this is a different situation and process because once again, a guitar is a complete instrument as is a piano (which I also made this mistake with). Jumping in and playing a more complex musical piece on trumpet was pretty easy but then again, mechanically, so is playing the trumpet. There is simply too much to consider at once when playing the guitar; i.e. fret number, string number, chords patterns, etc..

I’m not saying this makes playing the guitar rocket science, just that I need to start from the very basics just as any one else would. Once I came to that understanding, I put away all the crazy books and videos and started with one book: Guitar Fretboard Workbook: A Complete System for Understanding the Fretboard by Barrett Tagliarino. Not only does this book have an amazing way of teaching the basics, it’s funny as well which makes learning it a lot of fun.

Now I have a sweet sounding guitar that is comfortable to play and a great learning tool from which to learn the basics of playing. I feel confident that I will learn to play the guitar for real this time!

Ok. Ok. Ok. So what’s the plot?

**Spoiler Alert**
An investment banker (Anne Heche) buys a house with an ocean view which she can’t afford so she has to moonlight as a $1500 a night call girl who is forced by a federal agent, who is both weird and a rapist, to setup a guy who launders money (Christopher Walken) who used to be married to an Asian woman (Joan Chen), and even cuts and dyes his hair to look like hers, who helps him launder money at the investment banker/call girl’s bank by going there and pretending she has a shoe company and whose money laundering boyfriend later falls in love with the investment banker/call girl who asks said investment banker/call girl to seduce his ex-wife and the two women fall in love and run away with each other.

Is that not the craziest thing you’ve ever heard? Well close anyway. *Smile* So… why do I dig this movie so much?

Because it’s silly and full of great lines.
“You’re here to do Mr. Huge”
“I’m lucky cause you’re fucky.”
“It’s my feelings you raped”.

It is overall a great low-budget movie. I also like the “guerrilla-ness” of it. In one scene you will notice the shot was too dark and someone flicked on a light in the middle of the shot. The characters are all strange and a bit psychotic as well. But in a “Why would you say a crazy thing like that?” kind of way.

The acting was also incredible. This movie definitely has several “Sizzle” moments where the chemistry between the characters/actors is real-world believable. The most notable moments were: 1. The “visceral is an animal” restaurant scene with Joan Chen & Anne Heche, 2. The ankle bracelet bathroom scene with Joan Chen & Anne Heche, 3. The “Pretend I’m a woman and I have eyelashes” hotel room scene with Anne Heche & Christopher Walken, and 4. The “Life is Extreme” living room scene at the end with Anne Heche & Christopher Walken (my personal favorite).

What I don’t like about it is that 1. we could have definitely done without the racial slur towards Joan Chen’s character made by the federal agent and 2. Anne Heche’s character was raped by the federal agent and on top of that she wasn’t able to report it. When she did they told her she could be arrested for prostitution, etc. I think the film could have been better without this element and I think it was an irresponsible use of violence. I have my own theory about when rape and other violence is appropriate and useful in films. I’ll point it out when I do a review of “Straightheads” with Gillian Anderson. Horrible, horrible movie but I’ll explain why in another post.

I pretty much liked this movie because it had a unique story, a great cast, and looked like someone rolled out of bed in the morning called up their best friend and said “hey, let’s make a movie.” and the friend said “Sure, why not?”.

As it stands when you expose yourself to strangers, particularly on the internet, you are bound to run into wonderful people and those who mean you harm and a little of everything in-between. Now that my blog is getting more readers, I’m starting to get more comments from predators, soul crushers, elitist and experts. These people are more than welcome to their opinions and thoughts but quite frankly, they have little to do with me and mine.

The posts getting the most negative attention are the ones about my container home project. I’ve written the posts as I learn about building container homes and/or recycling, renewable energy, blah blah blah and I am not an expert. However, I’m capable of learning and applying that learning so I’m not going to act as though my knowledge is meaningless and neither should anyone else.

Such is life right? Sure. However I do have something to say about it and I’ll breeze on afterward. I use the web for what it is, a tool. So many use it to attempt to verbally manhandle others in an artificial environment or to “control” the behavior of others. A part of being a powerful person is recognizing when someone is trying to steal your time with negative interactions and being able to avoid being sucked into it.

Having said all this, I will be disabling comments. I simply do not have time to interact with the patients in line for medication before bedtime. If you have something engaging, humble, or honest to say (even if it’s humble criticism) by all means send me an email via my comment form. I have been in contact with many wonderful people who have left sincere comments or have sent me an email. I just refuse to have any more of my precious time on earth wasted by miserable people. I have one life and I value every second of it.

Cheers!