A Doc and Mystery

Editing a documentary is pretty much what I expected it to be. Josh and I just built a 8 minute preview piece that includes two full stories and little tidbits from the supporting cast. This piece is going to a graphics house first to get some better titles and motion graphics, then it will be going to a possible buyer on Wednesday or Thursday. This 'buyer' is associated with Jerry Weintrab (the producer of the 'Oceans' movies).
Hopes are that he will either buy the doc himself (that would be nice) or he'll take it around Hollywood and get it sold to another studio/distribution company. Worst case scenario is he doesn't do either one of those options but instead says he will conditionally buy/sell it based on what he thinks of the final cut of the feature. This is worst case (but not a bad option, either) because that would force our current group of producers to be even more in a rush to get the doc done.
Josh and I have already agreed to get it done by August 10th. Tapes were done digitizing just 2 weeks ago -- meaning that the entire feature needs to be turned around in just 2 months. This is no small feat -- especially for a documentary where there isn't a script (yet). I'm confident we'll get it done in the alloted time, but a normal doc would be given 3-6 months to assemble and another 2-3 months to finish (including color correction, sound mix, graphics, printing to final format).
Anyways, we'll know more about the destiny of this film in a couple of weeks when Weintrab's guy gets back to our producers. Look for the film on cable TV or theaters between September and the Superbowl (that's my prediction).

On a different note, I spoke with Sonja a couple of nights ago. I'm glad we got to talk. (Sonja and I dated from Summer '02 - Summer '06). Some interesting things came up in the conversation: She asked me about last August when I left for LA -- which forced me to think about it a little bit.
I was soooo ready to get out of Dodge last summer that I left in a reckless manner. I was not running from people or places but from expectations and plans. Up until Turkey, I didn't have any mystery in my life -- everything was more or less expected and thought out. Dan Piippo opened up my mind to mystery and the 'unknown' and suddenly moving to Los Angeles was an adventure I had to take. I wasn't moving b/c I was following my dreams or because I was courageous (although the journey would coincidentally include both my dreams and courage). I was moving out of the expected into mystery (physically and spiritually as it were -- spiritually b/c my view of God changed more to thinking of God as wonderful and mysterious as opposed to "I know God personally and He has a wonderful plan for my life"). When Sonja and others wished me well on my journey (or tried to), I was much more excited about my lack of expectations than anything (would I be well as everyone wished?... I didn't know and that was glorious!).

Sonja and I talked about our feelings for each other as well. Without being gushy, I still like Sonja and would like a chance to date her in a non-long-distance setting. She feels the same way, which is way cool. The only problem: She just completed year 1 (of 3) of graduate school in Chicago. I don't know what's going to happen, obviously, but best case is that she moves out here to finish graduate school or after she's done with school in Chicago. Other-case scenario is she never moves out here and nothing happens with us.

A life of mystery has it's perks.

-Peace Out.