The Tripple F: Fantastic Female Filmmakers

I spent all of last fall working on a short documentary about early women filmmakers.  It was fascinating learning about their contributions and watching as many of their films as I could get my hands on.  I spent most of my time just discovering who they were.  There are a handful who are well known, like Guy-Blache and Weber, but when you start trying to associate women with the various film movements around the world it becomes more complicated.  Ever heard of Nell Shipman?  She was a Canadian lured to Hollywood during its infancy.  Shipman eventually left Hollywood and continued to make films in Idaho.  Very cool Lady!

The project itself consumed my time and nearly all of my energy.  I received my grade promptly, but my professor did not give me any comments.  Her reasoning was that she waned to go over it in detail with me.  I am immensely grateful for her time and effort.  We found 2 flaws yesterday and I verified tonight that they were in the script.  However, it took the careful ears of two people at the same time to catch it.  AND we had to rewind it twice to be certain.

My professor has told anyone who asks, and those that haven't, how pleased she is with the documentary.  Even after catching the flaws, she was very careful to remind me how good she thinks the documentary is.  I knew it had flaws, but I am proud of what I accomplished with this piece.  The information is solid, the writing is better, and I am going to turn it into a feature.  That being said, I continue to blush whenever she mentions it around me.

On Thursday my documentary class was shown two clips from the documentary.  They didn't say much about it, but it was shown at the end of the class and most everyone wanted to get away to lunch.  I had hoped to get some feedback from them in order to improve it.  I showed it to my family and they didn't have much to say and in general found it to be too fast and inaccessible.  Looks like I have a long road ahead to take this from a short to a feature.

Fortunately, I have a great group of supporters.  From my professor who is critically examining it, to my friends, to my mother they have all expressed their belief in the project.  With their support and critiques I believe this project will find its way to a festival near you.  Good luck in your own endeavors!

Final Semester Begins

Today class is back in session for the Spring semester.  My final semester at CSU is full, I'm taking 16 credits, and am excited to be heading into the home stretch.  I am more concerned about finding work in 5months than about graduating.  I spent much of today chatting with classmates and discussing our mutual concerns for the future.  My friend Bob has been busy networking and is working outside the classroom and is finally breaking even on his equipment.  He is a passionate cameraman and views the entire world through the lens.  I will be taking his suggestions to heart. 

The wonderful thing about editing in today's connected world is that I can work almost anywhere with the right tools in place.  I have been networking over the last two years but not on the same level as Bob.  However, he plans on staying in the Cleveland area while I plan to relocate.  (The better to give my husband a shot at his dream: video game design.)  I have the physical tools, now I must add the virtual tools: a place to upload and download, a virtual presence so clients can find me, and advertising my skills.


In the meantime, I am applying to internships and jobs all over the country, focusing on the west coast.  I am looking at the online reels of professional editors to determine the types of clips I should include in my own reel.  Time is also crucial because it can't be too short nor too long.  The process is still nerve wracking as I way the pros and cons of the "right" wording or the "right" design.  Wish me luck and success.