Do

I rushed back from some recces on Sunday to meet Jonnie and do some admin for Elephant Features. Our financial situation is potentially a little better but I still see it being quite tough in a couple of months time. We need some more investment soon that’s for sure!

On Monday we completed mixing reel six and thus the whole film but agreed to do another day on Wednesday to review everything. As if by magic, a potential Investor dropped by in the afternoon to see a bit of the film. He promised to give us an answer in “two days time”. If he invests the amount we talked about then our financial woes will be much ameliorated.

On Tuesday I went with Jonnie to Milton Keynes. We were doing some research for our next collaboration and MK is where it is partly set. A call to Rebecca at Midnight Transfer on the way back again yielded no discernable forward movement. I couldn’t get through to Richard Fish. At poker that night I won. That’s twice in a row now.

On Wednesday the sound mix was completed. It took all day as we really went over it with a fine tooth comb. JD has been so relentless over the past week or so, picking up tiny little things that Nic, Axle and I missed. I started affectionately calling him “Marciano” in tribute to his uncompromising attitude. It was a real bonus that he was able to be at the mix. It was sad saying good bye to Axle at the end. We’ve been at it for 6 months really, perfecting the sound. I gave her a hug. I also kissed Nic’s hand in appreciation of his brilliantly intuitive use of the fader.

Between reels I tried to call Richard Fish again but couldn’t get through. He had still not returned my call from last Friday yet. I did learn, though, that he had been on holiday last week and that was why he didn’t like being called on his mobile by the receptionist.

On Thursday morning I was horrified to get an e-mail from Richard Fish saying that now John Claude, our grader, will be busy for the next four weeks. That would take us into the 8th month of grading on this film. I immediately called Rebecca. She knew absolutely nothing about this development and I had to forward the e-mail to her. She said “Maybe Richard doesn’t realise how little time you need”. This was only slightly comforting.

The next day I e-mailed Richard Fish asking for a meeting. He agreed to one next Wednesday morning. Later I learnt that our potential investor is investing a fraction of what we thought he was investing. Very disappointing but at least it’s something. So now we are 99% done with the sound. Only a couple of mechanical processes remain which can be done when the picture has caught up.

We are still in the same situation as last week with the picture. The problem I have now is, as per usual, I will be going away on holiday at Christmas. If I can finish the grade I can leave the de-spotting to Neil Harris to supervise. The question is can I finish the grade in the next few weeks? If Richard Fish’s appraisal is right then it looks unlikely. In any event, I think there needs to be a bit more of a desire at Midnight Transfer to get this finished. Hopefully my meeting with Richard Fish next week will help with this.

I spent last weekend getting ahead re-formatting a script and working on the accounts and paperwork for Amaranth so that things are all in order before I go away. I’ve been working on the accounts all week also but they are still not finished yet.

On Monday some Investment starting arriving into our bank account in dribs and drabs. Jonnie now has focused on this need for finance and is starting to do what I have been doing for the last 6 months i.e. begging people for more money! Not that we are over budget in post production. We are not. Unlike the shoot, we will probably come in under our meagre budget. The truth is we are still paying back some costs incurred during the shoot.

On Tuesday I resisted the temptation to call Rebecca at Midnight Transfer. I have been in a groove the last couple of weeks calling Rebecca nearly every day in the hope of some progress. Now I have realised that it needs some change of will above Rebecca to get things rolling again. She has been doing a great job but is not really able to affect a sea change on her own - thus the meeting on Wednesday with Richard Fish.

I did get a call from Grace that day, though. She was just back from New York. I was extremely jealous that she had been in the USA when Obama was elected. She’d even been in Times Square when the result came through. Lucky her!

On Wednesday the big meeting loomed. I half expected it to be cancelled but thankfully it wasn’t. The atmosphere in the meeting was warm and honest. For starters, I would say, there was a discernable chance in attitude and a palpable will to complete the grading on the film and end the 6 and a half months of pain we have been experiencing.

Initially Richard confided in me that the problems we have experienced had been down to miscommunication caused by the change in management. Of course that is not our fault. Also he said that he didn’t actually know until recently the extent of the commitment made to the project or the actual nature of the deal because he didn’t have all of it on paper. He also said that Deluxe Digital are not “faceless” referring to my blog.

My reply was “Now I can see your face, so now you are quite correct!!!”

It was indeed only the second time I had met or even talked to him.

Anyway, now, for sure, he does know what needs to be done and in what timescale. Also he has the contract that I revised and sent to him before.

On a practical level, I learnt that there is still some scanning to do and that after that there is another conform to do and after that the conform needs to be checked again and then finally we can start grading which should take one to two days. He said that Rebecca would come back to me to confirm but that the scanning and conform could probably happen the end of next week and that the grading maybe the week after.

In the meeting I explained to Richard about the history of the arrangement and why the endless delays were hurting us so badly. I think he understood that we have not been treated quite fairly and that he was sympathetic. He promised he would sort things out. We shook hands on the stairwell and looked into each others eyes. I hope this is the new beginning that we need so much.

On Thursday I didn’t call Rebecca but waited patiently for things to happen. That evening I was out in Soho. While on the phone on Berwick street, I bumped into Greg from Midnight Transfer. He said similar things to what Richard had said but also that it looked like we would be able to recommence grading on the 1st of December. I was overjoyed at this news. He also said that the MD of Deluxe Digital, Mark Allen, had now got involved. I do not know Mark, having never met him, but if he is as reliable as Ian Robinson or Terry Lansbury then our problems should be at an end!

Anyway, now I am willing to believe in Midnight Transfer again! I want to believe in Midnight Transfer again!!

Finally at the weekend I finished all the accounts and paperwork I needed to do. I also managed to clear my desk down to a reasonable level of things outstanding. It’s the first time I have been on top of things since before I started the documentary. It felt good.

In addition to business things, I am also trying to finish the three books I am currently reading before I go away. Soon I will just have one work by Rousseau left to read. I have decided to put before it Richardson’s “Pamela” and “Clarissa” as they are an influence upon Rousseau’s “Julie”. So my Christmas reading will be something quite different from last year but will be enormous in another way – “Clarissa” is 1,200 pages long!

On Monday I resisted the burning desire to call Rebecca at Midnight Transfer. At the back of my mind for the past few months has been the growing desire to go to Midnight Transfer, camp in the lobby and throw myself at the feet of anyone who walked by and beg them for assistance. My fantasy scene would culminate with me slowly hanging myself from a lamppost outside demonstrating how desperate I have been! Now, I am sure, these theatrics will not be necessary!!!

Due to my internet being down due to BT, I finally relented and called Rebecca on Tuesday to check if the portents from Richard and Greg last week are really true. I learnt that indeed they are! Apparently on the previous night some more scanning had taken place and that the tomorrow there would be another conform. This conform will continue on Friday. She also conformed that Monday and Tuesday (1st and 2nd) are indeed scheduled for us to finish the grade but that I should double check on Friday.

I then got stuck into trying to raise some more money for the film. A couple of weeks ago, at poker, Yoram asked “What are you working on now?” I looked at him blankly. As the Executive Producer I expected him to know that I was still working on DEP full time and that we needed some more investment.

On Wednesday I got an upsetting e-mail from one of our Creditors, whom I shall call Company X for legal reasons. It was about the money we owe them. That night I could barely sleep, thinking about the film and what the delays have done to it and my reputation. When we finish and deliver the film we should receive enough money to pay off all the outstanding debts. In the mean time, over the past 6 months, I have been keeping things afloat by raising money bit by bit. Now Jonnie has also got the bit between his teeth on this issue. I am glad as he will be at the helm while I am away for Christmas.

We have been prioritising paying off the longer outstanding debts. In the scheme of things the Universal Sound invoice is relatively recent. The problem is I PROMISED it would be paid in September having no idea how long things would go on for. This makes me feel bad. Maybe I shouldn’t have made that promise but I honestly didn’t know I would be unable to keep it. I thought that things would have turned around by then.

The next day I tried to call Creditor X but couldn’t get through to him. I also learnt that day of another small trickle in of investment which was encouraging. I got my e-mail up and running again also, so I saw confirmation from Rebecca for scheduled in grading on Monday and Tuesday next week.

After another restless night, on Friday I tried to get through to Creditor X again but still I couldn’t get hold of him. I got through to Rebecca at Midnight Transfer though and she told me some more scanning was now known to be necessary and that it would take place Sunday night. Everything sounds good and encouraging. I can hardly wait for the grade to start! I just hope that all the prep that needs to be done will be done in time to allow us a clean playing field to finish the film.

Today I am going away to play some poker again.

T

ELEPHAN

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