Reflections and Reactions

Well it has been about a month since I put Inside Jaws online, reaching out and clicking the “submit” button with my eyes closed, hoping that fans, casual viewers, reviewers, colleagues and friends would enjoy it.  Only a matter of days later I was blown away by the response. Colleagues patting me on the back. One even saying “you almost look like you know what you’re doing”. A hell of a compliment. A “Staff Pick” on Vimeo.com and plenty of movie news outlets making encouraging noises.

For me, the greatest compliment came from an educator in the U.S, saying that he uses my films in his teaching, describing them as “invaluable educational tools…His filmumentaries help show how good, practiced authors weave original sources, research, and voices into a magnificent peace of rhetoric“. This means more to me than the recognition from The New York Times and Vulture somehow. It’s great to feel that I’ve contributed something worthy of helping people to learn. Particularly when this is really just a little hobby of mine.

So, what next? That is the question I’ve been asked numerous times recently. Well, this marks the first time since 2006 that I haven’t been working on a filmumentary.  My fiancé may see it differently, looking at me with suspicious eyes as I watch all the Ghostbusters DVD and Blu ray extras. As I read the excellent Don Shay book “The Making of Ghostbusters” and make annotations and notes.  I’m sticking to my guns though. I haven’t done my usual first step of placing a feature film on an FCP timeline. I am just tentatively checking out my options.  Yesterday I watched the excellent “In the Actor’s Studio, With Michael J. Fox” for instance.  Today I might watch the BTTF Blu ray extras.  If I have time between wedding planning and work that is!

When I do decide, you’ll be the first to know. Though I am still hoping that my email to Universal, saying that I want to do an official filmumentary on BTTF will get a reply soon.

In other good news I have a big interview coming out in the print edition of the New York Times this coming sunday (21st July). I must try to track down a copy in the UK.  There is also talk of the Inside Jaws posters being included in a couple of exhibitions in Germany and the U.S. But most of all and perhaps most encouraging, people seem to be more able to say “filmumentary” without getting tongue tied.