I'm excited about editing today - last night I was making changes in the film's timeline - currently I am working on the section of For Thousands of Miles that deals with Larry's trip in a more linear fashion. FToM doesn't start that way at all, and I was using a different (more structured) approach earlier on - but that approach carried over into other areas of the story.

And I realized last night that those solutions didn't work on this problem. So I'm excited about today because I'm going to try something very simple to solve something very complicated. I'm going to run through, clip by clip, and drop in the shots that I like. That's it.

It's how I usually go about editing more personal videos, not too much thought, not too much structure (at least at first), just grab what catches my attention, and set it in the timeline.

On the 1st of two hard-drives I have somewhere around 1,170+ individual clips, ranging anywhere from 20 seconds to 20 minutes. So, it's not to say that this is a quick solution, but the approach is familiar, it's simple enough to provide immediate gratification, and sometimes that's very important when editing.

Will I end up with a 5 hour rough-cut of a part of the finished film that is supposed to only take up 30-40 minutes? Yes, at first I will. But that's ok. I'll start picking it apart when the time comes. Time to get to work!

Labels: FToM, Post-Production

Teaser 014 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

This was taken in Glacier Park Montana - it poured there for about two days.

At this point in the trip Larry didn't even own a tent, I'm not quite sure how he managed to sleep and stay dry. He used a tarp and a picnic table to create a kind of make-shift tent.

It's a strange thing to be so cold and so wet in weather like this - and not have a real roof over your head. Not only for just a few hours, but for days. When the sun finally comes out and hits your skin - it's an amazing feeling to be back on your bike.

Labels: Post-Production, Teaser

Whew. I made it - barely, but still, in one piece. Next time I insist on driving across the country in a loaded station-wagon with no air-conditioner, someone might want to ask me to double think it. Despite my heat-rashes, I don't regret driving - I just couldn't afford it.

But, moving on: so I'm still living out of half-empty boxes and milk-crates, most of my hardware is unpacked and connected. I setup all my external drives and ran test on them to see how they handled the road trip and the 108 heat - everything looks great so far.

I have a lot of work to do today - so I'll try to keep this post short and sweet - and I don't have much to update aside from "I've been doing lots of unpacking and heavy lifting", but I wanted to stress just how much all of your comments, tweets and support have meant to me the last few weeks.

I would be lying if I said that my decision to move here was easy, and that the change in my life came with no aftershocks. As a struggling filmmaker, or really just as a human-being, I am full of second-guessing and nagging anxieties. And that's where all of you come in - you've helped me believe in myself. So thank you.


A few quick things before I go: 1) I started using Campaign Monitor to power our newsletters and out-reach goals.

If you're not subscribed yet, you can view an archive of yesterday's newsletter.

2) We launched a new Kickstarter fundraiser - in only 3 days 4 people have already pledged $65.

We have 31 days left to raise out $1,000 - which will go towards follow up interviews and pick up shots in Northern California - drop by and check it out!

3) We quietly launched our new Join our Team (formally our "Get Involved" site) and we are looking for people who are excited about indie filmmaking and anxious to become a part of the driving force behind Pedal's out-reach goals.

I'd love to hear feedback on what people are most interested in hearing about. If you want to know more about writing, or editing, or our out-reach, leave us a comment saying so.

Labels: Post-Production

Post Production - Week 73 from mike ambs on Vimeo.

This is a very big announcement... and it was a decision that was more than difficult for me to make. I don't know what else to say... except that I'm prepared to work harder than I've ever worked to make it all come together as planned.

Labels: Post-Production, Vlog, Weekly Update