I began this documentary back in May of 2003. It involves a NC artist that was tabbed by the State of NC to design and create a classical sculpture of the Wright Brothers and the 1903 Flyer for the Flight Centennial, held last DEC.

His studio was a 210 mile round trip from my house and I made the trip about once a week (sometimes more, sometimes less). I had to go to Kitty Hawk (Outer Banks) three times in three months and was given press credentials for the Flight Centennial (the only indie filmmaker to be granted credentials!).

Because I work full-time, I've had to edit at night and on weekends. I have just completed my second cut and I'm working on the script now.

I still have four interviews to get (hopefully this month), graphics to add, titles and music.

I remember you talking about working on the documentary a while ago and Im glad to hear you stuck with it. I know it sucks traveling that far but if you are the only documentary person there then Im sure you can make a pretty penny off of your final product.

Thanks Mike. I sure hope I at least get my expense back. However, if I were able to do this on a more full-time basis, I could have sold it when there was more interest/excitement (right after the Flight Centennial), but my timing isn't going to be good now.

I think I can still make a few bucks off of it, but I want it to look good first! The Visitor Center at the Outer Banks has offered to let me sell it in their gift shop, so that might bring something in (surprisingly enough, there biggest seller in the shop is a video of the moving of the Hatteras Lighthouse!).

Maybe there's hope yet!

I just posted five new frame grabs (A Progession of Orville Wright) and put them on my site. You can see them by going to MEDIA and STILLS or click the pic of the finished statue that is on the main page.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mark M,

I have just completed the script and the second edit. It comes in at 1 hour, 6 minutes, but I have interviews to add, the voice over track, graphics/titles and music.

A musician (here in NC) is going to score the doc for no/deferred pay (deferred if I in fact sell the doc). He's done amazing work in the state and won best original score in Greensboro's 48 Hour Film Project (which I was a cinematographer). I'm pumped about him agreeing to score.

I'm still on track for finishing this thing by Thanksgiving! Keeping my fingers crossed!

very cool. Good luck man

Thanks Aclotm182!

yeah, that's awesome, man! I'm looking foreword to learning more.

Have you contacted anyone at your local PBS? That could be a gold mine, if you can stir up interest. Think grants and NEA.

Thanks, Joren. Unfortunately, we were well into shooting before we thought of PBS and what we have now doesn't fit their technical guidelines. However, that doesn't mean that I still won't try! Besides, it gets my name in front of them!

As for the NEA, we're hoping that will be a big buyer. In fact, if I can get my foot in the door with them, I think I can supply a steady stream of NC Docs.

I checked with several grants and again, with my lack of experience, coupled with how fast we were brought into the project, most (if not all) grants that I found were looking for projects not yet started.

I have an idea for my next NC Doc and I'll definitely go for the grants on that!

Good ideas. Thanks!

I do'nt know how i failed to see this thread until now but a big congratulations on your impending completion Mark. From talking to you (and from working on a few Doc's myself) I know how labor, and for that matter love intensive they are. Hopefully your hard work will soon pay off. I think the gift shop deal is a good one. While it might take a little time, it could lead to some descent return on your investment. Best of luck, and I cant wait to see it.
R. Michael

Thanks, Tizzy. I've been trying to convince my brother (who shot this with me) that the gift shop route could be a constant source of income, but he thinks no one will buy it.

I think people will buy anything!

I am ALMOST finished!!!

I have adjusted all sound on the doc so that I can music and voice over next week. I've added the sound fx, foley, titles (with a couple of exceptions).

Once I add those last titles (the ones I screwed up in AE earlier this week) - Once I add the voice over (to be completed this weekend) - Once I add the original music (currently being written by a Professor of Jazz at Duke University and due sometime next week) - I'll be finished!

It was a huge project (probably much too big for two people and a small supporting cast), but it will be an accomplishment!

I can't tell you how sick I am of looking at the pieces of this video too!!!

the giftshop idea sounds like a goldmine (especially since the people there told you that other video sells well)

and yeah, looking at the same footage OVER AND OVER gets annoying cause you go, "Oh man, I should've lit that shot better" or "Darn, I should've positioned it like this"

i hate editing. I wish it could edit itself.

good luck

Thanks, Kyle. I took FRI off from work and edited almost three solid days (except for a poker game on SAT night!). The only thing I have left to do is type out the ending credits (I already have the footage that goes "under" them).

The original music is finished and in place, all graphics and titles for interviews are in place, as well as the voice over (175 separate files).

I used a digital recorder (my actor/brother did the VO) to record and what a mistake that was. I don't know if he used the right settings or if the recorder is/was just crappy, but I had to convert each of the 175 files (one at a time) from mono to stereo, add a filter from Adobe Audition, save the file and add a second filter (until I figured out how to "Save" my configuration and only add that one "double filter"). It took several hours, but the VO sounds better (not good, better).

I shot 57 hours of raw footage, edited down to 62 minutes and still feel like I have "holes" in the doc, but it is what it is and I have no other magical footage to add. I will have to say that once VO and music is added, the piece looked better than I thought it might!

It won't be too bad and the good thing - no one else in the world has the footage of the making of this Sculpture, which has been donated to the US Dept of Interior and now resides in a National Park! So that alone ought to have some value!

I send the piece off to Festival (Cucalorus in Wilmington, NC) on Wednesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it gets in!

I have my eye on a new project that I may start after the first of the year. My goal is to find my niche making NC documentaries about NC subjects. There are a lot of stories out there!