after the final edit...

…get out of the editing room… the front country… and get into the backcountry… deep into the arizona desert… north of flagstaff… all the way to the southern utah border…

…i love the west… the wild west… the desert regions speaks so raw… no wonder great religious figures journey into the desolate wilderness to test their faith... to discover timeless truths… so dry yet so fruitful…

…there is no “almost” in nature… you either start a fire and stay warm… or don’t and get cold… there is also no depth of field at night… or just a little at best… everything blends together as one solid surface… light brings depth… light makes things stand apart… something i learned while navigating at night...

…we had food that you’d find on movie sets… you know… desert rats, squirrels, beavers… yes, there are beavers in canyon water holes… and plenty of ants… yes, we ate ants… and numerous other things that climbed into our bowls…

…context is everything though… you serve desert rat in a big city, people scream on yelp… out of business the next day… you serve it up in the backcountry… you say “boy, that’s good shit…”…as my desert survival guide, tony nestor of ancient pathways, says… “the best broth is three days of hunger”… amen brother… great guide… besides teaching mortals like me… he’s even instructed celebrities too… emile hirsh and josh brolin.

…we traveled to multiple places… even monument valley… home of the great john wayne movies… we even spent time with the hopis… no starbucks there... ancient traditions served though… learned primitive arts… fire making, trapping, basket weaving…

…spent every night under the milky way… god’s resort… visa laughed at… stargazing ourselves to sleep… sometimes spooked by a noise in the bush, thinking it was a moose… finding out it was just a mouse…

…as my old friend and mentor, ralph waldo, tells me… “everything is earned”… well, sure as shit… when it comes to essentials… fire, water, shelter… sometimes it would take hours to procure… once secured though… you feel an inalienable sense of accomplishment… you know, the kind of aliveness you get checking your email... J

…fire, fire, and more fire… many rings of fire… we made it, we sat by it, we story told by it, we slept by it, we got burnt by it, we cooked by it, whatever you can do with fire… we did it… sitting by fire, staring at a fire… getting into a trance… it’s the best entertainment… it’s our ancestor’s television… you never feel alone by a fire…

…i’ve been in the nevada outback numerous times… way off road… just dirt… just me and the fire… under the darkest skies in america… yet have never felt alone… until, i put out the fire, of course… i feel more alone in the midst of a big city… communion is more than congregating with bodies… it’s an energy field to be felt…

….i keep drifting toward experience to feed my appetite for feeling alive… man-making meaning schemes take second place… maybe it’s phaedrus talking… i know just a few things now… yet knew everything at eighteen…

…time and space exploration on the land… my mecca… my altar… a place of worship… as my body, mind, and spirit move on… and through… land... i feel alive… even more when sharing the aliveness…

…we can wander the land citing facts and stats… consumed by the material and economic considerations… i savor that timeless space where everything feels right and light… a realm i want to surrender to as much as possible before the maker stops the watch of personal time...

...before i leave, a special thank you goes out to my parents, les and darlene… i’ve been blessed in many ways… one for sure resonates in my consciousness… my parents continue to encourage their kids (i have one brother) to take risks… the bigger, the better… with this love as a backdrop, it’s a constant enjoyment to set sail to new discoveries… knowing that upon my return, i’ll have open hearts to share my newfound experiences with…

An Amazing Race

After I pooh-poohed a compliment for having run a marathon, a wise woman told me, “That’s the problem after you’ve done it, you can’t recognize your own accomplishment.” 

But that’s not the case with Mismo.  Looking back over the past two and a half years that this film has been in the making, I don’t rightly know how we did it.  Or more correctly, I do and to put it in perspective it wasn’t a marathon; it was more like the Amazing Race – an exercise in stamina, diligence, resourcefulness, and, especially, creativity.

My goal for this blog is to write about the journey and, hopefully, impart some wisdom for other would-be producers.  Gino will give his perspective from the director’s chair.  We will also report on our adventures in film festival land and on the brave new world of distribution – fingers crossed!

Over the past two and a half years, dozens of people have contributed throughout the different phases of the film – from the commitment of our talented cast and skilled crew working nights and weekends over six months of production; to the endless hours of butt-numbing editing, week after week after week; moving on through color correction to the exploration of music and negotiation of rights; to the excitement of being in the studio with a veteran composer; and the minutiae of the final sound mix…  Thank you everyone! 

Next Monday, we will come together and celebrate our accomplishment.