Another fine example of my stupidity is when we were working out our post production schedule. I tried to make an argument for making Fridays our day off. Why? Have you seen the schedule for movies being released on October 10th? “Kill Bill, Volume 1”! If that’s not enough, “Mystic River”, “Intolerable Cruelty”, and “The Station Agent” also open that day. In my head, I’m trying to figure out which theater will have the three movies and whose schedule will be most advantageous to a triple header. I’m hoping it’s the Grove but thinking it’s probably going to be The Bridge while praying it’s not Century City. Knowing the whole time that “The Station Agent” will have to be seen separately because it will most likely only be playing at a Laemmle theater. Did I think once that Friday would be bad because my kids will be in school and so I won’t see them on my day off? I’ve got that one covered. “Honey, I’m just the director. I don’t control the post production schedule. Please, you don’t think I want to be with you and the kids on my day off? How dare you?” Which has an 80 percent chance of guilting her into sex. I didn’t say lies and deception were exclusive to my unemployed days. It’s just I have less time to deceive when working.
The reason the week was so slow was because we were still assembling the movie. Which is painfully slow. My editor can’t stand having me in the room because I want to fine cut each scene when it works best for us to assemble the movie first, watch it, and then fine cut. After an hour, I’m usually kicked out of the room for the rest of the day only to come back in the evening to see that assembling the movie is painfully slow. For next week’s column, I will have seen the assembled movie and will have had only three days to cut before I have to send out a rough cut to Sundance. A really rough cut. Let’s hope the movie gods are shining on “Doubting Riley” this week.
Before I go, I’ve got a great joke for you. Last week, I became a card carrying member of the Screen Actor’s Guild. For $1406, I get a vote that counts as much as Hanks, Cruise, and Travolta. I’m going to jump on the SAG website and see when the next rally is. Stand shoulder to shoulder with my union brothers and sisters. Talk of my early influences, such as Chaplin, Olivier and, of course, Strasberg.
I think I’m losing it. Talk to you next week.
CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK…
Pete’s on unemployment and now in a race to edit the film and meet the Sundance submission deadline of October 3rd — THIS FRIDAY! Will he make it in time! Visit FilmThreat.com each Wednesday for the next exciting entry (or depressing entry, depending on how you look at it) in PETE JONES’ “DOUBTING RILEY” DIARY!
Discuss Pete Jones’ “Doubting Riley Diary” in Film Threat’s brand new BACK TALK section! Click here>>>
