Exactly 1000
entries ago I played The Comedy Store and tonight I
premiered my first feature length film in a movie
theater. Give it up for The Journey Gods everybody,
they knocked the shit out of this one. What a
fantastic day. And after the last entry? The Gods are
very close to making up completely for 2010.
:-)
Studio 35 is one
of those Columbus originals that has been a hipster
hangout for nearly 40 years. A theater that serves
beer and food, has a nice big screen and decor that
feels like it's been there for decades because for the
most part, it has.
Quick aside,
'cause other filmmakers in Columbus will want to know,
the only downside (as I'm kind of a techy dork) is
their digital projector is in bad shape. Some bad
burn-in on white displays and blown out contrast
levels overall because the bulb is hurtin'. Most in
the audience wouldn't know the difference unless you
showed them a new unit, but The Continent show last
year did look quite a bit better. However, the
ambiance outweighs the picture to such an extreme it's
a no-brainer. You choose Studio 35.
As far as running
the show, I don't think I'll ever get over the fact
that I plug in a 16 gig USB thumb drive to a media
player, and it can project a 2 hour movie on a massive
movie screen in high definition that looks better than
most films you see projected the old-fashioned way.
This is an exciting time to be working in this medium.
And for someone who is used to logistics out the ASS
for a show? This was so enjoyable it will be
incredibly difficult to go back to the outrageous
set-ups of yesteryear.
Once the show
started, and I saw the sync was good (had been having
trouble with some re-renders) I sat next to Talya and
watched the show with relative ease. I say that
because, it's one thing to watch the difficult moments
yourself, but when surrounded by your parents and
loved ones, I tend to emphatically feel it through
them. The movie is incredibly intense in that respect.
A stranger obviously won't feel that as strongly, but
there were about ten people there that didn't know me
at all, and they still said it was intense. The
problem is (or strongpoint, really) the more funny
stuff you put in? The harder the sad parts are.
Strange, right? If you make people laugh? They're more
emotionally available to cry. So what I thought was
making the movie less emotionally taxing, adding more
funny parts, may have made it more intense. Again, not
that this is a bad thing at ALL. The alternative is it
being emotionally devoid and boring, and then, whats
the point? The good thing is, it moves really, really
fast. I even had to slow down some parts because I
tend to edit too tight by default (years of making
quick Journey videos I guess).
Of course the big
hook with this is which way does 2000 Adam go after
hearing the entire journey and obviously that will
remain a secret but everyone I asked said they were
surprised at his choice when the moment came. I'm
really glad, because if that was a foregone conclusion
the reason to stay in your seat vanishes. I believe I
accomplished that.
Now I thanked Jess
and Jeff in front of the audience and decided not to
bring up how incredibly awkward and hard this must be
for Talya because several people hadn't met her, and
if they were going to after the movie, I didn't what
her to be bombarded with questions. My close friends
and family talked with her and understood how she
feels, and believe me... the ring helps. And as Jess
pointed out, the good thing is that this all took
place completely before she came into the picture and
it allows her to have her own unadulterated story with
me. And truthfully? She loves and is inspired by The
Journey. She has started her own blog that I'm gonna
spotlight next month and completely gets it. And as
she hung out with my first wife Burgundie, and second
wife Jessica tonight? It all came together. No matter
how much you believe someone, no matter how much it
"makes sense", actually meeting the people involved
and realize how incredibly cool they are was that
final piece of understanding that will bond us for
life. She even said, "Wow Adam, I would've married
them.". Burgundie and Jessica are amazing women that
only years later do I realize just how fortunate I was
they were my first long-term relationships. It set a
bar for how to be a team in a relationship that I've
never left. Without them? I wouldn't be the man I am
today with Talya. After going out to dinner with
Burgundie and her boyfriend Aaron, and spending time
with Jess, Jeff and Zoe? Talya really gets it. At no
point do they feel like "mistakes" or "regrets", they
feel like lifelong friends that needed to be redefined
as we changed in our 20s. If only everyone could be so
lucky.
What a perfect end
to a perfect trip. As I've said before, I've never
known this type of support in a relationship and it
really does mean the world! It makes all the outside
drama seem like a channel you're flipping through
before you turn off the TV and cuddle in bed.
Can't wait to
cuddle in our own tomorrow night. :-)
Adam
PS - I forgot
to shoot anything at the show other than the marquee,
but with less shots you have to be more creative.
:-)
