- 8:26 AM, Saturday,
November 16th, 2019:
-
- I mean in
reality... it was the last attempt to soften the blow.
It was me desperately trying to make things end on a
high note when it took only one viewing from an
outsider to say: "dude, just tell it as it
happened."
-
- Gary Helsinger,
I guy I've known for... wow 14 years out here...
has been a fan and honestly a fan of my creations for
so long. A mutual respect (he was in the remarkable
band Green-Jello from the 1990s) grew into a
friendship and I've always respected his opinion. It
was with that foundation I invited him over to watch
the final cut of Fastest Delorean Part II just as
I had with Part I.
-
- Quick aside, Gary
has always been on the "FUCK KENNY,
TELL IT ALL" side of this equation as have
most of my friends. I really tend to shut them out,
because I know they just care about me and are
angry and hurt for me... I'm the one with the
relationship and the responsibility of putting the
movie out to the public so I always fault the opposite
direction. Which is also why I knew Gary would
probably have similar feelings after viewing Part II.
I was happy with my cut and certainly wasn't gonna
change it now...
...except he hit me in the storytelling gut when he
said: "the tension is gone after the Kenny section and
I don't care about the happy stuff."
-
- He had a
point.
Now, BTTF fans will be happy with the happy stuff
because it's going to Hill Valley, adventures with
Mayor Goldie Wilson... but I don't make these movies
for just BTTF fans. In fact, it's pretty clear that
there's a pretty monumental story in these two movies
that has nothing to do with they TYPE of car
we're talking about. In fact, it's like 3rd or 4th in
importance to the heart of the movie. It's the hook,
sure, but the meat is absolutely my personal struggle
and journey. In the initial cut I tried to contain the
Kenny stuff in a 30 minute middle section and then
just bask in all the good stuff I could find.
It's bad story telling. It's forcing something that
isn't there. I know it instinctively and just
hated making the final part of Kenny be the PUNCH of
the 3rd act, but goddamnit - that's exactly what it
is. What happened this summer between me and Kenny is
THE story of Fastest Delorean and the resolution
of our relationship and I just have to accept that.
-
- Gary made me and
he was right. I'm forever thankful to him for
respecting me enough to tell me that. Remarkably I
re-edited the film in under 6 hours because once
I disconnected my heart from everything the order
was clear. It's an infinitely better movie now and
it's a great reminder to every editor out there to
always share cuts with outsiders before calling it
"final". Even after 30 years of doing this shit
I needed someone to hold up a mirror to what I
was forcing.
Not every story has a happy ending and that can
sometimes be pretty entertaining.
The good news is, there's tons of laugh out loud
moments sprinkled within that that really does make
the movie fly by. It even starts with
this...
-
-
- LMFAO.
-
- Oh how I love Jack
and his parents. Good people. Glad they have a sense
of humor about everything.
-
- Adam
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