Tuesday, September 23, 1997 - The Good Stuff

Okay, the day to day things are pretty much in hand. Now that I'm looking at rough dubs and starting to make some editing decisions, it's time for me to shift gears and start talking about the film, how I want it to look, etc.

From Out Of The Blue will in essence look exactly the way it was shot. A 4:1 shooting ratio doesn't tell the whole story. I kept to the script for the most part, changing things here and there out of necessity. But the basic elements have stayed intact from its inception. We have a well-structured sequence of events in California, then a change in New Mexico. Did the girls come to play softball? Hang out by the pool? What's going on? Michael and Mary essentially disappear together, yet Carol sets the stage: It's been her first vacation in years. The non-essentials fade away and we're left with the heart of the matter. Mary and Carol are separate spaces, sharing a common thread.

New Mexico is where the story opens up. Now that the groundwork has been set I can take advantage of the elements that I've always found the most appealing in film, the frame of reference that makes people behave the way they do. Carol and Michael have it out. They're barely in town for two seconds and their at each other's throats and then in bed. Carol has an extended scene in which she reveals what makes her tick. Truth be told her point of view is the one people can relate to most. Michael explains his thoughts on his marriage to Mary, probably the most significant relationship in his life to now. And sweet Mary tells Michael her poem that she wrote in Chaco Canyon.

Then the story pretty much ends. Things are set up for the return trip to California. You know something has to happen. But it wouuld be dishonest to do what a lot of films seem to do: Carefully set up a scenario in painstaking fashion the first three-quarters of a film, only to clobber you over the head with a tacked on moral.

And with that I think I'll go to bed.

-George

Sometimes people just explode. Natural causes.