Still image from film credits (Design by Knut Erik Øverjord)
Just before re-visiting New York for the summer I've finally managed to "finish" (apart from minor details with color) my short film "Return to Sender". On that note, I would like to share a post-it note that has been sticking around during the long period of making this film and it has proved to be a very useful one too. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I discovered these wise words:
Set yourself a goal.
Set yourself a deadline.
Define success at the start.
Make a plan to make it happen.
Build a team to help you.
Get the team to sign up, head and heart, to the plan.
Understand there will be hurdles, barriers. Accept them. But defeat them.
Work each day toward getting things done. A little can do a lot.
Keep the end goal in your mind at all times.
Understand the importance of your energy. Your stubbornness. Your persistence.
Half way through a project is always the lowest point. You are neither at the start, nor at the end. Energy dips, morale is low. Have a day off.
The next day remind yourself why you started it in the first place.
Focus. Focus. Focus. But focus on the most important thing.
Tell the world what you are doing.
Tell the world your deadline.
Celebrate progress. Any progress.
Never give up.
Look back at how far you have traveled. It will surprise you.
It will also tell you that you are closer to your goal than ever before.
Keep going.
Then one day, after many, many days, you will complete your goal.
You got there in the end.
Your words and your deeds are one. Most people in life are just talkers. But you are a doer. Well done.
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has helped making this film!
Still images and a clip from the film will be up on my website soon.
Henning Knoepfel and Shearan Thomas during the voice recording.
I just got back from a successful voice recording session at Soundtree in London.
We used two evenings to record all the seven voices for the characters in my film. Next to a few sentences for each character there were a lot of off screen sounds we had to record such as sneezing, breathing etc. In some instances, the actors were asked to talk whilst chewing popcorn or to perform after having inhaled helium.
Henning Knoepfel had previously cast all the voice actors. Within two days after putting up the add we had over 100 responses (!!!) and most of them from people with very professional voice reels. That gave us enough material to cast the right voice for each character. Everything went according to plan and I am very pleased with all the performances. The next step is to listen back to all the recordings and to choose the best clips.
Thank you to the people from Soundtree who kindly let us borrow their brilliant studio, to Henning Knoepfel who has arranged all of this and who saw to it that all the technical aspects went so smooth, thanks to Shearan, Leonor, Chris, Will, Charles, Deeivya and Lisa for their time and their great performances.