Tuesday 19 February 2013

The Sweet Smell of Excess

So, hard on the heels of wrapping the shooting, I now have a rough cut of the film. Woop, as the youngsters say. (No, I am pleased, really. And excited.)



Gypsy is also excited


So how long is it, do I hear you ask?



Weather’s turned nice all of a sudden, hasn’t it..?



Traditionally, it’s supposed to time out at a minute per page of script. I had 82 pages of script, but I knew it would turn out longer than 82 minutes, with some lengthy speeches by Isabella and party sequences which were a short paragraph on the page but need comparatively longer on screen to make their point.



Hazel and Jill. To love is not to look at one another, but to look together in the same directi- oh dear




However, I was hoping for a slightly shorter running time than 105 minutes. Better to be over than under, of course...

...providing you can cut. I’ve already excised bits of scenes during the assembly of the edit, cut lines, trimmed shots, and so on. I don’t know how much more can go.



Peanut


It may not be a problem, of course. I have yet to watch the film through as a complete narrative, and it may be that it will feel exactly the right length. But 105 minutes feels a little too much for a film with no money on screen. There are cars (well, one) but no chases, and explosions (two or three), but only emotional ones, and chatter the likes of which has not been seen on the silver screen since the 30s. Will a modern audience be able to stand it?



Gypsy and Hazel have stopped being excited


I shall, as we oldsters say, keep you posted.

4 comments:

  1. I don't think 105 minutes sounds unreasonable. But I am by no means an expert!

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  2. No, it's not overlong, but it's a lot for a film with no money on screen.

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  3. As a friend, I hope I can say that 105 minutes is 35 minutes too long for a first feature. No matter how good you think it is.

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  4. I would have been content with 85 . 70 seems too short to me. Realistically I think we're looking at 95.

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