Patrick and I had a little talk last night. He voiced some concerns regarding the film. He’s not feeling very positive about it, apparently. I’m not sure where his enthusiasm disappeared to, but he just doesn’t seem to believe in what we are trying to do anymore.

I’m a little frustrated. This seems to be the way it always goes with us lately. We come up with an idea (usually incredibly audacious) and begin working toward it (sort of) and then get discouraged or bored and move on. No follow-through.

I asked him what his biggest concern was. He’s worried about the viability of a short film that requires the audience to have some knowledge of Myst in order to understand it.

He’s right.

If Cyan isn’t interested, our reel piece would only be of value for representing our technical abilities. The context of the narrative wouldn’t be there for anyone unfamiliar with Myst, making the film very boring for them. This could be a problem. The chances of Cyan being interested are very slim and we need to look at the bigger picture and make sure we’re giving ourselves a good marketing tool in the end. We need to make sure we’re not just gearing the whole thing toward Cyan.

Patrick suggested we abandon the film and instead maybe try to focus on developing a trailer for [the book we want to adapt]. This may be the best way to go. Trailers are, by design, fit for a general audience that isn’t familiar with the source material. This will be a little more universal and probably a much more effective reel piece on that front. The only trouble is that a trailer doesn’t really give us the opportunity to show that we can tell a narrative either. It’s sort of a spotty narrative. The nice thing about the short is that it has a beginning, middle and end. It tells a complete story (even if the viewer has no idea what it’s about) I don’t know. It’s a trade-off, really.

A trailer seems more “hypeable”. They’re short, sweet, energetic and visually dynamic. It could give us points for style on a reel, but I’m not entirely convinced it would get us a job doing anything other than editing trailers.

I’m starting to get discouraged now. Not sure which way to go with this.

At least Patrick would be a little more on board if we went with the trailer. I dont’ know if either are going to get us anywhere, but at this point in my life I really need something to work on. I need a project. Patrick probably does too (whether he knows it or not). I think he’s freaking out about the baby. Can’t say I blame him. It’s a bit scary.

2:38 pm