It’s done. Finished. I can hardly believe it.
During my two days in New York earlier this month, Victoria and I screened the film with the sound mixer and colorist. It was our last opportunity to make any changes. Warm up this shot, make the music a little louder here, quieter here, make my voice sound better--Ken and Evan did an amazing job with everything.
Silly on the streets of NY. Happy to be finished!
Even though Victoria and I have worked together for more than a year, we had never met in person until this trip. I stayed in her basement edit suite/guest room where all of those late night outputs, uploads, and edits took place. We had talked about meeting so many times, but it wasn’t easy to coordinate the schedules of two working mothers with a side project.
Beyond the work we got done, we were able to share what the project has meant for each of us and laugh about some of the more challenging moments in our working relationship (good stories for another time).
Looking back I can't imagine a better person to have edited this film and am constantly grateful for Victoria's skill and dedication.
Another highlight of the trip was getting to spend time with Emily. Emily and her husband Alex have been quietly supporting Why Not Home? since I met her in Boston during our first Kickstarter campaign. Looking for an opportunity to advocate on a larger scale, Emily saw something in this project that she believed in. Her support over the past year and a half has been invaluable in getting us to the finish line. She took the train from Boston for the day to screen with the colorist.
After a long day in a dark edit room, the three of us enjoyed a coolish but sunny walk on the High Line and celebrated finishing with drinks and dessert at The Standard Hotel. Not a bad way to mark the occasion.
Grey wool coats and neutral knit beanies were apparently required.
I left New York without anything physical to show, but I knew it was done. I thought I would feel different. It’s been my goal for the past two and a half years to finish this project, and even though it is finished, it doesn’t feel finished. Maybe that’s because even though the film is done, there’s still a lot of work. Much like having a baby. Yes, the labor and delivery is over, but now there’s the work of breastfeeding and parenting.
Watch here for updates on this growing baby. I can't wait for you to meet her.