Editing a Trailer – Part II

First let me thank everyone for his or her comments and suggestions.  It’s very difficult to cut a short trailer because I’m so close to the story(s) that it’s hard not to make assumptions or see the obvious.  I’ve always found that getting feedback from people is important at a certain point in the process.  I want to be far enough along in the edit that it’s “almost” there but not so far that I’m reluctant to change things.

My first impulse after reading everyone’s comments was to take all the suggestions to heart and I started implementing the changes. I quickly realized it was starting to feel like a corporate job that had been designed by committee and it was somehow missing the mark.  I was trying to cover all bases, trying to please everyone and I was losing sight of my own insights.

I took the weekend to revisit the trailer every now and then, in between socializing with my brothers and sister and their families.  It was the first time we had all been together since my mother died, over 7 years ago.  My brother was up from Florida and it was his kids first time seeing snow.  It brought out the kid in all of us – throwing snowballs and sledding down our front yard, which is pretty steep, and not for the timid.

As usual, taking a break from the technology brought everything back into perspective.  This morning I knew what I needed to do.  I shuffled some things around, cut 20% out, adjusted the sound and the text and came up with something I think that I can live with.  It’s not perfect but like Maggie says in the trailer “If I waited for things to be perfect, I never would have done it”. So I’m throwing this out to the universe and see what transpires.

http://www.vimeo.com/21598761

Thanks again to all who took the time to watch and comment on my previous renditions.  I appreciate your comments more than you know.  Occasionally, when I’m at a conference or another professional event, someone will come up to me and thank me for what I share in my blog or tell me that something I said inspired them.  The truth is it works both ways because I get so much in return.

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