So, here I am editing the film together and loving the visuals beyond measure. Then I recorded some narration....and I realized that I hate the sound of my voice.
The narration is a necessity and, if I had a time machine and about $4K in change lying around, I would gladly have paid someone to do it.
"No," I assured myself, "You can do the narration. I mean, hell, you talk to yourself all the dang time anyway."
Part of my problem stems from being hearing-impaired. I no longer have stereophonic hearing and my "good" ear has significant loss. So, things just don't sound right when I listen to them through headphones.
My other - larger - problem is that I have the acting ability of a wet turnip. So, although I'm pretty clear in what I say, I don't feel the delivery inflects any emotion.
I'm still working on it and I seriously hope I'll get there.
However, if for some reason I am unsatisfied and it's the day before I'm supposed to have the rough cut finished, I'm going with a William Shatner delivery and echo effects...lots of echo effects.

Cheers,
-Rick

I just finished up 43 seconds of "final cut" animation for the film. It's a piece I'd been working on for nearly eight months now.
There will be another animated sequence in the film, too. That one is almost ready to be rendered.
The thing about these scenes is that they happened when no one was around to see it - out in the open ocean or under the sand. I chose to animate them because they are both important to the overall story and hard to imagine with just a narrative description.
I hope, too, that younger viewers will gain a better understanding of the whole story from the animated scenes.
Most of all, I'm happy with them...and that is actually saying A LOT.
The film continues to be tweaked and edited. The final storyboards were finished and laid out last weekend.
I can only say that I love this version of the film MORE than I did the first one..and the first version was fantastic.

Cheers,
-Rick

Hi fans!
I thought I would throw up a quick blog to let everyone know...well, not much, really.
The reason you haven't heard much out of me for the past couple of weeks is simply due to the fact that I have nothing "new and exciting" to tell you.
I'm still working on the post production for the doc and, at this moment, I'm in a slight holding pattern while waiting for music. After the music tracks are delivered, then I'll start putting the "rough cut" together. Once the rough cut is finished, I will screen the film with Loggerhead's staff and get final approval to officially release Journey Home.
The release date is still on track for the End of March or very early April.
So, right now, if you don't hear anything out of me, just remember, "no news is good news."

Cheers,
-Rick

Journey Home is in that quasi-limbo land of post production. I wish I had cool things to post about it, but, honestly, it's really all writing, planning and storyboards at the moment. Watching paint dry would be far more entertaining...really.
As we enter 2013, I am struck by the fact that I will have worked on the film for parts of 2011, 2012 and, now, 2013. The doc is truly a journey in itself.
Looking back on 2012, I can say with some assurance that it was a very memorable year for the film. Highs....lows...success and failure. I wouldn't trade a second of it all for the experiences I've gained.
So what does 2013 look like? Is there a timeline in place for what happens when? Yes....and no.
I want to have the film completed in time for Loggerhead's "Turtle fest" in April. I also "want' a million dollars and the ability to play the banjo. What will determine the timeline for the film is how long it takes me to craft the best story possible. Period. Still, my personal deadline is April 1st. That might work out on many levels.
However, during this period of post production, support becomes critical. I will continue to bounce concepts and footage off of my "fans" throughout this time. I'll be looking to you folks to tell me what works and what doesn't.
So, here's to hoping 2013 is a an amazing and wonderful new year for all of us.

Peace, love and cheers,
-Rick

The last scenes of primary footage were filmed today. In a 4.5-hour-long filming marathon, I was able to get footage of research, conservation efforts, educational programs and a few, last bits of medical care for a shark bit victim (turtle).
What this means is that the re-shoot for Journey Home, which started in September, now moves into post-production or the editing phase.
Journey Home 2.0 is a very amazing story...and one that is phenomenally different from the first, completed film.
I feel that I "lucked out" again in having the opportunity, not just to do it over, but to craft a stronger, more "timeless" documentary.
The newer story encompasses the global problem of saving a species as seen through the efforts of Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
I can say with 100-percent certainty that this would not be possible without the help and support of many, many people.
I wasn't a one-man band in doing this film. I'm still not.
I'm grateful for that.
As I have said once before, "now begins the hard part."

Resumption of filming today meant testing out new gear in the "field" and solidifying the direction of the new film.
Along with an additional hour of raw footage, I was able to sit down with LMC staff and chart a course for the final bits of filming before Journey Home 2.0 goes into post-processing.
There will be a rapid succession of filming events and scenes at LMC over the next few weeks. I hope to finish primary filming by mid-January.
And, as insane as it might sound, I hope to deliver a completed film by the end of March.
This is a slightly-accelerated schedule but it is doable...and necessary.
Journey Home needs to be seen. It needs to be talked about. There is no time to wait.  Every day lost is a day we can never get back in the march towards extinction.

*Warning: Thar be preaching ahead!*

The real problem is that we don't see enough of ourselves in them. Sea turtles are easy to marginalize because of it. But that fishing line that snapped, the plastic grocery bag that accidentally flew out the window, that need we had to open up the boat's throttle because it's fun to do so...it kills them. The oil we spill, the encroaching beach side developments, those lights we need along every inch of road...we are killing them. And THIS MOMENT is that one point - that ONE MOMENT IN HISTORY - when we can save or doom an entire species.
I know it sounds "dramatic." I know there are species in more critical danger in places all over the world. But sea turtles CAN be saved. We just have to commit - as a whole society - to do something about it.
I'll exit my soapbox on that.... for now.

Cheers,
-Rick

Happy post-Thanksgiving for all of our American fans!
I thought I would take a sec and show you folks a "sneak peek" at some of the great new equipment that has already arrived.
I'll post new video soon!

Cheers,
-Rick

With the fundraising success of the last Kickstarter campaign, we now have the equipment and ability to secure the licensing for the film. During the "lean times" that just passed, all work on the film centered on conceptual reworking of the story, roughing a few animated sequences and continued research.
Now, it's "go" time.
This will be the final leg of a very incredible journey. The scenes that are left to be filmed will be done with equipment I didn't think I would ever have access for with this production. To say that it's a game-changer is a gross understatement.
Everything - from sound to the look of the film - gets bumped up a notch or two. As a director, I can't wait to get behind the camera and make it happen. Also, I will be getting in front of the camera...but I'm not quite as excited about that.
I have a face that was made for radio. lol
This week is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. It's a holiday in which we take a moment to pause and reflect on all of the things in our lives we should be grateful for. From the profound to the trivial, we collectively give thanks for what is "good" in the world.
This year, for me, I feel a special gratitude for all of those who have supported my film in one way or another. From those who have now donated more than $4,000 to the production to those who have worked behind the scenes and to those dedicated folks and the courageous turtles in their care, on which the film is based, I am profoundly thankful.
So, onward and upwards!

Cheers,
-Rick

I sat down today with production coordinator Kim Byrne and music director Mike White and hashed out the "big" plans for the Journey Home re-shoot.
Mostly, I talked about the vision for the new film and the challenges inherent to the continuing production.
Mike and Kim are great. I finally feel like I am no longer taking every detail of the production onto my shoulders. I now have two highly talented and capable people helping to craft the best documentary we can make.
We also talked about funding and support....marketing and publicity. These things go hand-in-hand. The problem is how to widen the circle of folks who support the film. Social networking is great but only to the point that this website and blog expand beyond simply the sum of my friends and followers.

It was a good meeting and one that left me jazzed and motivated!

Cheers,
-Rick