Stage adaptations

Just got back from a few days in Southern California, where I went to visit my parents and do some writing. Though it has been devastatingly hot there recently, I enjoyed perfect weather during my trip. Enjoyed a few strolls along the beach and, of course, In-and-Out.

Before I left, I went through the second version of the rough cut of Daniel. Rod, our editor, had made many tweaks. We discussed a few more and he sent it to render. That process takes over night and then some. He then sent me a copy of what we're calling Picture Lock 1, which is supposed to be the finished version of the movie, at least in terms of shot selection and timing. But the fact that we put the "1" after the words Picture Lock suggests that we know there will likely be additional tweaks before all is said and done. That said, Picture Lock 1 is a considerable improvement over Rough Cut 1. Work is proceeding at a feverish pace on the audio elements. Each additional element that gets attached to the project enhances it more and more. I enjoy seeing the transformation the movies make from a rough collection of clips to a finished movie.

In California, I rewrote our stage adaptation of our first installment in the Liken series: Nephi & Laban. I had a few pages of notes I had made after viewing the "world premiere" of the stage version in Canada earlier this year. In addition, I have been in communication with the impressive young university student up there who was the director on the project. Michael had also prepared a 45+ page document called "Directors Notes" which will be invaluable for any ward or stake wanting to take this project on. The rewrite itself was fairly extensive. I added more interaction between the modern-day boy and the ancient characters and between modern-day characters to help cover the set changeovers. In addition to helping to keep the production moving along, I think it adds a new twist on the stage version, so that people who have seen the movie will hopefully find the stage version to be just that right combination of fresh and familiar.

I also started working on the stage version of our fifth movie, "The First Christmas." This is somewhat more challenging, in that this production interweaves three different stories and many different sets. In the movie version, it is no problem to cut back and forth from story to story. Not so easy in the stage version. But so far so good. I'm about halfway through.

After having spent the last several days out of town, tomorrow will most likely be a catch-up day on the many other elements of studio business. Then I hope to return to the adaptation of "The First Christmas" so I can get it done before the end of the week.