Progressing

I have put in a lot of time editing this past week. It's a great feeling! I met with Mark Dworkin and his partner Melissa Young and they gave me feedback and tips which have helped me so much. Good editing takes lots of experience. I think my material is strong so it's just up to me to make a good flow that gives an audience the basic info they need and draws them in. Part of what I needed help with is how to handle the issue of conspiracy theories. In this country we are so programmed to assume all conspiracy theories are created by paranoid crazy people, that it's almost impossible to not cover them without turning people off. At the same time, it's fascinating and dramatic and when the evidence is presented they can be quite convincing. Another hurdle for me is that people have found my stance of "our protagonist believes..." to be confusing. People have felt it important for me to state my standpoint but to me that is weak from a journalistic standpoint. Of course my presentation of the material will be subjective in some way but I also hope to provide balanced coverage of the issue so that the audience can see the context of our protagonist's beliefs.

Speaking with Mark and Melissa helped me realize what basic material I need to include and I finally feel confident that I have strong footage to use to make those points.

Tomorrow I have an interview with the local newspaper in my home town, The Whidbey Record about my documentary project. I hope it goes well!

Nancye