DAY 17
Friday, August 28, 1998

Tommy's Alley (Snohomish Publishing Company), Snohomish, WA
2:11 PM
Todd Howard, Producer / Editor / Dolly Grip

Well, its certainly been a few days since there was more than seven free seconds to breathe easy. I am breathing now, but it is still kind of labored. The bottom line is that I LOVE FILM MAKING. This whole process is so fascinating. The way that 30-50 people have come together to manifest a nearly implausible reality, and to sit back and watch that reality come in to the physical world is truly tear-to-the-eye-bringing.

We have had crises and downfalls and problems of every single kind (not excluding romance on the set, threats to "walk", and injuries) and we have come through all of them, and there has never been a moment of "let's give up." The decision to do this was made months ago, and for me there has never been an inkling of an idea that this movie would fail.

I feel like Peter Pan asked us to clap our hands if we believe in faeries, and we did and suddenly we are frolicking with Tinkerbell. This film is like a faerie that we have all brought to life and now the magic is flitting about in the air right in front of our noses.

The really incredible thing is that I think the core Home Movies group actually underestimated the power of this project. I mean, we knew it had power, but not enough power to attract the quality of work and tireless dedication to its success that it has. Key players like Cassy, Karl, Tim, Samantha, Katherine, Ian, Julie and Charles who have been here on the set every single day of the shoot, sometimes for upwards of 16 or 17 hours in a row, amaze me to no end. Many of them put in long days during the weeks before production as well. I had never even heard of some of these people two months ago. Strangers, reading a script, hearing about a project, seeing Jesse Moore act out the filming of Tommy's jazzy feeling scene at an early production meeting - putting himself out on the line - these are things that drew an incredible bunch of folks to this project.

There have been a slew of amazing, hard working people who have been part of this dream as grips and production assistants: Elanor, Josh, David, Jamala, Matt, Susan, Keira, Cory, and our camera crew of Tarin and Blake who split the job of 1st Assistant Camera, Cindy our publicist, Michelle, Jason, Chad, Annie, Cedar, Paul, Jerimiah, Joan and all the parents... oh my. This has been a true community effort of the highest order.

I have a lot more to say about this, and I have lot more people to thank, and the danger in naming people in a 'list' like this is that you inevitably forget someone and that person feels perhaps understanding, but at the same time they feel like there were other folks who DID readily come to mind and why didn't they?!?! I love all'y'all, and you know what you have done for this dream...

The actors, the actors the actors... Colin, Nathan, George, Eliana, Alice, Sam, Katrina, Sarah, Alexis, Jeff, Deems... you guys RULE. Just look at the dalies - I don't have to say a word.

Gotta go for now!!

-Todd

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