The Rental Experience #14 - Launching Forward

a blog-series recounting the making of "Seven Year Rental"

The initial formal and informal interviews were gone through meticulously as I mined them for every ounce of substance to justify our efforts.  But the bulk of the in-store footage was just being collected and filed away.  By the spring of 2007 it reached a tipping point, and launching into the next phase could no longer be put off.  We needed to begin editing and finally find out if we actually had a film.

Our editing bay was tucked behind the blue wall in the corner of my basement, and consisted of a new iMac, Final Cut Pro, and an old CRT monitor I had left from college.  The VHS security tapes were lined along the back of the wall, and the back of the wall itself was littered with notes and photos for the project.  This was our creative space, and it actually felt more like a studio than you might imagine. 

I read the Final Cut manual cover to cover to familiarize myself with all the program's tools available to us.  I was by far the most familiar with the footage, and what we needed to do with it, so editing naturally fell heavy on my shoulders.  But as was my problem early on, being that close and familiar with the material was as hindering as it was helpful. 

During our early outline days Jason's perceptions were always the closest to mine, and we knew from the start i would need his help during editing.  We shared a sensibility about the project but he was able to bring an outsider's perspective that understood where I was coming from and where i wanted to go.

The film was there and we just needed to piece it together.

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