After nearly two years and over 650 posts, it’s time to go on tiny vacation. I say vacation but in reality, I’m taking a break to catch up on some other exciting projects and gear up for the remainder of 2011. First things first, I’ve decided to take some time away from all things Nerd and 17 West. I still have a career but I’ll be spending my afternoons outside, playing sports and relaxing. I’m definitely going to need it with what I have planned for in the weeks that follow.
My list of projects has grown pretty large and it’s time to wrap some things up. I’m so excited I can’t stand it.
FINISH EDITING THE CLIMB
The Climb was always meant to be an exercise in editing. We shot the film in May of 2010 and I’ve been experimenting ever since. When I first began, I cut the film entirely as I shot and scripted it. Then I threw that cut out the window and started again with a different approach. Some moments lived but the movie was vastly different in virtually every single aspect. I threw that cut out as well. I wanted to challenge myself to try as many different combinations as possible. It wasn’t because I was unsure of the film. I just wanted to edit and learn.
A few months ago, I decided it was time to stop messing around and really tackled the real edit of the film. I was surprised to find a lot of material worked in different ways and the movie was better than I had hoped. A movie that was once full of dialogue was evolving into a quiet story about two unfortunate people living on the streets.
Click here to check out the brand new poster!
I figure I’ve got about 4 or 5 minutes of the film left to lock and I’ll be spending the next few weeks finishing the cut and getting ready for sound, music and color.
The film is on track to be 100% completed by early 2012. It seems like a fair distance away yet but I’m handling most of that work on my own. Basically, I’m in it to learn new techniques and software and I can’t wait to dive in.
THE CLIMB’S TRAILER
I began work yesterday on some After Effects projects I’ll be using in the upcoming trailer for the film. The idea is to have it online by the end of September.
XTRA | Planning The Trailer For A Short Film
A BRAND NEW WEBSITE
I’ve kept fairly quiet on this for a long time but for about 6 weeks now, I’ve been writing posts for a brand new blog! The site is pretty unique for me because it’s less focused on movies and more on short stories and character development. Sitting here typing this post, I’m tempted to reveal what it is but that wouldn’t be very much fun.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be finishing up the last of the ‘launch’ posts and creating all the promotional material for the unveiling of my new blog. I can’t wait to lift the curtains and I’m hopeful that people will find it entertaining. I’m certainly having a blast writing these little tales.
A FEATURE LENGTH SCREENPLAY
My new script is coming along and I’m loving it. Unfortunately, I set an unrealistic goal of September 1st for the first draft. I sincerely doubt I’ll hit that date but I’d like to be finishing up the second act by then.
17WEST.CA
My production company’s home is 17west.ca and that site has definitely evolved as I’ve learned more about web and graphic design. Now that I’ve built a couple sites with WordPress, I’m confident enough to completely rebuild 17 West’s site with better content, easier updating, more social tools, better features, more video and a lot more. This new site is due to launch around the same time The Climb is completed. In the next little while, my business partner and I will be starting preliminary research on what we want the site to look like.
THE ATHLETIC NERD’S TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
On September 15th, I’ll be celebrating my two year blogging anniversary. Last year, I produced a week long event that saw more than 10 posts get published. It included some of my favorite posts, recaps, features and the launch of my Interviews section. Since then, I’ve interviewed a bunch of fantastic people and the feature has become one of the most popular on this blog.
This year I’ll be changing things up. Again it will be a week long event but I’ll be launching a brand new feature that will only happen once a year. I’ve got some graphics to build for it but I’m really excited to kick things off. In the mean time, I’ll be wrapping up the final Movie That Scarred Me For Life and launching my newest feature: If I Could Only Recommend One…
PLANTING SEEDS
Obviously, the priorities are The Climb and my new screenplay but there are more projects I’d like to keep fresh in my mind. We are still actively developing the next 17 West short film and hopefully we will have a plan in place by the end of the year.
I’ve also been toying around with the idea of creating two eBooks. These are massive projects that aren’t front and center yet but planning them has been fun.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
I really think I’m going to have several panic attacks throughout the next few weeks. I love this site and taking a break is hard when I’ve grown accustomed to writing a new post almost every day. This was a tough decision but I’ll be pretty occupied during the break. On the other side, I’ll have tons of posts to share.
In the mean time, catch up on old posts by visiting the archives in the sidebar.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank all of my readers but especially those that visit every day. Watching my statistics rise has been a great source of pride for me. Knowing that there are people out there who enjoy the site has literally been the fuel that keeps me writing everyday. Basically, what I’m trying to say is DON’T GO ANYWHERE!
CONTRIBUTE, ADVERTISE, PROMOTE, COMMENT
If you have any suggestions for the site email me at jason@17west.ca or comment below. There are two major changes coming to The Athletic Nerd towards the end of 2011. The first is a new advertising system (A free advertising system I might add) and the second is guest posts. More details on both will be arriving soon.
THE ATHLETIC NERD RETURNS…
Monday September 5, 2011.
In the mean time, I’ll still be writing posts here and there but they will all be published after I put a significant dent into my workload for August. However, I will still be posting any and ALL reviews.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Cheers,
Jason.
. Not only was it similar to the story I was trying to tell but these writers and filmmakers did a better job. I put Hidden on the shelf but I didn’t come away from that experience empty handed. The movie put some things into perspective. After the shock wore off, I saw it as an opportunity to evolve as a screenwriter. I was encouraged in a strange way. My concept wasn’t anywhere near as well developed as Romeo Must Die but it had some similarities. Perhaps I could come up with Hollywood movie concepts.
for examples of this.) Every once in a while, there will be a detailed look at how the screenplays came together as well. One of my favorites is “All I Need Is An Idea” located on The Phantom Menace DVD. However, there aren’t a ton of documentaries that focus on the aspiring screenwriter out there.
