One Blog Per Day - Check, One Shot Per Day - Check.

Well, its Wednesday. Hump Day. Whip'em Out Wednesday. Whatever you want to call it (Wednesday).

I am staring down the barrel of a long weekend - not the kind of long weekend you want (more than 2 days), I mean "long" as in stuff to do. In fact, my weekends are all packed to the punch this month - and if you have been keeping score, you know I have a major editing project (the "SPR" trailer) with a soft deadline somewhere in mid April (I haven't received real confirmation on when the trailer is expected, but since I am suppose to pass my work along for sound mixing, and it will possibly be sent back to me with notes to add/delete/change things - I figure mid-April gives us enough time before the book's release)

So, my current two favorite pass-times will be time-sharing my evening. Trailer work, and "Lost" watching (which if you have been following this time-travelling season, it can be considered "work" as well). I am currently working at the rate of one shot per night - that means the trailer grows by one new shot each night. So before I can sit down for some sweet, sweet, "Lost" action - I'll have to complete my one-shot-per-night objective. Thank God for DVR.

I'll spend tomorrow analyzing tonight's "Lost", but today I'll tell you about my one-shot-per-night procedure. (Note: eventually I'll have to start completing more than one shot per night, or I'll never be finished - let alone finished by April).

1. I drive to work listening to the song that will the primary sound bed of the trailer - the song, band, and band leader all deserve their own post dedicated them, so I'll go into detail about the song in the near future - for now, just know that it's really catchy.

2. I get an idea in my head - I literally see an action play out to a specific portion of the song. I make a mental note about it. Many times this action-to-specific-part-of-song is nowhere near where I am in the trailer timeline, so suffice to say that I have many shots on que right now. But thus far, I have been lucky enough to come always have the next shot/cut/transition in mind when I sit down in front of "Biff" (Dave's nickname for my editing computer, which is so big, it looks like it would bully other computers.....other nicknames are "the time machine" and "Hydra".....but I digress"

3. At some point in the evening, I finally sit down in front of "Biff" and start preparing my next shot. I have all of the "SPR" comic strips & drawings stored in my computer, but they usually require some adjusting in photoshop due to the need for something to always be in motion - I believe this to be a key trick to editing a book trailer, since nothing bores the eye more than a stationary picture. So if a drawing isn't animated, there needs to be "camera movement" or some kind of transition occuring.

4. Anyway, I adjust my pictures to fit the trailer, and then insert them into the timeline - cutting it to get maximum effect in minimal time. This is also key because I am still in the "first act" of the trailer, and almost up to the 30 second mark. Considering the original thought by the "SPR" creators was that the trailer be 60 seconds....well, you do the math. But I think Dave is enthusiastic enough about the trailer at this point to want to see how far I can take this thing....and Dave, you aint seen nothing yet (and anybody else reading this - you literally aint seen nothing yet....but again, I digress)

If all goes as planned, this trailer will be a visual spectacle - meaning it'll keep you interested all the way through, and even ramp up your excitement level as we build towards the climax of the Trailer's "third act" (which I have already practically storyboarded mentally in its entirety - say that 5 times fast). I couldn't be more excited and nervous about a project....since it really is breaking new ground for me (not a real flesh & blood person to be seen anywhere). I really hope Biff can handle it.

Did I mention I was also excited about "Lost"?

More on that in the 'morrow.