Overall progress and words

For the past week I've been shooting b-roll and editing everything together. It's really interesting to see the film take shape. It's like figuring out a big puzzle. The big pieces are all there, the pieces you can't change. Then you have to make it work with what you have or the least amount of energy. The map is a good example. The design of the map keeps changing as I see exactly how it has to function. But that's OK. The little details are easy to shoot and were made to be changed.

I'm also realizing that in the shrine and the spinner I've created animated characters. The spinner spins. The shrine has dangly crosses. I've been thinking about what it would mean for Ben to interact with these props if we think of them as characters. I keep forgetting to tell Ben to listen to the props.

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Either I'm getting worse or our expectations are getting higher. In general, our newest footage doesn't look as good as the footage we shot earlier. I checked our records and found that it took 5 hours over three days to set up and light the green room. Maybe that's why. Back then, there was no expectation that we'd be able to light any faster than that.

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I'm still thinking about how the voice over will work. The cut is much clearer now so I think I can use less words. My goal is to use as little language as possible. I had the idea that a more modal approach might work. I got the idea from watching Inside Man, where Clive Owen is talking directly to the camera. Some sample dialogue if we go with this approach:

Question Assuming that the difference between input and output falls within measurement error and that it's impossible to wait for infinity, how do you know if you've invented a perpetual motion machine?

Answer: when the mathematics fail, it becomes a matter of belief.

Question: Assuming it catalyzes new material, is an machine an over-unity device even when the machine itself stops?

Answer: unknown

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Question: How long do you keep trying to make something work?

Answer: most of the time it's not up to you.