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Work in Progress
Screening: Barry's Gift Screening: Director:
Francis Xavier Filmmaking is a long, arduous process. From conception to completion, a project goes through many stages, undergoing radical changes along the way. Many famous stories prove this point. Consider The Big Chill, in which Kevin Costner's entire role was (mercifully) excised from the completed film. Or take James L. Brooks' I'll Do Anything, which was intended as a musical, with eight original songs by Prince, but was released without the musical numbers For an independent filmmaker, the filmmaking process is made even more difficult by financial limitations, technical constraints, and lack of resources. It is a miracle most films get finished at all. For this reason, I feel that it is especially important to nurture developing talent, and to encourage aspiring filmmakers. The purpose of the work-in-progress screening is to give filmmakers the chance to develop their projects, to make the necessary changes before locking the final edit. In some cases, the process will expose heretofore hidden flaws. In others, the filmmakers may decide to make changes in editing to punch up a scene, or to better capitalize on a laugh. In still others, the filmmakers may decide that re-shoots are necessary. No matter what the result, ideally, the filmmaker will come away from the screening with a better understanding of where they need to go, and what work needs to be done, before they lock the picture. When I first heard about Barry's Gift a year ago, I was in the midst of helping put together the 1999 Maryland Film Festival. The prospect of a low-budget horror film, featuring special effects and Zombies intrigued me. A year later, director Francis Xavier is in the final stages of post-production. Now is the moment of truth. It is time to show the work to the public-and to gauge its response. Good luck. --Gabriel Wardell, Programming Coordinator The audience is encouraged to stick around after the show to critique the work with the filmmakers.
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