So Im anticipating having finished the documentary side of things by the end of the year. Well, not completely finished, as im somewhat tempted to make a longer version too. But i will have a 20 minute version finalised which covers all the important points, and this is what i'll be posting to the inflluential people i have shortlisted (in addition to a small book of his paintings, and a letter customising this project to their area of expertise).
In total i have parcels for 20 people employed at reputable galleries across the UK (although most of them are in London). However, i'm a little unsure as to whether i'm addressing these parcels to the right people. In most instances the parcels will be addressed to the gallery director. But i'm not sure if the project would be better served by addressing the parcel to the head of programme of chief curator instead. Would be interested to hear people's ideas on this. I cant afford to send parcels to everyone.
I'm also not sure if i ought to send the minifilm on a DVD or on a memory stick.
As for the quality of the minifilm, I think it's actually shaping up quite nicely. It's quite hard to tell as i have a big emotional investment and attachment to everything covered in it, , but my hunch is that the finished piece will actually be quite watchable. In some ways it's a shame i dont have more time and money to throw at this as i think the topics covered are interesting enough to drag it out over at least an extra hour. Then again, if it were much longer i probably run the risk of nobody watching it to the conclusion. Anyway, i can't actually add to the film at this stage as my computer is in England, but i've hired someone to tidy up the sound as it was a bit muffled before, and this should be ready by the time i return to England in December. Then i'll spend a week or two rebuilding and arranging the shots in Adobe wotsitcalled.
Things have generally progressed well. The only downer regards the quality of the photographs I had done. I now realise that the colours aren't exactly as they appear in the actual paintings. In some images it's more noticable than in others, but the change in colours is never an improvement. I wrote to the photographer about this and she gave me a jargon-filled and almost nonsensical reply. I can't help feeling she hasnt given the images the same level of care as she does when archiving for the National Gallery, which is a shame as i paid her the same rate they do.