Distribution... Finally!

For the past month and a half, I've been working on the marketing and packaging design for "continue". Levi Lebo, a local designer, has done an amazing job creating imagery that compliments our film. I'm extremely pleased with Levi's work. And also thank him for being patient with Jeff and I.

After weeks of hard work and several design revisions, Levi, Jeff and I finally completed the DVD packaging design. Last week we sent the image files to a DVD publishing company to have 1000 copies created for The 2010 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Spinal Cord Professionals, an upcoming conference in Las Vegas. Jeff and I will be heading down to promote the film on September 22 - 24 and hand out free copies of the DVD to conference goers. When we return, we will begin distributing the DVDs to rehab facilities accross the United States and elsewhere. We will also be delivering DVDs to the cast and crew who helped make the film possible.

Yes, it's taken a while to get the DVDs created. Several have sent me threatening messages, indicating that their patience has expired. I do apologize. However, in my (and Jeff's) defense, we wanted to make sure that the quality of the marketing/packaging materials was nothing less than outstanding. Why spend seven years on a production, just to slap something together in photoshop.

Currently, as I write this post, the DVDs are being pressed and finalized. They will be delivered to our Vegas destination, just in time for the conference. We will screen the film at our booth and talk about our production with those who work in the SCI industry. I'm excited to finally have a finished product. This final step marks the end of a very long and enjoyable journey.

Access Utah Network Interview - 9/9/2010

Here is an interview I did with Mark Smith and the Access Utah Network. Access Utah Network provides resources for those with disabilities. Mark and I chatted about "Continue" and other topics.

Principal Photography Completed! Five Days to Go!

We began principal photography for this production on Friday, May 18th, 2007. Yesterday morning at 8:15, over two years later, Jeff Rosenbluth and I filmed the very last shot of "continue". It's amazing to think that everything is coming to an end. That said there is still so much to do.

Jeff filmed from the back of my car and we managed to capture the footage in less than 20 minutes. It was a beautiful morning and we chose to shoot on Saltair Drive. The same secluded road that we shot handcycling test footage on back in 2003. What a fitting bookends.

Tyler spent the weekend assisting me with the "Call of the Wild" and "Team Sports" sequences. The team sports sequence, which consists of basketball, rugby and sledge hockey, took an entire day to complete. Not to mention the countless hours spent agonizing over how to assemble the two minute and 30 second sequence. Tyler is an asset because he's very good at recognizing shots and cuts that don't work. He can also assist in helping me break through walls once I hit them. And I've hit them often.

Filming team sports was difficult because there are so many factors at work. First, you have multiple players doing different things from shot to shot. Rarely is there any consistency in action. Second, there were many stand alone shots that looked amazing. However, connected to other shots, the stand alone shots just don't work. Finally, selecting the best of the best was extremely difficult.

Jeff and I spent the entire day trimming sequences, adding the adaptive gaming sequence and editing climbing and surfing. Today, we will finish polishing the edits and prepare the footage for color correction. All color and titles will be added over the next three days.


Now I'd like to talk about food. During marathon editing sessions (18 hours or more) it's important to maintain a good diet regimen. Early in my career I discovered that certain foods and food combinations could be detrimental to the editor's body. The following foods should never be consumed in conjunction with one another.




Sushi has always been a staple dietary supplement during editing. Back in college, my instructor and friend (now assistant editor) Tyler, used to make sushi for the long nights of cutting. I highly recommend nigiri. Basically anything that won't make you feel like crap.



Eat wise, eat healthy, edit well.

First Cut: 109 Days Left!

Greetings everyone. Here is the first official video blog entry. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I've enjoyed making it. It doesn't say much, but it's message is crystal clear: editing has officially begun.

Up Next: The website, the title and filming... lots and lots of filming.