Nearly Locked

I am excited to announce that a locked cut of On Guardian Mountain is within reach. Ken's story will have a running time of approximately 68 minutes comprised of 70 + hours of footage shot between 2011-2015. It is strange to think of how many different types of spaces the editing of this film has occupied over the last three years from writing transcriptions late at night in the Ithaca College library and assembling early threads in my studio apartment looking out over Cayuga Lake, to Marlena's house where numerous binge-editing sessions led to the first and second cuts, and finally to my own basement and never ending occupation of the dining room table (thank you Mom for putting up with that mess!).

That one story could slowly be constructed over such a length of time and in the context of such a variety of life circumstances is reason enough to pause - the multiplicity of life seemed to perpetually prevent the necessary focus and hinder the completion of the film, while at the same time it provided a richness and distance from the piece which I do think was ultimately of much benefit to the film.

Just as we are expressions of all that has come before us, and all that we've experienced, the finished cut will be a reflection of all these many moments throughout time. Moments where I drifted very far away from Guardian Mountain and Ken, and moments where I was so invested in the footage and the story that I felt as if I was drowning within in it, and blinded by it. 

One thing is certain: editing this film has been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. For the first time I feel as if I have a decent sense of what it means to construct a story and shoot with an edit in mind. And at the end of the day it has been a total pleasure getting to put this jigsaw puzzle together. 

More updates to come soon!