Did I really write that much rubbish about grading in the last entry? Anyway, the Aliens look continues. I’ve now graded half the film. The last of the effects are done, apparently, but there’s still some tweaking and cleaning-up to do before I get them.

Scott must have returned the last piece of Aztec gold to the chest, because the Curse of Soul Searcher was lifted this weekend. Punctual finishing, fully-functioning equipment and ideal venues are things you don’t see much in this journal, but that’s what we had. Must be because I didn’t do much of the organizing.

But this wasn’t just a weekend where everything went hitch-free, I can’t describe what it feels like to hear over 50 skilled musicians playing the music to your film, but it’s an experience I’ll never forget. The Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra were a joy to work with and made an excellent job of performing the 45 minutes of music, of all which had to be recorded in just one day, with many of the players never having laid eyes on the music before.

The choir, Colla Voce, were fantastic too. Their recording took place in a church, the acoustics of which added immeasurably to the sound. Amongst the members are Mike Staiger – who appeared briefly in The Beacon and helped out when we were shooting the model train, and Dan Reeve – who plays Dante’s servant, and had the slightly strange experience of singing the music for his own death scene. Paul Bellamy – The Beacon‘s very own General “In English, damn it!” Garrett – conducted the choir.

So big thanks to Colla Voce and the WSO, and to Rocchino, Laudrus, Nilesh and Jim, who manned the large array of computers, DAT machines and microphones.

In other news, Soul Searcher appeared in the Hereford Times last week, and should be in the Malvern Gazette this week. Now you’ll have to excuse me – I have to put the end credit roller on the film. [Manic giggles]

More umbilical cord effects arrived today from David. As before they’re all very impressive. The bulk of that work is now complete, with just some of the more difficult shots and a few revisions left. David’s now been working on the film since September, so I’m sure he’ll be glad to see the back of it.

This weekend is the event I’ve been waiting for for a long time: the recording of the score with the Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra and Colla Voce. If you could summarize Soul Searcher‘s greatest production challenges into a list of, perhaps, 30 Difficult Things, number 30 would be this. The last one.

It is good. I’ve decided. The film, that is. Not, I dunno, dark chocolate or something. Although that’s good too.

I showed Soul Searcher to Ed and my other flatmate, Paul. Ed wasn’t really paying attention, but Paul seemed riveted and made some really useful observations at the end. So why does Luca pull up in her car, get out, check the clip in one of her pistols, get back in the car and drive off? Funny how you can watch a film 27 gazillion times and not notice something like that.

And why don’t we see Joe kill that demon outside the Leftbank? Curiously, the answer, “because the stuntman sliced his arm open on the step and we had to wrap early,” didn’t seem to wash with Paul. He suggested filming a whole new section of the fight “with just their shadows on the wall, so you don’t have to get the real actors.” Call me lazy, but I didn’t think that was necessary. Instead, I went back to the rushes, dug out a shot of the scythe being picked up, dropped that in, then – in a highly Lucasesque move – superimposed the scythe onto an existing shot of Ray approaching the demon. A swish-splat sound effect over a reaction shot of some watching drunkards completed the cheat.

Armed with more of Paul’s suggestions, and those of David Gillam, and resigned to the fact that I would have to perform minor surgery on a couple of the music cues, I snipped another minute and a half out of the film.

David Gillam, the director of Borderlines Film Festival, had a sneak preview of Soul Searcher this week. He said it was “amazing – much better than it’s any right to be”. As a result he’s decided to kick off the whole festival with it, having a screening on the opening night, March 18th, and a matinee the following day complete with a little talk from me.

Andrew’s work on the animated train smoke has been held up due to a corrupt file, but I’ve finally seen a still of it and it looks really nice. The trick will be integrating it convincingly into the live action without it looking like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

After a weird week in the Hairy Ford on a corporate job, I’m now back on the case with the foley pre-mixing, which has now reached the scintillating stage of adding reverb. The other day I had a play with Apple’s Soundtrack software, which lets you create songs by sticking a bunch of samples from a library together. In five minutes I whipped up a cheesy drum and bass track for the scene where Joe walks past a nightclub.

You know those things that you say, “I’ll sort that out later.” Later is now and that’s why I’ve been attending to several special effects shots and one or two other things that needed improving. I’ve shaved another thirty seconds off the film, bringing it down to 94 minutes plus credits.

I’m expecting Andrew Fidelis’ cell animated smoke for the train in the next few days. So far, thanks to problems with his internet connection, I’ve seen nothing of his work except some concept sketches, but he assures me that the animation is nearly complete with only the colouring then left to do.

Simon Wyndham has completed his sound design for the martial arts sequences, allowing me to start premixing. At present I’m pitch-shifting and EQing the foley to make Joe, Luca and Dante’s footsteps more powerful.

The choir Colla Voce have had their first rehearsal of Scott’s now complete score, which apparently includes nonsensical latin chanting, which I can’t wait to hear.

Finally I’ve been trying to arrange the premiere [readers around the country gasp and choke]. As recommended in The Guerilla Filmmakers’ Movie Blueprint (page 125), I first contacted BAFTA, which is described in the GFMB as “relatively cheap”. I was a tad surprised therefore when I was quoted a staggering UKP4,000 + VAT to hold the premiere there. And that’s with a filmmaker’s discount.

And into my fourth year on the film that still won’t die.

It may not be dead but it is drawing its terminal breath. I’ve just been doing a rough mix for David Gillam at Borderlines Film Festival. Something came over me as I got to the end. As I sat and watched the (albeit still computerized) music swell over the final scene and the closing credits fade up, I found myself laughing with pure, silly joy and my eyes filling with tears. Not because the film’s any good, you understand. (It might be; I wouldn’t know.) Because I’m nearly there.

Nearly there.

Happy new year.

The night before Christmas Eve I finished laying all the foley, having spent six days almost solidly on it. Inevitably the process spat out a list of sound effects I still need to record, but it’s a list of only ten items, not ten pages like the one I was banging on about this time last year.

I got the best Christmas present ever today: the poster. It’s looooooooooooooovely. I’ll upload it as soon as I can get it scanned.

Aside from that, things have been highly tedious here. Unable to put it off any longer, I’ve been doing the foley. Putting on every footstep and clothing rustle, one by one. I wanted to finish it by Christmas but it’s so mind-numbing I can’t stick at it for long stretches. I’ve got an hour into the movie so far. Anyway, all the spot (sound) effects are in and the Banshee shots are all done. It’s very weird how nearly-finished Soul Searcher is.

Merry Christmas.