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My sweet sweet friends, it’s time. 2018 will be the last year of Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival.
I’ve been trying to write this love letter to you for a little while now, but I keep getting caught up in the details – there are just SO many feelings wrapped up in those. So for today, Elliot Smith in the background, candles lit, and here’s the scoop.
Firstly, I want to thank everyone who’s been part of this beautiful little project over these five years. I am humbled and filled with gratitude for every submission, every set-up and break down, every volunteer, every judge and every round of judging, and every poet who’d never shot footage before who stepped up to the plate and said, Hey, I’m gonna make a movie out of my poem – let’s see what happens!
Because I tumbled into this project with that feeling – Let me put this in motion and see what happens!* I’ve told every intern I’ve had the pleasure to have worked with that we’ll try this thing, and if it works, great! If it doesn’t work, and no one got hurt, that’s ok too (we just won’t publish it). It’s been amazing – just the sheer number of outstanding films I’ve gotten to see and been privileged to reward has been incredibly nourishing. The contacts I’ve made and the people I’ve gotten to meet around poetryfilm have fed me bone deep. The young women I’ve gotten to work with in the summers** have opened my eyes and helped me see the city I live in from a place I hadn’t been before.***
What’s going on here are wrapped up in a number of factors† all coming together leading to the close of R<3, but mostly it’s time for a little financial mop-up. The last few years in the US have been pretty rough on us regular folks. My husband works for a nonprofit, too, which has made things a touch more fiscally tricky than they might otherwise be. Long story short, I’m looking for some steady employment to get things more solid & send our household books back into the black.††
I love this project, and I’m going to miss it. That said, I’m also really looking forward to a year or two to decide what my next project is going to look like, and excited about what’s next. More than anything, I’m really looking forward to sending Rabbit Heart off in grand style, with a fantastic last show and some popcorn. Come celebrate with us, help us send her up right October 20th at Nick’s. You can pick up your tickets at the Doublebunny Press store right here – hope to see you at the show <6
***
*Actually, that was kinda secondary, even if it became my ethos quickly. It really started with trying to get other people to do it. Turns out it was my Big Work after all ~.o
**Thank you, Clark! Thank you Worcester State!
***And stop-motion trailers, FTW! I would never have started on these little projects without my beloved interns <6
†Not insignificant in this mess are my mixed feelings about social media promotion. I love seeing my friends when I turn on my computer – but also, I get really worried about tiring them out with my insistence that they LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT MY THING, right?
††Say what you will about the economy these days, but I’m looking right at you, Fear of Scarcity. And I believe in my heart of hearts that it was manufactured in rumor at the beginning of this administration, and then, like it does, it became real and immediately impactful. No doubt: things have gotten more expensive and difficult, and I find myself having to ask more often before I get a Yes. I hate that this has become the new normal.
We need to talk about Worcester FilmWars. 72 hours to make a short film, what? Wait – YES!
When I heard about Worcester Film Wars I got really excited – there’s always been a little part of me that wanted to do a fast and furious film festival entry. I’m the kind of person who likes to binge-do stuff – get the ducks sorted and then just, you know, plow though the project.* Stuff like the Choreofest that Carolyn Jepsen let us all peek into last month as she catalogued it in pictures, gets me weak in the knees. I love watching that kind of super fast collaborative thing, and I have loved the idea of being part of one even more. So when Grime announced that they were putting this together, I wanted in like whoa.**
Best thing about this filmy business? Working with people I love. Jenith Charpentier & I had worked on proof-of-concept film for Rabbit Heart all the way back in the beginning and it was a total treat, so I was absolutely stoked to work with her again on filmstuff. April Desmond & I have worked on a variety of projects from layout to raiding and enjoyed the process deeply – and, sister, her eye for the camera o! o! o! We rounded out our team with Will Dearest, who, you know, I like just a little bit,*** and April’s hubby, Ted, also wonderful, whom we didn’t even know would be available until a few days before – bonus! See what happened there? Four Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival judges and the producer – oh, hello, no doubt we’re making a poetryfilm.
What you’re looking at here are five Very Busy People – we started a Facebook message thread and then kinda forgot about things until the prop swap a week later, because, well, life. Teenagers, dogs, work, impending business trips, one impending wedding, groceries – alla that nosed in. Will had a doctor’s appointment on Friday morning to have some cardiac pictures taken and would be guaranteed loopy until at least noon, so we decided to start shooting on Friday at 2.
Jenith lent her poem, Alice’s Lament, already recorded and ready to go. She also brought some teenagers to the table, which was wonderful, as all the adults involved are all a little camera shy. At the last minute Our Man Cub walked in the door to round out our cast – whom we would have for roughly 2 hours.
WooT! We have a fine beginning for the Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival trailer – this is the first draft, the proof of concept, if you will, that Audrey (best intern EVAR) and I cooked up today on the repurposed rig. 180 frames, I think.
Next I want to adjust the color and contrast, and crop out the messy stuff on the left and top. Tomorrow is All Photoshop All Day. Please send good thoughts – xoxo
Apple Tells All 