If you ever need to film blood, do not, I repeat, do not use real blood. Even if a friend of a friend, for reasons unknown, happens to have a jar of blood to donate for this purpose, resist the temptation to use it, however great the desire to be authentic. It turns out that the stench of stale blood is fearsome. In the end, after experimenting with all kinds of off-the-shelf liquids, I discovered a coffee concoction that worked to great effect. I thought at the time how easy it was as an artist to forget the real tragedy of one’s subject matter amidst technical issues, while pushing pixels or playing with flour and red food coloring. The thought returned as I watched September 11th’s cinematic terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. We cannot fast-forward or eject the tragic fact that the world is not at peace with God, and therefore not at peace with each other. This was one of many lessons learned as I struggled to finish my first “original” short film in time for the Damah Film Festival (damah.com). I worked aimlessly and intermittently at first, and then finally, overcoming my intimidation, tirelessly and purposefully through a week of sleepless nights. In the end, “Speechless” — a tragic history of the world in paint and photos — was, let us say, not ready for primetime. Out of time, I sent it rough and unfinished. So, it was quite a surprise to learn recently that of 243 entries, my film was one of nineteen to be nominated for an award at the film festival in Seattle in October. I’ll do my best to break a leg. (more…)