Monday, July 16, 2007
The Ashburton Aftermath
The trip north to Ash-Vegas or Flash-burton went really well. A great turnout meant the occasion was really special for Pip and myself who had not had a chance to catch up with many of the characters in our film since the summer. Try as I did to recognise and personally thank everybody for their involvement, I just want to add that often the amount of time that people spent with us giving interviews and showing us around didn't amount to time on the screen. We had so many favorite moments and special sequences that didn't make it into the final 24 minutes. However, the benefit of the DVD format will give us the opportunity to release some of that material which we plan to do. We have not set the cost for the DVD yet, but expressions of interest are invited so that we have an idea of how many copies to budget for. Pip and I would also like to thank Francis for being the top bidder in our auction for the Wendy Prior artwork commissioned especially for the film. Photos of the Ashburton premiere can be found by following the following link.
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4 comments:
Go Flash Ash! I would like to express my interest in a copy of the dvd. So please consider it expressed... Megs
Hi Meg, let me know your address and I will get a copy off to you.
Hi Mark :) Hi Pip :)
I really enjoyed meeting and talking to you guys and your friends and to some of those who appeared in the film; most notably the guy who made the "Arnold Schwarzenagger Cat" comment --who also was the guy who I ended up bidding against to win the painting (Sorry, I'm good with remembering people but really bad with their names).
I had pleasant thoughts and memories of the evening to accompany my mind in the night drive back to Christchurch, and until now.
Foremost in my thoughts was to question the mystery of the existence of the cat: fundamentally, is there a panther out there, or isn't there?? Obviously there is a big cat, but how big? And what kind of cat?
To help tackle this mystery, though, I was newly armed with having met some people who've claimed to have sighted the cat. For example, June Barret a reporter for the Ashburton 'Courier' local newspaper was, I felt, a credible eye witness. But, the guy who made the "Schwarzenagger" comment, when I spoke to his group, I felt their recollections to be a little too reserved and less forth coming than was to my liking. For whatever reason, it seemed they could not all account as to exactly what they were doing out there, wandering together, deep through the woods, when stumbling upon a sighting of the cat. They seemed more comfortable to want to concur on being vague, than to give me any explanation for their presence there whatsoever. I'm not saying they seemed dishonest, on the contrary, they seemed very matter-of-fact -ish indeed. Their, no nonsense, accurate and succinct style of speaking seemed wholly incompatible with the need to want to make up elaborate lies.
Nevertheless, their reticence to answering my queries, for whatever reason, necessarily niggles at my skeptical side.
Also, to feed my skepticism, I felt that it was unusual that I should end up to be the one to win the auction for the painting, and not just that, but to obtain it for such a steal!
I thought to myself, how was it possible that I, one of the few there who had not even seen the cat (only ever heard about it on TV), should be the one to have bid the highest?
If the panther was indeed real, then there should have been some real ca$h offered up for a unique painting of it; i.e. the old cliche 'money talks...'. But then again, I thought to myself, most of the other bidders probably had actual homes to return to, and had probably not so apathetically racked up as high a student debt as I have. So maybe the simple reality is that I won the auction because I'm a better bidder than I am a budgeter. That certainly is highly plausible.
Further, in consideration that the panther is real, the strongest opposition came in the form of real emotion. Like when simply listening to the enthusiasm and energy with which people speak when discussing the cat. And more particularly, was the reaction and consideration I received in response to airing the scepter of the cat being killed. The replies to that were unmistakably heartfelt and genuine. Indeed people were politely hostile and admirably defensive against the mere suggestion of it.
Everybody there, it was clear, respected the animal more so than quelling the mystery of it to ever consider wanting to shoot it.
It's emotion like that which Solomon sought when discerning between contests of who to better believe.
So I do reckon, out there, there is one black cat, at least, that's pretty scary and big and has a long tubular tail, and walks with a gait...
What ever it is out there, in the deep Canterbury woods. Prints of Darkness by Mark and Pip, is a thoroughly enjoyable must see. The short film engagingly captures the chaotic mystery of these long tailed tales with the spirit with which they speak about it. With the panic by which they observe it. And with the certainty that you'd be watched by it, if you ever tried to look.
--Francis.
Hi Francis,
Thanks for your continued interest in the film and the details involved. I'm glad you liked it. Have you checked out the film website which also has a blog where you can leave feedback.
www.printsofdarkness.co.nz
If you send me your address I will send you a copy of the DVD to go with your artwork.
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