when this came out in 1983 (40 years ago!), it was mind-blowing. it let those of us fortunate enough to have HBO know that something amazing was about to happen:
even shortly after it first aired, this full-length version rarely played. sometimes it would start where the music starts, but usually it would start just before the silver letters come into view. seeing the whole thing from the beginning quickly became a rare treat, and it seemed HBO usually reserved it for very special movie events.
making it more special was the featurette showing how it was made. knowing you were watching something painstakingly made by hand made it even more impressive to watch.
nowadays, something like this would be made with drones or CG, and honestly — while both of those crafts take talent and experience — it wouldn’t be impressive or memorable. it’s hard to imagine a modern remake could ever do what this little short piece of cinema accomplished for my generation.
and this may have been my first exposure to special effects and model making, the time when the seed of wanting to make these fictional worlds come to life was planted in me.
and there’s something about the epic soundtrack/score. it might sound a little dated to people not born in the 70s/80s. but it is a rousing overture, an entre-act, letting you know something spectacular and cinematic was about to happen.
even today when i hear it, i get excited.
i don’t know what 2023 will bring.
2022 had some hard things — Larry died, covid — and some amazing things — meeting more edit.party friends, seeing the Grand Canyon, Roswell, and the Alamo. i made good decisions, i made bad decisions. i had great work at times, i had no work at times. i was sometimes inspired, many times i was discouraged and tired (… or… old?)…
i don’t look back at 2022 as good or bad. i never really do that at the end of the year. i try to appreciate each thing for what it was, and keep moving forward.
the last few months, i’ve been trying to improve my quality of life. i’ve started regular exercise, started going to the chiropractor. trying to get back on my healthy diet more strictly. cleaning the house here and there. there’s a lot of other habits i’d like to develop in the coming year. but i feel like i have a little momentum, something building.
Noah and i recently went through the film, listing every place where we need to do some effects work. it’s a small first step, but necessary for finishing. we’re going to be working on it a little bit each week. something building.
i don’t really make resolutions, certainly not the “list of goals i want to accomplish” type. but this year, i am resolved. Lord willing, this next year will be the year i can work on my films full-time. i’m so close. and once we finish “the darkness rolled over her”, i think we’ll able to raise money for the next one, and then keep going. if The Lord has other plans for me, so be it. but i think this is what He’s prepared me for and guided me toward. and i want to stop being distracted by a lot of smaller things at the expense of the one big thing i’ve always known is my main reason for being on this earth, professionally speaking.
this childhood memory, the HBO feature intro, plays in my head as i think about what this next year may hold… something really spectacular lies ahead, and i’m really excited.