That's a Wrap!
On May 7th, the cast and crew of Waltz officially wrapped production.
Wrapping on this project was a proud moment for me. I wrote Waltz because I wanted to do something "simple and scary" and although it definitely is that, the shoot was much more intense and complicated than I had planned. That's not a bad thing by any means; in fact, I think the challenges we faced made the film that much better. Everyone involved rose up and met every challenge, from extra shoot days to complicated blocking and tons and tons of blood. Most of it fake.
The subject matter of the film is not for the faint of heart. Waltz's terror comes, not from ghosts or ghouls, but from knowing what horrible evil things human beings are capable of inflicting on each other when they feel justified. When they believe they are right and there are no alternatives. It's a monster movie, certainly, but who is the monster? It's a question that has been tackled many times in cinema. This is my small contribution to the discussion.
The shoot ran for six long days, and four of which our leading lady remained strapped to an uncomfortable bed while we asked her to go to some very dark places as the villain inflicting torment upon torment. Enduring the role was a kind of torture in and of itself, and she (and our villain) endured, rose above, and turned take after take that made my heart skip, my stomach drop, my eyes wince. It disturbed me in ways I didn't think it would during the writing process. I'm proud of everyone involved; for me to get disturbed over my own work is a tremendous gift, and I'm excited to see how everyone else will react.
Now, the fun part. Now, we take the raw footage and piece together something new and unique. We've hired our editor, and we expect a rough cut within a few weeks. It's an exciting phase in the process, but they all are in their own way.
We'll be hosting a private screening for the film once it is complete, and then it will begin the festival circuits. In the meantime, our next project slowly but surely flowing from my keyboard. That's the great thing about filmmaking: there's always more to look forward to, new things to see and experience. I hope you'll all join us for Waltz and beyond.
