Dear Bill,<br> I have no idea what famous people
do with their time. I am not at all famous, just
peculiar. I think the only interesting thing about me is my
unusual name that attracts attention. If the credits said
John Jones, I don't think anyone would notice. Having
said that, I do get to do alot of cool stuff, simply
because there are very few people trusted to handle the
original camera negative of films. It's kind of like being
the guy who arrives to help out when the bomb squad
is called -where are volunteers when you need them?
The best thing I've done lately is to work with some
of the original people who created Apocolypse Now.
Believe it or not, they decided to re-cut the original
negative, and add 50 minutes from the old director's cut.
To some, this may sound like a sacrilege, but it has
been alot of fun. The new stuff is great - more of the
scene where "Charlie don't surf" and a great scene with
Martin Sheen in the French Plantation. Working with
Vittorio Storaro, Walter Murch, and Kim Aubry is a great
experience. These guys know more about film than you and I
will ever know. Look for the new version in theaters
in the next few months. <br> Digital systems will
definitely replace people like me in the next 5-7 years. The
only reprieve that I can see is the fact that the
major theater chains in the US are all in receivership
(Chapter 11 or some uglier corporate number). The trades
tell us that the accumulated debt is near 1 billion
dollars. Somehow, I don't think the stockholders are going
to okay the investment in millions of dollars worth
of digital projectors. We'll see.<br> In the
meantime, we continue to cut films at an alarming rate. The
trend towards high visual effects films is increasing
rapidly, and altering the way I do business. Next time you
go to the movies, (and I know you do!), try to
analyze every scene you see and determine if you are
seeing true original filmed scenes, or film that has
been manipulated into some kind of visual effect.
Chances are, at least 40% of the film you see (and
frequently 60-70%) is film changed by a computer. My job is
morphing into a position of traffic controller. My people
send out hundreds of shots every day to be somehow
altered for the screen. <br> But I'm boring
you..<br><br><br>Thanks again <br><br>Mo