Marion,

Thanks for all of your hard work for us .I hope you are over the worst hurdles now .This was a momumental task but will certainly find a prominate place in WWII history.

BILL

Excuse my spelling error PROMINENT,not PROMINATE !!!

I should have used preview post

Dear Bill:

Thank you for your POST. Sometimes it gets awfully lonely out here, and....

Ya, monumental is RIGHT. I knew it would be tough, but it was much more than that. Is is worth it? You bet! But I really had no idea just how tough it would be. There were times when I would be in tears, losing sleep and wondering how I was going to jump over all those hurdles. When I would get depressed, my hubby would remind me how far I had come and what a great job I was doing. He'd say, you are going to give Ken Burns competition. Then he'd remind me and and point out, you don't even have assistants and look at what you are accomplishing on your own

When things get heavy and seem insurmountable, I think of all the stories all my vets have shared with me, and all the sacrifices they made during the war. It really does put things into perspective. I keep repeating, NO BRIDGE TOO FAR, NO BRIDGE TOO FAR. You can DO this, kiddo!

Thanks again for your time and comments. It really helps to have someone to talk to.

Marion,

 

Thanks for all of your hard work for us .I hope you are over the worst hurdles now .This was a momumental task but will certainly find a prominate place in WWII history.

 

BILL

Almost done with the rolling credits this morning, and waiting for more insurance quotes to roll in.

I about fell off my chair when the first one arrived in my inbox last night; $2500.00! Ya, you read that right. I wrote back to the agent and said, I simply can't afford that. He totally understood and said many independent film-makers are in the same boat; they can't afford insurance bills when they simply don't have any revenue!!

So, I will wait a few days and see what the other quotes divulge, but I'm sure they won't vary that much?!

It will probably come down to foregoing insurance at this point in time, and maybe trying to pick it up in the future. But, as you can see, it will also leave me wide open for lawsuits. Odds are it will not happen, but in our litigious society, you just never know.

I will keep everyone posted. Damn, it's ALWAYS something...

Just when I thought I was mere hours away from wrapping up my project, I now find I was given erroneous information regarding PUBLIC DOMAIN music. It appears if I wish to use ANY WWII music in my documentary, I must contact EACH publisher. So I have now spent the good part of yesterday and today, hunting down the publishers for each tune appearing in chapters one and two. While it is a royal pain in the arse, it's not what bothers me the most. It is now the fear of amassing even more expenses.

I am truly hoping these publishers are willing to work with an independent and just about broke producer. I guess only time will tell. I sent out four letters yesterday and will now have to send out another dozen or so this weekend.

I think I need a beer or two.

Encouraging news!

Just spoke with an lawyer who has also worked in the documentary field, so has experience on both sides of the spectrum. I now feel encouraged to proceed with the documentary, after receiving some great advice and reassurances. Praise the lord and pass the ammunition!!!!

I worked on a logo this morning, which is simple yet I think captures the spirit of my company; note the old fashioned typewriter font.

I am finishing the scrolling credits and will begin work on the artwork later today. Getting so close.

I am all smiles, and that feels good for a change.

I am all smiles, and that feels good for a change.

Wow! It's about time for some good news!

Ya, it sure does feel good for a change. Let's take three steps forward. YEAH!

It took me almost four hours to hunt down all the vets names and their respective units, and enter them in a database before I could dump them in the final credits. Man, I didn't realize all the people I had contact with, including all the vets, historians, and other folks. WOW! It sure is an eye-opener. :squirrel 4:

Thanks in advance to Mike Morgan, editor of Army Engineer Magazine, for his assistance today.

I wrote to Mike to ask if he would be willing to help me with the art work/layout for the documentary cover and inside DVDs. I am so pleased and so relieved to have a professional editor work alongside me, for I want this to look its best.

I sent him the photos I wanted to use, and my initial design and text and told him to perform his magic.

Man, do I have a nice set of friends and colleagues.

Heard more good news this evening. Actually found out many of the WWII tunes ARE public domain!!!! Yippee. Makes it easier for me, and my pocket book sure appreciates the welcomed news!

I am burning chapter two to disk this evening, and will view it in the morning. I just finished the very last vocal RE-DO for my narration, this afternoon. It's amazing what you hear and see upon final inspection. The gentleman who is my assistant editor, told me he watched his documentary over 25 times before it was actually READY for publishing. Whew, I can believe it.

The two new voice-overs supplied by Voice123, worked out great this weekend, and I am much happier with the results. I had to replace two of the volunteers, for the quality of their microphones just didn't cut it. When you're doing final mix-downs and listening on good headphones, every little nuance comes to life. Can't live with hiss and other such anomalies. Doesn't cut it in the real world. Gotta do whatcha gotta do if you want to be professional.

Marion,

This is good news.I know this has been a tough job and all of us appreciate your hard work .

Bill

Hi M1,

This project of yours is just amazing to me! Did you ever imagine yourself taking on a huge task like this when you were a kid? (If the answer is YES it won't surprise me ). Your Dad has to be about the proudest GI in Heaven right about now ...

Thanks Bill and Dogdaddy. Sure is nice to hear from 'my crew', for a little encouragement goes a long way with me.

No, can't say I ever envisioned doing anything of this caliber, but I have to admit, I always felt like I had something special to offer the world, just wasn't sure what form it would appear in. ha-ha!

God gave me a lot of talent, and I'm just glad I got to use it for something worthwhile. I can't think of anything better to apply it to; can you? My parents always told me I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it. So thanks to them for their support and encouragement, when I was a wee tyke.

Thanks Bill and Dogdaddy. Sure is nice to hear from 'my crew', for a little encouragement goes a long way with me.

 

No, can't say I ever envisioned doing anything of this caliber, but I have to admit, I always felt like I had something special to offer the world, just wasn't sure what form it would appear in. ha-ha!

 

God gave me a lot of talent, and I'm just glad I got to use it for something worthwhile. I can't think of anything better to apply it to; can you? My parents always told me I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it. So thanks to them for their support and encouragement, when I was a wee tyke.

You're telling me that you aren't done yet !!! Whatcha been doin' huh? Love ya lady !! I know all your

work will be richly rewarded. WE ALL ARE WAITING FOR THE RESULTS. gottagolookffornuts--

I'm sure like many people on this great website M1, we are all rooting for a very sucessful conclusion to the long road you have taken. You are always in my thoughts and I try every day to visit here and see what's new.

Colin.