Just Keep Swimming…

I hope everyone had great fun this Halloween season! My fifteen-year-old demonstrated impeccable taste in selecting his costume this year… behold, Anthony J. Crowley:

Anthony_J_Crowley_01

A rather dashing young man if I must say so; I myself cut somewhat less of a debonair figure:

Pennywise-X

(That took about 2 hours to apply, and instantly caused frightened children to scatter in a 5-mile radius in every direction.)

Now, I want to share a few things with those who have been patiently waiting for an update.

First: I love The Price.

This project has been a non-stop series of small miracles for me (including the more than 2000 made possible by the enthusiastic kindness of strangers via Kickstarter), not to mention a few gigantic ones  (like spending time with Mr. Neil Gaiman, and being able to call Cat Mihos my friend).

Second: as you are well aware, this film is taking a long, long, long time to make.

That was never the plan, and yet here we are. Clearly, there are frustrations (on both sides of the fence), and a swamp filled with doubt and anxiety that requires careful navigation to steer clear of while staying hopeful, creative and productive.

One evening not long ago I began re-reading Coraline, and in the forward to the 10th anniversary edition read about Neil’s own struggles in writing one of his most beloved stories:

“I stopped writing [Coraline] when we moved to America. (I had been writing it in my own time. It didn’t seem like I had any “own time” any longer.)

“Six years later I picked it up and continued from the middle of the sentence I’d stopped at in August 1992

“I started it again because I realized that if I didn’t, my youngest daughter, Maddy, would be too old for it by the time I was done. I started it for Holly. I finished it for Maddy.

“Now I was writing Coraline again, I still had no time, so I would write fifty words a night in bed, before I fell asleep.”

His account, and similar stories from other artists I admire, bring much needed light and encouragement to keep moving forward each day, no matter the conditions or the challenges; it’s like Dory says in Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming!” (Given that our last name is Salmon, this has become our mantra.)

Many have asked that I share a completion date, but I have been reluctant to publicly draw that line in the sand given the unpredictability of this project. It remains a labor of love, and while there is a timeline I am striving to maintain, I would rather provide a happy surprise when it’s finished than disappointment at a missed deadline.

Still others have questioned if all this work is actually necessary, given that the animatic version (made years ago) tells the cinematic story already. While I appreciate the overwhelmingly positive reactions to that proof-of-concept, the best way to explain what all of this time and effort are for, is that I am turning this

TP-016-A

into this

TP-016-A_Arrival_01

Thank you so very much for all your patience and support; please know I am following Neil’s example, working each and every day until the film is finished. Now, back to work…

 

About Xtopher

Director of The Price, and Owner/Creative Director of Silver Fish Creative, LLC.
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8 Responses to Just Keep Swimming…

  1. Jon Schjelderup says:

    You had me worried there, with the lack of updates. But now that we finally got one, I’m OK with waiting again.

    • Xtopher says:

      Sorry Jon; no more gaps. Things are going better and the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter every day! :) Thank you for being so patient … it will be worth the wait!

  2. Tad says:

    Wow, I tried writing you a note just last night to see how YOU and your family were doing… the site and messaging seemed to be locked up. Glad to hear all is well! Should you need a pick-me-up, just go to the The Price animatic page and read the comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzxFjfB8Dfk

    Please keep that up on YT… I like to come back to it now and then for inspiration and to help push through my own struggles. That makeup job is fierce and unsettling! Your son could/should play the part of Crowley’s younger self.

    I run a flophouse/shelter for a LOT of cats… you capture the mystery of their look and their ways most magically, my friend. Behind you till this is done!

    • Xtopher says:

      Tad, you just brought me a whole sky full of sunshine!!! :) Thank you for keeping me and this film in your mind and heart, and for taking good care of our ‘mysterious’ feline friends!

  3. Stina says:

    I’m glad to hear that this project is still in the works! There haven’t been any updates to the kickstarter page since this post, though, which means that the backer emails haven’t come through, so a lot of your backers might be unaware. Could you post this to the kickstarter page as well to reassure everyone? Good luck!

  4. Kendall says:

    Thanks for posting and I love/am scared by your kid’s/your costumes! 😉 I support you and and happy to hear (read) from you. :-)

  5. Stuart says:

    While it’s encouraging to see this update, the lack of recent production updates on Kickstarter is really disheartening to the 2000+ people who supported the project there.

    Please, please consider trying to make at least semi-regular updates there, so that those of us who remain hopeful that you’ll complete the project don’t lose all hope.

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