Preparations for the premiere, this Thursday, March 29, at 5pm at the Dragonfly Theater are continuing at a breakneck speed. More than a 100 DVDs have been produced, labeled, and packaged in our trademarked eco-friendly origami -like case. Thirty gift bags have been created for the Season 1, Episodes 1 through 6 actors -- each packed with specific items for the actor personally. Fifty scripts have been printed, bound and trimmed. Signs have been designed and printed. A 100 posters have been sorted, rolled, and priced. Absolutely incredible monster pins -- like the ones worn like military badges by "rainy day warrior" Maxo in Episode 6 have been crafted and are ready for sale. But that's not all...
Brianne has produced files of Episodes 1 through 5 with captions embedded on the images to avoid any hardware issues that the theater might have run into. This was a straightforward process -- until two of the caption SRT corrupted and Brianne had to get creative -- and resourceful -- to fix the problem. Once the captions were fixed, the episodes came to me. Why? Because every episode at the premiere (with the exception of Episode 6) needs to run only 25 minutes in length.
There is no corporate sponsor for the premiere. Nor has their been any funding raised for Episode 6. The theater space is not free... nor was the red carpet, poles, photo station, gift bags, bound scripts, DVDs, pins or posters. We always knew that our time to actually screen the six episodes would be tight. We always knew they would have to be edited down in length. We knew we wouldn't cut any actor but some of our favorite scenes would have to be sacrificed. After all, if we kept all six episodes their full length for the big screen, we'd have a five hour event -- and most people aren't even off work until 5pm! Since A Friday, Saturday or Sunday premiere wasn't an option, my last 32 hours have been spent cutting my beautiful episodes into...
...equally beautiful, but briefer episodes :) It has been, I think, my greatest challenge with the project to date. And I'm sure I'll finish just hours before the event. But you know what? It's worth it. These shortened episodes will never air anywhere else -- not on YouTube and not on any DVD. This makes the premiere (and the April 12 screening) unique and exciting in many ways. Is it "Ghost Sniffers Lite"? I suppose. But there's something to be learned from brevity AND levity.
Forge might even say, "These episodes are a whiff of the sniff!" All without losing the heart of the show.
Stay tuned on Tuesday for a "What to Expect" blog about how the red carpet will work at the premiere and what excitement awaits you -- including when to arrive, where to park, when the doors close, what freebies to expect, and the amazing documentary that will be shot live during the premiere itself!
When disabilities become super abilities, young heroes prove what's real and what's ridiculous. Visit our website at tinyurl.com/ghostsniffers or join us on Facebook at tinyurl.com/ghostsniffersFB
