Hurrah! Today I finished the final draft of my next Cinefex article. I won’t reveal what film I’m covering just yet, but I will say that my research steered me in a few unexpected directions and resulted in interviews not only with the usual raft of movie effects professionals, but also with an animal trainer and an archeological expert from The British Museum.
I know what you’re thinking. With my article for the February issue in the bag, now’s the time I get to kick back and relax. No such luck. My desk is already starting to buckle under the weight of my three articles for April which, due to our long lead time, are due for completion just a few weeks after Christmas.
The first of these is not a regular Cinefex article in that it doesn’t cover just one film. I’ve actually been working on it since before the summer, on and off, talking to the effects crowd and steadily gathering material. This phase of the operation is now mostly done, which means it’s time to for me to try and make sense of the research, and work out just how to format it all into an article. That’s a slightly terrifying prospect. But I don’t think I can put it off any longer.
I’m on more familiar ground with my second assignment for Cinefex 158 – a soup-to-nuts article on the making of one of 2018’s big movies. I’m about ready to set the ball rolling by requesting permission from the studio to interview everyone involved. The timing of this one should be interesting. Not only does my copy deadline coincide with a major production milestone, but we also have the holidays slap-bang in the middle of it all. That means I’ll be trying to arrange interviews precisely when everybody is more concerned with preparing to party, partying, or recovering from the party of the night before.
The third story is … well, frankly it’s a bit of a long shot. It’s something that all of us on the editorial team want to make happen for issue 158, but right now we’re not entirely sure if it’s achievable. All I can say for now is: watch this space.
I know, I know. All of the above is terribly vague. If my evasiveness irritates you, I apologise, but remind you that everything I do for Cinefex is bound by strict rules of confidentiality. Sometimes that makes writing a diary a little difficult. Rest assured that, once we’re in a position to reveal the contents of these various future issues I keep teasing, I’ll open the floodgates.
Until then, mum’s the word.
Graham Edwards 