GreenBean Screening of Dear Stranger (Rough Cut)

Last night, a rough cut of Dear Stranger screened at GreenBean, a cafe/ theater in Greensboro, North Carolina. This was the first time the film was screened to an audience larger than two, wasn't sure how it would be recieved. With all the editing, I had lost perspective on the film and wasn't sure what I was showing anymore.

The screening went very well. For the first time in a long time, I felt excited about the film. I went to sleep on a high. It has been a while since I felt that incredible feeling that I had something beautiful to say and that it was also something people wanted to hear. As I watched the film, imagining how people were responding, I remarked to myself how fast the film moved. It felt like I had compressed a feature length film in 2 mins, the film's actual length hovers around 15 mins. Yet I was able to notice every mistake, every fault, every compromise. It was quite pathetic.

People had a lot to say about the film but the biggest message I got was that the film was ready. Finito! I have the audio to mix and some voice-over recordings left but the film besides the tweaks are set. The actual responses, at times, diametrically opposed each other, however, as I listened to the feedback I realized the film encouraged a subjective viewing. The film's voice is subjective, a lot of what happens in the film is how one person might see the world. That perspective, at times, clashes with the audience. Among the comments, Stephen's comments stood out as he said something to the effect: "that it was a film that should comes straight from you (it is not an audience film). No point for us to tell you what you should do with it."
I'd like to thank Jim for his usual wonderful self. I would also like to thank Neb and the other people of the Triad Indie Group for all their support, and for also providing a space where a filmmaker can screen an unfinished film, get feedback, and then realize he is done. :)

- AAP
[Filmmaker]