3...2...1...

There are only three days left until our showcase. To think, just three months ago, we began this project, and it all comes down to these last few days. There has been a shift in urgency in all of us, but, at this stage, there are only a few specific tasks to be complete, namely editing and scoring. Both the t-commies and music tech people are working to finish their respective pieces, while working together to ensure cohesion between the two projects.

One challenge to this goal is that Evan, Audrey, Blake, and Jon have been working here at the mansion, while Dan and Adam have been at the music building using the recording studios. This distance makes it difficult at times to collaborate effectively, as Dan and Adam need to see what they are scoring. As a result, there are lots of trips between the two buildings to transfer files and get a general sense of what each team is working on.

For those of us without a lot of the technical expertise needed to edit or score, we have been trying our best to fill in where possible. It has certainly been a source of frustration to know there is a tremendous amount of work to be done, but to not be able to directly contribute to completing that work. A few people have complained of feeling useless or like they aren’t doing anything. In all honesty though, at this point, there are a limited number of things that can be done and a limited amount of people that can effectively complete those tasks. The situation is a conundrum, because we want to make sure that the editors and musicians have everything they need to do their job, but we don't want to be in the way of that process either.

With seventeen of us, as we have found throughout the semester, it is far too easy to have too many cooks in the kitchen. We try to help out by finding scenes or quotes to fill in our story. Others provide a fresh eye and mind to the editors as they piece together sequences, while others have been around to offer support and boost morale.

Some of the general moods I sense around the mansion are panic, frustration, anxiety, and hope. In three days, all of those emotions will melt away with a huge sigh of relief as we sit back and watch our film with a deserved sense of pride.