BRETT AND MELANIE: BOI MEETS GIRL will go on pre-order this weekend at the special price of price of $17.95. This price will be good until the DVD goes out for replication later this Summer, after which the DVD will be available at the regular price of $27.95

In this passage above, Melanie describes her (sometimes awkward) journey from being a young girl who loved pink party dress to an adult, comfortable with her love of women and her love of over-the-top glamour.

The clip was taken from a point in the editing process the footage from both cameras is shown. The story is now “locked”, and decisions on when to show the close-up, and when to show the two-shot are being finalized. As with our other films, the final cut will not have any split-screen effects.

BRETT AND MELANIE: BOI MEETS GIRL is the seventh film in our Real People, Real Life, Real Sex erotic documentary series. I am particularly excited about this film because (for me at least) this film opens up questions about strength and vulnerability in the context of how we portray and interpret gender. Throughout Brett and Melanie’s interview, there is a constant dance of who is strong for whom, of who is vulnerable and who nurtures; and this dance continues when Brett and Melanie make love.

Peggy and I are deeply grateful to Brett and Melanie for sharing themselves with us in such an intimate way, and it is our privilege to share Brett and Melanie’s story with you.

I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I feel a change in the in the air, and that’s lit a fire under my feet to get the films that are already shot, but unfinished done, and then try to add a few new wrinkles to this couples/relationship/romance/sex format I’ve been working in for more than a decade.

Making that easier is the fact that starting with BILL AND DESIREE, I’m working with a young and hungry editor who’s taken on all of the dreary aspects of editing, and has been a great partner in the creative part. I’ve never had anyone edit my films, so it’s a totally new experience and I love it!

Making things even easier still is that this next film, BRETT AND MELANIE really seems to want to be a film. Brett and Melanie are great storytellers with a wonderful on-camera rapport; and the way they found themselves and found each other is a great story.

About 20 years ago I realized that my way of being an artist was to find great material and then do the best I can to keep up/stay out of the way; and Brett and Melanie’s story is another great example of how true that is. I almost feel more like a technician than an artist, just making sure all the knobs are turned to the right setting. Maybe that doesn’t sound fun, but it really is. This film has a life of its own, I’m just here to help bring it out into the world.

The embedded clip is a peek into my process. At this point footage from the two cameras used to capture the interview are shown side by side. Once the story/audio is locked, we start figuring out when to show the two shot, and when to show the close-up. If this is done well, the audience hardly notices the edits, and moving between the two shots can even help subtly emphasize the story by providing reaction shots  and music-like rhythm.

Or at least that’s what supposed to happen. Like I said, mostly I just try to get good material and then not mess it up by getting too fancy!