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Admonition Part 4 It was during this editing period that Stephen realised that St. Pats linear editing facilities, which he initially had thought were too basic to edit Admonition, would actually do the job, if not quite as well as Ballyfermot's non-linear equipment. Paul Murphy, head of the AV department, graciously allowed Stephen access to the facilities after he had finished with the Cartel stuff and so, on March 1 2000, Admonition finally began editing. Every Wednesday, Stephen and Andy would lock themselves in the small room from 2:00 until 5:00 and work on the film. It was actually during editing that many of the final ideas seen in the film were hit upon. A good example of this is the voiceover of Dark Man which plays over the library scene. This voiceover was, as in the screenplay, originally filmed as dialogue for a seperate scene to come just before the meeting in the park, but Stephen felt that Neil had played Dark Man slightly differently here than during the meeting scene in the park (two scenes were Dark Man's psychological conidtion is supposed to be breaking down), and so chose to cut the scene out. However, both he and Andy liked the dialogue, and so they decided to use it as a voiceover for the library scene instead of the intended music. Another innovation in the editing room was the opening shot, which, when filmed, started with a long pan and tilt into the graveyard from a shot looking upwards to the top of a tree (which was also the final image in the final). However this pan and tilt was cut, and the scene now starts with a mid-shot on Neil, which doesn't establish that he is in a graveyard until he starts walking and the camer pulls back. Both Stephen and Andy liked the way this jolted the audience. The colourisation in the dream seduction and the Dark Man POV shot of the book were also done in editing, as were all the effects in the flashback scene. Most of the sound effects were also added, such as the rush of air in the basement scene, and the credits were also completed. Unfortunately, little could be done with the dialogue which was recorded using poor equipment, and the final sound mix in the film is very substandard, although the music remains exceptional. The premier: During editing, Stephen had scheduled the premier for May 3, 2000, and, with editing wrapping on March 16, this proved to be plenty of time to organise a gigantic publicity campaign, even bigger than the one scheduled for the previous year, due to the waning interest in the project from the students.. Unfortunately, with the buzz of the actual filming period having died off and with Manchester United playing in the Champions League the same night, attendence at the premier was very poor. In any event, it went on in room D210 in the college with most of the crew and a few cast members in attendence; Martin was unable to attend and Debbie wasn't invited. Food and drink was provided and the evening was introduced by an extremely nervous Stephen (who left while the film was playing). The film was shown to a great ovation and then Stephen took the stage, relating a few anecdotes from the shoot before introducing Ailish and Neil (who also took the stage) and Andy. Ailish, Neil and Stephen took questions from the audience for about half an hour before the party began. It lasted until 10:00 with a good time being had by all, after which Ailish, Neil, Stephen and some audience members continued the festivities in the city centre. Admonition was complete. The finished product: Admonition runs for some twenty seven minutes, including credits. Visually, it turned out pretty much exactly how Stephen and Ailish had envisioned it almost 18 months previously, and although the sound is extremely poor, the fine music from Andy more than makes up for that. Neil's performance is superb throughout, while Terry equates himself well in the fairly thankless role of White Man. Neysa and Evanna were amazing to allow us film the threesome, which looks fabulous (as do they), while the White Room is a triumph of production design, not one person realising it was made of polystyrene until being told so. Structurally, the film is less clear on screen than it is on paper (for example, it is not that obvious that the flashback is a flashback, but, judging by audience responses, most of the themes inherent in the piece are still communicated overtly enough. Certain things were written that didn't translate to screen at all, some for logistical reasons (such as the original opening) or others becuase they weren't properly established (the earring POV mystifies most people - the earrings are actually those which the woman in the flashback was wearing). However, it must be remembered that this was the teams first venture into the field and, all things considered, it seems to have turned out pretty well. Mistakes were undoubtedly made, the fim is undoubtedly imperfect, however for a debut work made entirely by amateurs with no money and poor equipment, it isn't that bad at all. It certainly intrigues everybody who sees it, and it makes them think, and this was one of the goals all along; stimulation. None of the team ever wanted to make a film that was obvious, they all wanted to make something elusive, something vague, something intangible and, no matter how many errors there were and no matter how many unrealised scenes in the screeplay, this is something they have certainly achieved. For those who want to spend the time it takes to look deeper, it will be discovered that there is a lot there for them. This is a film which operates on many levels and one must go very far into it before one finds oneself running out of things to notice or hinted at themes to engage with. This is a film CherryPie Productions are very proud of. Critical reaction: The critical reaction to the film has, for the most part, been exceptional. Many critics have concentrated on and praised the look of the film, with Stephen's camera work and Martin's sets in particular merriting attention. Many have also been impressed by the sheer scale of the thing, especially seeing as how it was taken on by people with no experience. One of the best complements which the film recieived by from, Liam Wiley, the former head of the IFC Filmic Archives and current head of the RTE archives, when he asked Stephen how they had gotten acess to digital non-linear editing. The fact was that they hadn't, they had edited it on a thirty year old linear VHS machine. Numerous critics have commented on the acting, particularly Neil, and on the music, while a select few have engaged with the plot. The standard reaction is one of restrained bafflement, with a willingness to tenatively forward a theory, although some have confidentally offered explantions, the most popular one being the good versus evil scenario. Everyone who has seen the film however, has found it to be interesting and sweeping, all have been impressed by its aesthetics and most by its execution, and (although some have dismissed it, and others ignored it) to date, nobody, as far as is known, has absolutely hated it. And that is surely a good thing. on to Admonition page 5 back to admonition page 3 back to products links page back to home |
