I do everything in my power to prepare for a film, but at the end of the day I’ve shot what I’ve shot and I’ve cut what I’ve cut and it’s out of my hands. This is not to shirk responsibility — more to marvel at the moment when all of your time and thought leave your grasp and become something entirely new, all on its own.

Instead of high-tailing it to P-town or sunning ourselves out on the greenway, Emma and I spent our Sunday afternoon hovering over a heavy pot of sticky, viscous, brown liquid goodness. We let it boil (but only just barely), stirred the sediment (with a sanitized spoon) and we cooled the wort (in the coolest of ice-baths).

And after three hours of bubbling and timing and sanitizing and worrying and reassuring, we added the yeast, shut the lid and put the bucket in the corner. We have done all that we can do, now it’s up to the ingredients to mix and ferment and clarify into our first batch of Belgian Amber Ale. We hope. And it’s this exact out-of-control feeling — brewing it all up, breath held back — that’s a critical part of my creative process.

Production for I hope you find what you came here to see begins this Saturday. Glasses raised.

Ruchiki is, secondarily, the story of nineteen year old Ayumi Takanawa, plucked from obscurity at a young age by GoJam record executive Mushiro Hiboshi, who has been sexually exploiting his pop starlet even as he guides her career to fame and fortune.

It is also the story of Barney and Maxine, Rachel’s quietly desperate parents; of Banner Tutilo, star of the sadistic reality show EAT IT!; of Clark and Mickey, who want only to grow up and join Banner’s gang; of Pickering and Tokyo, of fantasy, reality, naiveté, wisdom, high school, youtube, and of a girl’s insistence on following her dreams, even at the cost of her innocence.

It is, finally, a short narrative film, written by Peter Warren, directed by Matt Paley, produced by Fletcher Deitch, Liz Phelps and Jake Teresi, with cinematography by Brian Barth and Jeff Kulig, and art direction by Sasha Winters.  It is the first true Company film; a collaboration that involves all eight of us in many different roles.  Filming begins in February and ends in June, and we will document every step of the process here.

See the official website, ruchiki.com!

Contribute to our fundraising campaign at Ruchiki’s kickstarter!

————–
Ruchiki has been made possible by the generous contributions of the following individuals:

Laura Goldman and Scott Haas
Gail Davis and Stuart Manitsky
Charles and Nancy Barry
Neva and Yossi Chait
Mitchell and Arlene Frumpkin
Arnold and Seena Davis
Barbara Goldman and Neil Primack
Robert Haas
Alfred and Elaine Frumpkin
Arthur and Cynthia Fertman
Wendy and Stuart Schwam
Joel Becker and Rusty Wiggs
Robert Paley and Marianne Steiner

This might belong better in an upcoming Round-Up, but I’ll stick it here, now, because it is an amazing film to watch in the cold winter months.  Kind of a downer, but I’ll follow up with something much more Christmas-y.

“Dennis” by Mads Matthiesen.

Yesterday, Brian emerged from his lair once again, with a first peek for sainteliotandco.com!  See it here.