Once the editing is done, we can move on to the green screen effects, sound, and music, which we'll also need to raise money to do, but more on that later.

There is still a huge amount of work to go -- I suspect it will take at least the rest of 2012 to finish the film -- but having this edit is a major step forward.  It's becoming a real movie.  It's hard to believe that this time last year it was only just words on a page.

I'll be in touch over the next few months as things develop.  I can't wait to share the final project with all of you.

Thanks, as always, for your support.  We really couldn't have done this without you!

Yours in independent film,

Jay Stern
www.adventuresofpaulandmarian.com

Dear supporters,

I am thrilled to announce that I have received a $10,000 grant from the Jerome Foundation that will go towards our post production costs.  This is a big deal for us, especially given the high caliber of projects we're sharing the award with.  You can see the whole list here, in the press release that was just posted on the Jerome Foundation's website.  We are thrilled and honored to receive this grant and will spend the money on one of the most important parts of this project -- the green screen effects.

In other news, I passed the halfway mark in the rough edit today!  Bit by bit, the movie is coming together.

Thank you all for your continued support.  I'll be in touch with more news as it develops.

Jay

Dear Kickstarter Backers,

Apologies for being out of touch for a little bit; I was hired to direct The Bardy Bunch, a wild play -- a musical no less -- at the New York International Fringe Festival.  Auditions and rehearsals started immediately following the wrap of our shoot so I've been working non-stop since you last heard from me.  I was able to bring a few members of the Adventures of Paul and Marian team along, so it felt like I was able to keep the movie party going a bit longer.  The play was a super amount of fun, and there's some interest in continuing our run somehow in NYC and elsewhere, so there will hopefully be a longer life for this really wonderful play.

But enough about my play; I'm sure you're all wondering what is up with the movie!  Once the play closed in late August I finally had time to start editing, and I'm happy to announce that I've cut nearly 30 minutes of the film.  It's still a rough cut of course, but if editing continues to progress at the current pace, I should have a workable cut of the entire movie by the end of the year.

I'm attaching a rough composite shot of the character of Marian as she looks out with expectation at the start of her adventure.  That's how I feel now, as I observe this movie coming into place (although I'm not nearly as nervous as Marian, who is facing the big scary world all alone).  It's been really wonderful to go back to this footage after a break and to see the entire movie sitting there waiting to be sculpted into shape.

I'll keep you informed as things progress, and I'll be in touch quite soon with some exciting news that I can't yet announce publicly.

Thank you all for your continued support!

Jay

Dear Kickstarter Friends,

After nearly 2 1/2 years of work, "The Adventures of Paul and Marian" is in the can!  We have a very long road ahead of us to raise the rest of our money and to get through post-production, but for now we're taking a moment to enjoy what we've achieved.  The shoot went without a hitch, and the footage looks just great.  Our cast and crew really rose to the challenge and created a film that looks far more expensive than it really was.

You can read a little about the shoot on our production diary.

And we also have stills and updates on our Facebook page.

And while I'm at it, follow us on Twitter if you don't already.

I can't begin to describe the joy and satisfaction our team is feeling right now.  I give a huge, enormous, wildly thankful thanks to each of you for helping make this dream come true.  We couldn't have done it without you.

Your friend,
Jay