People Get Ready - Update #22

Whether you're new here or this is your first time checking in (hello!), we've got some news for you:

In approximately one week we will be launching our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. It will go for one month. In that time we will attempt to raise enough money to pay for a professional editor, a graphics package, color correct session, and final audio mix. Every single one of these elements is vital to bringing our story to fruition. These are the stages of production that make a project professional. Maya and I have spent nearly five years of our lives trying to start our family and we've spent nearly three years working on the ONE MORE SHOT doc. Anything less than a professional finished product is, to me, unacceptable. We've come to far, gone through too much, met too many amazing people, to complete this film in an amateur way.

Over the next month I'm going to remind you, bug, ask for your help to get our project funded. This is your chance to contribute what you can, tweet and retweet, forward this site, tell your friends about these people that faced some tough odds but not only refused to give up on their dreams of having a family but they also made a movie about the whole heartbreaking, life affirming process! 

We need your help. I need your help. Let's do this. Let's make this film and get it into festivals, into homes, tablets, sides of buildings. Let's show this in LA and Seattle and Sydney and Singapore and everywhere in between. 

So, you with me? Game on.

- noah

How to relax on Dec 31

While you're picking out what to wear tonight we are getting our edit on down in the One More Shot lab. Working on one of the more emotional scenes right now. You know it's a tough one when you have to take breaks to keep you from going back to one of the lowest points in your life. Hey, have a good day!

Happy Holidays from the One More Shot team!

Hope you and your crew have a happy holiday and an awesome new year. We have a feeling 2015 will bring some excitement with a movie and another project.

Don't scroll down if you don't like spoilers...

Spoiler alert!

Art and #Infertility

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photo by Elizabeth Walker c.2014

Last week we met with Elizabeth Walker. Elizabeth is doing a really interesting project out of Michigan called "The ART of Infertility." Making art out of the world of infertility: we're obviously big fans of this idea. Elizabeth interviewed Maya and I for a future exhibit. Elizabeth has been sharing the different ways people going through infertility process their experiences through different art forms. Using art and creativity to make sense of traumatic experiences is not new, though it is often at the heart of a lot of beautiful and powerful work. For us, it's the film. One More Shot has been our way to cope and process this long journey through infertility. Take a look at the project website for more info.

The secret...

Keep it simple. 

Update #18

A laptop and some footage and I'm good to go. Believe it or not there's two years worth of a movie here.

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest. Trying to get some editing done this week when I'm not stuffing my face with food or seeing my favorite people.

A big hello and welcome to our new visitors. Please join us on this ride. If you haven't already, please sign-up for updates so we can let you know about the next big move.  

-n

Update #17

Maya's article for the New York Times has gotten people talking. That is a great thing. Check out Maya's follow-up to the support, questions, and controversy the article has caused. Read it here.

In movie news, I spent much of this weekend going through footage. I mentioned this in a previous post but it's very interesting how things have changed in terms of the story we're telling in this film. Things that felt important in the moment, that I looked back on thinking "that's it! That's the low point of the film," aren't anywhere close to the low point or the miss the mark on what we're trying to say. Every day I dig into this film I feel like I know the story I want to tell, and every scene challenges me to stick to that feeling or take another look at what I'm trying to say. It's this struggle and change that I know will make this film better.

Update #16 Maya and the Motherlode

Head over to the Motherlode Blog at the New York Times to see an awesome article Maya wrote about our journey through embryo adoption. It's an inspiring article about everything we've gone through, as well as a glimpse into the amazing science that is helping to create our family.

Update #15

Jeez, is it really the middle of November already? It's always hard to tell with Los Angeles weather. Well, sunshine and 75 degrees or not, time is moving on and so is the project.  Here are a couple updates on all things One More Shot.

This week we're welcoming another story editor on to the team.  Think of a story editor as part writer, part editor. A good story editor works with the footage to get to the heart of a scene and makes sure the overall stories are tracking.  This way, when the editor gets their hands on the footage, they'll know exactly how to cut the material. Story editors help streamline the post process. It makes my job as the director/producer and the editor's job much easier. We'll introduce her in the coming days but trust me, she's awesome.

The last couple weeks we have been focusing on the many interview sessions we have shot over the last two years. It is really unbelievable to see the difference in how Maya and I felt, say in 2012, versus now. One of the heartbreaking parts of going through infertility is that until you are pregnant, it feels like every moment is your personal low point. Time is moving on and you still aren't pregnant. So reliving footage from two years ago and watching us describe how hopeless everything seems is really emotional for me. I want to tell 2012 us to keep holding on and believing but I also want to remind them, "if you thought 2012 was bad, just wait until 2013!" 

Thanks for keeping up with us here, on Twitter, and now on the Facebook page. This project is always changing and we are glad you are along for the ride with us. We aren't a big production company that can keep this project moving at all times. We don't have a big budget, just whatever costs I can fit on my AMEX. We are a handful of passionate people that want to tell a great story. There are awesome things to come, so stay with us.

- n

Update #14 Question of the day

Question: If you've gone through or are going through infertility, when did you begin telling friends and family about your situation? How did they react?