James: I’m stuffing bears in my new teddy bear job when Gabby calls me with some problems that she is having with the editing. I get frustrated, because I feel that deep down an issue has been boiling on since the shoot, which is that I must be the lynchpin of the project. I question the dynamic of the partnership and whether or not it actually works. I’m really keen to see her complete the edit herself as I feel that it would somewhat redress the balance of me writing it, and the fact that our names share the space underneath the title. Perhaps this seems incredibly childish, but I bet there are no writers out there who would disagree. Anyone who has had to live with the mental weight of an imaginary story taking place in their head for years doesn’t take the achievement lightly.
Gabby: We have long had this problem that Peppermint is more James’ project than mine, after all he thought up the story and the motivations of the characters, so is much closer to it than me. However, often James failed to remember just how much of the pre-production legwork I did. It was also difficult for me because my suggestions were often overridden by James, and so right from the earliest point of production it became a lot easier to ask his opinion before I wasted my time embarking on something he didn’t like. Often this made it feel like I wasn’t taking any responsibility.
I am having a torrid time at home. I am at the becan call of my sister who is going through a traumatic break-up over in Birmingham and needs me to drive to see her or look after her son, the new job is over whelming, I loose a load of work that I do on the re-edit of Peppermint, I am desperately trying to train at the gym in preparation of an operation I am having on my knee in December, and on top of this I had taken on 1st Assisting Directing on a short. I thought this would mostly involve organisation on the day, however the shoot was far from perfect and I was actually spending every spare waking hour trying to find make-up artists, camera assistants, track. It’s a nightmare.
I break under the pressure of having to get the second cut of peppermint fully finished and James tells me to just forget about it for now.
James: I think the problem is simply that we aren’t in direct contact so I have no idea what is going on in her life, all I see is that the edit isn’t done. At this stage I decide that I will head back to England in the New Year and help finish the project off.
