Only one week left to finish The Whole Truth

Well, actually filming will take another week and two days, but essentially the clock is winding down on all the work left to do to finish our feature film.

In addition to the scenes we have to capture, we have "wild sound" we need to record -- several audio pieces that will be in the film that need to be recorded while the actors and crew are still here, up and running.

Working out of the old (now deserted) Federal Courthouse in Tacoma for seven days was a terrific experience with one tiny exception. No working bathrooms. We were filming on third floor sets and all the offices were located on the third floor, so skipping to the loo meant rushing down by stairs or elevator (lots of essential equipment used that elevator as well) to the honey buckets waiting for us outside the courthouse.

No complaints really, even in the pouring rain we had that "aren't we having fun camping out" sense that got us through with flying colors.

All our stars were totally game for every challenge we have faced, and stayed in great spirits. I love doing comedies because there's lots of laughter.

What's not funny are all the errors made by local media reporting about our feature film. Seems so far the folks writing about us don't really understand how films are made or how the industry works -- thus how very different we are, but they have beliefs about all of it that are apparently unshakable.

We've been reluctant to make ourselves available because it doesn't seem to matter what we say, the same old stuff gets out there with all sorts of built in biases that simply are not factual about the industry or particularly our film.

Yesterday we actually had lunch with a reporter (even though I have absolutely no time to talk with anyone other than staff, cast, crew and family; we made an exception) and sure enough, too much of the same old disappointing stuff appeared.

Interestingly, there is also misinformation galore about the industry within the industry - I found it rampant when I coached actors.

We're very protective of the film's story and characters, which need to be seen for the first time when you see the film or their entertainment value will be devalued. No photographs on set are allowed other than those over which we have control.

Meanwhile, whether from fatigue or the additional complications of finishing the last pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is our feature film, some very minor frustrations have flared, but fortunately nothing has happened that has interfered with the overall pleasure of working on the film - witness the comments left on my blog by people who have worked alongside us!

And at this rate, we are coming in (finishing the film) on time, under budget and because the film is being edited as we shoot it, the rough cut should be completed a week after our final day of shooting - Oct. 31.

I'm off for a week of vacation after the wrap party -- coming back in time to start location scouting for our next feature The Lonely Goatherd and greeting editor Stephen Myers who will come up to Seattle from LA to finish editing the film. I'll be sitting beside him as we finish assembling the motion picture you will see in theaters next year.

I have learned so much from this shoot -- about myself as well as my directing style.

Nothing has felt stressful or overwhelming, and even with the pathetically few and minor glitches that have crossed my path, I've had the time of my life. My energy has actually increased as time has passed; it's done me good to have all the physical activity I've had in addition to the creative and mental challenges. Laughing several times over the course of every day is not only healing and fun, it's downright inspirational.

Speaking of inspirational - our production designer Rachel Thomson has been a virtual wizard. Everything she designs and that her crew dresses is phenomenal. Every scene presents its own set of problems and challenges; Rachel and her crew have done work worthy of every award given to set designers from her creations on The Whole Truth. I can hardly wait for you to see them.