Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

BY CYNDI GREENING, PHOENIX, USA – Holy cow!! I look at this blog and I can’t believe how long it has been since I have written regularly in this space. I don’t think I had any idea how time consuming making an independent film on another continent would be. And, finishing the filming didn’t mean we’d be anywhere near “finished” with the film. After spending four weeks in Zambia, we’ve now spent seven weeks in the U.S. editing those two films into a rough sort of shape. There’s still so much work to do on them. I’m pleased with what we’ve done so far and look forward to getting them to that final stage.

I’m thinking about new projects now. The Zambia films have opened the floodgates for me. I keep thinking about all of the things I’d like to do, projects I’d like to produce, films and things I’d like to make. I’m just anxious to get things concretely created in reality. So many people (myself included) have ideas for films but they never get developed into anything concrete. Having made two films now, I am pleased to have the process under my belt. There are MANY things I’d do differently the next time. The hardest part about doing one’s first film is that it is the FIRST. As I’m fond of saying, the first is often the worst because you don’t know what you don’t know.

The crew and I often discuss what we would have done differently in Zambia had we known then what we know now. We all certainly agree there are things we’d have approached differently, done differently or not done at all. Of course, hindsight is always 20-20. I find myself thinking about how the next film would go in Zambia. There are several things I’d still like to accomplish there.

But, that’s not the point of this post. Ultimately, I think every project will have major unknowns that must be discovered, confronted and resolved to bring the project to fruition. They key is, having done one film, it’s so much easier to believe those solutions can be found and the project completed. With ever improving chances of success.