The boxing film is almost done. Which is to say it isn't really done at all. I'll explain.
At 5:00 PM Pacific Time Thursday - exactly 24 hours from now - the picture must be locked. We can't change a frame of it. From there we have until Monday at 5:00 PM to lock the sound on the picture.
"Well, if you're 24 hours away from locking the picture, you must be pretty close to done," you say. To which I reply, "maybe." You see, I have no idea what the film looks like. I don't know if we're close to done or if we're way far behind. I can only trust that my editor has the film pretty close to done.
After a disasterous rough-cut screening yesterday, we got together and determined that with less than 48 hours until deadline, we had barely half the picture done and - worst of all - none of the boxing cut whatsoever. The film, which we've started refering to as "a chick flick with boxing," became a chick flick sans boxing. It was so messy that I don't know if we could even call it a flick.
An emergency meeting was called. Tempers flared. Harsh words were spoken. One of our producers became so frustrated she started to break out in hives. If I had a professional career, it would have been the low point in it.* The session ended with one member storming out of the room in a fury.
And suddenly, unexpectantly, everything was fixed. The editor picked up the piece and started cutting it together efficiently. She's been working non-stop for 24 hours, and has called for direction on it several times, which I've been ecstatic to give her. No one is breaking out in hives anymore. Most members of the crew are getting sleep. It is, on the whole, an entirely healthier situation.
What we've all learned here is that when things aren't going right, tell the person who's bothering you everything you don't like about them. The situation will probably improve immediately.
* Though it did give me a new definition of "business:"
Business - a place where you are given the opportunity to say, face to face, all the terrible things you ever wanted to personally tell someone. This is known as "feedback," or "constructive criticism." If they try to defend themself, they are clearly "self-centered" and "not a team player." Let's never say again that the business world has never given us anything of value.