Lights Out in Blackham

[douglas]

Its okay, I get it at least once a week. Often in person. Some of this online community gave us hard earned money to make this so out of respect I try to be as transparent as possible is all.

[Trigger74]

Doug, I'll be coming home for 50th reunion in DeRidder 1st weekend in Oct. Let me know if I need to come to Lafayette to take care of anything for you.

[Turbine]

its progressing nicely, at a glacial pace, but what is coming together i am VERY pleased with and we have a good bit of it together. Im in process of shortening it and planning out each and every last bit of reenactments so we can do it all at once under one insurance premium purchase.

We went dark for the last few months due to a sudden family tragedy is the best way i can put it, my wife and i have just been kinda shell shocked and the upcoming trials have just sucked everything out of us. So we took a break from not just the doc but just about everything, we are slowly dipping our toes back in the pool on all fronts just in the last 2 weeks or so.

Im eager to back to work and im eager for everyone to see the fruits of the last four years and i thank all of you for keeping the faith.

Not knowing the situation, I hope everything works out as well as possible.

[cypremort]

Was cleaning out some old boxes and found these...

[Turbine]

Classic collection Cypremort

[jumboragncajun]

It would also be better if released when our basketball team was good, and not embedded firmly in the doldrums of mediocrity.

[MountainDew]

I saw on Douglas's Facebook page that he posted "good to be back"...or something along those lines. I also saw that he had a conversation with a buddy on Twitter and said he hoped to be done towards the end of the year. Not sure if anything is true but that's what I've seen.

[alum81]

Well we played in Blackham again this year, so we had to start over.

[moorecajun]

Well we played in Blackham again this year, so we had to start over.

[ChanceEncounter]

Well we played in Blackham again this year, so we had to start over.

LLO I think the documentarian decided UL was guilty and quit the project.

[douglas]

sup fellas, haven't been involved on rp for some time, so honestly i haven't seen past page 1 on the site in a very long time. so this thread has evidently come and gone without me seeing it for a while. I do owe those who contributed financially at any amount an explanation for my absence in numerous fronts.

I lost a family member to a kid who racked up his third dui. To date it, it was a couple days after i interviewed hatfield and paschal during the reunion in 2015. It was a shell shock for both me and my wife. The legal process that we were dragged through was about as bad. I took the overwhelming majority of my time tending to my family and thankfully we finally received a conviction three weeks ago. For the last 20 months or so i have just been consumed by a lot of mental anger, depression and mental fog when it comes to creative vision. For the first time in my life i couldn't see anything that wasn't right in front of me. I took on projects for UL in the meantime as an attempt to jump start my creative aspects and after each one i was just an empty gas tank mentally. Id have spurts where i feel "ready" to get back to doing what i love most and when i did i just couldn't see past my face when i sit down with the script, the edit line, the shooting punch list or anything that was in high gear back in 2015.

I know folks see me shooting stuff for basketball and go "wtf, he's got time for that?" Im glad ive taken that on because its helped me hone my craft and become a much better film maker for when we do go back for the last round of production on lights out. For a long time it was also about the only thing i could accomplish because it was right there and didn't require any thought from me, just capture it and move on. I have learned a ton doing those pregame intros and season recaps and the doc will be better off for it.

As far as how long this albatross has been in my lap? Longer than i want but after talking with people taking on similar projects, is about normal. It's long, but its not out of the ordinary. Some things can be put together in 12-18 months some can't. Did i think i was taking on something of this scope in 2011-____ no. Finally though i think i have come to the conclusion that there are some questions that i will never have answers to, some people will never come around to talking to me on or off camera and I simply have to move on and complete the project for those who helped me get to this point.

Now that the trial is behind us we have some closure and i have more and more mental clarity coming back since got home that day. Yesterday was my first 8 plus hour day on lights out in a very very long time.

I haven't just been sitting on my hands the entire time. I have continued scouring every archive imaginable and cold calling universities from hawaii to high schools in pennsylvania for articles,pics and footage, had numerous meetings-phone and in person-with people from two major networks that are very interested in the project and i've reworked the story in a way that i feel depicts the reality of it all, that's both factual and compelling. Every earlier version of the story i had was simply a bad movie and fell back into the slam dunked doldrums. I've just been doing all this at a much slower pace than i am normally accustomed to.

Im in the process of thinning out the 2nd investigation, since this is the part that readers of "slammed dunked"-myself included- describe as a snooze fest and re assessing his post USL life to dove tail with the ending that has been collecting dust since his induction into the HOF. Im working in "actual time" so you can judge where i am in the process. Im pushing for the final script to be done by the end of january and from there i will be able to re assess what i think is a finalized punch list to get this opus on the big screen.

Once the script is complete i will post a shopping list of period accurate items i am looking for and hopefully you guys can be of service. For now im taking things one at a time though.

As far as the yuk yuks, the one about playing in blackham and starting over was pretty solid, i have thick skin so let em fly. I know this update was lengthy combined with a large dose of "woe is me/who cares" but i have tried to be very transparent throughout this process due to the fact that people gave me hard earned money, so it is what is it is. I haven't quit, i just haven't been able to restart for sometime and have been reluctant to say why publicly but honestly its the only answer i have.

Back to work, take care and by God may 2017 see the update "movie complete"-d

[ManAboutTown]

I don't care if the documentary comes out in 2050. You have a customer and fan in me. I'm sure many here are genuinely empathetic about your situation.

Thanks for the update

[Turbine]

Douglas I am so sorry for your loss.

I had heard something traumatic had had happened but I didn't have a clue to what it might be, didn't want to speculate or pry.

Thanks for all you do, I feel for your loss.

[moorecajun]

I would like to echo the previous comments.

I am so sorry for your loss and hope you are able to get some closure in order to continue your life (and your family's).

Whenever the film is completed I am sure it will be a complete success.

[MountainDew]

Another one here to say sorry for your loss. And I admire what you do. Thank you for not putting out a half _____ product. Whenever it's done (whenever that may be) I'm positive it will be nothing short of amazing.