Simon Gibbs

Film and Video Editor

The ParaPod Movie – The Premiere

Wednesday, March 4th, 2020

For a first post I thought I would start at a recent milestone. An event that meant a huge amount for me – the premiere of ‘The ParaPod Movie‘.

On the 7th January, at the Prince Charles Cinema in London, fans of the ParaPod queued around the block to be the first to see the film that had taken just over two years of my free time. Officially I’m listed as the Editor, Colourist, an additional camera operator, and an original backer, but the truth is that my list of credits could have doubled the length of the end roller (for example, post-supervisor, additional VFX, additional sound, DIT, runner, additional graphics, technical support… you get the idea!). Ian Boldsworth, the director, and I decided that we wouldn’t list everything as it would just start to feel odd to see our names on everything.

Even I grabbed one of the posters

In later posts I’m going to go through and look back at some of the history of this editing experience, but for now I’m going to address the premiere.

It’s a strange feeling having to let go of everything and announce the film as ‘done’. I’m sure many have felt this before me, but I’d never experienced it on this scale before. Standing there and watching the queue was completely nerve-racking. The honest truth is that I had felt ill all day, images of comical escapes as the crowd turned on me had raced through my mind. Would I have single handedly destroyed a once great podcast series?

Of course not! For a start Ian would have never let that happen, but these distorted thoughts do creep into your head when approaching such a big event.

Entering the venue I got to see many friendly faces that I had encountered while the film was in production. My wife and I ended up sitting next to Taylor, someone who we’d only ever spoken over email but quickly became friends and Danny, the nicest sound guy I’m yet to meet. Together we watched people filter in. The more that came in, the more I wanted to sink further into my seat.

Premiere screen with the audience watching
Before the show

After a brief introduction, the film began. Avoiding too many spoilers, the film doesn’t start how people might expect for what is primarily a comedy. A few nervous laughs. My throat is tightening.

It immediately took me back to the first time I did a rush on one of the first scenes of the film. The arrival of the hearse. Again something that I might go into more detail later, but I remember being terrified uploading the first cut of the scene and admitting so to Ian. His response was “don’t worry I’m terrified too!” – that’s something that he has managed to keep true through the entire process – not being terrified – but letting me know I’m not alone. I could only imagine that he was similarly on edge.

Then the film started properly, and the audience started to laugh and react to the film. Suddenly this footage that I had seen a hundred thousand times before took on a new life. The film was alive.

The laughing was so loud at points that bits were missed! I wish I could have captured how I felt through that moment. I was truly ecstatic.

The film ended with a standing ovation and a Q&A where I got to go on stage and try and make sense of what I was involved with. It was followed with signing a few posters, catching up with friends old and new and an after party in the hottest room in London (Literally the hottest, I was melting, there was a fire on too? Why! I must have looked awful to anybody and everybody there.)

Me awaiting my fate

Wherever my editing career takes me now, this moment is one of the times where everything felt so crystal clear and inspiring. It’s made me determined to stand stedfast and become a professional editor.

The film is now touring the UK, dates and tickets can be found over on http://theparapod.com (and I wish I could be at every date, but instead you’ll have to settle with the stars of the show Ian Boldsworth and Barry Dodds)