Monarch Theatre Has Finally Been Sold

At last night's city council meeting it was finally made public that the Monarch Theatre has sold and is now on track to reopen! You can only imagine the barrage of messages I've already received asking if I knew about this, what this means for the documentary, and does this mean the movie premiere is finally a go? Original post here.

In short, for the better part of this year I was aware this deal was in the works. I finalized the documentary in July only after this outcome became certain, but was still at the mercy of the news becoming public before I could say anything. It's been a long, long wait, but yes, this outcome has fulfilled the ending I'd been holding out for for so many months.

While dates are yet to be determined and there are many more discussions to be had, I am thrilled to announce that we've already confirmed the grand reopening event at the Monarch Theatre will be the premiere for Your Cinema Needs You.

More details to come soon.

 

Medalta Documentary: Tourism Feature

My thanks to Tourism Medicine Hat for their feature on my documentary about Medalta Potteries and the historic clay district this week. The documentary is titled Clay, Creativity & the Comeback and was released in 2019. Read more about that project here.  

Film On Monarch Theatre History Complete

With the documentary on the Monarch Theatre (Your Cinema Needs You) finally wrapped, it's now all about working out the details for a premiere and the much anticipated release. This story appeared in the Medicine Hat News today following the official announcement on the film's completion just a few days ago online. Full article here. 

 

Filmmaker Eager to Debut Film: Monarch Documentary

My thanks to Chat TV for the feature on "Your Cinema Needs You". 

This is where the Monarch documentary gets a lot more fun for me again. First looks, behind the scenes, and a few more promos as we work out delivery and the eventual release date. We're getting so close to completing this thing! Read the story here.

Mid-Year Visuals & Recap

Somehow we've found ourselves halfway through 2023 already.

If I'm honest, I've mostly been consumed by the ongoing post-production of my Monarch documentary this year, but there have been a few stand out shoots amidst the filmmaking. California and Nevada travel shoots took place this spring, a return of the hot air balloon festival saw some really strong engagement, and new highlights released from Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC all received their own features.

When I'm so consumed with a singular project I like to remind myself that there has been more going on than I realize. It helps to give my mind a rest. As the documentary closes in on completion this summer it will be interesting to rediscover my routine this fall and hopeful find time for a break. I can't complain though, it's always a plus to be busy and to be producing the content you want to be making. I sometimes just wish I could space it out a bit better.

 

A Documentary By the Pages: Your Cinema Needs You

When post-production on the Monarch Theatre documentary kicked off last year, it was difficult to describe what condensing a 110 year story actually looked like. I had 400+ pages of production notes outlining dates, archival references, transcripts, visual cues, etc. all in addition to the script I wrote and was working from. 

That's when we had the idea to line the aisle of the Monarch Theatre with the notes I had on hand. This is what editing a feature-length documentary actually looks like (about 30% of it anyway).

The reason I'm posting this now is because for months and months, it has felt like an unending battle to work my way through these notes. Some weeks I was a machine, some weeks I was lucky to shave off a couple pages. I became the living embodiment of the Titanic meme "it's been 84 years ..." lol. But at the moment of posting this, the number of pages that stand between me and the completion of Your Cinema Needs You? ... 9. 

Just 9 pages to go.

Monarch Documentary: End Game

Post-production on my Monarch Theatre documentary has been through numerous stops and starts in 2023 in anticipation of the expected news about this historic cinema's reopening. A feature in the Calgary Herald in February highlighted this predicament and my "search for an ending" amidst the changing timelines I'd been experiencing in trying to wrap the project.

While we are still without a public announcement about the Monarch Theatre's future in Medicine Hat, Alberta, I have to admit that I'm not entirely in the dark about what's been happening behind closed doors. This hasn't made the wait any less grueling, unfortunately. So much can still happen despite things seemingly moving in the right direction, and naturally, no documentarian wants to risk the reputation of their film on well-intentioned speculation. 

If this already complicated timeline stretching back to 2021 has demonstrated anything, it's that a lot can change quickly. When production first started we were still in lockdowns, for example.

For what it's worth, this has been exhausting for everyone involved. I feel like I've been teasing this documentary for so long and disappointing people with the continued uncertainty about when they can actually watch it and what we can share. Point being, it's time to wrap this up.

I've come to realize that I need to end this story while it's still fresh in my mind and there isn't much point in waiting any longer. Whether an announcement is made a week from now or months from now, my biggest concern is in telling a good story. So, how do I strike a balance and end this documentary properly? 

I'm happy to share that I have worked out an ending that I think will satisfy both the story and my increasing anxiety. I won't spoil anything here, but this does mean that completing the final stages of Your Cinema Needs You is currently my top priority. 

I have to remind myself sometimes that I've already wrestled with just how much there was to fit into a single movie, already revised numerous times, and that a lot is going to continue to change surrounding the Monarch Theatre regardless of my efforts. Who's to say that there isn't room for a follow-up to this doc anyway? Here's to a story worth the 112 year wait. 

 

Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival 2023

A few visual highlights from this year's Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival in Medicine Hat, Alberta. These images were captured across 4 days around various launch sites within the city. 

I Funko'd Myself In Hollywood

Yes, you read that correctly. The Funko Hollywood store on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California has customization kiosks where you select your body, hair, outfit, etc. and then they build your custom Funko character (branded as Pop! Yourself) in about 20 minutes.

The thing is, a blond guy in a hoodie isn't much of a character when I can't plaster my logo all over it so the accessories I chose had to do the heavy lifting. Of course, I had to have my custom Funko holding a camera and a little magazine / travel guide. I also included the lens-less "ie. fake" film school glasses I used to wear when I wanted to stereotypically look the part.

As for the outfit, the options all felt a bit too plain, so I opted for the superhero spandex - I felt it was the closest thing to underwear / pajamas which has kind of become the unofficial Editing Luke uniform over the last 6 months of documentary post-production. All and all, the custom Funko Pop is a fun souvenir that admittedly is probably one of the least tacky things that I've bought on Hollywood Blvd. in the last decade, which is really saying something.

 

Las Vegas & Los Angeles Travel Shoots

And thus concludes another series of travel shoots.

This was the first time in 3 years that travel felt normal again, perhaps aside from the price tag. To soak up Las Vegas and Los Angeles with my film school buds lead to some really memorable experiences and made up for some long overdue / delayed shoots - not to mention adding a big exclamation mark to my birthday celebrations this year.

While the thousands of new images will only add to the existing backlog, I'm really excited about just how much we saw and accomplished. Thank you so much for all of the early engagement (over Instagram) on these teasers over the last couple weeks. It's so awesome having you guys sharing real time recommendations and feedback.

Now, back to reality and the edit suite.

Monarch Documentary: Tourism Feature

I want to thank Tourism Medicine Hat for their article on my upcoming documentary on the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta titled Your Cinema Needs You. Read here.

 

Where Should We Host the Movie Premiere?

Yesterday I posed a question to my audience about whether they'd show up to a premiere for my new documentary "Your Cinema Needs You" if we held it in the historic Monarch Theatre. As the theatre is at the centre of the documentary, naturally the expectation was that the responses would be favourable, but I was blown away by the support and engagement that this question elicited on Facebook and Instagram.

As we're still awaiting news on the outcome of the Monarch Theatre's purchase and reopening, further encouraged by my feature in the Calgary Herald this month, there are still quite a few details to iron out as this documentary officially wraps up and 'finds its ending'. All that said, I'm excited to finally see all the pieces coming together for the eventual release of this movie. It's been a long, drawn out process and I can't wait for everyone to finally see it.

Here we're some of the top responses on the post:

New Artwork at River Bee Books

In news that surprises no one, I have a real soft spot for unique, local businesses (particularly those in beautifully restored downtown buildings) who also happen to be supporters of my original "Hometown Series" in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Over the last few months I've delivered a collection of custom framed canvases to Bridget at River Bee Books with this shot overlooking the cliffs ending up in the new shop scheduled to open this spring. I do love a good bookstore, and can't wait to see all this hardwork come together for their grand opening. Check out those tin ceilings!

In Search Of An Ending: Monarch Documentary

A full page write-up appeared in today's Calgary Herald about the story surrounding my upcoming documentary on the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat titled "Your Cinema Needs You".

My thanks to Eric Volmers and the Calgary Herald for this generous feature, particularly as the documentary still has a few final hurdles to overcome towards completion. Everything is still pretty hush hush surrounding what might happen at the Monarch, but there's potential I may still get the ending I've been holding out for before this documentary truly wraps.

Link to the Monarch Theatre documentary story in the Calgary Herald here.

Fine Cut, Renders & A Quick Update

This month post-production has entered its final stages as we move into completing the fine cut of the documentary. This is where we trim, tighten, refine, and generally stitch together all of the final details of the finished film. It's been a process, but it's looking good.

Since the trailer for the Monarch Theatre documentary was released in late December it feels like everything has been moving non-stop. January was full of some early promo work and media interviews about "Your Cinema Needs You", as well as some newly revised schedules about what may be happening at the Monarch Theatre in the near future. I don't want to make any predictions, but this is the first time in months where I feel like I'm finally on top of things.

On the travel photography side, lots has been on hold, however there are some new shoots on the horizon this spring. In the meantime, the @editingluke Instagram has been nailing down some high-profile features in 2023 so far from Oahu, Detroit, New York, Calgary, and Banff. On the hometown front, there are also a few new prints that have already sold and are waiting to go up in a new location. A reveal should be coming very soon.

So, that's a brief overview. My apologies that social posts will continue to be limited until the documentary is completed, but there's lots on the go again. As the documentary continues to take shape and we get closer to locking down a release date, be sure to follow along at @editingluke for exclusive updates and behind the scenes content.  

 

Explore Hawaii: A Travel Magazine Feature

A travel feature about a series of images shot in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii.

 

2022: Top Photo Essays of the Year

2022. A year where, due to the documentary production, new posts on the Editing Luke site dropped by almost half, but traffic increased 38% - go figure.

My Lensa AI gallery on the website has to receive an honorable mention, despite not technically being an original photo set, the post generated tens of thousands of hits in just the last month as a result of being early on the trend.

It easily encapsulates the randomness of "best of" lists, as it's always a bit of a crap shoot to understand why something hits. All that said, here are the Top 9 most popular, original photo essays released on the Editing Luke site in 2022.

9. Belgian Beer, Belgian Chocolate, and Belgian Waffles

A recap of some of the stereotypical "bests" experienced in Bruxelles.

8. Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France

Architectural images of the Louvre's iconic entrance.

7. Space Shuttle Discovery in Virginia

A detailed collection of NASA's most travelled Space Shuttle.

6. Villa Vizcaya & Gardens in Miami, Florida

Architectural images of one of Miami's most historic estates.

5. Surfing in Manhattan Beach, California

An impromptu shoot on the California coast.

4. Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California

A look behind the gates of one of the world's most iconic movie studios.

3. Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, UK

Easily the most coincidental photo essay of the year from the streets of London.

2. Osaka Castle in Japan

An exploration of one of Japan's most visited castles.

1. Savi's Workshop Lightsaber at Walt Disney World

A look behind the upcharged lightsaber building experience within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge ... because ... lightsabers obviously lol.