Never Finished Independent Films--Undiscovered Masterpieces or Better Left Undone?

    MaiMai News - LOS ANGELES, CA, August 10, 2005 - Statistics show that, of the 5,413,226 independent feature films shot in the United States annually, 5,412,903 of them are never finished. Filmmaker Sondra Lowell, whose never finished first feature, WebcamMurder.com, would set the movie industry on its ear if the movie industry ever saw it, explains the phenomenon.

"This movie is so good," said Sondra of her own project, "that to finish it would be a shame." Believing that her movie about people who live their dull lives on Internet webcams is too brilliant for most modern moviegoers to stand, she has been on the verge of finishing WebcamMurder.com for 2 1/2 of the four years since the 85 minute movie was shot.

"Actually, I've finished it five times," admitted the perfectionist. "But you can never be too careful when it comes to motion pictures. Big studios finish films all the time, and look how often they're sorry they did . When it's still in post production, there is always hope."

Some new producers and directors run out of money. Some lose interest, get a job or their dog eats the rough cut. Others, like Sondra, slog steadily through the edits and re-edits, late into the night, year after year after year. "Some years, all that sitting and snacking takes its toll on my figure," admitted the currently petite auteur. "Then, when I'm up against a deadline, trying to get it finished in time for Christmas 2001 or 2002 or 2003 or 2004 or 2005, my nervous energy kicks in and the weight just falls away."

Not many unfinished filmmakers would recommend the lifestyle. Few knew what they were getting into when they, like Sondra, breathed a sigh of relief as they shot the last take of the last shot and sat down at the computer to pull it all together. Sondra, in fact, has high hopes that WebcamMurder.com will be finished. Soon. Or not so soon.

But it will be finished. Or it won't.

Sondra Lowell investigates her struggle to finish her digital feature, WebcamMurder.com, in her podcast, My Unfinished Film, available at http://ia300107.us.archive.org/1/items/My_Unfinished_Film/MyUnfinishedFilm.mp3.

Further developments can be followed at http://www.WebcamMurder.blogspot.com.