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| ARTIST'S STATEMENT4 "The Opera Project" - Final Countdown | ||
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As we came up on budget approval in
September 1997, the editing of images was fully underway. I had outlined the structure of
the book several months before and the table of contents was complete - now I was sorting
through two years' worth of contact sheets. Some days, this was merely overwhelming; some
days it was heartbreaking, as many of my personal favorites had to be eliminated from
contention. But this book is not about Martha's favorite images. It has a story to tell,
and some images do that better than others.
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As I got close to making final selections, The Photo Factory in San Diego was
printing the images. They are a black-and-white specialty lab and this group of people and
artisans were always interested, available with advice, sensitive to my concerns about the
prints, and kept me more or less sane during my daily visits to drop off negatives, review
prints, discuss revisions. Needless to say, they too have become long-term friends and
mentors.
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There were a thousand pre-press details to
attend to, almost all of them new to me. That fast-track learning curve is now a constant
companion, as I’m acquiring a new vocabularly, making decisions about ink colors,
endpapers, screens, proofs, match prints… and I realized early on that I’m the
only one who sees the whole project at once. The photo lab is focused on the prints,
pre-press people are concerned with their tasks, the big picture is not their job. They
have some interest in it all, but the responsibility for caring about how all
those pieces work together was mine.
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The layout of the photographs had been
finished early on so the pre-press tasks could get underway, but there was still the
text… and I was having trouble finding the mental clarity I needed to actually write
it, even though I’d been "writing" the book in my head for two years. I was
oh-so-tempted to disconnect my telephone, for it seemed never to be quiet. I tried taking
phone calls only in the afternoons; tried adjusting my work schedule to handle practical
details during business hours, taking a nap and then writing into the early hours of the
morning. I tried wishing it would all go away. None of that worked. So I escaped, cashing in an unused plane ticket and going as far as a couple of Visa cards would take me. I landed in Prague with xeroxes of the photo layouts stuffed in my suitcase, locked myself in a hotel room, and over a week’s worth of nights - still on California time – finally wrote the damn book. In longhand. I still have those pages… and much of what’s in the final version retains the adrenaline rush of energy that infused those nights of writing into the pre-dawn light. |
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Home again to translate it all into Quark
XPress, then convert the format from my PC to Mac. Editing took over my life, and then
proofreading. Dozens of people are part of this, new faces now at each stage. The 12-hour
days of the previous months are a distant memory, replaced by 18 hours every day. I think
I understand what it must be like to be a racehorse, taking that last turn, seeing the
finish line ahead.
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And finally, at the end of January 1998, we
were on press at AGT in Los Angeles. The pressmen – more artisans! - were now my
colleagues, collaborators, and new-found best friends through five almost-sleepless days
and nights, as we turned a dream into reality.
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With the book off press and at the bindery
in February 1998, the journey was far from over. Our full attention turned to getting the
word out - publicity and marketing, radio interviews and public-speaking appearances,
which is yet another world! Initial reaction was favorable and enthusiastic. Everyone who
has gotten a look at The Art of Making Opera has been touched - from singers to
conductors to journalists, librarians to politicians and photographers. And most of
all, the audience who loves opera. Years later, I continue to hear from people who have been moved by the book, many of whom received it as a gift. I’m grateful for the sharing, the connecting that is taking place with this phase, because it had been just the same for me through the previous two and a half years of making The Art of Making Opera.
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| THE
OPERA PROJECT GETTING GOING THE PRACTICAL VISION FINAL COUNTDOWN WRAP UP PROJECT NAVIGATION |
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| EXPLORE FURTHER | ||
| EXPLORE MORE | |||||
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"This is the ideal book for everyone who loves opera."
"... a distinguished book with heart." |
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| OperaBasics
- An Introduction The Art of Making Opera - Inside the Book Explore More: Top 10 Ways to Fall in Love With Opera Principal Singers
& Singing WORDS
& MUSIC SHOP |
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original
content © copyright 1998 ML Hart and images/graphics ©
copyright 1996 - 2002 ML Hart except where noted no part of this page, site, or any components may be borrowed, downloaded, acquired, or otherwise used by any person(s) without the express written consent of ML Hart what is copyright all about? |
WEB GALLERY | AT THE OPERA | JAZZ
ON STAGE | THEATRE &
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