The Final Note

One of the last things I tackled before submitting my short documentary Very Happy Skater was the ending credits.

What did I want to leave my audience with?

I thought I knew, but the execution was a lot more complicated than I thought. Nothing seemed to work. I was so close to the end, but I just couldn’t get there.

The film is by me, sure. I certainly had the clips for that. But my thank yous took forever — they were all over the place, their meaning dissipated — and my last clip didn’t have the weight I wanted. It was messy, convoluted, and — most importantly — too long. You can’t have 45 seconds of credits for a 6-and-a-half-minute film!

I’ll be a laughing stock, I tell you! A laughing stock.

So I moved clips around, changed fonts, text colour, size, position, timing, transitions in and out of them… Nothing!

Finally, I decided to simplify: remove all clips from the credits. Only white text on a black background.

I watched the film again in its entirety with the new credits; it’s the only way to get a sense of how one part works within the whole.

Of course, I had removed too much. It felt bare, and didn't do justice to the work preceding it. Sometimes cutting scenes from a film makes it feel even longer.

I brought back two clips — the one with my name from the original VHS tape, and my final clip. I left out the clips of my two coaches: it was clouding the final note. I grouped my thank yous into a single credit — there weren’t that many, anyway.

The film is a deep dive into my personal history with a sport I love — I had to embrace that it was about me. Why hide that now, in this myriad of credits and clips? That’s not me. I’m not afraid.

Hard work, strength, and passion. My qualities as a skater are my qualities as an artist.

I’ve spent enough time beating myself up — let’s celebrate what I can.