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 filed by laura
Laura Vazquez
During shooting of the film, Gabriel Quintero (Robert Katz’s assistant) shot some thirteen hours of behind-the-scenes footage that was to be used to construct a short piece for the wrap party. Though the students and I had missed the last three weeks of the shooting, we remained involved in the process. We used Gabriel’s footage to create the wrap-party video. We had only one week to complete the project, and we did not finish editing until late Saturday night! On Sunday morning, I boarded a plane for LA.
It would be difficult to imagine a more ideal ending to the entire experience than a trip back to Los Angeles to attend the Slipstream wrap party. The restaurant selected overlooked the ocean in Malibu, and the weather was spectacular. I arrived early to test the DVD. (I never truly trust technology though I love it). I watched it several times, adjusted the audio levels and waited for the guests to arrive.
It was wonderful to see Anthony Hopkins again. As always, he was warm and welcoming. It was also delightful to see Robert Katz and the rest of the production staff as well as the crew. Everyone was surprised to see that I had returned. But they knew I was there to see their reactions to the wrap video that my students had edited.
It was wonderful to see Hopkins laugh at the footage of him imitating Brando. Everyone enjoyed the video waiting anxiously to see what “uncompromising” footage we had selected for the piece. The crowd stood gathered around the big-screen TV for the first screening, but then clusters returned all night long to watch it over and over again.
The students and I are planning the various talks we will give. My first will be for the Lifelong Learning Institute, and I am looking forward to re-living the experience and sharing it with them this September. | 
