The atmosphere in the room is charged. Tim McLachlan is a bundle of energy – or is that nerves? Here in Mixing Theatre 3 at Park Road Post Production, Tim and his team, which includes sound designers Tim Prebble and Dave Whitehead and dialogue editor Chris Todd, have been working all day on the sound mix for Frosty Man and the BMX Kid – the last piece of the puzzle. Once it’s put in place, the film will be finished – and will immediately receive its premiere, with attendees including YBB creator Howard Greive and Park Road Post Production’s General Manager Cameron Harland.

Beers are opened and glasses of wine poured. Tim calls us all in – they’re ready to go. After a quick word from Howard and a raising of glasses, the somewhat impromptu world premiere of the first Your Big Break film takes place …

… and it’s a rousing success. The vistas are spectacular, the storytelling tight and effortlessly funny, the performances terrific – and it all wraps up in three minutes exactly. Though Tim’s cut was running slightly long when I saw the rough cut late last week, it’s impossible to tell where nearly a minute has been excised.

Tim seems visibly relieved as the theatre fills with the sound of applause – and with that, just days after Tim got the call about his finalist placing, his whirlwind Your Big Break experience draws to a close, pending the announcement of the winning film.

But it’s still all go – Kristi is grading Something Special today, while Aya gets underway with editing on Sweet As; meanwhile, down in Queenstown, Rajneel and his team are high in the Remarkables shooting at Lake Alta, while Andrés prepares to shoot Working Day in just a couple of days’ time. Watch out for blog entries from them both shortly, as well as updates from Kristi and Aya – and Tim’s last blog entry!

And keep checking back, because very soon, you’re going to get your first glimpse of the finished films …

– Your Big Break Critic