Thunder and Hurricane: Post Production

Danny Tanner and Steven R. Hoover began the editing process in August 2004. They dedicated over 750 hours in the "editing suite" that consisted of one computer in Hoover's home office. Keeping in line with their "no budget" project, they edited the entire movie using an editing software package that had cost less than $200. It took the duo seven months to edit the 70 hours of raw footage into the final 1-hour-and-forty-five minute finished product.

Because of a tight filming schedule during production, Hoover and Tanner didn't have the luxury of being able to re-shoot many scenes. In the editing suite, this forced them to make due with the footage they had and to make some creative edits.

To make the end result look more like it had been shot on film, the duo applied various filters to the picture. They also realized that some of the shots needed for the final cut contained unwanted extras. They called on Audra Jon Hoover to work some "magic." Using a photo-editing program to manipulate the frames, she was able to cover up a man sitting at the edge of the screen in one scene, and remove an unwanted landscaper in the background of another. Additionally, for locations where guerrilla shots were necessary, Audra added signs to various buildings so they would appear to be part of "Hoonersburg," the fictitious town where the story took place.

In late 2004, the filmmakers held a test-audience screening. At that time, the film was approximately 2-½ hours in length. "Definitely too long for a comedy. We didn't want the audience to feel like they were watching an epic," said Hoover. The test audience was very helpful. "We tried to get people there that had no personal connection with us so we could get really objective feedback. After working a project for so long, it is really hard to keep objectivity. The test audience helped us see what needed to be changed and cut."

During production, the filmmakers had been able to acquire the rights to the music of The Iron Ridge Bluegrass Band. Later, they were also able to secure music by The Badlees, a group that has had national success for Angelina's Coming Home. "We were so thrilled to be able to use the music of these two very talented groups," said Tanner, "It added so much to the final product."

The film premiered on April 29th to an invitation-only audience at the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center in Hanover, PA. More than 400 attended the event. Comments included:

"The movie is hilarious!"

"Your movie was wonderful and has a great future ahead of it!"

"Despite having to work on a shoe-string budget, you really made the ride first class when it came to bringing the movie to fruition, presenting it to the public, and expressing your appreciation to those of us who had the privilege of being a part of it."

Tanner and Hoover are pleased with the final product. "We're living a dream," said Hoover, "We are two guys with limited experience, who with our wives and a supportive community, have been able to produce a film and accomplish our goal of making people laugh."