The Libri GmbH The Rough Cut / Paperback / 2026

In Carthage, New York, filmmaking sounded more like a punchline than a career. Clay Dumaw decided to try anyway.With a secondhand camera, no budget, and a stubborn refusal to quit, he made two independent feature films far from any established film industry. The work brought chaotic shoots, broken friendships, scams, and feuds. Each setback forced the same question: was he building a life, or simply refusing to admit defeat?The Rough Cut is a candid memoir about making movies the hard way, chasing a career that often seemed out of reach, and learning that the first version of a life is rarely the final cut.