Doug Rittenhouse's Blog

My BLOG has moved.

2009-03-13T10:14:00.001-05:00

Find my Blog NOW at: dougrittenhouse.com

Trouble for OSCAR in Hollywood?

2009-02-22T07:59:00.000-06:00

Oscar: on the road to losing some of it's Power & Influence? http://budurl.com/g7nk

Interview with Editors of THE FRINGE

2009-02-20T02:01:00.002-06:00

An Inside Look: EDITING for THE FRINGE: http://budurl.com/84fh

Post Production of MILK

2009-02-18T16:17:00.001-06:00

Editing MILK: Integrating HD with Archived Footage http://budurl.com/9flk

Inside Post of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

2009-02-18T15:53:00.001-06:00

Editing SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: Mixed Digital & 35mm http://budurl.com/hnvv

Inside Editing of THE DARK KNIGHT

2009-02-18T15:48:00.002-06:00

Editing THE DARK KNIGHT on AVID... including and IMAX cut: http://budurl.com/epkw

Edit Flow: THE DARK KNIGHT http://budurl.com/pjeb

Major Change in TV Ratings System Ahead

2009-01-13T05:51:00.001-06:00

Television is starting to look beyond the 18- to 49-year-old demographic

Call + Response // The Role of the Church

2009-01-10T19:53:00.007-06:00

A HEART FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

Part of my career has been spent as an investigative news producer. (I’ve got any Emmy on my mantel to remind me of my many adventures during that time)

One thing I’ve learned, the heart of the investigative journalist should contain a deep respect for the influence that they hold.

The day a multi-week investigation into Dangerous Doctors in Calif. culminated in a confrontation with a Dr. who let his receptionist administer anesthesia to one of his surgical patients (the tummy-tuck patient died on the table)… was a day to recognize the GOOD real investigative journalism does. (In the end… this investigation that lasted nearly 6 months, and exposed dozens of doctors and resulted in changing the way The Medical Board of Calif policed physicians. Prior to our investigation the MBC didn’t have the power to get a TRO on doctors who were killing people. After our report… they were able to stop Dangerous Dr’s as soon as they were found out. Also, our report revealed the reason this hadn’t been done before: Doctors were the leading contributors to the legislators who held the key to empower the MBC.)

Real substantive change resulted from this investigation… from revealing the true horror that was being done to people.

MOVIE AS MESSAGE

It is because I respect the power of investigative journalism that anytime a reporter or film maker dives in to an issue and exposes something that needs light or needs to be changed… they’ve got my attention.

This week in East Texas… the work of a visionary who is leading the charge to change the course of humanity is being showcased. It is a work of passion. It is a work that requires a response. It is not a piece of art that can be view passively.

The film “Call + Response,” pioneered by director & musician Justin Dillon is a voice. It is the voice of investigation that reveals the plight of nearly 27 million human slaves that still exist in the world today. Hard to believe, but true. Slavery is not gone.

The film is worthy of our attention. The movement being pioneered by modern day abolitionists is something not one of us should ignore. In fact… we should join their ranks. We should insist that real change comes from the awareness this film brings.

But, one thing beyond the investigation, and the obvious need to do something about this crisis is the role the church should/needs to play in this movement.

THE CHURCH’S ROLE

I was struck by the words I read this morning in Patrick Butler’s column published in the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Butler interviewed Dillon, and asked him about what the church should do about this abomination:

Justin Dillon (JD):
The church, as I understand it, is not just a redeeming organization. In fact, it doesn't really do the redeeming. Its prime focus is in restoring, rebuilding and helping individuals to understand their lives (in the context) of a post-spiritual redemption. The church is a mechanism for that. When I think of a lot of people of faith, their role is not just in the redeeming - and if you want to create an analogue for that inside the work of human trafficking, that would be the "rescuing" - but also in the restoration, the building of a system that puts people in a better place than they were before they were put into a slavery situation.

Q: When you said the church is not primarily a redeeming organization, who does the redeeming?

JD: I would assume that would be God. (Pause). I hope so. Let's be honest, I think people do get confused. I think people sometimes think the churches are the redeeming organizations. They're not. I think you get confused when you start turning it into "we're the ones that redeem." If you think, "we're a part of the restoration once someone has been redeemed," that (involves the church) as part of life.

And restoration is the part not quite as "sexy," to be quite honest with you. Restoration is hard work; restoring someone who's come out of, say, drug addiction, they want to go back. There's a 50-percent rate for girls brought out of child brothels who want to go back. That's defeating at some levels, but do you not pull them out and try to help them anyway? Of course you do.

But you realize that the work of restoration, the work of rehabilitation, is the unsung work. It's the non-sexy work, it's the day-to-day, it's the thankless work. I believe part of the church's mandate - honestly, what they're really good at - is sticking with people, helping them be restored.

Everyone in the international community cries for that bit of labor - "will somebody stick with this" - because you can pull 10 kids out of brothel, but you just created a life's work for someone else. And who's going to stick with it?

The church’s work should be RESTORATION.

Words of wisdom spoken by someone not part of the traditional Evangelical Community. Words of a film maker.

I pray he’s right that RESTORATION is “what (the church is) really good at.” I know that CAN be true.

Sometimes, out of good intentions, we (the church) can really focus on REDEMPTION: #’s of Professions of Faith, or #’s of seats filled on Sunday morning. Those things are measurable. In business terms you would call those #’s ROI – Return on Investment. (it cost X to run this church and we’re reaching X amount of people, or the Missions Trip cost us X to do and we were able to reach X amount of people.)

Much of the time we DO use our compassion and love in the RESTORATION process. We do try to care for widows, the poor, the hurting. We do try to be Christ-like in our responses. (After all he did spend much of his time ministering to the “sick.”)

But there is something I can’t get out of my head that Dillon points out: We need be in the restoration business for the long-haul. Through set-backs, mis-cues and hard-times we need, as a body, to continue to convey the love of Christ. Return on MINISTRY (ROM) is often harder to measure and justify than ROI. It isn’t sexy. It isn’t glamorous. And, it’s hard to present in the annual church/ministry report. But it IS the key to success in the modern-day abolition movement (and many other restoration needs as well). We need not only to rescue, we need to restore.

A good case study might be found in the Lost Boys of Sudan. Many of those boys who escaped lion attacks, persecution, and death… were brought here to the U.S. Most have been molded into our culture… but it hasn’t always been successful or easy. I had my groceries bagged by a former “Lost Boy” in San Jose, CA once, and met several of his friends who were rescued as well, then settled in the same area. Most were doing well, and I was moved by all that those in their lives who were doing so much to craft both healing and assimilation. Other “Lost Boys” have struggled much more with blending into a life that is vastly different than what they were rescued from.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

The point here… the church needs to play a pivotal role in stamping out slavery… for good. The church needs to be relevant inside its wall and out. We need to step up to the plate. We need to reveal Christ in the way we respond to the disgrace of human slavery. Our response needs to be compassionate and physical. It needs to include check-writing and donations, but it also needs to be tangible on the back end.

For most of the next week in East Texas (Times Square Cinema to be exact) “Call + Response” will be playing. If you’re in the area… please go see it and have your heart broken. If you’re not in the Tyler area… find somewhere near you where you can see the film. It’s making the rounds.

One last interesting thing: “Call + Response” hasn’t emerged from the church or Christian Ministry circles. Yet… and I might add appropriately so… the church here in East Texas has embraced this fight against slavery with resounding force. George Montalvo from Grace Community Church has pioneered the effort to bring “Call + Response” to our community. Many churches and ministries in the area have locked arms with him & Grace. (Amen & Hallelujah!) Also, fellow East Texans, Hannah Walker and Brandon Davidson are joining other area young adults seeking to help end industrial, domestic, agricultural and sexual slave trades in the next 25 years via innovative purchasing strategies for consumers. They have formed: 21AM – a 21st Century Abolitionist Movement. 21AM can be found on Twitter and Facebook. You can also find out more about “Call + Response” and where it’s playing on their website.

The power of film/television is in its story-telling. The power of investigation is in its truth, influence, and ability to move people. The measurement of both of their effectiveness lies in the number of people who take up the cause.

Thank you Justin Dillon for bringing the secret of modern day human slavery into the light.

Thank you George, Hannah & Brandon for bringing "Call + Response" to our attention.

If you want to read Patrick Butler's entire interview with Justin Dillon, you can find it here.

Missing You

2009-01-10T17:15:00.001-06:00

I've been away from my blog too long.

2 Reasons:

1. Took some time off with the Fam.
2. Building a new blog that will unveil soon.

More posts coming... starting today.

New Writing Experiences//New Methods

2008-12-11T10:18:00.014-06:00

Hey all you CCMers! (past, present, and future.)

Nathan here, (graduated CCM August 2008) and I just wanted to share a recent experience with you all for a few reasons: 1) It might be beneficial to you , and, 2) You might have some feed back that is beneficial to me! 'Cause thats what this blog is all about right?

So, if you've been following my twitter or rapidly updating facebook status (via twitter) then you know that last week I wrote a movie script for a start up company in Michigan called Atlas Films. Go ahead, google them, but like I said they're start up and in the process of getting scripts for their first couple of movies so you probably won't find much. Anyways, I sent them my resume as a writer and they took a look at the volume of stuff I was able to handle, told me that since I didn't have a movie under my belt they couldn't pay me in advance for a script but if I turned in a script to them and they decided to take it off my hands it'd be worth at least $3,000, maybe up to $7,000. So I was like, sure! Why not right? I figure, worst case scenario I'll learn a lot about myself, my writing, and I'll always be able to say, "Yes, I can and have written a full length movie script." And then best case scenario, they buy my script and I come on board with them to make a movie I wrote! So yeah, I did it.

After talking with Doug yesterday I told him I'd write a blog up about my writing experience and tell you guys how I pumped out a 99 page rough draft in five days. Here is the rundown of days:

Monday: Established premise. Revisited some characters I had taken notes on in an old journal. Freewrite for 33 pages. (I downloaded the Dark Knight script a week or so before, studied how it was formatted and did my best to stick as close to Final Draft formatting with Word.)

Tuesday: Brianfart day. I had killer writing block. I didn't write a page that day. I went to a friend's house and we stayed up really late talking the story over and I started making some note card "story blocks". <--talk more about that later.

Wednesday: I went home and got out a huge stack of note cards. I revisited my premise, streamlined my characters based on my freewrite, added a few needed characters, and then wrote appoximately 25 what I'll call "story blocks" with bulletpointed story beats/scenes. One story block per note card. Around 6pm I started re-writing the script and hit the sack around 6:30am with 51 pages finished.

Thursday: After about six hours sleep I popped out of bed, jumped on the computer with coffee in hand and wrote from about 12:00pm to 6:30am all over again. 91 pages total at this point.

Friday: Not so much sleep this time, work up a few hours later and started my one and only shot at a readthrough/edit. So from like 10:30am-10:00pm I re-read/re-wrote/edited my script, finishing with 99 pages and a few notes for expansion along the way that I didn't have time to do. At approximately 10pm I sent the script off to the email I had been given.

Brutal? Yeah, you bet! But I still remember thinking even as I wrote it, "Wow, I'm writing more and probably better content than I ever wrote at CCM! How is this happening?" Well, I knew the answer but it was just hard to believe because I'd never tried my "story block" method before and as soon as I used it (out of desperation I might add) something clicked in my brain and I was able to knock out an enormous task in a fairly ridiculous time frame...sound familiar CCM?

Anways, the main purpose of this post is to tell you guys about "story blocking". That's my name for it so if it has an official name that I don't know feel free to correct me. Oh, and just by way of disclaimer this may not work for everyone. It worked really well for me but that's all I can really vouch for it.

So! Here we go. Story Blocking: mapping out an entire story using note cards.

Growing up reading books, comic books, and listening to crazy music that always has some clever title for each chapter or section of the story it was telling, it made sense to me to think ahead in the story and name large chunks of it with one phrase that might include several story beats and even more scenes. Sometimes the story block was more vivid in my mind and needed less note card description and sometimes I needed to map out specifically front and back with bulletpoints guiding me through the scene to make sure it was going to work and accomplish what it needed to accomplish. Below is an example:

In this way I was able to name a block of the story, "Prom Plans" and then knock out that section of the script, beat by beat, scene by scene, with important details noted. Sometimes a good line would come to me and I'd write it or an abreviation of that line down as a bullet point since I knew in my head where I wanted it to go and what I wanted it to accomplish. I guess the real important thing about "method" is that it WORKS! If something doens't work for you don't do it. If something does work, then screw what your "supposed" to do and do your thing.

*Quick tangent: Every great writer and artist has learned the rules and then uniquely broke them to let loose their genius. So yes, learn all the rules you can...but when it comes down to GETTING SOMETHING DONE, do what you have to.

By the time I was finished with my story blocking I had about 25 usable story blocks...

And a whole pile of blocks I was able to re-word, re-work, or cut out to make the story work better...

All in all, my movie was this big...

5 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT CONCERNING THIS METHOD:

1) We don't edit linearly so why should we assume to write and think linearly when it comes to a story? Story blocking allows you to take the initial inspiration for a story, craft that block, craft another block that you think might work well with the first one...and then later realize that you need to put about 5-10 blocks of story in-between those. But what you haven't done is gotten caught up on "the next detail" and therefore stopped your overall story from developing. Huge time saver!

2) Allows you to see what works, what doesn't work, what has to happen, and what can be cut before you ever sit down in front of a blank document.

3) You never have to worry about where you're going. It's like google maps for your story. All your twists and turns are mapped out ahead of time and you just have to write your way through them. Or imagine it like this: You've made a mold and now you have to fill it up with words. All the boundaries are set in place, do whatever you want in the middle, just fill up the mold.

4) With well crafted note-card-story-blocks you could architect an entire story or stories and then pass them off to someone else to write. A CCM producer's dream ;) Oh, and p.s. I later found out that this is what Christopher Nolan did, passing off an enormous stack of note cards to his brother Jonathan Nolan to pen The Dark Knight. So I'm reassured to find out that this isn't some half-baked thing that worked on a fluke. These guys arguably made the best movie this year using this method to collaborate.

5) It's fun!

I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you guys about all-nighters but I will say that knowing where you going in a script when it's 3am is a lot more fun than not knowing where your going in a script at 3am and staring blankly at your screen, frustrated and tired, a deadline bearing down on you.

Well, that about sums up this ginormous post. Hit me up with comments yo!

Nathan

Oh! and before people ask: If the script gets picked up and I do a final draft, yes of course you can read it. If not then I'm going to chalk this whole thing up as a great learning experience and tuck that bad boy away.

CCM Grad in Mumbai during Terrorist Attacks

2008-12-07T10:24:00.012-06:00

CCM Grad - Season Caldwell (August '07) has been answering the calling on her life NON-STOP since graduating from CCM.

Even before she completed her time at CCM... Season seemed to be rooted, as a Director of Photography, in international missions and story telling. During her time as a CCMer she traveled to: South Africa, Scotland, England, Netherlands, and Guatemala. (Not to mention countless locations all over the United States.)

Season is an AWESOME D.P.!!

I'm so proud of her. She is both talented & skilled AND she is a great spiritual leader!!

For the past several months she has been working with a missions organization in Mumbai, India... coming and going between the states and India. As timing would have it... Season WAS in Mumbai during the recent terrorist attacks. I might add that makes it "God's Timing."

Within an hour of the beginning of the attacks I caught drift of what was going on. First through TWITTER then I began following the news.

Gail and I immediately thought of Season and began praying for her and all those working with her. I tried to get a hold of her... but several hours went by before we heard anything.

Eventually we knew had not been hurt during the initial attack. She had been outside of the city and was making her way back .

What follows is an account of her journey.

These are the sights and sounds of coming face to face with terrorism:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Journal Entry
Mumbai Terror Attacks
Season Caldwell

Written November 27, 2008 at 11:08 pm in Bandra, Mumbai…
Maharashtra, India.

Thinking of the events of last night, beginning around 9pm yesterday
evening, Wednesday, Nov. 26th.

Yesterday is certainly a day I will remember. Several people have
asked me to journal about it, so this is my account of the events of my
day (only from my knowledge and perspective. I was not at the
locations at the time of attack).

My day on Wednesday began very early, awaking at 3:30am and
heading out at 4 am. It was a long day and a long drive ahead, as we
were visiting and documenting some of our organizations water well
projects south of Mumbai. I was present in order to capture footage of
all that we saw, good and bad, need and fulfillment. After something
like 9 hours in the car with a few stops on the way, we began to reach
our water projects. We went from site to site, getting the necessary
footage and still pictures for documentation, talking with people in
various villages. Everything was going pretty well.

Back home, unbeknownst to us, or at least to me, my boss, his wife,
and their 8-year old son were in downtown Mumbai… Colaba area.
This is a busy spot for foreigners and Mumbaikers alike, and we have
gone countless times. They were shopping for Christmas presents
until around roughly 7 pm, at which point they did not feel up to
continue in Colaba and got in the family car and began the usual
traffic-jammed drive home. Our family driver parks our car just feet
away from the Taj hotel every time we go to town. This trip would be
no different. The Weehunts were among some of the last people in
Colaba before terrorists arrived. (**it has now been found out that
the terrorists had arrived by this time, went to eat at Leopold’s café
and were somehow delayed in starting their attacks. Had they been
on time, my boss’ family could have been right in the midst of the
attacks.)

House = where we live
X = general area of attacks

The distance is about a 30 minute drive without heavy traffic.
Anyways, back to our car in Kolhapur villages, about 7 hours away.
We began our drive home around 6pm, and expected not to reach
home for 6 hours, at least. We stopped for some McDonald’s after a
while. Soon after our stop, calls began coming in to a Mumbaiker
friend and coworker, Mark, and my boss’ eldest daughter (my boss’
family has lived in Mumbai and Texas, back and forth every year, for
about 16 years now). The people on the phone are saying there have
been “gang shootings” at the Taj and other places in town, but we
were very gray on the details. My first thought was only that some
crazy people had gotten hold of a couple guns and started shooting
people. Didn’t seem too much cause for alarm. As more and more
calls began pouring in, we got the idea that this could be a serious
matter.

As we continued driving home, something strange happened. Along
the highway, we saw flames ahead. We continued and could now see
it was a Goods Carrier truck up in flames that had collided with a
smaller car. A loud pop burst right as we pulled next to it, and we
pulled over once we had passed it to see if they needed anything. I
pulled out my camera and took a few seconds of footage in reportermode.
Though we knew this was completely unrelated to the attacks
happening in the city, I suddenly realized that things were out of
control. That something I didn’t understand was happening...
Something I may not be able to keep myself safe from. A pretty
frightening feeling struck me at that moment. At this point, things
became spiritual for me. In that car we prayed for peace, for safety of
the innocent... I realized that this city, and so many places like it
around the globe are in the midst of intense spiritual warfare.

The car and truck up in flames on the side of the road. [unrelated to
terrorist attacks]

More phone calls, more news… they are targeting foreigners, they are
firing AK47s at the train station, they are taking hostages in at least 3
locations. We were told not to come home that night. After a long,
rough day of travel and Indian village roads, that is not what we
wanted to hear. For a long while, I suspected that as soon as we
made it to Lonavala, a town 2 hours out of the city, that everything
would be under control and they would let us come home. But that
didn’t happen. Instead, things escalated.

Constant calls, constant checking on friends and family… I had a phone
but didn’t need to use it, as I am a guest of the family I work for here.
I sit and listen and do what I’m told and that is all I can do right now…

We made it to Lonavala, two hours outside of the city where our
ministry has an orphanage (Thank God for a safehouse!). We
confirmed we would stay the night, took showers, talked, Christie took
several more calls, and we were off to sleep, as it was now past 1am
on Nov. 27th. There was nothing we could do but pray and sleep. This
time may have been the height of my fear. I was even feeling a bit
nauseous and restless, having a hard time going to sleep. Even if I
felt fear, I knew we were really quite safe here. I knew all the kids in
our orphanage were right next door with their house parents, sleeping
soundly. Twelve wonderful children that I love so much… Twelve
children that I would protect at all cost. No one could lay a hand on
those kids while I’m around, I thought. I realized that whatever fear I
had for my own safety went away when I thought of those kids. I
would have no problem dying to keep them safe, I thought… and with
that I fell asleep and slept incredibly peacefully that night.

I woke up the next morning, Nov. 27th, Thanksgiving Day. Last year I
was in India on Thanksgiving, and we had gotten stuck in Goa for the
night, 10 hours out Mumbai. I guess I’ve started a tradition of being
stuck away from home on Thanksgiving! It was quite a blessing to be
there at our orphanage on this day, as I got to see all the kids and hug
and squeeze them a little. They didn’t know what had been going on
in the city… All I heard was “Season Didi, my birthday was last month!
Season Didi, will you be here for Christmas?” And that is all I wanted
to hear from them.

I was shocked to find out that things had not been taken care of yet
back in the city. In fact, new things were happening. We awaited the
“ok” to return home to Mumbai. Seeing that the problems seemed to
be confined to areas a bit south of our destination, it was approved for
us to venture quickly home, and we loaded up our stuff in the car. It
seemed that our poor driver had spent the night in the driver’s seat.
We are very blessed to have such good drivers here. We added to our
numbers, taking two of the American teachers from the orphanage
with us to the city, since they had to come to town by the next day
and did not think it was wise to take a public bus under the
circumstances. Five white American girls, one Anglo-Indian man, and
our Indian driver in one car, heading into the “war zone.” Since they
were targeting Westerners, all of us girls took out our shawls and
covered our heads, so as to be a little less obvious. Of course we had
fun with it, taking pictures of us looking so silly.

The youngest daughter of my boss, Hannah, got a text message on
her phone from some government thing that had the license numbers
of 2 police vehicles that had been stolen by the terrorists and
reportedly were heading out of the city. My eyes were peeled for cop
cars, but I didn’t even see one on the way home. Should I have been
disturbed that I didn’t see even one cop car all the way home?

As we got quite close to town, I spotted an army truck full of men in
green camo. One, then another, then a weapons truck, then at least
five more trucks full of soldiers. We saw them taking the road into
town, and we continued straight. I was very glad not to be heading
the same direction as these trucks.

We arrived home very shortly after and I realized how fast our driver
had been going the whole way. We were home in record time! He
must have been a bit frightened. We quickly unloaded our things and
walked up the 7 flights of stairs to our flat. I walked in that door
almost exactly 24 hours ago and I haven’t set foot out yet, and I won’t
until tonight only to go up to the roof terrace for Hannah’s 18th
birthday party celebration. We had to cancel the lighting and music,
as it’s not a good time or place to cause a big scene.
We are constantly watching the news and checking in with people,
updating facebooks for our family and friends back home. It’s still not
over! We pray for those still being held hostage, for those still hiding
in their hotel rooms, for the wounded. We hear of a friend saving the
Maternity Ward of the Hospital after coming face-to-face with some of
the terrorists and then locking the bullet-proof doors on the floor
above. New stories are always coming in, some happy, many sad. At
one point, my boss was phoned by a good friend who takes care of
children living in the Red Light District of Bombay. He had been
hearing shots where he was. As we prayed for them, I could hardly
keep it together and tears began to fill my eyes. Surely more than
anyone, this man and these children deserved safety.

Even now as I’m writing this “account” 38 hours and 22 minutes after
it all started, new firing is being reported at both hotels (the Taj and
the Oberoi) and the Nariman house. The footage on TV is showing
cops and/or special forces crouched and hiding behind cars and fences,
and windows are blown out of cars and the buildings. We are all
shocked this is still going on and wishing to know what we should do.
Still this fear of the unknown is inside of me. If I knew it would stop
at this, I would be okay… but we live in a part of town that has many
foreigners, so we just don’t know what might happen next. Too many
unanswered questions… mobile phones that were used by hostages in
the Taj are being found in towns hours away from where they were
used last night… a bomb was discovered in the train station just
minutes before it was set to go off... there were supposedly 5 bombs
placed in city taxies, but only one went off… where are the other 4?
And police don’t carry guns here? What?! It’s just chaos.

December 2, 2008
It has all been over for 3 or 4 days now, so we headed in to town
today to survey the scene and interview friends who run shops that we
frequent. Through all these events, through having conversations with
Indians here, and spending time to think on my own, I have realized a
few things.

1. Fear is the terrorists’ greatest weapon. It keeps people in
burning rooms. They hope chaos and confusion will also spread
fear. We should not give in to this fear. The Word says that
“The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the
world.”

2. Terrorists who have been planning attacks are set in their minds
to kill. They do not care to discern between grown men and
children (terrorists reportedly gunned down a woman holding a
baby, then shot the baby). Also, they go out ready to die in the
process.

3. We may fear the unknown in scary times, but that is when we
must cling to what we do know, that Our God will never leave
us… No terrorist is any challenge to God. Our battle is spiritual,
not natural.

4. Terrorism could happen anywhere at anytime. It would be
wishful thinking to say that there are no terrorists left in this
city. The truth is, they could be anywhere. If God has called us
to go somewhere, fear should not be the thing that stops us. A
Peacemaker has no work left to do in an already peaceful place.
(My sister, her husband, and another co-worker of mine are
flying in to Mumbai tomorrow, Dec 6th. We haven’t changed our
trip plans!)

5. There were so many men involved in planning and executing this
attack (reported to likely be Al-Quaeda), and they devised
intricately, studying hotel maps and roads, the fastest way from
here to there, etc. What great lengths these men have gone to
cause evil and darkness… it begs the question to me, are we
going to great enough lengths to bring good and light?

This is Leo’s six days after the attacks… My absolute favorite food in
India is upstairs in this restaurant. We shortly interviewed one of the
managers. There were at least 3 bullet holes in the upstairs windows
we would sit by.

Gordon House first floor is All Stir Fry restaurant, just a very short
walking distance from the Taj hotel. A restaurant we frequent and had
just visited about a week prior to attacks. When we returned to eat on
Dec 2nd, we were the only ones there besides the full staff (not usual
at all), and a manager told us that they had had 30 dinner guests on
the night of the attack, all of whom were forced to stay the night
there.

In front of Metro Cinema, there was a drive-by attack by terrorists who
had stolen police vehicles. Across the street from this theater is my
Indian home church, Metro Church. Footage from this part of the
attack is quite disturbing, as an AK47 takes down a whole line of
people.

Above is the Taj hotel 6 days after the attacks. It doesn’t look so
messy here, but it burnt for over 24 hours.

One of the windows burnt out in the old wing of the Taj.

Memorials at the Taj.

memorials at the Taj.

Memorials at the Taj.

CCM Professional Encounter to Hollywood - About to get Underway!

2008-11-30T22:03:00.002-06:00

CCM is embarking on what is sure to be an amazing part of growing this production company and internship!!

Beginning tomorrow... CCM goes west!

Keep up with the Professional Encounter as it unfolds on a blog published to share the heart of the CCM'ers as they learn, grow and experience immersion into the world of real film & television production!

Check it out:

The CCM Professional Encounter Blog

Rediscovering - SEAWIND!!!

2008-11-13T12:18:00.002-06:00

It come out of the recesses of my mind.
The memories.
The music.

Actually it was triggered by a conversation with one of my best friends in the world: Alex Palermo. We were room mates in college... we shared a love for God and a love for music. (Him... songwriter/keys. Me... trumpet/drums.)

We were really into Jazz.

One of our favorite groups was SEAWIND. Rock solid on every front.
They a message. They sent The Message.

They may be old school... but their music still stands!!!

I don't know of anyone TODAY who is doing what they did THEN.

Enjoy some SEAWIND right here...

I can't share vinyl (yes, I still have those) over the web... But I can share the vibe:

HE LOVES YOU
Jazz artists with The Message. Man I miss these guys.

THE DEVIL IS A LIAR
Ah yeah...

I NEED YOUR LOVE
Keep it coming... Great times... Great vibe

IMAGINE
Wow...

The Chronicles of HAMILTON - PT 7

2008-11-01T20:46:00.002-05:00

And... that's a WRAP!

When the night is over... and the broadcast has faded to black... it's a job well done!!

Long hours... butterflies in the stomach (oh... but God was in control the entire time... so those nerves were just the edge everybody needed to stay sharp! Nothing more)... professional growth that is off the chart... and, a program ready for the world to see!!

May God use it all for His glory!!

It's hard to fully explain what happens during these CCM productions. So much goes down in such a short, but concentrated period of time.

The thing that amazes me the most (every time!) is just how much each PROFESSIONAL on the CCM team gains by doing this. (That's right... in my eyes each CCMer is not an intern... they are a PROFESSIONAL) The learn, perform, and grow like any professional I have every worked with out in Hollywood!

It shouldn't work the way it does. (a team full of inexperienced folks)
It shouldn't result in a REAL, PROFESSIONAL, BROADCAST-ABLE 15 hours of event. BUT IT DOES!! It does because we are blessed... It does because all of the CCMers are willing, flexible, teachable, and dedicated.

Oh... they relax at the end of the night too!
Check it out: (And meet some more of the team)

So that's it from Hamilton!!

Keep checking back here for the exact broadcast dates in December.
I'll let you know the times as soon as I get them.

The Chronicles of HAMILTON - PT 6

2008-10-31T14:54:00.004-05:00

And now...

Another clip of what will actually be shown on air!

A peek into what went into making the short films that appear on the screens on the tour!

CCM delivered well over 100 elements for ATF this year.
Everything from Worship Backgrounds that play on 5 screens... to Message Support gfx crafted in 3D and 2D (also across 5 screens)... to an Event gfx package... to videos that play during the breaks... to videos that play in the workshops... AND short films and parodies that play during the event.

One of our standouts was produced by one of the great production teams we have at CCM... it's called THE LETTER.

Check out this clip that shows a portion of the message from Sat AM and THE LETTER

Check back tomorrow for the wrap up of The Chronicles of Hamilton!!

The Chronicles of HAMILTON - PT 5

2008-10-31T01:11:00.003-05:00

In 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

And... "we're ON"

All the rehearsals were over.
Everyone was in their places. (Many of them bundled up, standing over the ice of a hockey rink)

It was TIME.

Hundreds of hours of preparation in post.
Thousands of hours of practice and honing of skills at camera, audio... and many other skills.

It was TIME for it to come together!

Everyone had a job to do.

The grips assigned to the Hand Held cameras.
The assists assigned to the Dolly camera.
The production assistants assigned to tying up any loose ends.
The production manager making sure everything was working in concert.

It was TIME for the thousands in Copps Coliseum to be reached.
BUT... it was also time for MILLIONS to be reached outside of the building and Canada!

7pm on Friday Night.
The open rolled...

To understand the full Center for Creative Media experience at a moment like this is to realize that there is no classroom that could ever replace REALLY DOING THIS!!

You can explain what a P.A. does. You can read about what an A.D. does. You can be quizzed about Grips and Gaffers. But to really get it... You have to do it!!

Oh yeah... student projects usually don't come loaded with thousands of people in a live audience, the pressure of delivering when the director is calling the shots through a headset WHEN MILLIONS ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING, with the requirement that what you are producing actually meets broadcast technical spec, or with an actual broadcast credit complete with actual work that you PERSONALLY did.

No one would ever staff the broadcast of a live event with a bunch of "green-horns." That would be crazy!! But that is exactly what CCM does... and through God... IT WORKS!! Remember... some of the "staff" that worked this event just came to CCM last August. And today... they are carrying major responsibility and bringing their art to the WORLD!

One of the moments that the entire team can now say they have done is: the production of a multi-cam live concert... From camera shots to audio mix.

Check out this excerpt from worship being led by UNHINDERED

STAY TUNED: In the next post... see Center for Creative Media's latest Short Film "The Letter" (Scene: War complete with special efx and explosions)

The Chronicles of HAMILTON - PT 4

2008-10-30T16:05:00.003-05:00

So much for travel to Hamilton and getting settled in at Copps Coliseum...

It was finally time to get to work!

To pull off the broadcast of the event... we would need a TV truck capable doing all we required. Here was the set-up:

We had 6 cameras (+ another 6 floaters) covering all the angles we would need.
1 Hand Held on stage right
1 Jib in audience stage right
1 Dolly Camera behind the first seat break
2 Stationary Cameras at Front of House
1 Camera in the upper loge for Host Live shots and Event Wide Shots

The floaters were assigned to get audience shots and "perspective (audience and stage in the same shot) shots" to added in editing later in Multi-Cam Grouping mode.

1 Director
1 Technical Director
1 Asst. Director
1 GFX Operator
Video 1&2
Audio 1&2
1 EVS Operator
1 Tape Op
2 Tape Managers (also doing electronic video record)
2 PA's
1 Floor Manager

2 Field Producers
2 ENG Audio Ops

We also did our own FULL audio mix (96 channels) of the entire event.

CCMers manned key roles... many of them never having done live television before in their lives. (AND... they did a GREAT job!!)

The hours leading up to the event were filled with practice, check and re-checks of the gear, team meetings explaining what needed to be done, and PRAYER!

Keep in mind... we had 15 to 16 hours of event to cover. A marathon to be sure.

Here's a peek behind the scenes of the event from CCM's perspective:

And... Dolly Cam operator Wesley Trost shows us his rig:

TOMORROW:

Preview clips of the event!! Not seen before!
(Event is schedule to air on GodTV in Dec. Dates TBD)

Stayed Tuned for MORE Hamilton

2008-10-29T17:21:00.003-05:00

Check in tomorrow for behind the scenes footage of the ATF production team and a look at the dolly camera we used during broadcast in Hamilton!

The Chronicles of HAMILTON - PT 3

2008-10-29T17:14:00.002-05:00

After a long bus ride... CCM arrives at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario.

Any good production person makes sure they get to know their surroundings and the specific areas where they will have to work.

1st stop: Where to EAT!!

A huge blessing of putting on the Acquire the Fire tour is that we are served by people who are as passionate about empowering this generation as we are. And, at just about every event we are blown away by people who serve us by FEEDING us.

That blessing is even bigger after spending hours (days!) on a bus.

Check out what CCMer Caleb Lennie (a Canadian I might add) says about finally arriving in Hamilton.

The Chronicles of HAMILTON - PT 2

2008-10-28T13:05:00.001-05:00

The journey and the bonding continue as the team crosses North of the Border

The Chronicles of HAMILTON - PT 1

2008-10-27T22:18:00.002-05:00

The Hamilton, Ontario ATF was absolutely outstanding!
Truly an amazing heart changing weekend!

To really understand things from the PRODUCTION TEAM point of view is to understand the whole experience was a several day excursion for the CCM Team.

A team of 42 people on site worked to bring the event to a broadcast ready state.
CCMers manned all 12 of the cameras (including the Jib and the Dolly), all of the field audio, made all of the GFX, produced all of the event videos & short films, managed all of the tape use & labeling, digital video capture, blue tooth content distribution, and produced interviews with Jeremy Camp, Everyday Sunday, Manna Fest, and Unhindered.

Over the next couple of days... I'll be posting portions of the experience so all of you can feel and see what CCMers actually do. (Many of the videos come from CCMer Ben Fig... a 1st year August Intern... you'll experience things through his eyes.)

So... let's start at the beginning of trip... on a bus.

The team climbed on board in the parking of the CCM Studios and headed north.

Here was their take on things on Night #1

Rockin' Canada!!!

2008-10-19T17:45:00.003-05:00

Well, it's Hamilton ATF Week!!

This tour stop is definitely one of the rowdiest... kickin' stops on the tour... for sure!!

Those Canadians are LOUD... INTENSE... and READY for an amazing weekend!
I'm pretty sure when "Oh Canada" is sung it may be louder than Jeremy Camp's most rockin' song.

The CCM team is on an intense mission this week... prep the entire event for Broadcast on GodTV (Channel 365 on DirectTV)

It's going to be one exciting week for CCM.
At team of about 45 will be headed north of the border beginning on Tues AM.
The bus pulls out of CCM for a journey that will take the better part of 2 days.
After rolling down the road past the truck stops in the USA... the sleeper will cruise past Tim Horton's and Swiss Chalet on the Canadian side of the border. Eventually CCM will arrive at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.

Thurs AM will find ATF loading in, and CCM running cables and prepping rigs for a total of 12 cameras. We'll also be loading in prepared Graphics and Videos made especially for the broadcast. The whole operation will be run out of a truck that normally does live coverage of major concerts and sporting events. (So, we'll be right in their wheelhouse.)

By the time the event kicks off on Friday night @ 7p Eastern... a team of 45 folks (that's only the broadcast team) will be in place! CCMers will be running the cameras (including Jib and Dolly), manning Live-Shot Inserts, Interviewing band members from Unhindered, Everyday Sunday, Nevertheless... and maybe even Jeremy Camp (confirmation pending), Capturing interviews all over the arena, and working the other areas like: Video, Video-Tape, Audio, Chyron, Production Assistants and Floor Manager.

Keep checking back Thurs, Fri & Sat... I'll post photos and videos giving you a view into what we'll be doing.

Oh yeah... throw a jacket on for us... the event will be held in an arena that a Hockey Team calls home. Meaning we're actually on tiles laid over ice. CHILLY!! (It's ok... nothing a few cups of Tim Horton's can't cure...EH?)

Here we come Canada!!!

Macbook Pro 17" Users Beware

2008-10-19T17:26:00.002-05:00

Every Apple product I've every used has been top notch.

Professionally... Personally... Apple is THE way to go.

Unfortunately I've run across a very odd circumstance...

For the past 3.5 to 4 years I've been using a Macbook Pro 17".
I had one for two years... and thing ran like beast. Really a great machine.

Last Fall I got a new Macbook and things were going pretty well til about 2 months ago.
My Screen went black.
The fan stopped working... and when the machine went to sleep... it didn't really go to sleep... resulting in a firey hot Macbook!
The drive would spin.
Occasionally the computer would re-boot giving the friendly Mac chime.
I tried connecting my Macbook with my cinema display... NOTHING.

So I took it to an approved repair place.
Diagnosis: Bad Logic Board.
Solution: Replacement under warranty.

All my data remained because there was no problem with the hard-drive. (Whew!)

Ok... things were looking good.
The machine was working through the launch of the tour just fine... which was a good thing because I had hundreds of videos to view and approve!

Then last Thurs... WHAM... same situation.
I thought: There is no way the logic board blew again.
But... the symptoms were exactly the same.

This time a trip to the Genius Bar was in order.
The GENIUS quickly surmised... LOGIC BOARD.

Now here's the deal:
Apparently NVIDIA announced within the last month that there was a problem with the GFX card on some of the 17" Macbooks. (Turns out that announcement came about 2 weeks after my last Logic Board was replaced).

The GENIUS told me that specifically the 3000 series was affected. (Guess you can tell that by the serial #... not sure of the specifics on that however)

So if you are a 17" Macbook owner... and you experience the same symptoms above... a trip to the Apple emergency room will be in order.

Still waiting to see if Logic Board replacement #2 will do the job. Actually, more like praying it will!

From what a friend who used to be a GENIUS (can you be a former Genius???) tells me if it blows a 3rd time... NEW Macbook coming my way.

Man... New would be good... but the hassle would be not so good.

I'll keep you updated...

Forge on Mac users!!!

FIREPROOF Debate

2008-10-11T12:09:00.004-05:00

My wife and I had the ultimate experience going to the movie FIREPROOF.

It was a very intimate and EXCLUSIVE time for us... as we watched Sherwood Pictures latest release. We were the only two people in the 70mm Dolby HUGE theater. (Of course we went on a Monday evening @ 10pm in Tyler, Texas... probably had something to do with the empty seats.)

The debate over this movie in artistic circles populated by Christian professionals is very interesting. Lot's of good conversation and points being made.

Here is some of what I've found:

Rotten Tomatoes is presently giving the movie a SPLAT at 46%.
ROTTEN REVIEWS coming from: The L.A. Times, L.A. Weekly, Boston Globe, and Entertainment Weekly.
POSITIVE REVIEWS coming from: The NY Times, Daily Variety, and Christianity Today

Definitely not a total THUMBS DOWN by reviewers (across secular and Christian lines).

The Christian community has mostly embraced FIREPROOF to the tune of somewhere around $13.7 mil in just 8 days. That breaks through the seemingly insurmountable $10mil ceiling (for Christian/Faith-based movies)... maybe for good.

Focus on the Family's PLUGGED IN ONLINE give this insight on FIREPROOF:

FIREPROOF

The church congregation in Georgia that faced down giants has turned its attention away from football and toward firemen in the save-your-marriage-or-die-trying film Fireproof...

...Writer/director Alex Kendrick and his writer/producer brother, Stephen, aren't under any illusions that this small-budget movie will turn Hollywood on its head. Stephen told Plugged In Online, "When people butcher our films on Rotten Tomatoes and say, 'This isn't Oscar-winning material,' we say, 'We know!' We're just people who are working with what we have at a small church in Georgia. It's truly a loaves and fishes story."

What they do want is for their earnest project to turn your marriage upside down.

You might notice that some of the lines in Fireproof feel a little wooden. And you might notice that the script indulges more dialogue (most of it spiritual) than you're used to hearing in movies about firemen. But the honest truth is that you don't really care by the time the credits roll, because you're too busy feeling your own feelings and thinking your own thoughts about your own relationships. This is the kind of movie that succeeds, sometimes despite itself, because it does a superlative job of digging into serious issues that so deeply affect so many of us every day.

The first time I saw this film I was alone in a cramped and cold projection booth, scribbling notes as fast as my fingers would fly. The second time, though, I was with my bride of 14 years, and I was in no mood to write a movie review. All I wanted to do was hold her hand. And when the last scene faded from the screen, I could do nothing less than turn to her and whisper, "If you ever wanted to leave me, I would try to make it so hard for you! I would do everything he just did and so much more to keep you by my side." She breathed in response, "I would never leave you." I spent the rest of the day thanking God that I was so fortunate as to never have to doubt her.

Others who are right now in the middle of ugly emotions driven by marital neglect, apathy and want, will surely be compelled by Fireproof to skip such emotional promises and tender bonding and instead break out the survival gear right away, putting into practice some of the principles they've just seen brought to life. That, I believe, would make the Kendrick brothers far happier than any golden statue ever could. It'd make our Savior happier, too.

Full review of FIREPROOF available at Plugged in Online

On the flip side... some in the Christian community are voicing artistic concerns:

From Worldmag.com // Warren Cole Smith

Full disclosure: I saw only the first 20 minutes of Fireproof. If this causes you to dismiss my assessment of the movie as a cinematic disaster, then you can stop reading right now. I will say in my defense, however, that in those 20 minutes I saw enough bad acting, heard enough bad dialogue, was assaulted by enough amateur lighting set-ups, and was distracted by enough bad directing to give me full confidence in my thinking.

I realize, of course, that for many of my evangelical brethren, it takes more than bad acting, bad dialogue, bad directing, etc., to make a bad movie. It also takes bad intentions, and even I admit that the amateur Fireproof team intended to make a good movie.

And because they made a bad movie doesn’t make them bad people. Neither does it mean they eventually will not make a good one. Director and writer Alex Kendrick plans to make a film every two years, and he is clearly learning a few things about movie making. Fireproof, which stars one “pro” actor, Kirk Cameron, is much better than his previous effort, Facing The Giants, which was an improvement over his first film, Flywheel. Who knows? Kendrick and his brother Stephen, his co-writer and producer of the first two films, are both young. If they keep making this much progress, perhaps the next movie—or the one after that—will be the one they and those who have stuck by them can be proud of.

Let’s be plain: The Kendricks’ movies are apprentice efforts, and there’s nothing wrong with that—all great artists and craftsmen go through an apprentice stage. But for an apprentice to graduate into true mastery, someone must give him honest feedback, and it appears no one in the evangelical community is willing to do that. Some of the most prominent movie reviewers in the Christian world acknowledged the film’s shortcomings but said—inexplicably—that they didn’t matter. Among rank-and-file Christians, any criticism of the movie is met with vitriol, such as the hate I was met with on an online discussion group. You would have thought I had nominated Osama bin Laden for the Nobel Peace Prize.

We do the Kendrick brothers no favors when we grant them a “pass” based on good intentions. I learned this lesson as a writer many years ago. I am not the greatest writer in the world, but (I assure you) I am much better than I was last year, and I am much, much better than I was a decade ago. I improved because of tough feedback from teachers, mentors, and—sometimes—critics...

...If we truly want to encourage the Kendricks, let’s say: “Congratulations. Making a movie, even a bad one, is no easy task. This one is an honorable ‘next step’ in the process, but is it really your best?”

If the Kendrick brothers have any artistic integrity at all, they will not be discouraged by such feedback, and—in the end—they might one day make that great Christian movie we all have longed to see.

Full article by Warren Cole Smith (including comments to his thoughts) available at Worldmag.com

At this point in time... I'll say this: FIREPROOF would not and should not be made by all film makers. It is the Kendrick's movie. We each need to make the movies we are passionate about and believe in. We need to tell the stories we are compelled to portray.

My conclusion:
I believe to the bottom of my soul that movies made with stories, characters and values that appeal to the Christian audience have a place in the commercially competitive marketplace. Just ask Spike Lee... Fireproof beat out his latest release "Miracle at St. Anna" head to head on their box-office opening weekend... in fact, Fireproof has out-grossed St. Anna out-right.

May God use each one of the storytellers He has CALLED to tell the tales He has laid on each heart.

RE-Entry

2008-10-09T20:16:00.002-05:00

The TOUR is finally launched.

ATF is in St. Louis this weekend. City #3.

It's been a whirlwind of a past 6 weeks.

I love what I do. I really do.

But... A breather has definitely been in order.

RE-Entry into "regular" life began last weekend.

Took the family to a lake house.

We all had such a good time.

4-Wheeling.

Fishing.

Boating.

Grilling.

Sleeping.

Sleeping.

Sleeping.

ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It was so AWESOME.

The 4-Wheeling was probably my favorite part. (other than sleeping)
Dodging cows and wild boar.
I know... I know... it was a VERY Texan/Southern way of spending the weekend.
So be it.
(BTW... pass the BBQ!)

To everyone in CCM: I AM PROUD OF YOU!!!

You have done, and continue to do an AMAZING job!

I'm blessed to work with some very talented and skilled people. Pros who will be impacting the world of film and television for decades to come... for sure.

Next up:
TELEVISING the Hamilton ATF.
We normally go live for that event... but this year we will be taping the event "AS LIVE" for broadcast on God-TV in December. (Schedule conflicts are bumping us a few weeks later)

There will be about 40 people in the crew bringing the event to the viewing audience. (30 CCMers and about 10 other pros scattered in the mix)

The Hamilton event is always amazing!!!
A real rockin' and rolling crowd!

As soon as we have a definite air-date... I'll post so you can all see the event.

As for CCMers... Get ready folks... in 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1....

ATF Amherst - Behind the Scenes Photos

2008-09-25T17:38:00.002-05:00

5-Screens

2008-09-25T07:35:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting in the Mullin's Center this morning at UMass.

I really enjoy this venue and this event.

It means FALL and it means the start of the tour.

This year... we're going to subject the audience to 5... count 'em 5 video screens. (Yes it does feel a little like Spinal Tap: "... but these go up to 11!!"

You know the old saying: Less is More

Uh-uh... it's now officially: More is More!!!

That said... we are building something for the Saturday night portion of our event that I'm praying will be amazing and memorable.

On the final night of the event we will be taking the audience on a visceral experience of Jesus' final moments. We have created... based on a script written by Chad Arnold... a 5-Screen multimedia version of the crucifixion and the moments leading up to it.

Our graphics guru, Greg Williams, has designed this 30 min multi-screen "movie" in After Effects using original sketches, live action, and graphic design. And... it's been crafted to an audio bed that was mixed prior to one visual frame being created.

In about 5 hours... we get to run the presentation in the arena... with actors (yes, there is a live drama part of the presentation as well) for the very first time. I'm pretty excited about it!

We've all seen many a "passion" or "Easter presentation" at church over the years. Many of them are well intentioned and do present the story. But, rarely are these videos or dramatic presentations memorable.

It is my prayer that what our team has built will transcend the informational and enter the realm of the experiential... in a deeply searing way.

The Garden of Gesthemene, Golgotha, Pilot's court, the Tomb... all appear across the 5-Screens in larger than life fashion with music, SFX, and actors who have given performances that have effected me even in their raw untreated form.

The audience tallies it's vote this Saturday.

For my part... it's been in the backroom long enough... I can't to see what all of you think.

Thanks to all of the team who are pouring it out to make this unique presentation come to life!

See you on the road...

The DEADLINE Vibe

2008-09-19T07:10:00.002-05:00

Some people punch a time clock.
Some people live according to a regimented daily calendar.

I knew a long time ago... that WASN'T going to be me.

I am PROJECT driven.

The program goes on the air tomorrow night at 9pm.
The story hits at 11:07p
We're LIVE in 5 mins.
The Film must be ready for duplication tomorrow.

I really thrive in a project driven lifestyle.

Twists. Turns. Surprises. Flexibility.
No day is ever the same.

This next week... there WILL be the launch of our new nation-wide tour.
Lot's of things we can't see right now will take place.
New challenges will emerge every day.
It will be a thrill (or a chill) but it will not be boring. I can tell you that for sure.
When the doors open... the event WILL begin.

And... I really like working with the team who is putting this all together.
Collaborating with Chad Arnold always results in good things... Sam Hasz and the ATF Team (including friend Rex Albers) are pouring in their all... and the CCM Team has been in high-gear for weeks and weeks. (Everyone is doing a great job... Special shout outs though to: Beth Powell, Andrew Hummel, Bertha Vera [girl... you are coming into your own!!!], Simon Stutts, Greg Williams, AARON VANDENBROUCKE!, Jason White, Eric Mackintosh, Jared Haskell, Kirk Fletcher, Michael Gallardo, Brandon Eckhardt, Katherine Haller [your fingerprints are all over this event!], Liz Saffold, Emily Kelly, Nicole McKeen, Selah Starhsen, Alex Haynes, Nathan Hammer, Tom Duval, Idalia Saravia, Camille Cole, Jonathan Villanueva, Adam Overfelt, Ari Burt, Cody Greely, Gwen Vehlow [scary voice!], Ben Figuerido, Randy Lilly, Sam Lathrop, Kel, Alex Persels, Tabby Russell, Alex Clark [Behind the scenes "do all things" man!]... and casting, wardrobe workhorse: Caitlin Holt. [Apologies to anyone not named here... full credits to roll at another time. Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you]

The process, community, team-work effort in a unified effort to tell great stories that honor the living God is an amazing experience!

Keep it up team!!

It's almost time for EVERYONE to see what we've been working on for the past several months!!

Project (if you call launching a major tour a "project") Driven Life beats 9-5 Life any day of the week!!!

Final Rehearsals

2008-09-18T13:48:00.002-05:00

Going through the Sat Night Session right now.

I'm praying and believing that this session will be UNREAL!!!

The focus will be on us as believers carrying the Cross.

For 30 mins or better... the attendees will be experiencing the crucifixion through a 30 min presentation of live action mixed with animation. The way it's playing out on screen is breathtaking. Even in it's rough form... our team has created scenes that are rocking me emotionally.

I can't wait for this whole presentation to come to life in a week.

Praying for God to make this whole effort something that will be riveting and life changing.

I'm already so proud of our team.
This is life nothing we've ever done.

"It's Wednesday... I need a Video for this Sunday!!"

2008-09-17T22:29:00.005-05:00

Ok... You've just left Wednesday night service and the Sr. Pastor cornered you, made small talk, then said: "I've got this great idea for the coolest video... that I need...THIS WEEKEND!!!"

Who said deadlines and the budget two-step were things only Hollywood Types had to deal with??!!

Impossible demands... unrestrained vision... brilliant ideas... a decent computer loaded with Final Cut Studio... a production team made up of lay people and usually at least 1 teen who shows incredible promise, and little to no time... now those are the tools of today's Ministry Media Miracle-worker.

The last minute video request is not unique.
We may not look forward to these 11th hour white-knucklers... but we know they're coming.

There are some ways to set yourself up for a WIN when face to face with this "opportunity for blessing."

My best advice is to THINK SIMPLE and remember that PEOPLE CARE ABOUT PEOPLE.

Step 1 -- Resist the urge to be Speilberg. If you are making a deadline barn-burner... odds are you are not making the next special effects laden action adventure flick. Keep it simple. (Make it look good... through good lighting and great photographic composition... NOTE: Almost nothing is more annoying than a video that looks like it was thrown together or was shot by Uncle Fred. These types of videos are what I refer to as Christian Cheeseball.)

Step 2 -- Good Stories Rule! Churches are home to some of the best untold stories. They're called: Testimonies! Almost everyone can remember these stories when they hear them. The really good ones stick with you. You never forget them. THEY ARE STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE THAT CONNECT WITH THE HEARTS & MINDS OF OTHER PEOPLE.

Good testimonies work.
They matter to the people who hear them.
They provoke response.
And, they are sitting in your church... right now.

So... in a pinch. Consider putting together a meaningful and on-point testimony. (And try to lead your Sr. Pastor that direction once you can relate the story to him in a very exciting and compelling way... verbally)

But, don't settle for JUST recording the testimony.
There's little impact in taping someone telling their story in past tense.

Here's what you need:
-- A great story-teller. (Find someone who can vividly describe their experiences and emotions) The trick here will be to find someone who can "walk and chew gum" on camera who speaks into the topic of your last minute production. But... be encouraged! The odds are if you don't know the right person, someone YOU know is likely to know someone that is walking around with right story just waiting to be brought to life.

-- Story Telling Elements. Add to the mandatory interview other items: Photos, Home Video, Music, Journals, etc... that become the critical pieces to making someone's life come alive on the screen. (Always ask people you interview for these items at the time you interview them.)

-- Finally.. if you're working with others (staff & crew)... you need to get them to buy into your vision. Bring them with you.

You WILL need to shoot & edit your piece... But, if you start with a GREAT story and someone who can articulate it... you have the possibility of a quick turn-around deeply impacting piece.

Get to know the stories of people in your church, by getting to KNOW them. God knows, :), when you'll need to ask someone if you can bring their story to life.

Don't let those last minute requests suck the wind out of you!

Find the right story about someone who will makes the point you need this coming Sunday!!

Producing a Nation-Wide Arena Tour

2008-09-17T22:29:00.002-05:00

This time of year is exciting.

We are 9 days away from the debut of the Acquire the Fire Tour.

In the Center for Creative Media world... we are in throws of delivering hundreds of assets that will make up all of the media side of ATF.

We are making several short-films at one time.
Composing music.
Creating mass quantities of Motion Graphics.
Building Sound Effects (SFX)
Editing around the clock.
Shooting night and day.

And you know what... this is what we live to do!!

It is our calling.

We're about to enter the REAL world and leave the theoretical one.
This is where the good ideas become awesome live moments.
The audience gives its instant feedback.
Clearly the product of our teamwork and collaboration becomes a hit or a miss.

First stop, Amherst, Mass!!

Can't wait.... time to get on the road.

UNHINDERED (the most amazing break-through worship band out there) will be engaging 1000's in unbelievable worship. If you haven't experienced these guys you need to get to an ATF near you and plug in. Check them out at UnhinderedWorship.com or get free downloads of their music at EE-TaowRecords.com

KUTLESS is the headlining band at the first event. (One of these days I'm going to have to blog about being stuck in Jamaica with these guys during a hurricane!)

And... we'll be bringing a new technology we've never had before: BLUETOOTH content distribution to individual attendees! We will be sending Ringtones, Pictures and Movie to anyone with a Bluetooth capable phone. Letting people take home some of the event with them is something we're very excited about. (CCM is developing the content for this and entrepreneuring the use of this technology.)

So here we come!!
Lift the curtain.
Roll the new film & videos.
And bring on the lives we know God will change through the course of one weekend.

Check out the tour schedule for ATF.
And find out when we're coming near you.

Let the events begin...

The LOTTERY Ticket vs. Hard Work

2008-08-21T08:51:00.010-05:00

The entertainment industry is NOT mysterious.

It doesn't require hocus-pocus to figure it out.

Knowing people helps... The saying "it's who you know" CAN really be true. And... often is.

In my estimation though.... there are 2 main ways to get into and stay working in FILM & TELEVISION:

1. The Lottery Ticket
2. Hard Word

Everyone wants the Lottery Ticket. Who wouldn't want that???
(Ok... I know the Lottery Ticket thing is on my mind lately... but, the analogy makes a lot of sense!)

Make a video... post it on You Tube... and get discovered.
Do it yourself. Upload fast. Broadcast to the world.
Super simple... and if the right person sees it... You could hit it big!!! (Or, at least be featured in a Weezer video!)
(Frankly this is no different than people being discovered on the Vaudeville stage, or a director spotting his new "star" at the five and dime, or a record exec discovering his newest big release at a small club in Liverpool... this is just this era's newest way to be discovered.)

Or... you could enter your Indie film in a film festival and WIN!! Followed by a distribution deal or a studio backing your next film.

Either way would be a form of winning THE LOTTERY TICKET.

The other way to make it is...

WORK HARD

Start at the bottom and work your way up... and on the way, grow, learn, get poured into by other pros, and get paid for working in "the biz." (instead of waiting tables or flipping burgers).

Making it in FILM & TELEVISION must include talent & skill... but longevity will also require dependability, follow-thru, consistency, and availability. And oh yeah... the ability to problem-solve and have common sense.

For instance... START BY THINKING SIMPLE! (Otherwise known as the K.I.S.S. principle: KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID)

Perfect example...

In 1986 I was working at NBC.
The day the Space Shuttle blew up... I was still working an entry-level job in Burbank. (I graduated college in 1984)

As the whirlwind of covering this tragedy unfolded, one of the producers ran through the office demanding,"get Chuck Yeager... NOW."

So, what's a young aspiring producer/director supposed to do??? Find Chuck Yeager!!

Now what???

Step 1: Who is Chuck Yeager?
The fact that I grew up during the Space Race, and the 80's were the days of THE RIGHT STUFF and AC/DELCO BATTERY commercials I automatically knew who Yeager was. Today... it would take a simple Google Search to figure that out.

Step 2: How do I reach Chuck Yeager?

What do we know?
Post Google search we know that he was a test pilot, and the first man to break the sound barrier. We also know he was pursued to be one of the first astronauts, and he was a spokesman for AC/DELCO Batteries.

Do we call NASA (that would be fruitless because he never was an astronaut).
Do we call AC/DELCO (he hasn't been a spokesman for them for more than a quarter century... so that doesn't pan out.)
Do we call the Air Force (he's been retired for many years... and they're not sure who would be in direct contact with him any more.)

So we could run down the road of pushing the Air Force to do more. We could contact book authors or film makers who have written or made movies about Yeager. We could even call his publisher... Other journalists who have written about him. This list could go on...

Or...

We could read more of our Google Search.

If that pile of research had been available to me in 1986 (instead I had a stack of Lexis/Nexis research) I would have read that he lived in Grass Valley, Calif. (Don't know where he lives now... but, he lived there then.)

So then what?

Remember... Keep It Simple...

Call 411!!!

I called information... asked for a number for Chuck Yeager in Grass Valley... and guess what.. He was LISTED!!!

I dialed the #, and the man on the other end of the phone answers: "YEAGER!"
It was actually Chuck Yeager!!! He answered his own phone and he was listed.

(These days... an on-line search might dig-up a publicly listed # for him.)

One of those other longer and more complicated paths might have worked... but the quick and easy one resulted in finding the man we were looking for! And... I was seen as resourceful, problem-solving, efficient and dependable!!! I had come through!

While Film/Television is hard... it doesn't have to be complicated.
It also isn't brain surgery.

Work Hard.
Think things through.
Persevere.

You can make it.
Even if you never get the Lottery Ticket.

Overnight Success

2008-08-17T10:34:00.002-05:00

New film makers have just descended on CCM (The Center for Creative Media).

They have big dreams and huge vision.

It's exciting and inspirational to look into their eyes... the horizon is large and the possibilities loom larger.

For them, the next 2 years are going to be jam-packed with experience, learning, and discovered skills.

But... right now 2 years probably looks like an eternity.
In reality... the time will go by like a BLINK.

It's funny how we see things... based on our perceptions.

For instance... the concept of the OVERNIGHT SUCCESS.
Rarely are those successes anything close to OVERNIGHT.

OVERNIGHT is a designation usually bestowed on someone by the press.
The media has never heard of them, and they seem to come out of nowhere.
When the truth is most OVERNIGHT SUCCESSES are the product of many years of training, practice and hard work.

The challenge is though... everyone wants OVERNIGHT SUCCESS.
Who wouldn't embrace being an instant hit?
The problem is there are very few instant hits.

Compare the odds of becoming an instant hit with buying lottery tickets.
Millions of lottery tickets are sold while only 1 or 2 tickets wind up being the BIG WINNER. Not much skill involved here though right?? It's all a gamble.

Making it in the film/television biz isn't so much of a gamble as it is an exercise in talent and perseverance. But that doesn't change the odds of becoming the HUGE HIT. It just puts you a little bit more in control. Don't miss the point: While not a gamble... becoming the HUGE HIT is a long shot.

It CAN happen.
And it DOES happen.

But it IS possible to be an amazing film maker & story-teller and make huge impact while not being the OVERNIGHT SUCCESS or HUGE HIT.

Most professionals who have worked in "the biz" for decades are not living off of the money they earned from getting paid giant money for 1, 2 or 3 gigs. Instead they live off money they have earned by working many different projects consecutively and consistently. [Oh... sometimes we get paid LOTS of money... and it is possible to make A LOT of money for all the projects you work on] Stringing together an entire career of impact and amazing work is possible even if you never become a HUGE HIT.

In short:

Becoming a HUGE HIT is possible. And will be realized by some.
Becoming an OVERNIGHT SUCCESS 15 years into a lifetime career can happen.

But the best recipe is:

Work hard.
Compound TALENT with SKILL.
Insist on EXCELLENCE.
Be a great STORY TELLER.
Stay working!!
Consistent work = Ongoing opportunities.

Those items added together = a long successful career as a story teller.

AMAZING Technology defeats Ham-Handed Dumbness

2008-08-02T14:45:00.006-05:00

If you've ever dumped a drink on your laptop or dropped your cell phone in the toilet... You have to check out this new product that will crossout your clumsiness forever. I have no idea where to get this yet... but I must have it!!

Watch these videos... you won't believe it:

Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain.com on Vimeo.

If you think this is a hoax... then they pulled the wool over NBC's eyes as well.

Unbelievable!!

Mike's Latest Music Video

2008-07-26T19:13:00.002-05:00

Hey guys,
This was my first directing/ producing/ editing project after CCM. It's an HD music video for performer, Terry Did'Em Feat, featuring Mahogany Jones and Sharnette Ray.

Two quick disclaimers 1) I did not have complete creative control, so the story was kind of laid out for me already. 2) any scenes remeniscent of "Does Anybody Hear Her?" were not my idea!!!

That being said, I managed to pull this off on budget for only $5,000, and I'm pretty proud of the quality we were able to produce for such a small amount. Hope you enjoy!
-Mike

The Ultimate Plea to "Holy"wood!

2008-06-28T12:47:00.004-05:00

No commentary needed.

Let's get to work.

(props to Mark Joseph for the photo find)

Katie's in Africa - David's Headed to Mexico

2008-06-28T11:10:00.004-05:00

It seems like every Missions Trip I've ever been on.... that I get blessed more than any blessing I go to pour out. God is amazing that way. I'm supposed to go and bless yet I wind up blessed.

The only thing that is proving to be even more blessing is to watch my children GO!

Almost the entire family has been to the missions field with us. We WANT our children to GO and serve.

Lea has served in several countries including Sri Lanka (post Tsunami).
Her heart was broken and God did an amazing work in her.

David is leaving for Matamoras, Mexico today.
He will be building houses in a very poor and impoverished part of the country.
At 14... this should be an amazing God experience for him. That is our prayer.

Katie is in Zambia right now!!!
She is about 2.5 weeks into a 2 MONTH trip that will include ministry in So. Africa.
Much of her trip will be spent coming alongside AIDS/HIV patients. In Zambia she is working mostly in orphanages with kids who have lost their parents to the deadly disease.

We got this picture of her in action this week.

We are deeply moved that God would use her and are thankful for her willing heart.

We have established a blog to post info about Katie and her trip as we receive it. You can follow her AFRICA ADVENTURE by clicking here.

Word of advise to parents: SEND THEM!!!
God will use your kids in amazing ways!

For HIS Glory

2008-06-27T23:09:00.002-05:00

I'm not a big miracle guy. But I know they happen.

In fact... my background is more non-charismatic than charismatic.

(Frankly... the whole dividing line between these two "camps" makes me ill anyway)

That said... I HAVE seen miracles.
Healings.
Interventions.
Real. Live. Miracles.

But you know what... I've only seem them happen when THEY BRING GOD GLORY.

On the occasions that I have seen miracles... they have been overseas.

You see... I believe God could do a miracle on Wall St. or Lombard St.
BUT... It rarely happens here in the states because for the most part a miracle here would not necessarily bring Him glory. Skeptics would question the occurrence, others would explain it away, still others would flat deny anything supernatural happened at all.

Whereas, even in a small village in Africa or Vanuatu... a genuine miracle could/would point directly to God (bringing Him glory). People in those places are not as jaded. People there have fewer reasons to believe that it MUST be something other that God.

In the end, I believe, God is interested in drawing us closer to Him. And, miracles done before those who won't recognize the source do not achieve that.

1 Corinthians 1
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

If you are skeptical that miracles can happen... Go on a Missions Trip, and see what you observe.

If you find that miracles happen routinely... examine what effect they have on the observers. Do they bring God glory? If not, what lasting purpose does the miracle have?

God loves us.
And He gives us the ability to CHOOSE to love Him in return.
He wants us to be intentional about our actions and choices.
He is intentional about His actions and choices. He is purposeful.

That said... Are we that purposeful about giving Him the glory?
Are we mindful that everything we produce/direct/make should bring Him glory?
He is WORTHY of all our praise!

If God doesn't waste or isn't frivolous with His actions... isn't that and example for us?

David gets the EMMY!!

2008-06-09T21:02:00.002-05:00

The 45th Annual Northwest Regional EMMY Awards from David Fry on Vimeo.">

CCM Grad wins an EMMY!!!!

2008-06-08T04:01:00.003-05:00

And the winner is: DAVID FRY!

Last night David became the FIRST CCM Grad ever to win an Emmy Award.

David graduated in Aug. 2006 (which means he achieved this notable feat in less than 2 years since he graduated!!!)

He walk away with the famed award at the The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences - Northwest Regional Chapter, 45th annual Emmy Awards.

His award is for:

Advanced Media - Arts/Entertainment
KSTW-TV, “Spectrum Dance”; Howard Shack, Producer; David Fry,
Producer/Editor

WAY TO GO DAVID!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

May God continue to use us all, wherever He would have us be!

Most Amazing Skate Video... Ever???

2008-06-04T07:22:00.009-05:00

My eyes do not believe what I see.
I've not been a fan of skate videos... but this one stopped me in my tracks.

Directed by Spike Jonze
BTW... my apologies... this one is definitely a FILM!

In Production....

2008-06-04T06:54:00.003-05:00

The last few days have been incredibly busy and exciting. Our team has been scripting and shooting 9 different pieces at one time! I'm so proud of the people I work with. Some have become seasoned veterans (at the ripe age of 20!!!). And some are digging in exploring territory where they have never gone before. Over the weekend we had a crew of 20+ and a cast of nearly 100 at a shoot for a new "epic" set of ATF promo videos. We're really excited about what amounts to a series of "short films." They're loaded with special effects (3D & Pyrotechnic). We're shooting with the Steadi-Cam and our 24'Jib. Our actors are getting the chance to step-it up in some leading roles. All that while script revisions continue to swirl... [talk about a real world experience!!]

And... let's not forget that we've been working on another pair of videos involving SKYDIVING!!! Wow! In one day our team went up for 4 jumps... shooting aerial formations... special effects backplates involving the skydivers... and multiple landings. We worked with a team of skydiving specialists outside of Dallas who were seasoned film/television people. Their wisdom and confidence rubbed off on our entire CCM Team who both had a tremendous professional experience and grew all at the same time. [Our folks can now put on their resumes & reels that they've worked on an aerial shoot and staged skydiving scenes!!]

On top of all of that Drew Thomas (my DP favorite from L.A.) has been here pouring into our shooters and being an active part of this whole process. Man... we've spent a lot of years doing a lot of projects together! Good times.... Better friend!

Long Days.
Short Nights.
HUGE opportunities for CCMers to step into positions that they have been pursuing or dreaming about.

It doesn't get much better than this!!

Anatomy of the Disney - Pixar Partnership

2008-06-01T08:18:00.002-05:00

Great insight into this power partnership!!

The Power of the Pre-Nup
Read the story

AWESOME with an ending that is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

2008-05-29T05:24:00.001-05:00

Hilarious!

The Art of The Hustle Part I

2008-05-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

Some days I thank God for designing us in such a way that we crave the things we need even though we as Christians spend so much time trying to resist our cravings, and that in the end God is much more "human" than statue.

Sometimes I thank God that He gives me the gifts and abilities that I need to follow my path, but not many that I don't so that I don't become too prideful. Then I thank Him that I am so humble, -probably more humble than you.

Today, I'm thanking God for the art of the hustle.

Doug asked me a little while back to start posting on his blog, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get to it. This will be more for the CCMers out there in good 'ol Garden Valley more than anyone else, but my random guess is that is probably mostly who reads Doug's blog anyway.

I've only been out here in L.A. since mid February, but I've gotten a pretty good crash course in trying to carve out a path out here. Of course, there have been both ups and downs. So, if I'm able to pass on any little hint of wisdom that can give any of you an edge who plan on coming out here yourself, that's what I love to do. I won't go into all of my experiences and everything this time, but especially those of you leaving in August to come out here, I hope you'll contact me and let me share a few things with you first that may help you get a good start. In any event, here's what has been on my mind lately that I want to share this time- the art of the hustle.

It's always been interesting to me how God has brought out latent gifts inside of me only at certain times when I most needed them to follow the path He has me on. At certain times of my I have seen different gifts, that I didn't previously operate in much, suddenly surface in a very natural unplanned (by me) way. When I was in CCM you no doubt did not see me as much of a hustler. I certainly didn't see myself as one anyway. Now when I say "hustle" in this particular context I do not mean a cheat, swindler, or dirty-dealer-of-rotten-deeds. Surely, you must be picturing me wearing a large silky purple hat with an over-sized peacock feather, strolling down the street and swinging my gold chain, possibly stopping here or there to roll a couple of dice, but never never breaking stride as I casually nod to passers-by whom wave their hands at me in approval (all the while whistling "It's Getting Hard Out Here For A Pimp.")

No, no, my dear poppets.

What I mean is you probably never saw me swinging deals, heavily negotiating, or promoting my services. There wasn't a lot of need for me to. I was in an environment that allowed me to work my way up with hard work, dedication, and faithfulness- and that was just fine by me. Since being in LA, however, I have seen a different quality in myself suddenly blossoming. There is no other way for me to explain it other than that God knew that I needed it for this time and so -poof- He drew it out. [Poof is what we in the biz call an SFX- that's a freebee. ;) ] All of this is to say, that I want to point out to you the things I've seen God drawing out in me out here, so that you can hopefully apply them to your own journey in whatever way is useful. So, with that said- let's talk about hustling. I'll break it up over time, so today we'll just hit part A.

A) Self promotion is not a negative thing.

Let me clarify- self promotion of yourself as a person for the purposes of inflating your ego, making someone else jealous, or impressing a member of the opposite gender in order to use and abuse them - is not nice. However, there is a difference between that and promoting yourself professionally.

It would be great if people just dropped their garden hoses, turned in awe and abandonment, and walked in droves through the streets to gaze upon the wild wonder that is your art.

It would also be great if eating the way I like to stopped making me fatter.

Neither is likely to happen.

If you were somehow unaware before, let me make you hip- this is an extremely competitive field we have chosen (or that has been chosen for us.) It sounds dreamily wonderful to think about following your dream ...until you realize that 150,000 other people share your dream and don't believe that you are entitled to exclusive rights to it. -Until you realize that not all 150,000 people are going to get to live that dream. Not even close. (I just picked a number- I'm sure I have no idea how many literal people actually share this dream, but you get the point.)

Shall we dismay? Shall we turn to electrical engineering instead or perhaps food services?
No offense to anyone in either of those industries, but -no. No, we shall not. This is still our dream and we still owe it to ourselves and to God to chase it.

But we do need to become very PRO-ACTIVE in chasing down that dream. First, we do everything we can to BE the best we can as media professionals. Then, we do everything we can to let others know we are the best.

Because, otherwise, here in L.A. where even my parking lot attendant carries his sure-to-win-an-oscar-some-day screenplay in his back pocket, you are not likely to just get noticed because you sent in a couple of applications and a link to your reel on youtube. So, not only do you need to find the work and apply, but you need to somehow stand out from the other 300 applicants who would kill to make this guy's coffee (that one, by-the-way, was NOT an exaggeration - literally 300 applicants in 2 days for a secratary job, and that is the norm.)

You, until you work for a production company, are essentially a freelance (fill-in-the-blank.) That means you are your own company. Your own product. Your job is to find a job, and you are self-employed. (Or, you actually are freelancing, and your job is to find many short-term gigs, ...and you are self-employed.) As a company, if you want to do business, you need to advertise. You need to develop a marketing strategy. You may even need to invest a little bit into an advertising budget as well. As you advertise, you will of course be making people aware of your product and trying to convince them how great it would be for them to buy and why it beats the other guy's product- ie: selling it to them. What is your product? (All together now-) You are. Sell yourself. It's not prideful, it's good business.

Wait, aren't we supposed to put ourselves in the Lord's hands and let Him create our success? Aren't I just being selfishly ambitious if I promote myself instead of waiting for that perfect job to be sent from the heavens, you know- "the Lord's perfect plan for me?"

As a speaker at the church I've been attending said this past week - God is a writer who wrote down some characters, placed them in a setting, and then actually handed them the pen. We are to be co-laborers with Christ, which means we are not spectators, we are participants. The same speaker talked of a friend of his who started a parade in his neighborhood for his children. They went door to door to their neighbors to tell them there would be a parade

...and that they were not allowed to watch it.

But, they were invited to walk in it. No one at all was allowed to watch, but all could participate. That is life and the way God intends life for us. Get in it, rip it up, and trust that God is ripping it up with you as a co-laborer and that His participation takes your participation and turns it into something amazing.

Don't do it alone, but -by all mean- do it!

Next time I'll start talking a little more practically about what that looks like and some things I've learned about how to hustle. Until then, hustlers, keep glorifying God in all you do.

Miss you tons,
Mike

Production is a TEAM SPORT

2008-05-27T06:46:00.003-05:00

This week is going be HUGE for the Center for Creative Media.

We will be shooting 4 stunt and effects-laden pieces.
2 will involve sky divers and 2 will have explosives, stunts & pyro.
Just another week of film making...

We will be shooting almost all of this digitally, although there is some ongoing debate about weaving some film into the process. The need for excellent particles and debris in compositing will make that decision for us.

Total # of people needed between all 4 pieces: 60'ish.

Yet in the end... the Director will probably get the lion's share of the credit.

As he should.

You see... the Director isn't just the artiste.
He is also, using baseball terms: The Manager.

The Director (with the help of the producer) must assemble the right team and put people in the right places.

The production process is simply NOT a one man show. (Memory check: All the Oscar speeches. "I'd like to thank... ."

Production can be centered around one person's vision and passion. But inevitably, there must be a team around that person/vision that will ultimately add their skill/talent/thoughts, etc... resulting in a team produced story.

As a producer/director I want the best around me anytime I go into production.
I go to bat to get them.
I shield them while in production allowing them to bring their art to the table.
I share their great efforts with the world.
I desire to go through it again... on some other production... with THEM.

I've run into only a few people who practice their art by "themselves."
One of those is Tom Scholz... the brain behind BOSTON.
I got to spend a few days with Scholz a couple of years ago when producing what was supposed to be a Behind the Music episode on the 70's super band.

Scholz is an engineer who graduated from M.I.T. and worked for Polaroid. He is so brilliant, that the company who brought us pictures that developed themselves before our eyes put him on a team developing "instant movies." If it were not for the emergence of video tape... maybe that innovation would have taken hold.

During his days at Polaroid... Scholz was a slave to his real passion: Rock & Roll.
He gathered together every dime he could get his hands on and put in a studio in his basement and began crafting what would become the legendary debut album "BOSTON." If memory serves me right... it took Scholz about 7 years to make that album. And... just about every sound on the record is HIM. Playing nearly all the instruments himself & Brad Delp singing. He crafted, massaged, and created a rock & roll masterpiece.

But... rock & roll is not best experienced in your basement by yourself.

Rock comes alive with a crowd in a live setting in a club, field, arena or stadium.

After pounding on just about every label door in existence, who turned him down, Scholz finally got a taker to release his music. And like any good label they said: "Time to hit the road." One problem: There was NO band. There was only Scholz (and Delp.) There was no BOSTON!

The scramble was on to fix that.
In the end they put together a band to tour and play what Scholz had dreamed up.

But... while the debut album (released in 1976) was legendary, the band's subsequent 3 albums came at a slow and tedeous pace (1978, 1986, 1994) coming in at around 8 years to create each record. Personally, I like the albums, but... there could have been so much more. (ask the Stones).

In the end... Boston is the vision of Tom Scholz. But the amount of art created is far less then we all could have enjoyed, the lawsuits that ensued for a variety of reasons including lack of album delivery drained much of the money made from Scholz's efforts, and the personal acrimony between Scholz and the other band members must feel like personal loss and/or frustration to all of them.

Their last album release was made without many of the original members and achieved lackluster sales. And while many of their classic rock contemporaries are enjoying lucrative results from touring... Boston is on the sidelines. (Correction: They are headed out on tour this summer. So I'll amend my comments to this: While Boston was one of the more prolific rock acts of the 70's/80's their modern day classic rock resurgence has come no where near that of many of their yester-year contemporaries.)

BTW... there never was a BTM on Boston. Scholz pulled the plug mid-production. (No Behind the Music was ever made with out artist cooperation.)

The irony about this TEAM vs. SOLO dynamic is illustrated well by the career of Director Syndey Pollack.

This fantastically successful director passed away yesterday (see other post on my blog). His movies have stuck with me and in me.

Pollack's career of 40+ years includes his directing more than 20 movies.
He's also directed TV Episodes, Produced Movies, and Acted.

And his accomplished career in Directing far out-paces the recording career of Scholz.

Both of them storytellers.
Both of them connect with me.

I just have more of Pollack to experience.
I appreciate what they both gave.
I just have more of Pollack to experience.

Pollack worked with some of the biggest names in acting in the past 4 decades.
Pollack was a team player who worked with the best and assembled amazing teams.
He also knew how to work with the studios.

He has left an amazing legacy.

So the question for you is:
Is your art best expressed in your basement? Or is it best expressed by assembling a team who will join you on your story-telling journey.

Most dreams are realized through team.
This week CCM will be making stories by coming together... to work on visions that were birthed by 1, 2 or 3 people. But, now those visions will be owned by everyone involved.

Make no mistake about it... Production IS a Team Sport.

Director Sydney Pollack -- Dead at 73

2008-05-27T06:45:00.002-05:00

A prolific Director leaves a legacy of film.
Read the story

My Story - How I got to where I am today

2008-05-19T09:04:00.005-05:00

Doug keeps telling me to write on here sharing my 'real world' experience so I decided the story of how I got to where I am today was the best way to start.

I am Currently working as a full time Casting Assistant at a casting company called Carlyn Davis Casting (www.carlyndavis.com). We are located in the DC/Baltimore area. I started as an intern last October and was offered a full time position by mid December.
For me it started with BOLDNESS and taking those first steps - even if the first step was just a decision to take action.
I left CCM in June of '07 after almost three years of the program. I originally moved out to the DC area to live with family and save money before heading to LA - which is where I was sure I was SUPPOSED to be - but I have learned that if you Trust God He will put you where HE wants you and most likley where you need to be . (I guess Solomon wasn't lying when he said "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9)
I am an actor so naturally I was going to auditions, doing extra work etc... (that process is a whole nother story to be shared another time) but I knew I needed a job where I could make some stable money. While doing extra work I was thinking about how I had really enjoyed casting while I was at CCM so I decided to pursue that. My first step of boldness: I decided I was going to go into the casting company I was doing extra work through and just straight up ask for a job or an internship - which is totally not like me to do! Luckily I did some research first and found a posting on Craigslist for an internship at the Casting Company I am currently at. I contacted them, set up and interview and the rest was God. As far as how I got the full time gig - really it was getting to the point where the part time - non-paid - internship was not cutting it - I needed to pay the bills - I needed something to do during the days I was not interning....so I hit my knees - I prayed all day as I was cleaning or doing whatever - randomly through out the day I would find myself on my knees again crying out to God (I did not understand what was going on inside - I was so restless and... I don't even know). Again I decided to be bold and was going to ask if there was any possibility for a full time position at the company. The next day I found out the full time intern was leaving and I was offered her position. The Lord was so faithful to put me where I was needed and in an environment that I needed to be in. It turned out that my boss is a Christian as well as all the interns I was working with at the time. The interns and I started praying together in the mornings and we saw the company really grow in success. I have developed some really good relationships both professionally as well as Spiritually. One of my closest friends in the area is my Co-worker Suzanne. It is great to have someone to be challenged with and grow with on a daily basis.
I have so much more to share about life, about balance, about the process of transition, and so much about the business...but I will save all of that for another post(s).

Until Next time...
Trusting Him,
Nicole Annable (class of '06)

IDEAS

2008-05-18T16:34:00.004-05:00

It starts with a SPARK.
A notion.
A thought.
A feeling.

Sometimes they come out of nowhere.
Sometimes they come because there is an important pitch meeting.... TOMORROW.
Sometimes they come because you have sold a project that has to meet a deadline.
Sometimes they come because you have been told you have to deliver a script, a story, a piece, an article, a show that must be produced at a demanded time.

IDEAS.

They are the fuel of the creative process.

Occasionally... there is an ORIGINAL idea.
But frankly... there is some truth to the Hollywood saying: "There are no new ideas"

How far is a CRICKET from a BEATLE? (Ask Paul McCartney)

The STAR WARS, SPIDERMANS, and PIRATES of the world compete against their sequels for top box office honors.

AMERICAN IDOL begats SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE; CHEERS begats FRAISER; FRIENDS begats JOEY; HAPPY DAYS begats LAVERNE & SHIRLEY; ALL IN THE FAMILY begats ARCHIE BUNKER'S PLACE, GLORIA, THE JEFFERSONS, and MAUDE which begats GOOD TIMES.

WILSON PHILLIPS inspires POINT OF GRACE; BACKSTREET BOYS & NSYNC inspire PLUS ONE

STEVE ALLEN transitions to JACK PAAR who transitions to JOHNNY CARSON who transitions to JAY LENO who will transition to CONAN O'BRIAN.

LES PAUL & MARY FORD directly inspire the vocal & recording styles of THE CARPENTERS.

MOVIES used to jump to the SMALL SCREEN. Now TV shows jump to the SILVER SCREEN.

And you know what.... I AM TOTALLY OK WITH ALL OF THIS!

Hey... forget what I think. Here's what the Bible says:

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." -- Ecclesiastes 1:9

I have enjoyed a lot of what is listed above (OK... JOEY was not DYN-O-MITE, and I still call them N-STINK).

I like good stories.
I like being moved.
I like being provoked to thought (Hotel Rwanda) and...
I like being entertained (Iron Man).
When they both happen at one time... WOW! (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS)
I like it all!!

I am a story participant, and I am a story teller.

So what of this process of developing an idea into the story?

Is it magical?
Is it organic?
Is it divine?

Maybe... but just like "over-night sensations" are usually anything but... the development of an idea goes through a process. It is honed, pounded, whittled, and crafted. The process may be inspired or even divinely inspired... but it is none-the-less a process.

In my experience the idea lives or dies depending on the hands that it is in.

On every project I have ever been involved with it has been my responsibility to be the best producer/director possible... part of this is to gather the strongest team of professionals I can. The strongest in every area of the production. The best DP, the best writers, the best 3D guys, the best composers... THE BEST. It is in the hands of this team of STORYTELLERS that the STORY comes to life.

A good idea in the hands of mediocre talent/skill will suffer.
A bad idea in the hands of truly gifted talent/skill has a chance to thrive. (It might still suck... by it has a chance of making it.)

An IDEA goes down roads and intersections.
It winds through people, places and things.
But... the IDEA starts out simple enough.
It might be great when it starts... but often it is NOT great. It might only be good or God-forbid... REQUIRED. It becomes great as it rides down the highway driven by the STORYTELLERS.

(Don't forget... TOP GUN started as a cover on California Magazine... there was no story in the beginning. Only a picture. Simpson & Bruckheimer sold the movie first, then had to develop the idea. Enter Tony Scott, Tom Cruise and the rest of the storytellers)

STORYTELLERS: You can't sit FROZEN because you're worried you don't have the best idea. You have to develop it. (This can be done quickly or "under the gun." Or, it can be done over available time. Sometimes PRESSURE causes a good story to erupt from idea. Other times, ideas have to be finessed.)

On the other hand... GREAT ideas can be missed.
Some Green-Lighters (decision makers) have PASSED on the stupendous idea.

Dick Rowe at Decca Records passed on signing the Beatles in the early 60's saying, "Groups with guitars are on their way out.”

A retired motel and restaurant owner in his 70s spent two years driving the country pitching his secret recipe for fried chicken to restaurant owners. The story goes that (Colonel) Harland Sanders heard "no" over 1000 times before someone finally said, “yes”.

Most all of the top decision-makers in Hollywood passed on George Lucas and his vision for Star Wars before it became a hit.

In the end... in the right hands, each of these IDEAS (and countless others not mentioned here) were cared for, nurtured, and formed into innovative giant successes.

When you have a GREAT TEAM in place... the law of averages is in your favor.

As part of the Behind the Music team at VH-1... I watched us make GREAT shows. Cat Stevens... Biggie... Journey... Shania Twain... Metallica... Motley Crue... and of course Leif Garrett.

Then again we also made the year-ending shows (1999 & 2000) and the Anthrax episode.

The point:
STORYTELLERS won't always hit a home-run. BUT... if you have assembled the right team... a GREAT TEAM... you increase your batting average of turning an IDEA into a FANTASTIC end result. (Story, Song, Program, whatever....)

Every GREAT STORYTELLER has some whiffs or "not genius" material.

World Series Championship baseball teams win 100 games or so during the regular season. Which means they lose 62 games or so.

Movie Studios, TV Networks and Music Conglomerates know this too.
How many records are made every year? And, how many are certifiable hits?
How many movies are made every year? How many of them are box office smashes?
How many TV series are canceled after just a few airings??

Okay... so no one's perfect.
But... the STORYTELLERS who are caretakers of an IDEA are part of the commodity.
All things being equal... STORYTELLERS are not interchangeable.
The story will almost always be altered by who the storytellers are. Not necessarily for the worse... sometimes it will just be different.

So.... the point is: IDEAS don't stand on their own. Some do. But the vast majority of them don't. They need to be shepherded.

Build a great team.
Gather people around you who are the best in their areas of expertise that you can get. Hire great STORYTELLERS. People who are capable of making an IDEA come alive.

Yes, there will still be RISK.

You have no guarantee that any idea is going to be great – the best you can do is walk it down the path, with the right people beside you, and see where it goes.

I do guarantee this:

You can’t wait until you have the ultimate idea – or you’ll never do anything great.

VIDEO BLOGS from Speilberg, Lucas & Harrison Ford

2008-05-18T12:46:00.003-05:00

Check out the NEW Video Blogs from Steven Speilberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford. Find them on my Newsvine Page.

The Future of CCM (No... No.... the other CCM)

2008-05-17T06:54:00.003-05:00

This article is either Vegas-like prognostication or "prophecy." My vote is on the latter. The future of Contemporary Christian Music according to the legendary - Charlie Peacock.

College Credits Available @ CCM!

2008-05-13T22:12:00.003-05:00

Major Breaking News!!!

Beginning this fall…. There will be college credits available to all CCM Graduates!! (Even to those who have graduated all the way back to the first class!)

Here’s the deal:

CCM and Sterling University, http://www.sterling.edu/ , are partnering to provide a Film & Television intern experience that equips aspiring, talented professionals with the skills to make it in “the biz,” a solid spiritual plan and foundation for the
entertainment business pro, and NOW COLLEGE CREDITS to all CCM’ers who graduate with full certification!

The specifics:

The same uniquely hands-on experience that CCM has always provided continues… but now you can get college credit for the time invested!
Sterling University is offering nearly half of the college credits needed to get a bachelor’s degree to every CCM 2-Year graduate. (Credits are available for 1 year CCMers as well.) And it gets better: All of those credits are free if you attend Sterling University to complete your bachelors! [Sterling University entry requirements apply and must be met.]

The Math:

Every bachelor’s is a bit different… but on average, at Sterling, it takes 124 units
to obtain the degree.
During the time spent @ CCM each individual could qualify for :
12 Units -- General Education (out of 52 required)
48 Units -- Major Classes (out of a 48 required) [Communication Arts Degree – Film/TV]

[NOTE: 24 Elective credits would also need to be completed to get your degree]

In short you could get 60 college credits for what you accomplish @ CCM!

In short you could be nearly half-way through the time it will take you to get your bachelors degree when you graduate CCM.

In short you could have nearly half the credits you need to get your bachelors for ZERO dollars extra beyond what you will pay for your CCM experience.

And it gets better...

If you decide to NOT go to Sterling you can “buy” a transfer of these credits from Sterling to the university of your choice for $55 per unit. (2 years of college credit for $3300) Do the math. 2 years of college credit x $55 per unit = AMAZING!

Agreement has already been reached on the credits that will go toward a COMMUNICATION ARTS // Film & Television degree.

Soon to come (within a matter of weeks): Graphic Arts degree, 3D Animation degree, Film Score & Composition degree.

Note: The Gen Ed credits come directly to you from HA UG Classes.

One last Note: All current CCM Graduates (Classes 2005 thru 2007) are eligible for retro- active credits! But, and this is important… college credits are only good for 7 years. So the window for graduates from the first class will be closing in 2010 for the credits you would be eligible for from your first year @ CCM

Excited? Interested… contact me, Beth Powell or Gail for more info.

YOU'RE HIRED!! -- Sarah Clement

2008-05-13T19:35:00.003-05:00

Way to go!!

Another CCM graduate is making it!

I got this note from Sarah Clement (Aug 2007 Class) today.
I am so proud of you!!!

Hey Doug,
Just wanted to let you know I got a job. It's a huge opportunity, there's really no "earthly" reason I should have gotten it. I'm blown away.

Basically, I'll be freelance editor filling in for other editors who are on vacation. But they said it'll end up being mostly 5 days a week, cause there's almost always someone gone on vacation. After the summer is over, they'll just keep me on.

and what will I be editing? It's at CTVGlobeMedia (which controls pretty much all tv in Canada now), and so depending on who is on vacation each week,
I'll be doing editing for eTalk (same as Entertainment Television, but in Canada), MTV Canada, and e2 (an MTV breakoff/affiliate), and possibly So You Think You Can Dance Canada.... :)

I won't be like an edit assist or anything, I'll be actually editing episodes that will air nationally. Some stuff, like some eTalk's AM News, is a 4 hour turnaround, from the time it's assigned, to the time its on air, so it'll be WAY crazy at first, but the other editors said the producers will be good with assigning me stuff that isn't same-day turnaround, until I get used to their server and style of media management, and stuff. But this position is so competitive, that I'm really gonna have to fight to make sure I'm on top of my game, and really putting out excellent results, otherwise they'll drop me, and let one of the other dozens of people dying for this job take my place.

Anyways, just thought I'd let you know :)
I'll keep you updated for sure, and I'll send you a link to a segment once I do one, cause most of eTalk's episodes are online.

-Sarah

CCM makes you ready!!

Thank you God for your shaping, artistic nature, and vision!

Current favorite AWESOME Commercial

2008-05-13T12:10:00.002-05:00

Speilberg to Focus on Civil War Film

2008-05-11T23:43:00.000-05:00

The Uniter

Hollywood is my HOME

2008-05-05T18:49:00.002-05:00

I was born and raised in L.A.

It's still HOME.

My old neighborhoods matter to me.
My friends there are part of my life.
My home church of 10 years is there.
I know the streets.
I know the vibe.

I like El Matador St. Beach.
I like Big Bear.
I like El Tepeyac. (Best Burritos anywhere!!)
I like the Hollywood Bowl.

Still there are some who say Hollywood is EVIL.
And there are those who would sooner send their children off to be missionaries to the Sudan than they would to Hollywood.

Seriously... think about it.
We pray to God to protect those we send to a war torn or church persecuting or Christian maming/killing nation... and admire them for risking their lives. We lift them up for carrying the word of God to the lost... even though they could end up martyred. (AS WE SHOULD!)

But I ask.... WHY are so many people afraid of going or sending their children to Hollywood??? Is it really such a dangerous place that should be avoided at all cost??? WHY do we willingly accept that Christians can be martyred (like Jim Elliott) yet so many people don't want "believers" to be part of city or mechanism that released "End of the Spear?"

There might be some need for serious reassessment here.

I heard the late Walter Martin once say (and he may have been quoting someone else):

"When they invented the PRINTING PRESS... they said praise God... now everyone can have a Bible in their own home.

When they invented the MEGAPHONE... they said hallelujah... now they can hear at the back of the tent.

When they invented the RADIO.... they said glory to God... now millions can hear the word at one time.

When they invented the TV... they said leave it alone... that's satan's box."

Well.... who have we left it to?

L.A. (Hollywood) is not a place to fear.
L.A. is my HOME.

3G iPhone - June 9th (please!)

2008-05-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

http://blogs.computerworld.com/3g_iphone_best_guesses

Debuting First Run Movies on iTunes

2008-05-03T19:15:00.003-05:00

Ed Burns and iTunes: A Match Made in Heaven

The Outsider: Themes from the Work of Daniel Day-Lewis

2008-05-03T19:11:00.000-05:00

http://www.cineaste.com/

Innovation Lessons from Pixar / Brad Bird

2008-05-03T18:01:00.003-05:00

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Innovation_lessons_from_Pixar_An_interview_with_Oscar-winning_director_Brad_Bird_2127_abstract

The Horizon...

2008-05-01T20:25:00.004-05:00

So what comes next?
What you can't see...

For the most part... that is where the excitement is.
Discovering what God has in mind for you.
What HIS plan is.
What your CALLING is.

The life of the entertainment an industry professional is one of constantly looking for the next gig. The release and freedom of a Christian in "the biz" is that God is in control!!! So... no need to worry

The yearning and dreams are placed on YOUR heart by God.
HE gets to choose the path you will take to get there.

The PATH will take up a lot of real estate on this blog.

To accompany my ramblings, I am asking several other folks to contribute stories from the road they are traveling.

I want to thank Season and Nathan for their first posts.

Season is a CCM graduate.
She knows what it's like to be out there "looking" and working as a free-lancer.
She is smart. She is talented.
And I value her views here.

Like other CCM graduates who will post here... Season offers the real world insight that only beating the pavement can offer.

Nathan is still in CCM... but , he's about to graduate.
He is one of the most talented young men I have had a chance to work with.
He is thoughtful and Biblically knowledgeable.
He follows his heart (as a storyteller) and God.

Thanks to both of them for their posts.

Check here often for new thoughts and wisdom from those who are pursuing the dream.

Learning to Engage Culture as a Christian Artist

2008-04-22T09:19:00.010-05:00

Ever since Doug added me as an author on this blog I've been thinking about what I might want to write about that would be beneficial to perspective interns, current interns, and even alumni of our program. I'm wrapping up my time here with only a few months to go and as I take a look back over the last 20 or so months, recounting different lessons God's taught me along the way, a few things come to mind: how to learn in a constantly evolving industry, how to work with clients, project logistics, how to conduct yourself on a crew in numerous circumstances, how to serve in the industry, and of course all the different stages of production and the experience gained by actually doing real projects that get real air time. I thought any one of these things would be a great entry here (and I may write about them in the future) but before I got to writing about any of that, a friend emailed me.

Nathan,

Today, I watched a few movies with my older sister (it's the only way I can reach her on a 'quality time' level of interaction). I was appalled by these choices! Good grief! They were so slanderous of God-I was cringing through the first half of one of the movies. I couldn't watch it with my conscience at ease so I talked to her about how I felt before leaving. Mockery has been seeping in ever so slowly (the occasional exclamation of, "Oh my God!" or "Jesus!"), now noticably, blatant phrases and jokes are used throughout script. I am angry with the film industry and their lack of respect for God! 

A question or two dawned on me, and I can't help but wonder why I haven't asked you these before...

-Favorite movie? Favorite director? Know any clean, wholesome movies with plenty of **quality** to them? I'd like to suggest something to my sister that she can walk away from without feeling her conscience has been seared.

-Favorite author?  Also, I'm curious enough, do you have a favorite photographer? Anyone's work that truly stands out to you? I feel as though I cannot get enough true quality art and I'd love to learn more. I respect your taste. You have been so insightful. I've benefitted so much from your knowledge in these areas. :) You're just such an enjoyment to be around-full of life and character!

XXXX

It was after reading this email that I realized that most people we effect with what we learn here are not going to be people in the industry, they're going to be the people who watch our stuff and more importantly who take their cues from our example.  With media we have the influence to effect millions with one film, one picture, one book, magazine, whatever; and we have to know how to engage culture as a Christian so that we a) can produce relevant art and valuable messages, and most importantly, we b) maintain a personal standard of integrity that qualifies us to speak up as Christian leaders and role models, because regardless of what we want, that is how we will be viewed and we better rise to meet those expectations or we may defame our Lord.

So first, before I get to the specific questions in the email, let me set up the rest of this post with a window into the way I approach media in general, whether that be movies, music, photography, painting, writing, etc.

Since about my sophomore year in high school I've operated off of this system of media filtration and for about six years it's done a great job of allowing me to stay plugged-in to American culture and even culture abroad without losing my sanctification from the world.  It's a simple approach that takes it's cue from Paul the Apostle as he attempts to minister in Athens.

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.'
Acts 17:22-28

In these verses we find a magnificent example of engaging culture without being defiled by it and even better--using it to glorify God and expand the rule of Christ in the hearts of men.  Paul operates off of a three pronged approach:  Accept, Redeem, Reject.  He accepts the fact that we need to worship something.  He redeems a poem from their culture and uses it to talk about Jesus.  He rejected their gods and put Jesus in their place.

For our purposes I will define the three prongs as follows:

Accept:  A message you can take in without altering.

Redeem:  A message you can 'edit' (as Paul did to the poem he quotes above which is really about Zeus.  He made it about Christ.)

Reject:  Too full of filth to be of any good.

And trust me when I say this example is only scratching the surface.  And although I said I've been operating off of this mindset for some time the language I'm using here is actually from a sermon I heard recently that put this concept into words far better than I ever have been.  I encourage you to listen to/read it here.

With all that said I'd like to break up some of my responses under the categories Accept, Redeem, Reject.

Media that I can accept:

The Bible.  That's all.  The Bible for me is the only thing that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is 100% always dead on.  It's the standard for everything and so being should really be the only message I take completely "as is".  However to be fair there is a lot of stuff out there that would for all practical purposes fall under this category.  Many sermons, Christian articles, Nature photography, and other things that either align themselves wholly with the Word or (like the example of Nature photography) are not delivering a message so much as displaying beauty in a raw form that showcases God's creativity.

Media that I can Redeem:

I would go so far as to say that 80% of what we encounter in our culture, if not more, is redeemable.  I say this knowing that there are a lot of factors that determine something's redeemability, like timing, maturity, age, gender, context, etc.  In my head I've always used what I guess you could call a "scale of redeemability".  It works like this:  you take a movie, picture, song, etc. and match it up to the Bible.  To do this of course you need a broad knowledge of what the Bible says, meaning, you need to read it a lot.  Once you've measured your media against the Bible you can decide how much is redeemable and how much isn't from your scale of redeemability, ranging from "easily redeemable" (Hey I could preach on this whole movie!) to "barely redeemable" (I wish there was more than one good scene in this movie!).

Now comes the question, "How do you know what is easy and hard and how do I know if I can even watch/listen/look at it in the first place?"  Well my friends, God gave us common sense, a church body of older experienced brothers and sisters and (most importantly on this issue) A CONSCIENCE for a reason.  If you're in the Bible (I believe I said, "A LOT") and have a heart to honor God, you'd be surprised how all of a sudden that question isn't even hard to answer.  I could go on for a long time on this and get frustrated at how questions like that are really about "how much junk can I get away with", but in short I'm saying this:  Our conscience must guide us in purity and holiness according to the Word or we're just creating another way to be religious--which is stupid.  The end.

However, I do feel like this deserves some examples.  I'll give one for easily redeemable, moderately redeemable, and barely redeemable.

Easy:  Remember The Titans, is a movie that I feel is so forward with value based messages on character, honor, integrity, hard work, and forgiveness you can't help from tripping over illustrations of Christ and what he desires from us without having blatant gospel plugs.

Moderate:  3:10 to Yuma.  Though violent and a bit colorful in parts, displays a man who is determined to leave a legacy for his son of Integrity.  He tells his son that no matter what might happen, to remember that he was a man who did what was right when everyone else thought doing the right thing was too difficult.  And in context, that also reveals a tail of redemption, as our leading character played by Christian Bale attempts to take a life that's ridden with failure and a track record of blatant shortcomings his family has found hard to respect and turn it into a legacy they can be proud of.

Barely:  Fight Club.  With F-bombs, crude humor, and sexuality throughout you might think this an unrealistic choice for redeemable, even if barely.  However, the honest truth is that this film illustrates the condition of young men in America better than just about any film I've seen in a long time.  I do mean men though, not teenagers.  Fight Club is to 20-30 year old guys what American Beauty is to men 40-55 year old men.  It's a mirror that reflects a pretty ugly reality.  Fight Club talks about the collective emasculation of men by a society obsessed with advertising, material possessions, and feminism.  It connects to men who are frustrated.  Frustrated that there is nothing manly about being a man anymore.  Frustrated that they have no fathers and are incapable of being fathers themselves...because they're still boys.  It's a movie about men who've been lied to, who lie to themselves, and for lack of a better plan they want to tear society as they know it apart, and start over.  Other themes include anarchy, the absence or perhaps apathy of God, nihilism, and an overarching satire on American Culture that allows this film to get away with a lot.

So how is it redeemable?  It's redeemable because it's not afraid to show the worst in us.  The truth is men need to wake up, stop looking to be mothered, and stop allowing advertising to seduce them or define masculinity in place of the Bible.  They need to be manly again, and they need to change their world.  Does the movie get ugly?  Yeah.  Does it have the answer to the problems it presents wrong?  Absolutely.  But sometimes looking in the mirror and seeing something ugly is the motivation needed to change it.

Ok, moving on...

Media that I should Reject:

Pornography, Blasphemy, and hateful material.  I don't really want to get super detailed here but there are some things that you simply cannot redeem and I don't think they need a lot of explaining.  I mean what are you gonna say to redeem a playboy?   Look at the beautiful bodies God designed?  Get real.

However, I do realize that this way of filtering your personal media choices leaves a lot of gray area that some would use to ease there conscience into allowing them to view or take in garbage in the name of relating to culture.  The only thing I have to say to that is:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (New International Version) 
 13 Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
    Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the whole duty of man. 
 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil.

No one is fooling God, so why try?  If someone wants to intentionally do the wrong thing then this whole "accept, redeem, reject" model isn't for them anyway.

And finally, some straight forward answers:

So now that you've had a peak inside my head and an explanation of how I view media I can make my recommendations with only a brief disclaimer.  As I stated above, rarely is there any entertainment that can simply be accepted and absorbed without some personal filtering/Redeeming.  As Christians we need to be sharp, never letting our guard down, always ready to use any means we can to share the gospel.

Favorite Movie: simply impossible to determine.

Favorite Director:  This might be even more difficult to figure out than the movie question!

Recommended Movies that won't "sear your conscience":  Pay It Forward, October Sky, K-Pax, Remember The Titans, Edward Sissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (old one), Count of Monte Cristo, King of California, The Kid, A River Runs Through It, Kramer vs. Kramer...to name a few.

Recommended Movies that provoke thought:  Blood Diamond, Gone Baby Gone, Thirteen, Mystic River, Hotel Rowanda...and now I'm drawing a blank.  Long post.

Favorite Author:  God...but the chase pack consists of authors like William Shakespear, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Walt Whitman, Flannery O'Connor, D.H. Lawrence, Upton Sinclair, Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Lewis Carol, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, John Bunyan, George Orwell,  and more than I feel like listing...

Book Recommendations:  The Jungle, Sons and Lovers, On The Road, The Crucible, Short stories by Flannery O'Connor, Player Piano, Slaughterhouse Five, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Leaves Of Grass, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, and pretty much any book you may find endorsed on my personal blog.

Recommended Photographers: **A  quick note on photographers:  This is one area that I have been repeatedly frustrated with.  I have yet to find a photographer that continually captures my imagination while having a collection of overall modest (or "appropriate") material.  So I recommend reading this article and then browsing the links in it.

And there you have it. Post finished. It was a bit rambling and A.D.D., but if you made it this far thanks for reading and I hope to hear back from you with thoughts.

Nathan Weller

Special guest appearance by Season

2008-04-15T16:19:00.005-05:00

Hey guys! I have been thinking about CCM lately as I journal in my quiet times, and Doug said I should post some on here sometime, so I’ll get right to the point. Hope it is a good insight for someone.

If you are a Christian, then you believe that God is the ultimate creator. Well, I challenge you, then: if you think that your dreams and ambitions of being a filmmaker or tv producer (aka, a creator) are something separate from your being a Christian, you have another thing coming. That other thing is your calling.

You may have a good idea of what your specific “calling” means to you. But for just a second, strip away your notions. Think of what Jesus originally meant our calling to be, in it’s simplest form… When Christ had risen from the dead, right before he ascended to heaven, He called us to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. What does that have to do with filmmaking and television and capturing all night for Mark Stepp and auditioning for a part in a romantic comedy? Nothing. Or EVERYTHING.

You are in CCM. You are being poured into, trained, and equipped to be a Christian in Hollywood. You shouldn’t be surprised anymore if God calls you to LA or NY. I remember myself and other CCMers having many discussions about “feeling called to LA,” and “feeling like I could really make it.” We shouldn’t have been so surprised! But never forget what it means to be called. When you are called somewhere, it will only be for the cause of Christ. If you are going for any other reason, don’t go. LA doesn’t need anymore people who have missed the calling of Christ. And it sure doesn’t need anyone else coming in loudly proclaiming to be a Christian, only to be a sorry example in quality of professionalism and/or by their life example.

But my point isn't to discourage you from going, but to encourage you. So if I could give you any encouragement, it is that you have positioned yourself well by being in CCM. You are learning. You have the opportunity to prove yourself in real situations. You are surrounded by Christians who love you and aren't too scared to correct and confront your faults, (and PLEASE, don’t wait any longer to deal with your personal problems. Get it done in that environment, because it only gets harder when you leave).
You have set yourself up for success by being in CCM. Now your challenge is to work hard without complaining, and allow the areas where you are lacking to be poked and prodded and strengthened. Don’t pretend that that is so hard. Overcome it. Bigger challenges await you, and you won’t get to them if you can’t get this smaller mess out of the way.

Ciao!

Season

In the Beginning...

2008-04-06T14:44:00.001-05:00

Well...

Here we go.

Thus beginnith my Blog.

I don't guarantee that it will always be linear.
But... I'll do my best to have it make sense.

Who am I?
The Executive Director of the Center for Creative Media
www.centerforcreativemedia.com
We have nearly 100 people in "CCM." And, we all desire to make great film, television, and new media. We are Christians. But, it is NOT our goal to make great Christian film, television, and new media. We want to make great FILM, TELEVISION, and NEW MEDIA!

Good Christian
Good Mainstream
Good
Good, period.

It is our prayer that God would use us to create stories... pictures... films... tv... webisodes... print art... from our studio... and that we would do it with EXCELLENCE.

Let's start with my heart:
There is room in the marketplace of creative ideas for more perspectives and viewpoints than are primarily represented in the commercial release field today.

MAINSTREAM MARKET:
It's already been proven that when a WELL DONE movie that contains ideas that most Christians find palatable is released... the audience flocks to it in the millions. (ie., The Passion of the Christ, Narnia) Yet... there still aren't very many releases like these that have hit the big screen.

Why?? Apparently, there just isn't enough good material out there.
Or there aren't enough Christians who are willing to send their beliefs, thoughts and ideas through the main stream production grind and trust that God can see things through to the end in a way that will glorify Him.

("Bella" is an exception... despite less than blockbuster box office... this is a great film! Bravo for waging the fight.)

CHRISTIAN MARKET:
The Christian film & tv market is generally known for making stuff that just doesn't connect with the mainstream audience. Whether it be because of a mandatory on-screen altar call or an overall lack of production quality... put the label CHRISTIAN on the release and the available audience thins out to just a few folks.

Why isn't there more successful "Christian" film and television made? Money? Politics? Available Talent? Not enough good material out there? Probably all of the above...

THE DREAM
The vision of making GOOD film & television as a Christian is indeed LARGE and daunting. (But, with God, all things are possible, eh???) Let's assess the playing field:

Mainstream often thinks that:
Christians are in favor of censorship.
Christians want to limit ideas to only what the Religious Right thinks is acceptable.
Christians haven't lived enough life to tell a REAL story... one with texture and truth that most people could connect with.
Christians are narrow minded and NOT tolerant

Christians often think that:
Hollywood is too dangerous of a place to send their brothers to work (Interestingly sending fellow believers to be missionaries where they could martyred for their faith is honored... but heaven forbid we send them to Tinsletown)
Hollywood is so foul and wicked "we" need to form "our" own industry
Hollywood is controlled by the "Left" and would never let "our" stories be told
Film & Television can be made on a wing and a prayer without the budgets afforded to the mainstream market.

I'll address these issues over the next few weeks.

Like the world of politics these days... these two camps typically are dramatically polarized.

But... there is hope.
A Hit is a Hit.
Success negates all misgivings.

And... it is my contention that believers can be active, effective and artistically relevant participants in the mainstream marketplace. (it has been my privledge to work alongside many of these professionals who already are in "Hollywood." It just seems that there should many, many more of us)

So to make more than an occasional dent in the status quo... we need to raise up qualified, trained, competent, TALENTED professionals who can compete in their fields.

Thus the journey of The Center for Creative Media is underway...

This blog will chronicle the milestones that CCM will cross, bring you stories of the people who
pour every ounce of their heart and faith into their work, and my own personal observations along the way.

Come along....