Three Ten Pictures

Movie-wise, things are rolling again… thank God.

As the holidays began, I was intensely frustrated with this production.  It felt like NOTHING WAS MOVING: some kind of monkey wrench was in the works.  Filming on a key sequence had been delayed over two and a half months due to scheduling and location issues.  We’ve shot plenty of b-roll… heck, I’ve got enough to make another film.  Forget it, I thought, I’m not shooting anything else until I GET THE NARRATIVE FILMED.

However, things are finally coming together.

Lord willing, I fly to Oklahoma City this week to film Pastor Chris Chadwick at a church planter’s conference.  It’s an exciting trip:  I get to see Pastor Chadwick around his peers.  I get to see what these guys think about Canyon Ridge Baptist Church.  I get an objective picture of his profession.

The Big Interview is finally happening.  On January 19, we hope to film the dialogue-style interview (it’s a two-person interview, kinda like Barbara Walters on 20/20, except… you know, cinematic) at a friend’s house.  This is a huge shoot, intended to comprise about seventy-five percent of the film’s narrative.   It’ll take eight to ten hours.

Once that’s done, I start cutting the footage.  And I will cut it like Wolverine.

In spite of everyyhing, the time off was good.  While I sat at home, sick as a dog, waiting for my computer to come back to the shop, I redesigned the film.  I love it now.  It’s so much more focused.  I cut several planned sequences (including the military sequence mentioned in early posts) and added others.  There’s an outside chance of additional shooting outside California (I have to decide if we really need it or not first).

Anyway, we’re rolling.

Ready for an odd story?  Here’s an odd story.

I spent the morning at Horton Plaza Mall (it’s an outdoor mall, a downtown architechtural wonder)… writing.  I’d had a rough weekend, and it apparently showed.  Anyway, this homeless guy (why was he at the mall again?) stopped me.

“Do me a favor,” he said, “enjoy yourself today.”

He didn’t ask for money or anything.  He just asked me to enjoy myself.  And I suppose I did.

I need to remember that story for a movie or something.  Thanks for the suggestion, Steve.

Once again, Chrysti, thanks for the artwork.