Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger

If you have the means to do so, I encourage you to sponsor this fantastic Christian film and potential series entitled Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger. I could tell you about it myself, but I've decided just to post a couple videos below and a link to the website where you can learn all about it.

Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger Full-Length Trailer 1 from NDFilmmaker on Vimeo

www.jimmyvaliantthemovie.com

Five Incredible Films Shown at the SAICFF Part 3

2010 Audience Choice Award/Runner Up Best of Festival & Best Feature Film–The Runner From Ravenshead

This film was, hands down, a favorite at the festival and has become a personal favorite of mine! The film features a complete child-cast, which originally, made me skeptical about the film itself, but was I in for a special surprise. In fact, before I was midway into the film I found myself forgetting that the cast were children, and was very much engaged in the story. Little Crew Studios has demonstrated a solid understanding of good story structure that communicates a distinctly Christian message, profound attention to detail and professionalism, exceptional dialogue and creative interaction between characters, and has topped it off with a marvelous original score. The Runner From Ravenshead is a film I'm sure your family will enjoy, chronicling the compelling, moving story of one little girl's escape from a life of bondage and her journey to find the city of refuge. As a result, it has been compared to Pilgrim's Progress, but the best description I've heard is John Clay's Little Rascals meets Pilgrims Progress meets Indiana Jones. I was present at its first screening and by the end of the film, we (the audience) jumped to our feet and the entire auditorium erupted in a chorus of well deserved applause and cheers! I encourage you to view the trailer below and purchase a copy here.

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #4

Due to the nature of the fact that the event I attended in San Antonio was an Academy (a school for young filmmakers), and in an effort to respect those who have produced and are now selling the products from the Academy and Festival, I will simply attempt to briefly summarize, as accurately as possible, the sessions I attended.

The next morning, as we took our seats, Mr. Botkin introduced us to “How to Avoid the Most Common Directorial Mistakes.” Over the years, the Academy has watched many filmmakers walk through its bootcamp and go on to make stellar productions. Nevertheless, as Christians, we are to continually be striving for excellence, and, as Mr. Kendrick noted the night before, excellence is a continually moving mark. As we improve, the bar of excellence continues to be raised and there are new challenges that must be faced. What Mr. Botkin outlined in this session were some of the common errors made by more “intermediate” directors. Still, the principles apply to all directors at all levels. In this session, Mr. Botkin addressed theological framework weaknesses, story weaknesses, structure weaknesses, and technical weaknesses. A few points he highlighted that I will mention here were that filmmakers are stepping into the most powerful teaching ministry. However, we must realize that those who teach will be judged. We must be extremely cautious; we must not be false prophets and false teachers. “Better that you step out gracefully than have the Lord slap you down.” Yes, indeed, this is a very fearsome, intimidating business that should by no means be taken lightly. “Don't be ashamed to side near Christ.” - Geoff Botkin. This is a message every Christian filmmaker must hear on a regular basis, lest we become proud in our own eyes.

Upon conclusion of these primary weaknesses, Mr. Botkin progressed into what he called the “Masterpiece Checklist.” He began by defining a masterpiece for the Christian filmmaker.

By the world’s definition, a masterpiece is “The passionate expression of the power of my creative mind.” Taking us to Proverbs 18:22, Mr. Botkin showed us that this definition won't fly for the Christian filmmaker. As Mr. Botkin said, “You need a vision. It is not the personal ambition to make a personal masterpiece.” What's a masterpiece for Christians? It’s the work of influential moral authority. In other words, it's a correct theological lesson that challenges the heart, the mind, the understanding, and the soul of man in the secret places that will be revealed at judgment. This work so masters the understanding of men, by the power of truth, that they cannot disapprove of it. Using Romans 2:15-16 as his foundation, Mr. Botkin demonstrated that films which proceed out of this industry must get to the secret recesses of the heart where people recognize things theologically; they see what needs to be fixed.

Isaac Botkin took the podium after his father and talked about “Defining Your Universe” In this session, Isaac compared renown directors Joss Whedon, Christiopher Nolan, and Steven Spielberg in an effort to communicate to his audience that each director has a different approach to explaining their theologies of the universe they create in their films. But there is a Biblical pattern for creating our universe of film. “Every film is a fantasy. It creates a universe of its own.” - Isaac Botkin. Cautioning his audience, Isaac told us to make sure we take a stance on the message we address in our films. “Don't be undecided about your message.” We can't preach an equal amount of pros and cons; we can't be inconsistent.

With Isaac's foundation built, Mr. Botkin continued his son’s lecture by answering the question Isaac probed: “How Should Christians Tell Stories?” In a nutshell, there are three primary principles Christians must follow when telling a story. We must tell them Lawfully, Artistically, and Spiritually. Mr. Botkin showed us a powerful example of how this works by taking us to 2 Samuel 2:1-7. After walking us through the passage, Mr. Botkin stated, “This is the influence your films will have upon men if you structure them theologically.” Our attention was turned to Ecclesiastes 12:11 where Mr. Botkin told us that “Our stories of life and virtue must be driven forward with purpose and order. The body of our work must be as systematic as the law of Christ.” Our films must be systematic: point, by point, by point.

Now transitioning into a new session, Mr. Botkin showed us this quote by Robert McKee: “Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master form.” What is the proper form for a feature film? That is precisely what Mr. Botkin focused on for the rest of his time that afternoon. This was, perhaps, the most helpful practical lecture I heard at the academy. It answered a myriad of questions I heard about story structure and proper form. It truly was phenomenal!

After a refreshing lunch break, we reconvened with Isaac, whose session was entitled “Show, Don't Tell.” In this session, Isaac lectured on composition, editing, color grading, lighting, production design, symbols, audio, and many other topics. Near the outset, Isaac stated, “Every visual element in the film will either reinforce the writer's message or undermine the writer's message, strengthen the story or weaken the story, captivate the viewer or distract the viewer, reestablish orderly principles or erode traditional principles, honor God the Creator or dishonor Him.”

Later in the afternoon, we had the honor of hearing from Oscar-nominated composer Bruce Broughton (composer of the up and coming Independent Christian film Alone, Yet Not Alone) via Skype. Mr. Broughton was joined by Doug Phillips, Geoff Botkin, and Benjamin Botkin (composer for Ace Wonder and son of Mr. Geoff Botkin). An important point that I noted from Mr. Broughton's session was that Music advances the story. Music is most often thought of as a means of expressing emotion, but music does much more than drive the mere emotion of the story, it plays an irreplaceable role in telling it. This gives merit to the common statement, “Script is king and music is queen.” For example, the night Ace Wonder was premiered (coming in a later post), it was interesting to listen to the audience respond to the scenes that had no musical score (the film screened in a rough draft form). I talked with Ben following the premiere and he mentioned that in a particularly dark, serious scene of the movie, some in the audience were actually laughing. Why? Because there was no score to help communicate to the audience what they should be thinking about that character at that particular moment in the story.

Mr. Broughton also spoke of his preference when working with a director, how a director should interact with his composer, temp tracks (something Mr. Broughton said is the biggest complaint of composers), and a wealth of advice for beginning composers. In speaking of how composers and directors should interact, Mr. Broughton stated, “Try to understand the script in terms of how the director sees the script...The director should know what he wants, yet be flexible.”

Mr. Phillips lectured in the next session entitled “The Power and Significance of the Documentary.” This is an area of filmmaking that Mr. Phillips and Mr. Botkin are both very passionate about, and there's a good reason. Documentaries are perhaps the most effective in changing the viewers mind or informing him of something, Mr. Phillips noted. Documentary filmmakers are, as Mr. Phillips put it, “Treasure seekers, they reveal things.” In addition to being an excellent tool with which we can communicate truth, documentaries provide the ideal opportunity for the filmmaker to, as Mr. Phillips said, “sharpen your sword.” Just a few of the benefits that Mr. Phillips stated are these:

1. Documentaries help you identify messages

2. Documentaries help you lay pipe

3. Documentaries instruct you in the grammar of filmmaking.

“Beginning filmmakers can and should make documentaries,” said Mr. Phillips. The reason is that those filmmakers who begin their work as documentary filmmakers become better theologians, leaders, filmmakers, defenders of righteousness, and much more. For the last portion of his session, Mr. Phillips brought Phillip and Chris Leclerc on stage, two filmmakers I respect greatly. This brother team has been involved in several crucial documentaries and other projects over the past couple of years. These include The Mysterious Islands, Rescue Haiti's Children, and most recently Divided. I learned some valuable lessons by listening to these two young men talk about their journey in documentary filmmaking, and their film Divided is a favorite of mine.

Following this session, we adjourned for a dinner break before making our way back to our seats around 7:45 that evening. Mr. Phillips took the podium around 8 PM and talked until about 12 AM. The lecture he presented that night was (for lack of a better phrase) alarmingly revealing and terribly stirring. The thesis of his lecture that evening was “Worship the Creator not the creation.” The title? “Radioactive: How the Radical Environmental Movement is Poisoning the World Through Media” At the outset, Mr. Phillips asked us what the most important issue is in the United States. After tossing out a few possibilities, Mr. Phillips said “It's sovereignty. Who, ultimately, is sovereign? Who will we worship? Every single choice you make is a religious choice. You will either worship the Creator or the creation.” Mr. Phillips went on to point out how every social battle, whether abortion, gay marriage, pornography etc., all begin with the issue of sovereignty.

Mr. Phillips took us on a journey to demonstrate the tension between Christianity and Pantheism. What is Pantheism? Mr. Phillips defined it as: “God is the universe. He is both the Creation and Creator. Or it's a force, a live force within nature. God is subservient to nature.” Mr. Phillips walked us through scenes from films that have had a major impact in proclaiming pantheism. These included Avatar, The Cove, 2012, The Happening, and Food Inc, all of which are frighteningly pantheistic, universalistic, socialistic, and Marxist. I'm itching to give you a full summary of his session, but I will resist. I would, however, like to state that much of such thought is sneaking into the church. The green movement, which is foundationally pantheistic, is being given, as Mr. Phillips said, “a new face so that it will be preached in evangelical churches.” And if you don't think that this is an intentional agenda instigated by our Adversary, think again. Psalm 8:6-8, in Mr. Phillips words, “...ends the green movement. Everything is under man to be used by man to glorify God.” Earlier in his session, when speaking about the earth, Mr Phillip said, “Remember, He didn't give it to Bambie...” It was made clear in this session that Hollywood is not just about the business of entertainment, they are about the business of poisoning. And, yes, it's intentional.

Wow, what a day, and was that hard to summarize in an extremely condensed form! I hope to be able to summarize the next day soon.

-Josh

AIG's Big Announcement

Answers In Genesis publicly announced yesterday that they along with Ark Encounter LLC have partnered to construct a full-scale Noah's Ark tourist attraction built with as many of the materials as originally prescribed by God to Noah as possible and to the exact dimensions! The full complex will include much more than just the ark and is scheduled to be complete in spring of 2014. Check out the announcement here!

www.arkencounter.com

Navigating History: Egypt

The Navigating History Egypt Project kicks off in just a few days. Follow Isaac Botkin, David Noor, Chris Harper, and Steven Bowman on an adventure that promises to give you a true understanding and up close look at the history, geography, and current affairs of the Egyptian culture from a distinctly Biblical Worldview. Egypt is the first stop in what the Western Conservatory hopes will be an ongoing seasonal project focussed on teaching Christians about the events that have shaped many nations around the world. Live videos from Egypt will begin streaming to the web on December 1^st followed by a 30 minute period of audio Q&A with the team. I'm personally thrilled about this project and I encourage you to subscribe today!

www.navigatinghistory.com

www.twitter.com/navigatehistory

Facebook: Navigating History

Introduction to Navigating History from Navigating History on Vimeo.

A Recap of Two Overwhelming Weeks #3

Due to the nature of the fact that the event I attended in San Antonio was an Academy (a school for young filmmakers), and in an effort to respect those who have produced and are now selling the products from the Academy and Festival, I will simply attempt to briefly summarize, as accurately as possible, the sessions I attended.

An event I had eagerly anticipated for so long was literally slipping into reality as I strolled into the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas on Monday the 25^th. Surrounding me were the faces of fellow men and women who are all passionate for the very thing I am, creating epistemologically sound, God-honoring Christian films outside of Hollywood. It was as though I was at a reunion. Friends from Ace Wonder were everywhere. Needless to say, smiles were abundant. But, I can honestly say, the face I was most excited to see in the room was my father's. I can't fully express how thankful I am that God has blessed me with a father who desires to be a mentor, instructor, and leader to his sons' film business. Going into business with your father is quite remarkable.

After mingling for a short time with some friends Dad, Jonathan, and I took our seats. As Mr. Geoff Botkin presented the opening charge and called everyone to order, I felt as though I had just boarded a ship and was given an oar with which I was to begin rowing to battle. After a stirring introduction by Mr. Botkin, Mr. Doug Phillips took the podium and opened the academy with his session entitled: An Introduction to Epistemology and Biblical Worldview for Filmmakers. In his session, Mr. Phillips defined Epistemology as our starting point, our foundation, our reason for why we believe what we believe, how we get from point A to point B, and understanding our worldview and its implications on life. The Christian filmmaker must approach his filmmaking from a distinctly Biblical Worldview. In order for the filmmaker to remember this principle, he must constantly be asking himself the questions, “By what standard? What saith the Scriptures?”

The very next session was given by actor Kirk Cameron (famous for his character Mike Seaver in the sit-com Growing Pains, and, more recently, Caleb Holt in Fireproof). Kirk introduced himself by first giving his life story, from Growing Pains to present. He talked about some of the differences between sit-com acting and acting for film and the difficulties with each. He told us how he came to accept Christ as his Savior while still acting as Mike Seaver in Growing Pains, and some of the problems that arose because of his faith and the difficult choices he was forced to make. He told us about his wife, a former actress, who now stays at home with their six children. We learned about his next film project, entitled Monumental. He told the students how he prepared for his role as Caleb Holt in Fireproof.

He taught us his acting style, going so far as to walk us through the “notice of divorce” scene in Fireproof, and how he was able to cry on the spot, exactly the same way, for multiple takes and various angles whenever given the cue. He staged an audition with several volunteers from the crowd using famous scenes from Casablanca and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He critiqued actors performances on stage and showed what directors should be looking for in their actors during an audition. He told us what actors and directors should and should not expect during an audition. He watched performances of Derek Moreland (Actor in Ace Wonder) and John Moore (Writer, Director, and Actor in Ace Wonder) and gave each practical advice. And, upon request of Doug Phillips, he acted out a scene from Casablanca with John Moore.

I gained a great deal of practical knowledge by listening to this godly man teach us his skill. Yet, two of the most meaningful statements he made were these: “The thing that answered the ego question for me was: I'm part of the ultimate statistic, 10 out of 10 people die, whether I'm famous or not. And when I stand before Almighty God, which could be today, I will not be the celebrity in that relationship.” “The single most important quality is the fear of God.” This man has taken such an incredible stance for truth over the years of his film career and it greatly encouraged me to witness a genuine Christian actor who is not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kirk Cameron Speaks about Christian Acting from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

The next workshop was entitled Understanding Actors and Acting: Madness and Methods (Geoff and Isaac Botkin)

This workshop was one of the most fascinating at the Academy. Prior to this session, I had a basic understanding of the fact that some actors can become so psychologically engaged in their character that they can no longer think correctly (i.e. Heath Leger – Joker in The Dark Knight), but I had no idea why that was, what it was, where it came from, and why it is dangerous on a number of levels. Essentially, as Isaac told us, it boils down to one of two foundational worldviews: Relativistic Spontaneous Chance, or Purpose-Driven Intelligent Design. Those who adhere to Method acting approach their acting with the idea of spontaneous chance. One example, out of the many which Isaac presented of how this worldview manifests itself, is that method actors allow their heart, the seat of emotion, to drive their acting (clearly an unbiblical principle: Proverbs 25:28, 1 Corinthians 9:27). As a result of this worldview, the actor becomes the arbiter of the set rather than the director and the result is, in most cases, devastating to the film and sometimes the actor. In the Independent Christian Film Industry, it is our goal to strive to be purposeful in everything we do, even acting.

Isaac and Geoff Botkin's workshop was followed up with a very practical, yet profound message from Stephen Kendrick (Writer and Producer of Fireproof and Courageous). His session was entitled Tips to Ensure Better Acting in Your Productions.

I would like to note that this was the first time I have ever heard Stephen Kendrick speak and I was blown away by his humility and Christ exalting attitude. He is a man completely saturated in the Word. He is a man who is very successful in the Independent Christian Film Industry, yet humble enough to admit that “The more time you spend with us the less impressed you'll be with us and the more impressed you'll be with our God.” He is a filmmaker who embodies the ideals of the film academy, a man who truly sees that his success is only found in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He is a man who understands that the only reason he is blessed is because Christ was cursed. And like a cherry on top of everything else, he is a very dynamic, energetic, fun speaker.

Stephen began his session by asking, “Is it biblical to act?” Many Christians do not believe acting is legitimate on the grounds that pretending to be someone you're not is lying. However, Stephen explained that our goal is to promote truth, not to deceive. Additionally, he noted that Jesus Himself told many parables in which he was acting as someone else. This was illustrated in a very comedic fashion that words on a page could never articulate! However, when Jesus told parables, He always portrayed a character in a story to communicate truth. In short, if it's honoring to the Lord, motivated by truth, it's biblical. Here are some of the other points Stephen made:

1. Pray Diligently!

2. Cast Wisely

3. Direct Strategically

4. Creatively Overcome Weak Acting

5. Critique BRUTALY

6. Re-Edit Creatively – Take out

The final session that evening was one I was not expecting. We were given the incredible honor of being taken on a tour through the Kendrick brothers latest production, Courageous. In addition to hearing, essentially, the entire plot of the movie, we were given a special treat; several scenes from the film itself. I cannot tell you how enthused I am about this film! It has incredible potential to wrought powerful change in the hearts of fathers across this nation. I have been sworn to secrecy by Mr. Kendrick, so I can give you no spoilers, but I will say that the message is very powerful, the visuals are stunning, there are no rough spots in the acting, and the dialog is incredible, I was laughing hysterically one moment and then moved to tears the next. Continue to pray for all those involved in the production, there is still much to be done.

Stephen Kendrick of the Movie "Courageous" Speaks on Guarding the Blessing of God in Filmmaking from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

At the end of the day, I talked with many friends and then waited in line to speak with Stephen. The man I met was the very man he was on stage. I left praising God for a meaningful, cherished conversation between he and I. I left rejoicing about the work our great God is doing through this industry. I left with (yet again) a greater love for Christ as a result of what I was taught. I left with a burden to make epistemologically sound Christian films. I left with a desire to study more theology. I left with a desire to find actors who are in the business to exalt Christ and serve those they are co-laboring with, not those who wish to express themselves and be the arbiter of the set. I left encouraged, challenged, strengthened, and equipped. Yet I also had a holy fear for what my brother, my father, my family, and I are preparing to enter.

The next day is soon coming.

In Christ,

Josh

Ace Wonder - Sneak Peek

See the opening "motion comic sequence" for Ace Wonder: Message From a Dead Man.

Ace Wonder - Sneak peek from Ace Wonder on Vimeo.