I love it when it come up with awesome titles for my blogs…like that one? I do, so that’s all that matters. No seriously, you like? No!? That’s so mean! Get out of here…I don’t want you reading this. Just kidding, stay…if you have to. Just kidding 
Anyways the past few days hasn’t had me posting much, my bad. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the other things I’ve posted lately besides blog posts. The radio interview (which went very well), the Glowing Nose Podcast’s recent episode, various news and blog posts from Courageous (Sherwood Pictures 4th film), etc. I’ll be using this blog to post all sorts of other things besides journal entries so if you show up and your looking for just the journal then click the link up top that just says “journal.” That will hide everything else. I hope you take the time to at least glance at the other stuff I post. I post it for you all!
I had quite a few things to do today and in the end didn’t get there. My sleeping habits have to change…they really do. I’m up too late and up too late. (catch that? 
) I needed to mail off some stuff today and never got there. Tomorrow will be the day. One of the packages is screener copies that will be going out to the different major store chains that will carry Standing Firm. That’s nerve-wracking to say the least since the film isn’t 100% done! Thankfully on Sunday night I got the final contracts in for that song license I needed. My sound-mixer Mark Stocker has been a God-send in helping me get this done. Thanks Mark! He ran through the contract with me and helped me know my next steps and such. This is all new territory for me. The cost of the song will come out of my pocket but I don’t have a choice in the matter. I’ve already spent thousands and thousands, what’s writing another check gonna hurt? (my bank account…that’s what!) Such is the life of the Christian filmmaker, so many bills, so little money/time/resources. Hopefully they’ll be a day this year where that will be different LOL. We will see…
By the way, I got my copy of The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry recently. I did the DVD Menu’s and opening graphics for that as well as the Behind the Scenes titles and graphics. It was cool to see my name in the credits of the Making Of That’s my second legit credit aside from helping color-time In The Blink of an Eye and doing VFX for it. Very cool for me…I know I’m a loser. Also if you watch the film you’ll spot me in the back with my friend Sam Torcasio. We were on set for a day and got to sit in for the diner scene. You only see the back of my head, but it’s awesome to know I’ve finally been put on celluloid. Good ol’ Super 16!
I have a lot to do in May :/ I feel like I’m just gonna be going crazy for the next 6 months. The next 4 especially are going to be intense. May means almost finishing the BTS and DVD Materials, and shooting my interview. June means finishing up the film completely and getting it sent off mid-June for endorsements, Dove approval, etc. July means getting the church screenings setup, the Praise Pictures store and how that’ll work and how I’ll ship from my house, the copies need to get made that’ll go to stores and securing the funds to get those made, and sending off Standing Firm for submission to the SAICFF this year (film fest in San Antonio) etc. August means release time and all the running around to get that prepared and then brace myself. I’ll (hopefully) be busy shipping things out constantly and setting up church screenings with folks. Then September I’ll continue to sell the film and October the film fest happens and that’ll be an experience in itself. Gonna be a crazy rest of the year…phew.
I really need to find that creative partner I can mesh with for life. It seems everybody I know has one. The Kendrick brothers, Staron brothers, Leclerc brothers, Erwin brothers, John Moore & David Heustis, Cloud Ten has it’s own team, Coram Deo has a good team, etc. So many creative teams of people who work well together and have a level of success attached. I’m just Kyle, in my room in Ransomville. I would love to make movies here in WNY, but I can’t always make them alone. While somebody could just say “then get your help!” it’s difficult to know where to find that help. Also you run the risk of having too many fingers in the pie, and never being able to benefit financially. I would love to have that one strong creative partner whom I connect with on a lot of levels…I would go to town with that person. I’ve yet to find somebody like myself who can do a lot of different things in this arena, do them well (not getting a fat head here just saying I think I can do a good job), has a drive to do whatever it takes to get things done, cares about the Lord especially, and is a trustworthy individual who isn’t going to hamstring me or something in the future. It’s tough to find good people. I’m happy to say I think I found some good relationships from Standing Firm I will be growing with future projects. My sound-mixer is great and knows much more than he might seem at first. He’s also trustworthy and is a man of integrity. My composer is a man I’ll use again no doubt. Wonderful attitude, gracious, high quality results without breaking the bank (and by that I mean tens of thousands or something), and just overall loves what he does and we connect well on what we both want to achieve. I loved working with my Gaffer Shaun Smith on the film too. We both understand each other. My eye with his Gaffing will equal many excellent looking films in the future I think. If he’s up for it that is, that’s up in the air! Who knows…
I just look forward to the next project already. I can’t wait to close this chapter of my life. It’s been a LONG chapter. One of those chapters in a book when your exhausted because it’s not over but loving it because the build up is so amazing. I can’t wait to finish…and just know that the film is done. Nothing can be fixed, nothing can be changed, the DVD is FINAL…with all BTS done and menus and covers and labels. I can just send it off and see what God does. That’ll be an amazing feeling, and I’ll sob like a little baby.
I have no idea what my next film is going to be really…I’m just doing what I can to make sure this one gets completed. Lots to do still…please pray that God gives me the strength to continue. I know I’ve been able to hang on this long but the enemy is really trying to trip me up in some critical areas of my life, I can’t trip now. What a tragedy that would be…the runner who falters just before his chest is about to break through the tape. Prayers appreciated…
