Posts Tagged film
Where To Go From Here
God really broke me today. I was really compelled to pray at a certain time this past evening and all the stuff from the past week and SAICFF, thoughts I’ve had about the future, engagement, life in general, filmmaking, etc. all swirling around upstairs. One of the greatest things that God has been working on in me is time. The idea of not wasting your life and not wanting to be the guy who woke up at 75 or 80 and realizing the past 50 or 60 years were a complete waste. Also the thought of being a husband soon and afterwards a father and the pressure that comes with that. What am I doing TODAY to prepare me for such a responsibility? I have the itch to make something this upcoming spring or summer but I can’t do a feature so I’m looking to hopefully write the next one or begin writing. What story will it be? I’ve thought about doing a short film to keep my juices flowing before I do another feature but an idea for that will have to come as well.
The greatest burden on my heart lately is just being used and being open to whatever God wants. I want to be used by him, whatever that means. If it means filmmaking then great, and if it means working a normal job and being a dad then that’s fine too. I just want to be open to where God might be taking me. It seems like he’s really throwing me into this film industry very quickly so my focus is there. I want to create things that aren’t for fulfilling my artistic desires but are in line with what the Will of God is. Using the talents I’ve been given strictly for titillating my own senses is selfish and wrong. I don’t merely want to make “entertainment.” I want to let the Gospel grasp me in such a way that it literally takes hold of everything I do, how I do it, and why. I just can’t even imagine what God could do if I was willing to let him steer the boat. What if I let him take hold of the paint brush or the writers pen? What if I let him make the business decisions and guide my investments?
What if you knew you needed to go somewhere (point A to B) and you had two guys to ask. One of them knew exactly where to go, how long it would take, and had never given bad directions. Then the other one was sorta sure you needed to make a left then a right, then go through a light or two past that purple sign thing near the what-cha-ma-call-it around the corner. Which guy are you likely to take advice from? God knows all, so why would I go anywhere else if I know he’s calling me to go here or there? Even if I didn’t know where to go, wouldn’t he be the best place to go to seek guidance? If I truly believe God wants to use me in a mighty way in this filmmaking industry, I don’t need to be turning to anything else other than Him. I don’t care to be a filmmaker who’s a Christian, I intend specifically to be a Christian filmmaker, in case that wasn’t already clear. To me greatest way to make God honoring art (or in this case movies) is to put God above my movies.
Please pray for me. There is a lot to accomplish and new mountains to climb I think. I want to prayerfully seek the next story I’m supposed to tell (notice I didn’t say which one I thought was most relevant or the one I thought sounded good or would sell the most). Christ has to be the burning center of all of this, or I should just quit now. If every single movie that I do centered around the Gospel, do you think God wouldn’t be pleased? Do you think God would say “You know, your stuff got a little boring. Couldn’t you have talked about something other than my Son in whom I’m well pleased?” I doubt it. The more I listen to other filmmakers, the more I realized just how selfish we all are. We want to do other things, because Christ isn’t enough. We make all sorts of excuses for why we make what we do or why we want to do the kinds of things that we do. Is Christ enough for you, or do you need more than that?
Who wants to hear “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” ? Of course you do! Well my question is, what are you doing about it? Do you really want to be used by God? Do you really (if your a filmmaker) want to be used in a mighty way for the Kingdom through your films? You better figure out which side of the fence you’re on, and be sure that asking to be used is a dangerous thing. God doesn’t play any games with this kind of thing. I ask for radical things sometimes just to be sure that I’m in the center of where God wants me. Yes I make my mistakes but I’ve gone as far as to ask for death if it means keeping me away from disobedience or going into an arena of life that is wasteful. God hasn’t killed me yet, and I know he could, so for whatever reason he still has me here to do something great in His name until that day comes. Think of God in this case as a fridge, and you as a carton of milk. Ever carton has an expiration date, but milk left out of the fridge spoils early and is tossed away before it has a chance to nourish.
It’s game time folks. You have an expiration date as well. Are you seeking God on what it is you’re here to do? If it’s filmmaking, are you seeking God on what it is he wants you to do, what story he wants you to tell, or what message he wants you to present, or are you listening to you? Jerry Bruckheimer has been quoted to desire his tombstone to read “He really entertained audiences; he made them feel better for a couple of hours.” That my friends is a tragedy. Time is short, so lets pick a higher standard and shoot for goals that are eternal, not selfish and short-lived.
Count The Cost
So you want to make a film? I have a simple question for you: Are you SURE? Most of you answered that before you finished reading it (and it’s only 3 words), missing the entire point of asking the question. Have you counted the cost of making a film? Stephen Kendrick at last years Filmmakers Academy at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival told a very emotional story about FIREPROOF. Even with all the Blessing coming the films way, there were a few regrets that Stephen admitted to. Lets face it, making a film is no small task. It will consume you and become a vacuum in your life sucking up all your time and energy. Have you given that any thought?
If God has called you to do something (doesn’t even have to be a film) then by all means you run at that task or whatever it is he’s given you with all your heart. However, there is a way to go about doing that. Be obedient to what he’s called you to but not at the expense of disobedience in other areas of your life. Stephen was specifically talking about his family while creating and especially promoting the film. He realized that his family had suffered a little bit because of the time that was required to complete such a project. He spoke of how many of the Hollywood folks they’ve met through their ministry have broken families because of the job they have and most of it is in regards to travel and being away from home for extended periods.
When it came to COURAGEOUS (Sherwood fourth film) they took the high road shooting for two weeks then taking one off, then shooting for two weeks then taking one off. Only the last three weeks did they do all together without that break to push it hard for the ending. This shows Sherwood’s commitment not just to their films but to the integrity of all who work on them on/off the set. This is a model that I might give some thought to on another film. Many tend to forget that regardless of family, the Kendrick’s, Jim McBride, and of course Michael Catt all have positions in ministry to some degree (especially the last two). The church doesn’t stop for a movie, things go as usual…there’s just something special going on at that time that’s all. Just because COURAGEOUS is being shot doesn’t mean Michael Catt isn’t preaching on sunday LOL. There’s something to be said about Sherwood far beyond what their films are or how they’ve done financially.
I say all this just to ask all of you next time an opportunity comes to make a film, to consider the cost. Pay attention to your spiritual growth and your health, and if you’re married and have children then your responsibility is even greater. Why is it in times we know we will be exhausted that we pull back from the Word of God…the only thing that will bring us through those times with peace and strength? It’s funny how foolish we can be. The first 3 months shooting of STANDING FIRM I did things the wrong way in almost every way. I was working full-time in ministry as Director of Media Production and shooting a film as well. I would shoot for a day or a few days, then work my 40 hour work week, and every day whether I had shot that day or not I would be at home logging and editing footage already. I pulled 90 hour weeks for almost three months and I’ve never been so mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. God showed up in those times don’t get me wrong, but that was the most difficult time of the entire shoot. Most of what was shot during that time was cut from the film as well, which shows you how the schedule damaged the quality. God tells us what he does for a reason. He knows what he’s doing folks, you can be sure of that. Even your film can become your idol and your God if you aren’t careful, and trust me…take it from someone who’s made the mistake himself, you’ll justify it with your artistic mindset and passion, and excuse your sin by it.
There’s more to life than filmmaking, and while it’s extremely important if God has called you to it, there’s no greater responsibility than that of your home, your wife or husband, and your children. If we can’t get it right at home as a leader, how do we expect to run or manage a set? It starts there.
It Never Stops
STANDING FIRM till the grave 
I’ve gotten a lot of questions like “So now that you’re done with STANDING FIRM, what are you going to do now?” I decided to answer the question here as it has a few lessons in it’s answer. The film STANDING FIRM is not done. Yes the film is complete and on shelves but the work is far from over. Just as it was over for my actors and crew while I spent the last year and a half or so finish the post, finding a way to get it into stores, getting copies made, designing graphics and doing marketing, etc…the same is true now even as people buy it and enjoy it. The work is never done. I’ll always be marketing the film to some degree because in a market this big (to me it’s big, the Christian market) with a movie this small, I’ll always be able to find more people who haven’t heard of it. I will literally sell this thing until I’m dead, no lie.
Why wouldn’t I? I work with Rich Christiano on ChristianMovies.com as one of my jobs, and we’re always selling his older films from the 80s/90s. They’re really old, and yet there’s always a buyer from somewhere who doesn’t have it yet. I think that will ring true for my film. FLYWHEEL from Sherwood Pictures is their first film, shot for almost nothing, and over time it’s found it’s audience. As Sherwood’s newer films come out, more find out about their earlier movies. Also, in case you didn’t know I didn’t sign off the film to some company and just wait for a check. I made a “special” deal that pretty much puts me in the drivers seat to get the word out. I always thought this would be the case for some reason so I never backed off on the internet marketing (which the film was primarily marketed towards and continues to be). I’m actually glad that was the case because it forced me to learn a lot of things about distribution, marketing for cheap or nothing, how to network and make deals, etc. I’ve gotten many years of experience packed into just a few, and I’m grateful for that. I’m actually itching really badly to see what could be done on another film if I had the opportunity to start from scratch again knowing what I do now. The possibilities get me very excited sometimes, but it’s all gotta be in God’s timing and not mine!
By the way I should find out on the 17th if we got into SAICFF this year. I really hope we do, that would be an amazing gift on top of all that God has done with STANDING FIRM already. If you want to read the article I wrote about last years festival go here. All the folks from Sherwood have had copies of STANDING FIRM sent to them and I’ve gotten confirmation they got them. I really hope to hear what they think of the film. Sherwood had so much to do with why STANDING FIRM was made and why I got into this industry in the first place. If I don’t hear anything I’ll be sure to track down Stephen Kendrick at the festival this year and see what he has to say.
The “Master” Plan
As I’ve said in the past, not many people do this full-time (filmmaking only). If they do, they’re mostly Producers or Directors, or they do both jobs (amongst others). Most of them also are full-time doing it (and living off of it) because they do many projects a year. If they don’t do many projects a year or have them perpetually pumping out somehow they have a ton under their belt in the past that have done well enough to give them a base salary every year. One other possibility is they do their own projects but not as often as others, and have another job either outside of the filmmaking industry, or in it to keep the bills paid and cash-flow coming in. That’s where I want to be, option #3. I would love to do movies 100% full-time, but I realize that it’s probably a ways off from possibility so I’ve worked from Day #1 to have other things cooking to build an income. I’ve worked at home for almost a year and a half so far, and kept a pretty steady paycheck. It wasn’t easy and required lots of experimenting and thinking to get a plan laid out. I’ve started many websites that have their own purposes that all make money in some way and all interconnect. I’ve put my name on absolutely everything and thrown it all under the Praise Pictures name as well to generate some branding. I made sure I did that with STANDING FIRM as well. When they think STANDING FIRM I want them to think Kyle Prohaska (people in the industry), and if they think Kyle Prohaska I want them to think STANDING FIRM. Same goes with Praise Pictures, although that brand with grow more and more as new projects come along and grow.
It all takes time, but I think 2011 could finally be the year where things really take off for the better. 2010 has been an incredible ride and looked to be the start of a real legitimate career in this industry that I can have some confidence in work wise. Being able to do a lot of different jobs and do them well is something I’ve tried to do. Many tell you to get really good at that one thing and do that only, but I guess you could call me a rebel in that regard. I’ve worked my rear end off to try and get good at multiple things, since the odds of getting steady work in any one thing is really unlikely even if you’re good. Most folks are going after too many of the same jobs, so you gotta compete in many places. We’ll see where Praise Pictures is in 5 years, the possibilities are endless.
I gotta remember that God can always change my plans in a snap. All it takes is one little thing to change a life forever, so with that in mind I move forward with confidence, because the one who’s in control of those things is the one who I’m living for anyways. He’s why I’m here. If he’s got me doing this stuff for a few years then no more then that’s fine, as long as He’s Glorified. That’s the only goal here. I don’t let the fear of “Oh what if…” stop me from doing everything I can as best I can with what I have and the time I have. This is why I’ve stayed up so late almost every night for a few years. I’m always working on something, always formulating a plan, always moving something close to the goal line or experimenting with another opportunity to try something in this industry that nobody has yet.
It never stops, not until God calls me home.
