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In 2000 the dream of telling the story of the most important person in the universe grabbed my heart and imagination. Now in 2013 the reality will begin as a children's story written like a fairy tale.
Why a fairy tale? Because it is a true tale that is important to every human on this earth. Stay tuned! i wrote this in January of this year. It is always good to reount our blessings. ... I'm thankful that I've been able to mail all the movies out to those for whom I have addresses. ... Also thankful that while I just got the dreaded "shingles," they are in my ear so I won't scar. ... That the possibilities things will get better for me than they are right now are extremely high. I want to wine and complain but I realize things could be so much worse. I worried that I had something much worse than an ear infection because there was so much pain surrounding my ear. So to know it is "shingles" is a relief. I'm thankful that I am well now in August from this illness. The hardest part of making a movie is finishing it. Oh, there are also other hard parts too but it is so difficult to say, it is finished! You plan it,research it, write it, storyboard it, cast it, shoot it, edit it, edit it, edit it, show it, edit it, screen it, edit it and finally you say, enough is enough and you make a DVD of it. It's not perfect but I like it. I like the story and the bloopers along with the documentary of making it. It is a tough story about a hard situation for my mom. And I think I made it during one of the hardest times of my life. There are other things that make a project like a movie really hard. There are the normal problems like: finding time and scrambling to learn new things that by the time you learn them they are outdated. It is hard to overcome the hurdle or wall that is invisible but very tangible, that lies between you and completion. I think somehow everyone who makes a movie from start to finish must experience that wall. It is so there I can almost take a picture of it. I think that wall is a combination of things. It has to do with believing in yourself and in your project as if it is a very important gift to the world. Then still believing in your project when it no longer seems like an important gift to the world. Because by the time you finish the project you have learned just enough about making a movie that your movie flaws come into focus more and more. And you realize that if you could make it again it would be better. But then you face that wall of discouragement, creativity, and learning all intertwined and buck up and say. It is my first movie and I love it!! If it wasn't for the wall, the movie would be finished faster. The wall takes time to surmount and attack. But having crested it, the descent is a wonderful ending and also a beginning. A time to finish one project and a time to begin another one. If it wasn't hard to finish, I think it would mean that I didn't learn very much. It is the learning that is so hard because the more you learn the more you would do your project differently. So now comes the easy part. Sending it out to my cast and crew and friends who ordered it. And I know now that I can do it. I can make a movie. And every one I make will get better and better. Within the next seven days the DVD will be in the process of burning all 150 copies for my faithful cast and crew and those who have purchased a copy. There will be some extras for those who still wish to purchase a copy. Thanks for your prayers, your help and your talents, etc. I could not have pulled this off without a village of people. And to have done this for just $3,000 is amazing to me. Think of what we can do to tell the story of Jesus in the future. We truly can give birth to an amazing series about little Jesus with just people like you and me. Jesus was born in a barn. And his story can be told by common folks. Watch for more information about another showing of What About Daisy at the Valley Church. and a showing of it on Television. like you and I. Last weekend I was assisting with the event depicted in the photo. Can you guess what it was? Over 2000 people were there in 5 tents and 3 buildings. People travel from all over to attend, to preach, to camp, to get a spiritual blessing! I'm sure you have guessed by now it is camp meeting. I work for the Upper Columbia Conference and the camp meeting in June is our biggest event of the year. It is very tiring but fun, kind of like making a movie. With this event completed, my mind is a little more relaxed and this past week I have been adding the final stories to the documentary. I also had a chance to watch the critique session at SonScreen again. I am so glad Abby video taped it. It was good to re-listen to the good points and the areas that they felt cold be tightened up for a film festival submission. This will be in process this summer. Thanks for your prayers during this process. I need them because this is a whole new experience. They mentioned that sometimes movies have gone through about 20 cuts before it is truly ready. So far the Daisy Movie is in its 3rd cut. This is a family version, the directors cut. I will always keep this and this is what will be created into the DVD along with the documentary and bloopers. I'm working on finishing the documentary first so I can mail the DVDs out this summer. I had originally hoped that I could include the film festival cut in the DVD. I may do this but knowing that it may go into several cuts before it makes it into a film festival, I do not want to make everyone wait for their copy so my goal is to just sent out my current cut of the film. The one you all saw at the premiere. That along with some new additions to the documentary and the blooper reel is what you will receive. Those who also want copies of the documentary when it finally gets into a film festival, can contact me and I will happily send you that version as well if you already paid for the DVD. So my summer is panning out well so far. A big event behind me, my garden growing with a few more items to plant, strawberries to pick this Sunday and some family reunions to look forward to. I would say that, along with my job and working on the movie, I have a busy and fun summer ahead. Being on the homeward stretch feels good. I have enjoyed the process of creating a movie and hope to do it again in the near future. I also now know why so many filmmakers at the Oscars say stuff like, "This was the culmination of 14 years of work!" I realize that there are not enough years ahead of me to create all of the movies that are in my idea book. I pray God will lead me to do the ones He wants. Sincerely, Kathy After the premiere of What About Daisy, I took a little break and a vacation. This weekend I have opened up my editing file and started making a new cut for film festivals. It will probably take a few weeks and then I will send the fils and artwork out to make the DVDs. I plan to make regular DVDs but if you want a blue ray you need to let me know. Also once I order the quantity I need, these will not be available once the few extras I make sell out. I do not plan to make more than or 10 extras unless I find them less expensive to make than I estimated so if you want to get one, now is the time to order. All of my cast and crew will receive one copy. So the only reason cast and crew should order a copy is if they are ordering it for someone else or because they want two copies. I also plan to give one copy to each owner who allowed me to film at their location. Once again, a huge thank you to all who made this first project possible. I covet your words of wisdom and your prayers as I finish this project, take a break and then begin a new project. My mother's name is Margaret and when my husband watched the movie last Sunday he wanted to know why she is called Daisy in the movie. He never knew her by Daisy, only by Margaret. It is a good question. Not very many people called her Daisy and by the time she was in academy I doubt anyone knew that she had this nickname. My dad never called her Daisy and me and my brother and sister never called her Daisy. But it was her name for a brief time in her life when her older brother was still alive. So because the movie, What About Daisy is about that period of time, that is why I use the name Daisy. ... ... ... ---- Three times I have come back to this blog and I couldn't finish it. There was nothing more to say. I didn't know why but three time I saved this back into the drafts mode to finish later. This morning I understand completely why there WAS nothing and now there IS something more to say. I hope you will see the connection that is now clear to me. After the years and months of hard work, after taking an extra year to finish the movie because of my husbands illness, and finally submitting What About Daisy into the only Film Festival I know much about, it has been rejected. I not only see a story here but I am living this story. Most of the hardship and agony remains untold but it is known by me. Sitting at the computer on Friday I saw an email from SonScreen so I read the list of official entries accepted into the Festival -- I scanned down the list to the "Ws" and saw no What About Daisy. Throughout the day, I get my normal shopping and Friday tasks accomplished, all the while my head is spinning from rejection I am already analyzing it and realizing how hard it is. This is the point of the negation of the negation. The unthinkable has happened. In this story, I am the protagonist and some force out there is the antagonist. And now that force has won! Or has it? I don't accept failure. I persevere! I think about what I know about failures. Abraham Lincoln was one. He lost every single election he entered. Except the final one where he became the president of the USA. Then he was shot while in office. I'm glad he didn't give up. He made a huge difference. He was always the good man that he was through every election. Losing or winning He was who he was. It didn't change him. Then there was the man who spent 33 years of his life telling everyone who would listen, how much God loves them and how to escape the evil on this earth. He was compelling. There was no better story teller in the world. He amazed many with his teaching and miracles. Then at a young age he was killed. By the standards of the earth, at that time, he was a failure. But I know Him as Jesus, the son of God. He is who he is, no matter what anyone "thinks." Five hours of tossing and turning, and I can no longer sleep. I have a tune in my head that won't go away so I get up to think and write. As these thoughts tumble around in my head. -- that, failure isn't always failure and that we learn more from rejection than we do from acceptance -- I go to my blog and see the rough draft about Daisy and her Name. I know what I must write. I must find the verse about being called by my name and find out if this applies to the unfolding drama. Ah, yes, as I find the verse, I see immediately that the words are exactly what I need. I think I'll read these over and over. Isaiah 43:1-7 The Lord who created you says: “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I hear Him. He does not want me to be afraid of the future. He holds my life in His hands (and my movie) and everything that happens to me is God filtered. I know that my situation has gone by God and He has approved of it. It is either for my benefit or for my growth. In this valley I realize that this is an opportunity to grow stronger in my relationship with Him. The stronger I am in my faith, the more use I will be to Him in the Kingdom. My favorite quote in my info page of Facebook is what I have lived by for the past 15 years of my life. "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do" --Eleanor Roosevelt. God's advice to me is loud and clear: As I told Jeremiah, I tell you, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” I bask in this knowledge that Jesus loves me and He will lead my creative spirit where he wants, no matter who rejects, What About Daisy. I'm thankful in spite of my sadness. And that tune.. what is it. When tunes get into my head in the middle of the night they are always words God wants me to hear. I know I've heard the tune before but I do not remember any words. So I open a program on my computer where I can hum it. Da da da daaa, da da da daaa, du da! And it is a little secular ditty by Ingrid Michaelson. Imagine that!! God is singing this song to me THIS morning. Once again God reminds me that he has a plan for me. Hurt and pain will come but they must not consume. I will move forward and know that He is with me. He shows me this over and over that I can trust him. It is not his plan that I stay in the valley of pain. His plan is to use me to help others. This song says to me that I am where I am because God wants me here. The movie, What About Daisy, is where it is because it will help me learn the most. Learning is tough. And learning is happening because of the name, Daisy. And thank you, God, that you have a sense of humor. Can you find the religion in this song? The Way I Am (click the title to watch and hear this on YouTube) If you were falling, then I would catch you. You need a light, I'd find a match. Cause I love the way you say good morning. And you take me the way I am. If you are chilly, here take my sweater. Your head is aching, I'll make it better. Cause I love the way you call me baby. And you take me the way I am. I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair. Sew on patches to all you tear. Cause I love you more than I could ever promise. And you take me the way I am. You take me the way I am. You take me the way I am. This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
It has been a long journey. The road to finishing this movie became longer and longer as "life" got in the way. But What About Daisy has been submitted to the film festival and Mike is burning the master copy on a Blue ray DVD for the Premier. I have made posters for the premiere of What About Daisy to be on April 22 at the Upper Columbia Conference Office at 3715 S Grove Rd, Spokane, Wash. Planning on sending these posters to all locations where the movie was shot and to some of the churches in the area. If you would like to have a poster, let me know and I can mail you some for your business or church. I cleaned up my editing desk and now I need to finish the documentary and blooper reel. They are full of great stuff but I need to organize them and get them ready for the premiere. But in the midst of this, it is time for a bit of rest and relaxation. I'm basically done. Not totally, just basically. Still a few loose ends of things to complete and do, but I am so happy to have the project at this point. I'm pleased with how things turned out. They say that the final product doesn't always come out the way you imagined it before you started. I think it came out very similar to the way I imagined. They only way it could have been better than I imagined is if I'd been able to tell more of the story, and given each character more depth. I want to step back now and enjoy the analyzing process where I hear comments that may tell me quite a bit about the movie. Some will be constructive thoughts that will help my next project run smoother. And if by some odd chance there are comments that show ignorance, I hope to find something constructive still. The thing I hope for is that the story comes through. Sometimes when family watches a movie with people they know as the characters, they cannot get past what they know in real life and cannot follow the story. So if you are family and you are reading this, try to sit back, relax and enjoy the story instead of saying, "oh, there's ____, or why is ___ in Pajamas!" I love rest and relaxation. It is so important to have a regular reprieve from labor. I love these words from Jesus in the book of Matthew: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light -- Matthew 11:28-30. To the Finish Finding the fix for each little problem in the movie is where I'm at at the present time. Rendering still photos were a challenge but I think that is solved. Volume control is balanced -- on my headset. Working on a slight distortion from time to time in the final movie. I'm very thankful I have a musician who is detail oriented and everything sounds good. I'm getting attached to the theme song(s). This process is like a roller-coaster. There are moments when I'm completely swept into the film and I love it. Then when I put my analytical hat on, I say, "wow," this needs more work. But others tell me, "it is very good"! So who am I to argue. I'm just along for the ride. When this project is completed, I shall take a few breaths of oxygen. Take a hike! Enjoy some down time. Then await the next project. Beginning the Next Project I was reading Messiah which is a modern version of Desire of Ages by Ellen White. I've been thinking a lot about music lately, probably because of the music score in the movie. And I know that Jesus loved to sing. But you don't read about it much in the Bible. So I've been pondering, and wondering what it is that makes me know that Jesus loved music. One reason I know this is personal. I place my life in his hands when I go to sleep at night and often I wake up with a song in my heart and the tune in my head. When I stop to analyze the song and the perplexities of life I happen to be going through, I'm overwhelmed by the meaning of it all. Jesus sings to me and he sings exactly what I need to hear. This is all I can come up with. But anyway I continued reading to find some passage that proves this to me. Not just any writer can prove this to me, but Ellen can. I'm reading her biography and she was one cool woman who had a heart for God like no one I know. And I trust her writing because God gave her many, many visions. And she passes all the tests of a prophet. In Desire of ages p. 73. "Often He expressed the gladness of His heart by singing psalms and heavenly songs. Often the dwellers in Nazareth heard His voice raised in praise and thanksgiving to God. He held communion with heaven in song; and as His companions complained of weariness from labor, they were cheered by the sweet melody from His lips. His praise seemed to banish the evil angels, and, like incense, fill the place with fragrance. The minds of His hearers were carried away from their earthly exile, to the heavenly home." Wow! It would be amazing to hear him sing! And that will make the part of playing Jesus in any television drama a hard one to cast. I know I'm rambling a bit, but I just want to say that this project of telling the story of Jesus is too big for me. But I heard a song today about how God wants us to do something BIG, So big that without Him, we would fail. That is how big this is. And I want to give the project completely to God and wait for His marching orders. They'll come when it's time. But I ran across this quote last night that reminds me that GOD WANTS THIS STORY TO BE TOLD!!! AND HERE IS WHY... Jesus is our example. There are many who dwell with interest upon the period of His public ministry, while they pass unnoticed the teaching of His early years. But it is in His home life that He is the pattern for all children and youth. -- Ellen White, Desire of Ages, p. 74. This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
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Kathy MarsonI'm a screenwriter with a passion for telling compelling stories with eternal outcomes. History
May 2016
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