The Value of Microbudgets – Indie Filmmaking

Micro-budget filmmaking is all about embracing limitation and making the most of it.

How often do we either complain about lack of resources, or else never actually make anything because we’re waiting for the funds to come in? This article on Filmmaker Magazine’s blog throws down the gauntlet; just make your film; make films that make sense; you don’t have to make bad films!

The value of art lies in execution, not materials, thus, a small budget does not necessarily mean a bad film. The elements that make a film great have little to do with budget, e.g., narrative craft, camera placement, and acting. I know what you’re thinking: to place the camera a certain way, or hire a talented actor costs money — it has everything to do with budget. Sorry, I disagree. Micro-budget filmmaking is all about embracing limitation and making the most of it. Don’t have a crane or dolly? Look at the way Yasujiro Ozu utilized a static camera in virtually all his films. All you have is Uncle Bob as your lead? Look at the way John Cassavetes used non-actors. The greatest common factor of all successful micro-budget films is their potent use of available resources. Give David Lynch a cheap camera and a tiny house, and he is sure to come up with something amazing.

via THE MICROBUDGET CONVERSATION: DIRTY WORD | The Filmmaker Magazine Blog.

Visual Story Summit – Edinburgh

If I had one sense to convey from today it is that we are all hungry and eager for partnership.

I think a key to becoming more effective and growing in my chosen field is getting together with like-minded people who place a high priority on sharing and partnership.

I’m in Edinburgh, Scotland this week for a Summit hosted by the Visual Story Network.

The event hasn’t yet begun–that’ll happen in the morning–but in the midst of a meal together, prayer time for the event, and hanging out after-hours, I have already had really significant conversations with people I’ve not met before. These aren’t just exchanges of friendly banter; they are real expressions of excitement for what God is doing through very different organizations all over the world. And they are realizations of ways that we can and should work together and share resources.

If I had one sense to convey from today it is that we are all hungry and eager for partnership. The words ‘collaboration’, ‘generosity’, and ‘sharing’ are sprinkled in every conversation I hear.

Why Visual Stories Matter

Meet Yuseff and Andrea – two people who represent billions who communicate, learn, and connect in a post-literate world.

Meet Yuseff and Andrea – two people who represent billions who communicate, learn, and connect in a post-literate world.

This is a short film, created for the Visual Story Network, that explains the urgent need for compelling visual stories to communicate the fullness of God’s love for the world. I’m a part of VSN and share this vision.

A Willing Heart – Joe Dawson

Mourned by his Yanomamö friends, Joe Dawson passed away on Thursday night in Coshilowateli, Venezuela.

Joe Dawson passed away on Thursday night in Coshilowateli, Venezuela. He and his wife, Millie, have lived among the Yanomamö since 1953, giving their lives to learn from,  love, and serve their adopted indigenous community. Through Joe and Millie and their 10 children, the Yanomamö in the Amazonas region came to understand that the Great Spirit that they feared as their Enemy, Yai Wanonabalewa, was really their Creator who loves them. For those who accepted this news, it meant the end of a life of constant fear and bloodshed that was driven by the spirits they possessed. Many Yanomamö today are mourning the loss of their true brother, Pepiwa (Joe’s Yanomamö nickname), but are thankful for his life.

Here’s a short documentary video featuring Joe and Millie, telling their story of how God first called them to go serve the Yanomamö. It’s part of a series that gives a background to the feature film, Yai Wanonabalewa: The Enemy God. That film tells the story of the how the Yanomamö discovered the truth about the spirits and the one Great Spirit who brought them peace.

You can find more information about The Enemy God film on DVD, including more documentary segments that tell Joe and Millie’s story on the film’s web site: www.TheEnemyGod.com

Ministry of Presence (Nowen) – Urban Entry

More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people…Still, it is not as simple as it seems…

“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them.  It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence.  Still, it is not as simple as it seems…”

A friend of mine, Scott Lundeen, runs a ministry called Urban Entry here in Denver. He creates media resources to help envision and equip people to engage in relationships and service among the poor and marginalized in our communities. I think they’re doing some cool stuff.

This video was just posted on his blog site. It is based on a quote from Henri Nowen and gets right to the heart of a struggle we often face. Those of us who are acculturated for performance and delivering measurable results as a way of measuring our worth do well to consider Jesus’ call to be in relationship first. It’s what Nowen refers to as a ‘ministry of presence.’ Check it out.

Do you feel the same struggle in your vocation or avocation to make a difference in peoples’ lives? Do you feel envious of programs that get media attention or that are better resourced. Do you feel pressure to ‘achieve’ in a way that ultimately takes you ‘off the streets’?

I sometimes whine about my sad lot – that it’s difficult to see how I can sustain what God has called me to do, that I feel pressure to jump on the social media train that demands I become ‘famous’ in order to become influential and effective. But I feel God’s correction when I really am with the people I want to serve: with my film students, on Skype calls with friends in Africa who teach me as much as I want to teach them, these are the moments of reality and clarity.

My prayer for you is that you have many of those moments, even in the midst of the “necessary” things that shadow the life-giving things.