Trip Journal - Saturday

Sorry it's taken me so long to finish writing about our trip to San Antonio - life has been busy around here, and the rest of this week is going to be crazy with playing/singing at nursing homes and other things going on! What are some things keeping you busy this season?

On the last day of the festival (Saturday) we watched some more movies, visited with friends, and that evening, attended the awards ceremonies! A lot of people were dressed very fancy, and it was neat seeing the ladies in their modest, beautiful, formal dresses. Actually being there, live, at the awards ceremonies was an amazing experience - something I'll never forget! I sat on the edge of my seat as I waited to hear who the winners were in each category (and I'm just mentioning a few below - go to http://www.saicff.org/ to see all the categories). You can visit Doug Philip's blog (and scroll way down) to see some live footage from that night.

 

In the "young filmmaker" category, Small Talents won, and it looks good, but we never did get around to seeing it because there were SO many movies to choose from!

In between announcing categories, musicians played and George Sarris performed again (below is the man who played an important role in Ace Wonder).

The Penny was the winner of the Best Feature Film Award, and it sure deserved it!! We did see this film, and I HIGHLY recommend it!! The storyline was very complicated (but not hard to understand) and tight. The acting was really good, and the cinematography was great! For an independent film (directed by Nathan Webster, pictured below) . . . all I can say is . . . WOW!! Check out the website at http://www.thepennyfilm.com/. There were some other really good feature films there as well. We didn't see all of them right there at the festival, but I would recommend Standing Firm, No Greater Love (for older kids or adults), The Runner From Ravenshead, and Live to Forgive. We didn't see Sybil Ludington at all but that one looked good too.

The Runner from Ravenshead won the Audience Choice Award by 400%!!! They sure deserved it! :-) As far as I know, they were the only film there to get a standing ovation in the MIDDLE of the movie! (below is a picture of the family that made it)

It was very touching to hear the acceptance speech of the $101,000 grand prize winner (watch it HERE)! The Bowers family made Agenda: Grinding America Down and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!! It was well done, and very informative! Check it out at http://agendadocumentary.com/.

 

 

After the awards ceremonies, we enjoyed visiting with lots of people until at least midnight - right there outside the building! Yes, it was that nice outside! :-)
One of the funnest things was meeting Gator Moore (the main actor in The Widow's Might and now in Ace Wonder). By the way, Ace Wonder was a GREAT film! It was so neat being able to see the world premiere (it was a rough cut, but still was very good). The acting was great, the storyline was very interesting, and Gator completely carries the show - I can't wait to see the final cut on DVD!

Next time I'll share some pictures from our last day in Texas with our new friends! Until then, don't forget to sign up for my giveaway!! :-)

TRAILER!!

Here is the trailer to Shining in Her Corner!! Finally!! :-) If you can, watch it in 720p HD. Check out my updated website to find out more about DayStar Productions!! Enjoy!

Loving the Lord Ministries Documentary

Thank you all for your prayers regarding my health and my trip to Minneapolis (see my previous post)! I had a great time, and everything went really well. It's been neat to see God's hand on this documentary - to Him be the glory!

So here's the story (with plenty of details!! ha ha) . . . On Sunday we left around 1pm to meet our friends the Alzen Family at the church where they were performing (halfway to my destination). I was able to film their concert for a future project, and we had a lot of fun visiting with them! Later that evening they drove me all the way to the Vest's home, and we had a blast playing word games in the van - thank you Alzen family! :-)

The Vests were very welcoming and kind, and since it was late I went right to bed so I could be well rested for the next day! I hadn't been feeling the best (sore throat, runny nose, etc.) but thankfully the next morning I wasn't any worse, so we were able to go on with everything as planned!

 

On Monday morning we set up and did some audio/video tests. Then we started with Amy's interviews, which continued well into the afternoon. She did an awesome job explaining all the Lord has done for her and Loving the Lord Ministries!

Eric (Amy's brother) did a great job with the lighting, and he also had a second camera so we could get shots from different angles.

When Amy's interview was over, we got some extra shots of her reading her Bible and a few other daily things. Then we interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Vest (Jeff and Margie). They did a great job as well!

I had such scrumptious, healthy meals while I was staying at their house!! Yum! It was fun to get some shots of Amy and her mom working in the kitchen together.

 The next morning we started the interviews with the moms, girls, friends and staff who have been blessed by Amy and her ministry. We did a total of 12 people that day, so we were all kept very busy!! There was a neat variety of people (who all had such good things to say!!) and we were able to find several different backgrounds for them.

Mrs. Vest did a great job asking the questions and just being there for the interviewee to talk to, so they wouldn't have to be staring at a light!! :-)

Amy is so sweet with everybody, making them all feel special, and her smile and hug just shine with the love of Jesus! She was such a blessing to me with her prayers and encouragement!

Thankfully the weather was really nice, so we were able to do a couple interviews outside.

Then back to some more inside . . .

 

It was a very full and busy day!! We got some great footage, and now I'm looking forward to the editing process!!

On Wednesday, we talked over lots of details - narration, pictures, editing, and more! It's amazing how much time and planning can go into one movie. :-) It has been SO much fun seeing it all come together, and it's been such a learning experience for me! I hope that this documentary will give glory to God, and that many people will be blessed by watching it!

A big thank you goes to the Vest family for all the work they've put into this documentary (and to Eric for taking these pictures)!! It's been a joy to work with you all!

Thank you, Amy, for being willing to submit to the Lord and follow His will for your life - you are an encouragement and blessing to so many (including me)!!!

Upcoming Adventures!

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've given an update on what's been going on around here!! :-) I'm so excited, because I have an annoucement to make . . . I'm leaving for Minneapolis tomorrow, and I'll be gone until Wednesday! Why? Because I'm going to be filming a documentary about the young lady who spoke at the purity conference - Amy Vest - to enter in the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival!! We plan on doing interviews and other filming for two to three days, and then there is so much to go over regarding editing, and much more!!! It's amazing how much work making a movie is . . . but it's so neat how God has been working out the details for this to happen. From start to finish it has been - and will be - awesome to see how He puts everything together!!

Please pray for me to be healthy, because right now I have a sore throat and stuffy nose. Caleb's had a fever the last few days, and I'm just hoping and praying that I don't get worse!!

Next week I'll hopefully do a post on how everything went . . . thank you for your prayers!!