Day Four

I'm listening to: "Something More" by Switchfoot

Today is day four from a very long, tiring, and beautiful weekend.... 

Day 1

Friday Morning

This weekend was all about Where You Are..or was it?  Yeah it was...but anyway. My plane flew in at 9:18am, and I was greeted by my wonderful partners Zachariah and Sarah. We headed back to Sarah's place where we had planned to read Where You Are to our composer Darren Mcfate. This was such an important moment for us, because as you know, music and sound is so important. And we wanted Darren to hear the films emotion. So I read, and read, and read, and read. And it was such a good time for us, and Darren. We ended up sitting around after the reading and just talked about.....Life.....for another 2 hours. That was it so great about this film....it almost forces you to talk after it is over....and not about how well it was...but about...something more....something bigger...

Friday Night

As some of you know in September we shot another short film entitled "Happy Birthday Wes", starring Jason McCool, Marissa Molnar, and Chris Rubeiz. We had finally finished the post work and the premiere was planned for friday night.  Friends, actors, crew members, supporters, came to see the film and see each other. It was a great night. We played the film, and it shined bright. Brighter than Sarah, Zachariah, and I thought that it would.  We were proud....so was everyone else. It amazed me to look around the room and see all of the muscians, talent, crew...people who are so very skilled in their craft. A Team.  And it was good for us to feel successful together. It was because of our team that we made this film, and it is so good because of this team. 

Day 2

Saturday....All Day Saturday

We were so amazed by our team last night. It was awesome, and that gave us some great fuel for the task that was inf ront of us. "Locking the Screenplay". What is so great about last night, and Happy Birthday Wes, is that so many people from that team will be working on Where You Are. But today we had to write, discuss changes, put the film in its final version. It was hard, and it took 10 hours straight to fix. But we did it. and its really hard to believe that the film is EVEN better than it was on Friday. 

Day 3

Sunday

This morning we drove to DC to film a promo about Where You Are. We will have it launch with the new Where You Are website soon. We are excited to share that with you. I won't say much about that, cause you'll just need to see it for yourself. But it was cool....and I mean that litterly...it was snowing/raining in DC when we were film. We were freezing. Chucks suck in the cold, and Sarah wasn't socks, but my situation was clearly worse....Zachariah had gloves.....jerk..but we pressed in and made it happen. 

Day 4

And now i'm hearing sitting at my familar place. With my beautiful wife. 

Where You Are lives on.....and thanks for following us....thanks for supporting us...we need it. Thank you very much. 

Thorns In My Side

I'm Listening To: "Skyline Drive" by Mae

...There is a perfectly clear path, that is perfectly paved, and even has guard rails on it so you can't fall.  

It is easy. 

It is the path to fame, to greatness.  Many walk on it because of its success rate. Those who have been on it, have achieved just that...fame...greatness...riches beyond imagination.... Next to this path there is a a thick jungle, and you cannot see your legs hitting the ground, or what is crawling up your legs.  This path is scary, this is not even a path.  You find yourself bleeding from the unforeseen thorns in your side.  As you look to your left, you can see many people walking on this easy, beautiful path, and you look at yourself...trapped...

When C&I Studios was started, it was unfocused.....without vision....selfish...We didn't know what we wanted to make, we just wanted to make films like everyone else, make funny things, serious things....I remember filming a lot of comedic films and shorts in the beginning. Then I wanted to make something serious about abortion....so we made this short called "My Life" in 2005.  This has to be one of my favorites that we have ever made. I was so happy with it.  I remember showing it to my friend Sarah at the time. and she said "Josh, this is the best thing you have ever done".  (That is when I knew I wanted to work with Sarah).  It took 2 more years until that wish came true and here we are. It was soon after that, when C&I Studios began to get serious about life...about why...why are we filming these things....

Now.  We are focused.  We have a clear vision. We have chosen to only make films with purpose, only films that matter, that will inspire change. We have chosen to get off of Hollywoods path, and make our own path. A new one. We choose to walk through this unchartnered jungle, because we know we are different.  We know it will take a different kind of film and a different kind of company to make an impact in this world...this life.  So here we are, making a new path.. And that path is created out of a love for other people, it is made with seeing needs of other people that we may not know, it is made with a passion to Change, to Change this world.....now, the last thing on our minds is fame......richess.....greatness....ALL we care about is other people being inspired...other people looking into themselves and wanting MORE....wanting more out of life....remembering those early childhood dreams, that once were close to their hearts....and that is why now.....and the path is hard...it's harder...its pain....but...completely worth it. 

The lessons that we've learn as the thorns pierce our sides couldn't be learned any other way, and we say YES!  We wouldn't have it any other way.  We are standing up for a new kind of film...a new kind of dream....a new hope....

...and the reason, by the way, why I like that film "My Life" so much, wasn't because of the way it was shot, or the acting in it. or anything like but.......it had a message....

Sarah......Zachariah....thanks for holding my hand as we walk through this...

Faith: That Tricky Bastard

I'm listening to: George Winston - The Crystal Ship

Hey, fellas. It's your favorite skinny white boy, Zachariah Lewis. Joshua  asked me to write a little sumsum on the blog, so here it goes...

Faith. I don't know how much of an issue it is for you blogees, but I'm learning that it's not the strongest part of me. On the whole, I've always believed in God and his plan that he has for me. But it seems that in the literal sense, I'm very negative and doubtful about things like this project. I want so bad for my studio to prosper. I want to make a change in this dark world, but it seems impossible. I'm human and there's no way this could be done. I do IT in Washington DC. I don't change the world. But...faith

I've expressed these feelings with my partners and after some good talks we've decided my problem. Faith.  I need faith in my God. He's done much bigger and better things than what we're asking for now and he wants to help. All we need is a little faith to accomplish this thing.

Matthew 17:20 says "Because you have such little faith, I tell you the truth. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain 'move from here to there' and it will move for you. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Nothing will be impossible.

Sorry to get so spiritual on you guys. That's just been my personal struggle.

Until next time...

Less Of Me Is Where Your Drawing Me....

I'm listening to: "I Must Decrease" by: Paul Daugherty And Envoy

I got up this morning thinking about life......thinking about the fatal car accident I saw on my long drive home...

What is life really about? Is it about waking up everyday, going to work, getting your assignment done on time, people liking you, and approving your decisions, sitting around having a few beers with friends....or

is it something more...

Maybe life has absolutely nothing to do with me....maybe life is waiting for me to do something to it....

I think we all need LESS of us....LESS of me....and more hope, more change, more passion about the things that actually matter in this world.  Sarah wrote a blog a couple entree's ago, read it, its called "To Not Forget", one of my favorites........This world....is it all talk?......do we watch the dead woman on the side of road, and we sit in traffic and do we think......"Damn I'm going to be late"...........DAMN IT!...we do.....we do..... that isn't us...i know it.  We have forgot...we have forgotten something...and whatever it is, it needs to be ignited again....IGNITE US AGAIN!!!!!

Is it all talk?  The main reason we couldn't just make a film, is because I don't want it to be all talk...I want it to be real, to mean something, to scream loudly and say......LESS of me.... For us all to step out of our armored skin, and be vulnerable to pain, to emotion, to feel.   To do something to life to change things.  And if we fail.....and if we fail....then we still lived.... we lived more than many... 

Where You Are: Project Swaziland is our small attempt at change, and it really has nothing to do with me...it has nothing to do with us...There are people who need help....so we are helping...and this is the best way we know how....