WOW!!! After opening weekend, "October Baby" is sitting on the box office charts as the #8 movie in the nation! That's a miracle considering that every other film in the top 10 is showing on well over 1,000 screens, and "October Baby" is only in 390 theaters. Also, it ranks #3 in per-screen average, and #1 in limited release. It is so wonderful to see God's hand of blessing on this beautiful film, and I want to thank each of you who took the time to go out and see it!
And if you haven't seen it yet - it's not too late! It was held over in all but three theaters for a second week! Now's the time to get out and keep the numbers high so it will be held over for a THIRD week!
My friend Michelle joined Mom, Dad, Daniel and I for opening night!
And do you want to know something? The movie was just as good the second time as it was the first! If not better... :-) I knew when it would make me cry so I braced myself and managed to fight back the tears for the most part...until the last five minutes of the film. Then it was a lost cause and I just gave up. Ahhhhhhh, it's SO GOOD!!! Even my dad was crying. :-)
Here is a thank you message from the Erwin brothers (who made the film):
CLICK HERE to check out an Inside Edition piece aboutGianna Jessen, whose real-life experience is the genesis of the October Baby story. (It's only a few minutes long and definitely worth watching!)
Here's a quote from Michael Catt: "Let me be clear, the movie is enlightening, encouraging, and edifying. I would consider it a must see movie for every teenager and parent. It should be recommended by every pastor and priest in our land. There is power in this movie that can only be explained by the hand of God upon it."
Read the rest of Michael Catt's wonderful blog post to hear his amazing testimony of how the film touched him in a very personal way.
Also, if you haven't visited the October Baby facebook page, please hop over there to access more articles, videos, and countless powerful testimonies about how the film is changing lives (and saving unborn lives!).
For the past week (ever since we went to see the film), I've been listening two these two songs every day! When I get stuck on a song, I really get stuck on a song! If Youtube had a repeat option, I would be using it! In this case, I keep jumping back and forth between these two songs that were used in the score of "October Baby"...
In just a few days, an exciting new movie opens in select theaters across the country! I had the privilege of seeing "October Baby" at a pre-screening last month, and it blew me away. I laughed and cried through the whole movie. It was beautiful, compelling, and gripping with it's powerful pro-life message that every life is beautiful. I cannot urge you strongly enough to go see this film.
Another cool fact is that one of the lead actors, Jason Burkey, was in the film I worked on last October, so I got to know him quite well! He's a great guy and a talented actor. It was fun to see him on the big screen as a leading actor in "October Baby."
For a sneak peek, here's the official movie trailer...
The future success of the film largely depends on how well it does opening weekend. That affects whether theaters keep it longer than one week, whether distributors will want to pick it up, and so forth. Also, prospective viewers will look at the box office rating from that first weekend to decide if they want to go see it or not. All of this ultimately determines how much money is going back to the filmmakers to cover the investments in the film and to enable them to continue making Christ-honoring family films.
So please, if at all possible, try to go see "October Baby" this weekend. You will not only be enjoying wholesome entertainment, but you will be taking a stand to support the independent Christian film industry and the pro-life message as well! Part of the proceeds will go to help pregnancy centers and adoption agencies.
What's at the heart of "October Baby"? See what Jon Erwin, co-director of the film (whom I got to meet at the SAICFF), has to say...
Visit their website to learn more about the film, watch more videos and testimonies, and find a theater near you where it will be showing:
So many great Irish songs! It's hard to pick only a few to post here.
Of course we have to include Bing Crosby...
And Judy Garland...
And that amazing balladeer, Charlie Zahm...
Phil Coulter...
The High Kings...
Darren Holden and Brian Dunphy (two members of The High Kings)...
And last but not least... Celtic Thunder!
The Prayer of Saint Patrick I arise today Through the strength of heaven;Light of the sun, ... ... Splendor of fire, Speed of lightning, Swiftness of the wind, Depth of the sea, Stability of the earth, Firmness of the rock.
I arise today Through God's strength to pilot me; God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's hosts to save me Afar and anear, Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today Against wounding Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me. I arise today Through the mighty strength Of the Lord of creation.
Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be at your back, may the suns shine warm upon your face. May the rain fall softly on your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
My morning got off to a very unusual start today. I didn't get much sleep last night, so I was laying in bed feeling rather tired...all warm and snuggled down in my soft flannel sheets that I really hate having to part from in the mornings...when Mom suddenly opened my door and announced that there was a lost puppy crying in our front yard. I was up, dressed, and out the front door in record time!
The poor little fella was cowering under the truck, wimpering and trembling. I pulled him out, and it only took a little bit of petting and sweet talking before he was cuddling up against me. He was so sweet. If I moved away, he would whimper and follow and press up against me. It turns out that he belongs to our neighbor up the road, whose dog just had eight puppies. He must have wandered off during the night. It was quite a long trip for such a little fella, and it makes me sad to think of how scared and lonely he must have felt all night. We heard him crying in the early morning hours, but we didn't realize what it was (and had no idea it was coming from our own yard).
He was covered in ticks. COVERED. As in hundreds. Literally. It was so gross. This picture gives you something of an idea, but they were also clustered in his arm pits, his ears, between his toes... It was awful! And with that many ticks, you know that some of them have to be carrying Lyme's Disease, which is pretty prevelent in our state.
Mom suggested soaking him in warm soapy water to try and kill the ticks. His first bath! He went in like a trooper.
He didn't want to stay too long, though. He was so tired. He actually fell asleep in the sink. He crawled up like this (except on the side against the wall), laid his head on his paws, and fell asleep. It was so cute, and so pitiful! I pulled him back down in the water, and kept one hand under his tummy and one hand under his chin to keep him from drowning because he was still asleep! I wanted him to soak a few more minutes while Stephen got an old towel to wrap him in.
I sprayed him off with the sink sprayer, and that woke him up! He didn't like that AT ALL and kept crying. Then I wrapped him in the towel and went back outside. He was soon fast asleep in my arms, and I went to work picking off the ticks with a pair of tweazers and dropping them in a bucket of water. The ticks were hanging on for dear life! The puppy kept whimpering in his sleep while I pried them off. I felt so bad.
Unfortunately, I had to work at the library today, so five minutes before I had to leave, I finally tore myself away, handed him off to Stephen, and ran inside to change clothes, pack up my stuff, and get going. Stephen was very helpful and had packed my lunch and my water bottle for me while I was still taking care of the puppy.
Stephen got as many ticks off as he could before the little fella woke up and started squirming too much. Stephen says that he got really perky after his nap, and was nibbling on his toes and being really playful. Then he ate some more dog food and promptly flopped over and went back to sleep. The neighbors came and got him not too long after that. I'm going to miss him! He was such a sweet little tyke. :-)
It finally happened! I got my hair cut short again! I really like it. And I can't wait to try curling it on the ends so it's kinda like a 1940's look... (well, hopefully that's what it will end up looking like).
I also have Adobe Lightroom 3 now, and I decided to play around with that a bit yesterday. Here are some of the results! I'm sorry you have to look at the same two pictures over and over. We only took a few, but if I had known I would do this, we would have taken more and I would have made some different expressions or something. :-) Anyway, here we go!
The original picture straight from the camera:
Here's the edited version:
Then I played with some presets (and tweaked them a little).
This one is "Green Filter":
Direct Positive:
"Color CP 2":
"Bleach Bypass":
I'm slowly figuring out my way around the program, but I still have so much to learn! It's really fun, though. I love editing pictures (almost as much as I love taking them, I think).
On a different subject, my brother Daniel is finally home to stay after working at the General Assembly as a Legislative Aide for the past two months (and only coming home on the weekends). Please pray for him when you think of it. He got the bad cold virus that's going around (he might have gotten it from me last week when he came home to visit), and for some reason, whenever he gets a cold, he seems to end up sick to his stomach as well. That hit last night while we were watching a movie, and he jumped up off the sofa and hurried towards the bathroom.
Well, he blacked out in the kitchen and cut the back of his head when he fell. The cut is a few inches long and looks pretty nasty. He was supposed to be a special speaker at some Republican event tonight, and we were going to go swing dancing tomorrow night, but it doesn't look like any of that is going to happen. Anyway, prayer for his healing would be appreciated (and that none of us would get sick...). We've got a busy weekend ahead. Mom is one of the main organizers for a huge birthday party for our pastor this Saturday. We need all hands on deck to help prepare the food and set up the facility and so forth. I'm supposed to be one of the photographers for the event, which is the first time I've ever been an official "photographer" for anything. Kind of exciting!
I'd better run now and get ready for Bible Study and then working at the library. I hope everyone is having a great week! :-)
My Grandpa (on my father's side) turned 91 years old today! I went through some picture albums tonight and found these old pictures (uploading them through my iPhone - I love the conveniences of modern technology!). Come walk with me down memory lane...
Grandpa with his two children - Courter (my dad) and Elizabeth
Marie (my step-grandmother), my parents, Grandpa, my cousin Charlene, and myself.
Grandpa visiting his first-born grandson.
Three generations!
L-R: Robert Courter, Robert Daniel, and Robert Julian.
Grandpa reading me a book.
Piggy-back ride!
Grandpa giving us a ride in the wagon.
And now giving us a ride on the sleigh!
Helping me open my new game - Flippin' Flapjacks. :-)
Grandpa holding Daniel (who is now 20!)
Buggy ride!
Grandpa in his uniform (he was a Brigadier General in the army).
Another birthday, many years ago!
20 years ago, Charlene and I helped Grandpa blow out his candles.
Yesterday, Dad and Aunt Elizabeth helped Grandpa blow out his candles.
And to end with...one of my favorites from several years ago. :-)
Warning: long post ahead! Lots of pictures, lots of words, and a video at the end that you won't want to miss! Not that it's terribly amazing, but it will give you a visual peek into my week in San Antonio. I threw it together in a bit of a rush yesterday morning while I had a few hours to use my brother's computer (thereby giving me access to iMovie), but I think it turned out decently well. Anyway, even if you don't want to read my thoughts about the festival, at least skip to the end and watch the video. Comments and criticisms are welcome (I'd love to hear your thoughts on how I could make such a video more interesting. I'm pretty new to doing this).
Okay, here we go...
On Sunday, I had to brave the airport for the first time since October 2010 (before the TSA became such a terror). All the passengers had to pass through the body scanner, but I'm thankful that I didn't get pulled for a pat down (one lady behind me did). After several hours and a long layover in Atlanta, I arrived in sunny San Antonio and enjoyed a relaxed evening with my friend Anna and her family (and I got to see "The Rocketeer" for the first time - great movie!). It had just started snowing back home when I left, so I was happy about the warm weather in Texas!
Monday morning, we were up bright and early and headed to San Antonio for the first day of the Christian Film Academy. I didn't have enough money to attend the Academy this year, but I had wonderful plans to roam the city and take lots of pictures while enjoying the warm weather. It was supposed to get up in the 60's on Monday. But what I failed to account for was how long it would take to warm up that much. So, most of the day was spent indoors hiding from the chilly, overcast weather. But I did get to enjoy some warm sun after lunch while I sat outside at the food court with my friend Nathanael (who wasn't attending the Academy, either), and took lots and lots of pictures of ducks and pidgeons. :-)
(No, this isn't a pidgeon or a duck. It is, in fact, my friend Nathanael.)
A colorful pheasant that roams the courtyard at the Marriott (where the Academy was held).
Now we're getting to the ducks and pidgeons!
Monday night, I enjoyed eating dinner with some wonderful old friends at the Casa Rio. We ate outside by the River Walk, which turned out to be a bit chilly, but it was fun nonetheless. :-)
Spencer and Laina:
Tuesday was much warmer! Yay! I went to lunch with Spencer, Joshua, and Mr. Munger...
After lunch, I roamed the River Walk by myself. I took MORE pictures of ducks (hehe!), and had fun taking pictures of other subjects as well. :-)
I had a great time playing with my camera settings and figuring out how to get the glossy effect with running water! I've been wanting to find a waterfall and do that for a LONG TIME. I was pretty happy!
three men of excellent character, and very talented in their fields of expertise!
Virginia Phillips! So adorable. :-)
Having fun with my macro lens. :-)
Tuesday afternoon, Derek Moreland asked me to help direct some of the scenes that volunteers would act out for Kirk Cameron on Wednesday. I was very excited to participate, and ended up blocking and directing a scene from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (so perfect for me!). I had a blast. We worked through it for a while, then Derek came over and polished it up. He is much better at tweaking smaller details than I am. :-)
Kirk Cameron speaking on Wednesday. I was allowed to stand in the back and listen (yay!).
Back at Casa Rio on Wednesday night for dinner with great friends!
Scott Eash, Caleb Angelino, Derek Moreland, and Shad Eash.
Thursday was the first day of the Film Festival! Anna and I started off the day by attending a 3-hour workshop on photography. In the afternoon, I attended a ChristianFilmmakers.org meetup in the park and visited with a lot of friends (and took a few pictures...and ate pizza!).
From the park, we rushed to the opening ceremonies for the Film Festival.
Friday night, we managed to get a picture of all the folks at the Festival who had worked on "Alone Yet Not Alone" (except for Mr. Escobar and Nathanael Brunner, whom we couldn't locate). It was quite a "family reunion"!
My dear friend and kindred spirit, Anna! I had so much fun staying at her house for the whole week and getting to spend some more time with her.
Stephen Kendrick accepting the award for Best of Festival (for "Courageous"),
and giving the glory to God. :-)
Love these guys! Peter Forbes and Nate Eckerson.
We've worked on multiple Advent films together.
Filmmakers from PA - Josiah Einwechter and Shad Eash!
Two wonderful and godly young men that I am blessed to call my friends.
Three cherished friends - David, Christy, and Rebekah Cook!
Four wonderful young men from the HueMoore team! I was so blessed to spend more time with most of them this year and get to know them better.
(R-L: Derek Moreland, Johnny Reighard, Gator Moore, and John Moore)
This is what happens when you acquiesce to John's request for "one more picture!" :-)
Many people have asked me about my favorite part of the Festival. I didn't have to think too hard about that one. My favorite part was definitely the fellowship with so many amazing, godly people who are not only my friends, but fellow filmmakers as well! That's pretty special. I don't get to hang out with filmmakers more than a few times a year, so to be surrounded by hundreds and even thousands of them at once...WOW! What a blessing!
Last year (well, technically a year and a half ago) was my first time attending, so I only knew the handful of Advent people that were also there. This year, however, I knew all the Advent people PLUS the many new friends I had made last time PLUS the filmmakers that I had met and become friends with on Facebook and was finally meeting in person for the first time, and on top of that, there were so many new people to meet! That's one of the big reasons I went down for the Academy even though I wouldn't be attending. I knew I could use all the breaks and meals to visit with people and keep networking (because there was no way I could pack all of that socializing into the 2.5 days of the Festival!).
I spent the majority of my time getting to know people better that I had met last year (or on Facebook). Even though I am an extrovert, I am also very shy (don't ask how that makes sense). Once I know someone, I am perfectly fine and can talk to them all day (as long as they talk back), but it's rather difficult for me to jump that first hurdle of introducing myself and meeting someone for the first time. If they approach me or if someone introduces us, then there's no difficulty. And honestly, I am getting better about putting myself forth and meeting people.
However, I am also the type of person who prefers several close friendships instead of many acquaintances. Thus my tendency to spend more time getting to know people better instead of meeting as many people as I can. But one advantage to knowing more people this year was that I could meet new people more easily THROUGH the friends that I already had. Counting through the number of new Facebook friends that I've acquired as a result of the Festival, I would say that I met 30-40 new people this year. For me...I'd say that's pretty good.
Another thing I really enjoyed was never having to be alone. It's not terribly pleasant to feel lost in a sea of 2,000+ strangers. Having so many friends allowed me to bounce around from one group to another and always have someone to talk to or go to meals with, etc. Oh, I had so much fun!!! I am unbelievably blessed to have so many precious friends! I only wish I could see most of them more than once a year. I'm hoping that God will open the door for many of us to work together on projects in the coming months...
You're probably wondering if I watched any films. (I was at a Film Festival, after all!) Why yes, I did watch a few! My friend Chad Stembridge made an excellent documentary called "Sforzando" about a music camp hosted by a church in Chicago. Some friends of mine in PA (Shad and Scott Eash and Josiah Einwechter) made a humorous and compelling short film called "I Don't Believe in Guns" based on an analogy by Gary DeMar (follow the link to view it online for free!).
The only feature I watched was "Seasons of Gray," and it was phenomenal! They're planning a theatrical release this year, but need our help to bring the film to more cities across the USA. The story is about a modern day Joseph, and it is so well done! One of the things I loved about it (besides the fact that "Joseph" - aka Brady - is a cowboy) is that they manage to keep you guessing throughout the entire film. We ALL know the story of Joseph, but the movie was never predictable. And the production quality was excellent. It won the People's Choice award at the Festival by a landslide. So yes, this is one you'll probably want to go see. It's definitely one I would like to own and watch again. :-)
There are many more films that I would have liked to watch, but people always trump movies. I would love to able to view all the films and see what everybody is doing, but it is so hard to sit in a screening room for an extended amount of time when there are so many people to be talking to (and only a few days to do it in!). Besides, networking is one of most valuable things you can do at the Festival.
I always leave the Festival so refreshed (in a occupational way; I am always completely exhausted physically). The teaching and exhortation I receive from the speakers and the encouragement from other like-minded filmmakers never fails to inspire, convict, and challange me. How am I using my time at home to learn and grow in the skills God has given me? To what extent am I seeking the Lord? Geoff Botkin used his son Benjamin (a gifted composer) as an example of how we will produce our best work when we are most fervently seeking to know God better. And as Stephen Kendrick challenged us -- if God asks me to lay aside my pet dreams and projects in order to follow a different path or pursue a different project, am I willing to sacrifice my will for His?
Okay, here's the video I put together. I took over 125 videos during the course of the week, so it wasn't easy to pick which clips to use, but here is a 3 1/2 min. video that gives an overview of my week in San Antonio. Once Daniel is back home this weekend and I'm able to use his computer, I'll put together some clips with their actual audio so you can hear some of the speakers, etc. But for now, take a look at this one and please leave me some feedback! As a viewer, what do you like, and how could I make it more interesting?
Oh, and as a disclaimer - parts of the video became more jerky at some point during the rendering/exporting process. It wasn't all due to my camera work (although that does need improving). :-)
