Derek Eckenroth
This summer has been quite an adventure. I have not regretted volunteering for this film one bit. It has been trying but fun. Even though we are still in pre-production, there has been a lot to do. We have built 200 feet of period 1920’s fence. We have driven to many areas of the Carolinas to see what locations will work well for the film. We have also spent hours on casting going through hundreds of prospective actors and seeing who will fit for the film.
The one thing that’s really made this production enjoyable for me is the people. The volunteer crew is a lot of fun to work with. On top of that, the faculty and staff are amazing. You can tell that they truly care about the volunteer student crew. We have been getting together for meetings every day to keep us all up-to-date on where we are on production and, even more importantly, praying each morning before we start the day, even if it’s just a general cleanup day. Working on this film has really brought us all together, and I have made some amazing friends.
If there is any lesson I have learned from this production, it is to stay close to God. I am never happier than when I am staying close to Him. The joy of knowing that He is right there by my side through the good and the bad is a real comfort in hard times.
Gonzalo Jimenez
This production has reminded me of the life of John the Baptist. It may seem like he did not accomplish much, but the truth is that his mission was one of the greatest that’s ever been done. He spent about 30 years in preparation for a ministry that only lasted for 6 months. In essence, he prepared for 30 years for a 6-month job! At first glance that may seem discouraging, but when you look at the big picture, John the Baptist was given one of the most important missions in history: preparing the way for the Lord. He was the herald for the Messiah and introduced Him to the world. He spent much time in preparation even though the actual moments of his mission were considerably small. His task was a great importance, and Jesus, the Lord of the universe, called him “the greatest of the prophets.”
We have literally spent hundreds of hours on research and design of period props for a country store. Each of the props has been designed in the computer and then created. This has taken both time and patience as the process has been repeated over and over. It occurred to me one day after working on these country store props for two months that all of the things we had been making would probably only appear in one scene for about five minutes. This realization was crazy to me. All that time for a few seconds! How much more work would it take for the rest of the film? This was discouraging to me at first, but I realized that I needed to look at the big picture. Like John the Baptist’s mission of introducing the Messiah, who is the most important being in the whole universe, this movie brings the most important message in the whole universe: salvation through Jesus Christ. That is why I must give my best as I work on this film.
Lynda Hendrix
Costumes are a challenge. Research, research and more research is a must when it comes to doing a period film. I have learned patience through the process of deciding what will be appropriate for a character to wear in order to be historically accurate. Many times we have had to double check and rethink a lot, and it has been stretching. It has been a temptation to get discouraged and to think that all the work is for nothing because tomorrow we will have to redo everything we did today. That is when I’ve had to refocus my thinking and realize that all the effort is for God. It doesn’t matter if everything I’ve worked on this summer is thrown out the window later on for something better. My job right now is to help move this project forward for the Lord. He has a purpose for everything and for putting this crew together this summer.
As I’ve worked with everyone, I’ve realized over and over again that people are the most important thing. The Lord never lost sight of the needs of those around Him because He was too busy. This truth has rebuked me, and I’ve realized that I should not get so focused on a project that I forget to look around and see the needs of those around me.
Mallory Butler
This summer has been one of the most exciting and educational of my life. Not only have I had the opportunity to practically apply the concepts I have learned as a Cinema and Video Production student, but I have grown in my ability to work as a team player. It is such an amazing experience to see 30 people working extremely hard for the same goal—creating a film that will glorify Him. When things get difficult, the team is the one that keeps things going and makes sure the morale stays high. It’s easy to think that you can accomplish more on your own, but I have learned this summer that it takes the entire team to make filmmaking successful.
Michael Ferrari
Working on the most recent Unusual Films production has been an amazing experience for me. Through the work that I have been doing on this production, such as building props, casting, and many other things, I have not only gained practical film-making experience, but I have also gained a deeper understanding of God. Since the very beginning of the summer, the guys on the crew have been meeting every night in the dorms to pray for this project specifically and anything related to it. We have seen answers to everything from just giving the crew strength to choosing the cast and locations and even acquiring a model TT Ford. We have seen many specific prayer requests answered and are always amazed at how God chooses to efficiently solve problems in His own timing and not in ours.
Ben McElmurray
I’ve really enjoyed working on the production this summer. I’ve been working on building fences and scoreboards for the baseball fields, wagons for children, and building various other props needed. Recently, I’m working on coming up with a system to catalog all the clothing for the costume department.
