Overdue Appreciation

The above photo was taken at the wrap party, about one year ago, that was hosted by the parents of the young actress in the movie. They held the party at their beautiful home, and went to great lengths to make it a great time of celebration. I have been meaning to post this for a long time, but just couldn't seem to get to it. Rather than write an entire post, I have simply copied the appreciation speech I gave at the party, it is worth repeating, in my opinion.

"I want to thank everyone who put time, energy and prayer into this project. Several of those people aren’t here, but they contributed and deserve the appreciation. I know it is a sacrifice to work on an under-paying job like this one. I produced this movie primarily to glorify God and point people to Christ. My secondary reasons for producing this were to generate income that will help me more movies for Him, and to generate work for people who want to use their talents to serve the Lord in Christian media. Provided that we had the right motives, I believe the sacrifices we all made to do this work fall into the category described in Romans 12:1.

“I urge you therefore, bretheren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

So, without going into a lengthy Bible study about sacrifice, treasures in Heaven, blessings, etc. let me just say that your efforts will accomplish far more than just help to get another scary movie into the market.

I appreciate the long hours that the people on this production. I appreciate everyone doing their part to get along and work together. I appreciate people who put aside their own pride, their own interests, and their own plans to pitch in and support this production. I appreciate the time and effort that the prayer team put into supporting this movie, and DGW Video Productions in general. Those prayers work.

Thank you.


HOSTS

I really am overwhelmed with the hospitality shown by Patricia and Todd. This party, which they completely planned and conducted, was graciously offered to us all. These are people that you just can’t out-serve, they seem to always be giving more back. Patricia bought coffee for the cast and crew one late night, she brought food on some of the production days, she was always contributing. And when she wasn’t bringing food or coffee, she stayed quietly tucked away in our dining room-to make certain that she didn’t get in the way.
Thank you for everything, and thank you for this party.

Like I stated earlier, a lot of people contributed to this project. There are a few that I think deserve special recognition.

MARY SARAH GROSS

Not only is Mary Sarah talented in, and dedicated to the craft of acting, she is a lot of fun. First, let me talk about her talent and dedication. She was always prepared, she knew the scenes we were shooting, and she had memorized and practiced her lines. I think she even worked with an acting coach in preparation for some of the scenes. She was always ready to go. I would say something like “okay Mary Sarah, we’ll be ready for you in the scene in just a minute” and she would be standing beside me in her wardrobe just shortly after the echo of my voice left the room! She took direction very well. She hit her lines with very few takes. She had a good, believable presence on camera. She never complained or acted tired, even after very long shooting days. And we had some of those. Then, off camera, she was a joy to have on the set. She got along well with my son and daughter. She brought some laughter and joviality to the production-and I know I am not the only one who appreciates that. I was originally concerned about working with a young actress, so I minimized the number of scenes with the character of Julie, just to play it safe. If I had known Mary Sarah before this production, I would have made sure she was written into many more scenes of the movie.

Thank you Mary Sarah.

JOHN and DAWN BURSELL

John and Dawn spent a lot of time preparing for this production, and they, especially John, spent a lot of time on the set of this production. They poured many hours and large amounts of energy into this project. They both had to make some pretty big sacrifices to be in this production. John was always ready to “go all night” if that what it took to get the shots. Dawn was always checking and doubling checking with me to make sure that she did the scene to my liking. They each did some very difficult scenes, both from and acting and emotional standpoint. John spent many hours in a cramped, hot attic, but endured it as long as it took to get all the shots. We had to start many days early and end them late, but they each kept working without complaint until we got all the shots. They each were patient to do multiple takes to make sure that we got just the right one. As a result, I have a lot of good footage, dailies that look much better than what I am used to getting.

Thank you John and Dawn.

BILL CHRISTIAN

I don’t think I have known anyone as multi-talented, hard-working, good-natured and humble as Bill. I knew Bill’s father, Bob, for a few years before meeting Bill. They are both talented, good-natured Godly men, and they both contributed to this production, but I am going to focus on Bill here. Bill was there on the first shooting day and there for the last shot, the martini shot. At the end, he was volunteering his time. I had already paid him all I could, and he had already met the obligations of his contract. He kept on working. I originally hired him as the key grip and boom operator. He ended up working camera and doing just about everything but food preparation before the job was done. He is now working on the editing for the extra features for the dvd. Bill always jumped in and did whatever needed to be done without complaint, even at times where complaining might have been justified. He turned out to be a very good cameraman in addition to all his help with lighting, scene composition, etc. It was apparent at all times that Bill was working for the Lord’s glory. He is a fine example of a man using his talents to serve the Lord in the Christian media industry. I hope we will work on another project together soon.

Thank you Bill.


Thank you again everyone who worked on this project, either on the set or behind the scenes. I could not have done this without your help. I pray that God blesses each of you for your contribution."