One of our disclaimers in the Visual Story Network is that we are not a funding organization. We are a nonprofit depending on ministry investments from various churches, families, businesses, and foundations. That being said, here are a few thoughts for the thousands of us climbing that long steep face of Mt. Fund Development. Here […]
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I am not particularly philosophical. I remember my mind being bent by St. Augustine’s treatise on time in his “Confessions.” Our sense of time makes us unique under the heavens. Traveling outside of fixed time has been a great story device in print and on the screen. It is built into our DNA to want
Jeremy Casper knocked it out of the park with this 30-minute overview on the three-act structure. Thank you Jeremy. Here is a teaser of what you will get… What makes a story? Somebody wants something badly and goes after it against great odds. Act 1: Somebody wants something badly Act 2: And goes after it
Each January I ask the Lord for a new spiritual focus for the year. I pray the theme will increasingly permeate my life as the months go by. Here is my theme from last year… A Slave of Christ (2013) This year it came at 6:40 a.m. January 25, the morning after our Friday night
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“A Cry From Iran” is the most sacred film I have ever seen. This well-documented story of the martyrs from the church in Iran from 1990 to 2007 revolves around Rev. Haik Hovsepian’s life and his sacrificial act of love to save his friend and fellow Iranian pastor Mehdi Dibaj from imminent execution in 1994.
Here’s my take on three ways you can change the world (“put a dent in the universe” in Steve Jobs’ lingo). You can listen to a message Shirin and I gave about this (and learn more about our calling) or just read on. 1. Figure out your calling. This one thing you must do.
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Every story that gets filmed has one or more producers who bring the story to a screen. Ralph Winter has produced movies that have grossed $2.4 billion dollars worldwide. In this webinar, Ralph reviews the producer’s job description and gives his insights on the role of a successful producer in part 3 of our series, “Get
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By Brian Bird 1. Do you have confirmation from at least two other people whose opinions you trust? Mommy and Uncle Joe don’t count. 2. Why are true stories better… as opposed to fictional stories? 3. Does your film have the “wow? or “gee wiz” factor? 4 Does your protagonist have a strong character quest?
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It’s cold in the dim corridor as I walk to room 6 for my retreat at Mission San Luis Rey. As in prior years, I’m the only soul spending the night in the historic mission on the first Thursday of the New Year. I light a candle in my dark room, open my guitar case,
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For those who have a serious interest in becoming a visual storyteller behind the camera (producer, writer, director, DP, etc), please consider the variety of pathways you can pursue (in addition to the 10 Best Practices). Here are options to consider from least creative control to the greatest. 1. The studio system. This is a very
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