Merry Christmas – Holiday Updates
Today is the 23rd of December – the final days of 2018 are coming to a close. I’ve been bouncing between the sound studio where the final touches are being done to THE CHRIST SLAYER. Our director will be coming in to work the final mix after Christmas. Speaking of – we’ve had one of three family Christmas gatherings. Yesterday we enjoyed a good meal and opened presents with my brother’s young ones. We had a good time and from there I went to a yearly holiday dinner at The English Inn, a cool turn of the century manor house turned into a restaurant. Prime rib was my choice as I only eat red meat a handful of times a year. I felt a little sluggish this morning likely due to the Guinness beer added on top, but it was a nice holiday treat with old friends.
Today will be spent getting things around for the other two Christmas gatherings. I will be stoking on the fire in the office stove, trying out my new boiling vessel to make mulled spice wine. I do love that we got a powder of snow which makes it all so much more pretty.
Some journeys will be finishing up, such as The Christ Slayer and new journeys lie ahead. I’ll start talking to our investors about our new film projects. LOST HEART which has distribution lined up will be setting up for a spring shoot. We’ve been looking at cast and directors.
Also some moves are being made on the much-anticipated sequel to CDI’s 1st film KNIGHT CHILLS. We’ve been reading new possible leads and discussing the script. Lots to set up before we would shoot this one but good development taking place. More on this soon.
Also this year I want to package the original 4 CDI films into a DVD collection (Knight Chills, From Venus, Heaven’s Neighbors, Figure in the Forest) – the early years. Put BTS and interview material on there. Maybe do a few educational retrospectives. Because they were filmed in standard def many of these are having a hard time finding new distribution. We’ll see.
Merchandise is another 2019 goal – I want to see more of this. We might be pulling together the backers for this endeavor.
Representation – I have had several regional agents in the beginning. I’ve had CA/LA agents both large and small. In the recent years I’ve just rolled with legal and handled my own business. I cannot help but think that more could be done with the right representation. I will explore this more in the new year. I’m excited to get back in front of the cameras. This year wide audiences will get to enjoy Jesus (again) in THE CHRIST SLAYER, Ben Lily in WILD FAITH and Paul Landings in MBF.
Speaking on MBF – we’re looking to release a BTS piece created by David Gries, directed by Mel Anschutz and shot my Graham Turner during our shoot. We’ll release either Christmas Eve or Day, maybe sooner:) The film’s first edit should be close to being complete. We’ll do a fine edit in the new year.
I’ve said it before but in advance on part 3 of The Quest Trilogy (The Christ Slayer) releasing, I would ask you all to watch Forty Nights and Chasing the Star. They are an excellent watch for the holiday season.
I’m going to fire up the creative engines and get to making new art. I do hope to be approached for participation in new creative acting endeavors. This might be the year RACHEL, RIFLE, FAMINE and a few other films launch. I also plan to produce 2-3 films this year with CDI. What I’m meant to do, I will. Work hard and have faith in your path.
I’m going to get back to finishing up things here. My new furry boy Finn helped me rack the new GRAPE APE wine this past week. We had a little early sampling on our Viking Day this week. It’s our day of friendship and wood chopping. SKOL. I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful Christmas. Let the spirit fill you and be good to one another. Keep some of this holiday cheer and carry it through the year with you. Allow others to have their opinions. Listen as much as you speak. Look for unity with your fellow citizens.
Peace to you all.
DJ
“Wild Faith” Rides Into 4 New Cities – Several Development Updates
I’m sipping the hot hazelnut (coffee) on this frozen Sunday watching the squirrels eat the left over squash and strawberries from last night. I want to welcome our readers from Chile. We’re glad to have you with us as we recap another strong week of updates.
Let’s start with the music video I participated in as camera talent. I was approached about acting in ‘My Ghosts‘ a music video. I was taken by the story/concept script for the music video. The artist (Trey Connor) was strong in his genre and style and the director (Tomaki Boaz‘s) previous work showed he’s a strong developing storyteller.
I was trying to match their premiere date with one of our “Wild Faith” showings to give them a nice plug. The dates did not work out and they released the music video yesterday. I’m proud when I see young people not just interested in ‘playing‘ with the camera but developing their business. One wrong variable can decrease overall production value if not addressed properly. I enjoyed seeing the happiness these young filmmakers had in presenting their final work yesterday. The producer was proud of producing her first music video, as she should be. Of course friends and family first rush to give their congrats. And I see one individual whose response was something like “Umm do you want my honest response?” – First by logic alone, anyone who references an honest response is ultimately saying that usually they are not honest in their responses. But this “bait” was an obvious setup for someone to go against the grain just for attention. This producer wasn’t commenting on the video but the process of taking something from concept to final product. It’s a skill sorely lacking in many circles – you know who you are. So you’ve got this guy wanting to throw stones at young people not playing filmmaker but actually doing business as filmmakers. I usually stay out of such things but I had to call him on his withheld opinion. What enlightening words is he about to drop with his honest opinion? EVERYONE has or should have an opinion on everything – that’s called thinking. It doesn’t make anyones opinion any more special. Many have been brought up in the age of “say anything behind a computer” where class, politeness and sincerity is often overlooked. If this person had something truly caring and constructive to offer they would offer it in a private discussion versus a public tease of offering judgmental, opinionated honesty. ** NOTE: This individual clarified their post and brings up good points on “bandwagon liking” everything out there. I’m glad to be wrong here but know the rock throwers will emerge. That too is a skill artists must learn – to suffer the slings and arrows of critics. I say don’t ride the rollercoaster of up’s and down’s – steady as she goes is the best policy.
I can tell just by the words people manifest if they lead a positive life that opens new opportunities or a negative life whereas the world is always keeping them down. I’m not sure what this guy will respond with but if I was looking to hire someone – I know which individual will likely be presented with new opportunities. It’s pretty easy to identify the people who will continue to fill themselves with venom and spread it. Social media actually makes it quite easy for employers to get a psychological profile on people. Negativity is a poison that nobody wants in their work environment. If Trey’s music is a far cry from your daily dose of death metal like SLAYER – cool. There are many who don’t get the art of those bands who growl and slam about in mosh pits either but it doesn’t make it any less enjoyable for those others who embrace it. I’m just saying, having an opinion does not always require giving an opinion. Sometimes best to say less or nothing if you’ve got nothing nice to say. Honesty can be used to help or hurt, the intention is what I look at. When done to showboat publicly it’s mostly used to hurt. When done personally and privately it’s usually done to help. NOTE IT. Enjoy this music video created by some hardworking young people making their way into our industry. What I love is I don’t have to make any apologies for the work. It’s solid.
Music Video for Trey Connor’s ‘My Ghosts”
Speaking of young people in our industry – I went to the local Lansing, Michigan CCFF mixer Thursday night to support this event. It is exciting to see so many passionate about our industry. Congrats to all those who work so hard to provide that experience. It was good seeing a few old friends down there. The coconut shrimp and other eats were wonderful. I hope they have a very successful 2018 fest.
As “Forty Nights” contines to play strong on Amazon Prime and other platforms along with “Chasing the Star” – the 3rd installent is under construction. “The Christ Slayer” trailer is finished save conforming and color correction which will start next week. Soon audiences will get a peek at Part 3 which will be in theaters on the run up to Christmas and home video for Easter 2019. It looks amazing and that is because of all the talented artists led by our director Nathaniel Nose.
We’ve just completed our Novi, Michigan theatrical run with “Wild Faith” and now we’re about to open in four new Michigan cities. HASTINGS! JACKSON! KALAMAZOO! BATTLE CREEK! These special event showings are happening because of you demanding it. Contact your theaters and get contact info for their management to pass along. We’re working on a dozen new showing locations and we’ll try to get close to you. We’ll keep moving and playing the film on the big screen all Summer until our Fall home video release. But do yourself a favor and go see it on the big screen. I may attend the first Hastings screening on Monday. So far we’ve had a great time touring with our (mid) western and I’m appreciative of our audience’s responses.
Next month “Wild Faith” will join “Chasing the Star” in Florida for the International Christian Film Festival. Both are up for numerous awards but I’m just excited about more people being able to experience these films on the big screen. Rebecca Lawlor our main EP on all three films in The Quest Trilogy will be there to represent Collective Development Inc. – also attending will be Shane Hagedorn, Lauren LaStrada and Jesse Low – all three who were nominated for “Wild Faith” and I wouldn’t be surprised if Garry Nation attends for his nomination of Best Actor in “Chasing the Star“.
MBF (Man’s Best Friend) – We’ve just received the last of our paperwork/funds and once I deposit the final check on Monday the new ship will be seaworthy. We’ll have our shooting script and shoot schedule set next week. Casting and crewing paperwork will be underway in the next two weeks. The process of “finding” the character has been interesting. I’m playing the title role in the film and love the challenges it presents. I’m excited about all the great talent we have gathering on both sides of the camera. This will be another great CDI story to tell. We launch the ship (roll cameras) in May and will finish in early June. Among the exciting developments is a visit from a major cable network to our film set. Let’s just say it has to do with ANIMALS🙂
I’ve also been in heavy writing and development mode – and I’m very excited about that. CDI is in talks on content creation for a few emerging studios. This could mean some very exciting on-going things for the tribe at CDI. We’ll also be announcing a new on-going commercial deal that CDI has with another major corporation. TV series and new feature films are all on deck. I’ve got a few really big meetings coming up this month. I’m actually more concerned with the travel arrangements versus the actual meetings. Talking business and films doesn’t stress me at all but travel and technology has done that on occasion.
I’m going to jump off here to seek some food and also do some creative writing. I hope some of you will make it to the “Wild Faith” showings. I have more meetings this week. I’ll also be prepping for my short upcoming business trip. I wish we had that teleportation technology in action. Enjoy the week ahead and be good to one another.
DJ
Back at It! Great Developments in 2018
Welcome new readers from Sweden, France and Russia. I’ve been to Sweden years ago with my overseas soccer team. I’ve never been to France or Russia but you never know. This week marked the back-to-business full steam ahead. I had a wonderful holiday and truly appreciated the downshift in schedule. I had to keep some work flowing but it is important to take those moments to appreciate. You don’t want to keep moving your goals back. Allow your self to enjoy where you are and to reflect on what made that journey easy or difficult. Learn.
These two knuckleheads were clawing the frozen ground seeking food. I hooked them up. Needless to say, they are now very happy and have joined the DJ Perry fan club.
These five talented men – I’ve co-starred with all of them previous to “Wild Faith” – I’m excited for all of them to see what they created. It is a goal for cast and crew to be proud of their involvement. Some don’t always appreciate the endeavor until many years later and some understand the life and love we put into these stories as they live it. Be appreciative of the friendship, the art and opportunity. Films are HARD WORK.
New meets old guard as we announced two more fine actors going the cast of Man’s Best Friend – MBF. Curran has only worked with CDI on one previous film and Greg, well he was in CDI’s first film and has done many films with us, so he has OG status within the tribe)
This past week has been spent organizing for 2018 and prepping for the new 2019 films. We took a few steps closer to financing fully our MBF film. I’m excited to return to that role once I lock this business down. I’m trying to get it done by the end of the month.
Wild Faith new trailer dropped (HERE)
The response has been great. But I can say in all honesty that the film is so much more enjoyable. The trailer is strong but the performances and characters created by everyone just make the world a place you want to return. I’ve got a few companies to run the final film by. I’ve held back from assigning to our current distributor only because I’m trying to leverage the TV series. The world is great and I can see a great opportunity to showcase more of the strong Michigan talent. The final audio and visual tweaks are being made. We’re starting some theatrical discussions in Michigan. Also we’ll be discussing a cast/crew/media showing and a Michigan premiere. It will be a fun spring and summer showing the film followed by a fall/winter push to home video. Exciting to see where it all goes. Some big eyes will be on the final film.
Josh Perry (Albus) and DJ Perry (Jesus) on set “The Christ Slayer”
The holiday season was a wonderful push for the first two films released in The Quest Trilogy. Forty Nights and Chasing the Star did very well and I’m sure we’ll be seeing the results of that soon. It will continue to play Amazon Prime and add new platforms, networks and territories. As we get to the end of January we’ll start to roll out a new level of promotion on the third film The Christ Slayer. I actually had a nice catch up with Josh Perry, one of our co-stars. We’re all excited to finish the trilogy. The first meetings over music and sound with our post supervisor Dennis Therrian and director Nathaniel Nose took place. I was shown the new trailer in the works. The first official poster should also be close to ready at the end of the month. The film really looks great and the trailer will be another great look. The teaser was intense but the trailer…smiles all around.
New releases this year for ASHES OF EDEN, WICKED SPRING and more…CDI Publishing launched with If I have any readers that enjoy doing reviews please do.
Dee Freeman is the author of the book based upon the earlier Wild Michigan screenplay. I have a few other books to post once the deal is done. Teaster (Dean’s Teaster’s Ghost Town) by Bob Terrell might be next. The KNIGHT CHILLS book starts a tour this year with author David Hayes. Again great to be working with all these artists.
TO BUY the KNIGHT CHILLS book * and movie
https://www.amazon.com/Knight-Chills-DJ-Perry/dp/1945940174
Lastly, we will be announcing CDI’s new website. We’re going to be expanding into streaming films with great talks coming from some of your CDI favorite actors and crew on the making of these projects. Direct Casting information to deal with our rush of reels and a new Merchandising section. Swag and merchandise has been one of the most asked about things and so I’m going to make efforts to grow that. You can JOIN THE TRIBE: Don’t hate, Create! – I was asked to take this saying of mine and put it to a shirt. Perhaps:)
Okay. Have a productive week everyone and try to stay warm. I’m going to cuddle in with this guy for a few and visualize the week ahead. Never stop dreaming. Never stop doing.
DJ
On the EVE of 2018! Looking Ahead…
Good sunny, arctic morning to you from Michigan. It’s 8 degrees today and with windchill…it is bitter. So the Christmas season is about at an end with people looking forward to the coming year. I have to say that 2017 was a pretty good year. I loved our U.P. trip exploring the upper reaches of our great state. We also had our challenges like anyone else such as our furry boy who faced a few medical issues once agin. I’m glad to say he’s now doing great aside from despising the chilly cold. I lost some beloved friends from childhood, mentors and others close to me this year. They will no longer need to debate or navigate the small issues of life. They rest at peace while the remaining group of us look forward to 2018. I hope 2018 can be a year of better communication between people. Better could be translated to say respectful communication. I saw so much negative operating outside our sphere while at the same time being impressed by our positive approach to our endeavors.
Again if someone has a different culture, religion, viewpoint on something indulge it. It might not change your stance but it might refine your reasoning. I said it last week, practice not saying anything in text/posts that you would not say to that person directly. And if you’re a person who says you would – SAY IT TO THEIR FACE – do it. Communicate with someone, interpersonal communication. It was an odd course in college but I can see where that is now lacking. I get asked for advice often about our filmmaking endeavors. Become a good communicator and try to always keep your word. Good communication goes for everyone. The better a director can communicate to his keys the better. Conversely you must become a good listener as well. With decreasing attention spans that is hard for many. This is also a good hint to actors. I see many what I call 50% actors. By that I mean, don’t be a great actor when speaking and go blank when your listening. By truly listening you are reacting which is at least 50% of acting. Look at your own work and see if this is a problem you might have. Do you keep missing that casting opportunity? Take an honest look and see if this is something you need to do. It is an easy correction but just requires awareness and acceptance.
Last year we worked hard to bring our films to you. Forty Nights and Chasing the Star – parts 1 & 2 of The Quest Trilogy hit the holiday scene hard. As we head towards Easter I think the push will be towards Forty Nights. The Christ Slayer – part 3 will be going into music and sound design. We’ll be releasing a new poster and trailer heading into Feb. I got to see 75% of the new trailer and I was floored by what I saw. Everything we’ve learned shooting the trilogy really comes full circle in the last chapter. It was also a huge joy to see Forty Nights and Chasing the Star playing together on Parables TV. I see the day of all three playing together during the holiday season.
WILD FAITH – The 2018 year will kick off with this mid-Western tale. As a treat we released this PR with a link to our new theatrical trailer.
We’ll be meeting more in the new year to talk premiere, theatrical and home video. It will be exciting. For everything that the trailer IS it is not the best of this film. The movie really excites me in a way that is hard to do after 50 movies+. I think it will become a favorite especially for lovers of the time period and genre.
Speaking on the genre WICKED SPRING our 2000 Civil War film will be getting a new release with Bridgestone Multimedia Group. Other CDI films will be getting new life in 2018. We’ll also continue our march into foreign territories.
It’s now time to push hard and bring on the last of our investors on our next CDI project which is MBF (man’s best friend) a powerful tale about our military vets and shelter dogs. You’ll be reading about more cast and crew and updates as we move forward.
I’m going to cut this short. We’ve got a few things to do around here before we welcome in the new year. We’ll be spending time with a few friends tonight likely with some chill music, cards and some good eats and drinks. I will not be waking up with any hangover. Leave that to you young bucks. Those of you who do blow it out party style get a ride. You don’t want the legal or additional results from an accident.
See you all next year! Be good to one another.
DJ
Wisdom & Wishes for Christmas
It’s Christmas Eve! I want to welcome all the new readers from Indonesia, Turkey, and Israel. I also want to thank all of you for stopping by for a sip of coffee and some ramblings from ole DJ Perry. Artists all over the world have been responsible for reminding us what is best in us. With the new year fast approaching CHANGE is upon us. Now I’m a person who understands change is always in motion but I prefer a slow evolving change versus radical sudden change. It’s funny that I’ve read and studied many ancient and insightful writings. I like to read a little and meditate on the ideas presented. Lately I’ve been reading a few pages each night from ‘The Tao of Pooh‘ which takes deep meaningful thoughts and presents them in comical easy-to-digest bits. All of us will face, are facing change as of this moment. The holidays here have many of us taking that time out to ponder, praise what we did right and project an image of what we would like different moving ahead to 2018. Let’s look at a few sayings from Pooh that unique bear.
“When you know and respect your own inner nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don’t belong.”
“Where I belong” – to me is a known path not a final destination. I belong as a storyteller for ALL people. Religion, gender, race and political affiliation not withstanding. I want to help all people find themselves, their best selves. I don’t belong in the cut-throat game of what has become hateful game of red-rover. Just because you’re spewing hate for a good cause does not absolve you – you’re plugged into that cycle. All hate has feedback in the loop. Feel that feedback and know when to unplug and remove yourself. Feedback like fear is not a bad thing if you listen to it. Maybe discovering where you belong is to discover where you don’t belong.
“Things just happen in the right way, at the right time. At least when you let them, when you work with circumstances instead of saying, ‘This isn’t supposed to be happening this way,’ and trying harder to make it happen some other way.”
Fate has one floating down a river, sometimes sleepily and sometimes amongst rough waters – but you’re flowing to where you need to be. To worry about what has not happened. To worry how we’ll react to something that hasn’t happened. I have faith that I’ll know what course of action when I get there. Leadership even of the self is taking in all the feedback and deciding on a course of action. Sometimes if the circumstances say the river is jammed and impassable – you have to get out of the river and carry your canoe a short while. Up ahead is clear waters to navigate. You put your boat back in the water and continue your journey. Had you been in refusal to work with your circumstance as in “I’m not getting out of the river” – “I don’t want to walk a ways” – you might still be sitting stagnate looking helpless at the log jam. Faith is not always understanding but moving forward. Have some faith in yourself. Know that detours are just that – detours not roadblocks. Often they are the only answer to navigating around those things blocking our path.
“The surest way to become Tense, Awkward, and Confused is to develop a mind that tries too hard – one that thinks too much.”
Think less and feel more. Knowledge can be accumulated and wisdom is the application of it and learning from its results good or bad. Sometimes you have to not stare directly at the issue. Too much intense focus can give you blind spots. Keeping the RAY on full power obsessively trying to see a reason, pattern, purpose or direction before the time of actual action can just create confusion and feedback that will make a person’s inner balance seem out-of-phase and disrupted. Learn to control this 90% of the time and a great peace and power will be yours.
FILM UPDATES
This has been a wonderful holiday season to look back on what a productive year it has been. Our distributor has heavily pushed FORTY NIGHTS and CHASING THE STAR. The latter reached #2 on Amazon’s list for Faith and Family. Parables TV has been playing both films twice a day. I know we’ll see the day where once the third film, THE CHRIST SLAYER releases – all three will be playing together. Expansion into the UK, Netherlands (Family 7) and many other foreign territories continues into the new year. Part 3 goes into post music and sound in Jan 2018 and will be done around Easter 2018. We’ll also be releasing the first poster and theatrical trailer. soon into the new year.
But BEFORE that we’ll have the spot light on WILD FAITH. The end credits are about locked and the last tweaks of color correction will be applied next week. But aside from that and our ongoing mixing of sound levels – WILD FAITH is done. I will call it complete once those final changes are done. But we’ll be meeting to discuss the premiere showings and the theatricals here soon. The new exciting trailer for WILD FAITH will also be dropping soon. Perhaps between Christmas and New Year Eve or perhaps on New Year’s Day itself. I need to see exactly where we’re at.
Development – More development than you can shake a stick at. MBF (Man’s Best Friend) is the next one up. We collected and deposited more funds on this upcoming film. We still have a short ways to go but the holidays created a pause. I’m sure as we hit the new year many will be ready to move on new endeavors. This powerful film MBF will push many people’s dramatic ranges including myself. I’m up for the challenge as each of you should be. I’m excited for some of the new directions we’ll be taking as a company. Also we’ll work hard to keep doing more of what perhaps some of you are already enjoying from us at CDI. About the 15th of Jan. we should have the basic web platform up for the new Collective Development Inc. site.
Last story by King Christmas:)
FINAL WRAP UP & FUNNY STORY
So in year’s past I was never the right pick for commercial work. I was always ‘becoming’ someone and so my headshot never were up-to-date. The words were always too superficial. Maybe my voice had an adult tone that didn’t fit my youthful face? I don’t know the reasoning but commercials were never my thing. But friends of mine that had worked for a great non-profit heard that the company was having casting issues looking for the right actor for a company promotional video. They had not found that ‘right person’ and while I was a touch younger vs their breakdown – I was approached about a read. So the next morning I threw down a quick take and sent it off. I call it sketching – quick truth shoot with no over-thinking. If you hit part of the role and spark their interest, they will usually contact back. I don’t have time for 14 page auditions – except JJ send the new SW script and I’ll throw some reads down:) Okay. I know you have cooking and presents to wrap, I’ll hurry up. I will credit good writing for the piece where usually the depth is just not there. I felt the read. I gave the read. I was the read, I got the part. So I was a professor in the piece and they dressed me to suit the part. Some pants/cords fit me like they had made them for me. Add a blue shirt to bounce the baby-blues and a blazer and were all good. We nailed the shoot with a great little crew. I thanked everyone and went home. I was about to eat some sweet potato soup when I spread my napkin out across those cords. Oh my! “I stole these from a non-profit!” I originally wore my dockers to the shoot but after giving the shirt and blazer back, I felt like I was wearing my clothes and I was ready to roll. How many people watched me walking around saying, “DJ Perry is going to steal those pants.” I sent a message to the Production Manager. They were part of the directors stash of clothes. He said they looked great on me and Merry Christmas. Ha! But I really did enjoy myself. Who knows maybe 2018 will bring a few more surprises like that. I’m talking about the commercial not the pirated corduroy pants.
I want to wish Peace on Earth and a Very Merry Christmas to all of you.
Be good to one another.
DJ
Films, Books, Posters and Other CDI Updates!
Good morning! Yesterday we awoke to a beautiful dusting of snow upon the ground in Michigan. The word is that the south is getting much more now and poor CA is just getting torched by wild fires. We had the first of our family Christmas gatherings yesterday and it was a true joy. Last week all our meetings were touched with the holiday spirit. My main push has been trying to communicate with all our potential investors and lock up the last units on MBF (Man’s Best Friend). The money aspect is never easy. I do see more people out there working to give confidence to investors and stand accountable vs asking for handouts. We’ve been through all that so I’m not going to beat that dead horse. What an awful saying, wonder what that originated from? Anyway…
Let me make a go at trying to share some of the great happenings this week –
A great promotional campaign by Christian Cinema features the entire trilogy. Forty Nights, Chasing the Star are both part of their 12 days of Christmas. The Christ Slayer even gets a plug all with the first trailer of Joaquin Phoenix‘s new biblical adventure. He is one of my favorite actors and also plays Jesus. It would be fun to have a beer with him and talk about our experiences in doing so.
Our distributor BMG also has a campaign with Amazon and they cut a trailer to promote CHASING THE STAR. As of today it has been seen by 213,000 folks. ANYTHING can be picked apart and because of some people’s “need to be right” or need to “appear in the knowing” – many often miss the greater lessons. All three films have great messages placed within them. Just like denominations you can debate the fine details but many spend so much time doing this that again they miss the greater message. Empty your cup and just enjoy the journey.
Here is an example – we ran a PR release on one of our co-stars in next year’s The Christ Slayer.
A beautiful casting choice that should inspire people to open their minds of acceptance as Jesus likely would have. This was posted all over social media and yet one person, a loudly proclaiming member of the organized religion of Christianity, made me shake my head. I did note they do some filming of sorts, but rather than see the beauty of the story, they chose to voice negativity in a passive aggressive way. Because they claim that at the time of Christ, down syndrome may or may not have existed. Surely being with a handicap or dealing with disabilities DID exist and that IS what is being represented. I feel DEEP pity for the shallow nature and deep pits of despair that some people chose to exist in. As I stated, all features are fiction even if they represent non-fiction events or happenings. I myself have noted blatant things in films that are not likely true to history, but I always know I’m watching a story. I try to think before I speak so even when I too fall victim to a negative thought or reaction, I’m not ruled by it. I overcome it. I will not be a person living in a glass house throwing stones at others. To those rock throwers- I’m also ready to watch your filmed story so I can be shown how it’s really done. Most of those asked to present their art would stand alone in their negativity surrounded by the shattered glass of their own actions and deeds. Don’t be one of those people. But also if you ask for feedback you do have to accept feedback although, many could learn to communicate their ideas much better. So in actuality I just feel pity for these folks. I have no room in my life for these people and they surely don’t deserve counter-hate. Hate is a powerful emotion on par with love – so instead in 2018 these people will get my pity, no more. 2018 is the year of “Mister T” philosophy. In ROCKY III – When asked if he hated Rocky, he replied, “I don’t hate Balboa, I pity the fool.” – Lesson: Don’t be a fool.
Chasing the Star is now in the UK and Netherlands and I hope to bring more updates soon.
UK Celebrates the Release of ‘Chasing the Star‘
https://www.thechristianfilmreview.com/win-chasing-star-dvd/
Also happy to announce that our children’s animated feature “The Patchwork Girl of Oz” will get a 2018 release. Follow the social media site here for news and updates.
https://www.facebook.com/The-Patchwork-Girl-of-Oz-123271044354343/
You know I like to give my blog family the first news – as many of you know WILD FAITH our western is almost done. We were watching and making notes on the new theatrical trailer and WOW! This film originated in concept in another script I wrote many years ago entitled WILD MICHIGAN. It was wrought with hardships from the writer’s strike, dishonest Hollywood companies and even an investor who was killed. To see a beautiful story at the heart of so much pain and discouragement it was shelved. I was ready to leave it there. But fast forward many years and a new streamlined version of the script was created. It was shot for about 1/10 the original budget. It was shot because of passion for the story and themes which remained true to the original. That previous script/film never got made. In truth, it was one of the few real ‘failures’ in my career. So when the opportunity came to release the book written by author Dee Freeman off my original first draft script – I decided to honor that film. To do this we did not change the book to match the new script/film. It stands on its own as a tribute to a different attempt at a film. A different story whereas even several of the characters have different names. But some themes remain and if you want to read this earlier version here is the sales link. I will be doing some PR in the coming weeks. I hope you will take a read on the film that almost was. Following that, in a few short months you can watch the film that IS. Either way, this amazing film had important messages and themes and wasn’t meant to die on a shelf. I’m thankful for that.
Other books will follow…CDI Publishing is born:)
KNIGHT CHILLS book
Other Updates
The PR on the new 2018 release of “Wicked Spring” will be forthcoming.
The NEW Collective Development Inc. website will launch Jan. 15th, 2018.
The Official first poster and second trailer for THE CHRIST SLAYER is getting close. They will be released early in 2018! Makes sure to watch Part 1 & 2.
Several development projects in the works and I even agreed to participate in a non-profit project shooting one day this month. It will be nice getting back in front of my old friend – the camera.
I hope you all enjoy the season and make that extra effort to be kind to strangers and family alike. Put down the stones and your hate and see how that feels. Note that the energy flows both ways.
Speaking of energy I’ve been using Maple Holistic‘s Eucalyptus essential oil for my sinus flow. I again would recommend the brand for those who use oils. Thank you Maple Holistic’s for allowing me to share with my circle. For a free sample – ( https://www.mapleholistics.com/free-sample/ )-
Be good to one another!
DJ
The Loss of a Mentor – and Film Updates
We have our first readers from Iraq and Spain and so welcome to ‘Clawing our way to the Middle‘ blog. I’ve got the hot coffee in hand and seeking the right words here. Last night I was having a few old friends over to the office to sit by the fire and talk old times. Just before people showed up I heard news that my dear friend Rance Howard had passed away. We met in Benson, AZ while shooting on ‘Miracle at Sage Creek‘ and bonded over breakfast at Denny’s with his wife Judy. Rance later went on to join us on “Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town” whereas he played the father-like figure to my character. Rance loved our church scene in that film. Here is a few clips.
He could not join us on “The Book of Ruth, Journey of Faith” because he was working with his ole friend Andy Griffith. But when The Quest Trilogy came along he grew a beard for the first time in many years. He was excited to play “The Devil” after a lifetime of good guys. Play it he did in all three “Forty Nights” and “Chasing the Star” out on Amazon Prime now. His devil turn in “Forty Nights” won him best lead actor at the International Christian Film Festival. I’m proud that we still have “The Christ Slayer” coming in 2018 but I’m a touch sad that he will not get to see it. I remember on “The Christ Slayer” the two of us in that boat in the middle of the night – holding hands. We shared so many deep talks both about the role and about life. To pass at 89 years of age – working right up until the end is an inspiration. He was truly a mentor to me. One man who had truly been there and done that and he actually cared about my career. Very few people take that kind of time and nurture but you can see that manifested in his own family. He was supposed to play a funny role in “MBF” and we had always wanted to do this “Algona” WW2 POW/Xmas script but that was not meant to be. He was my source expert when I was writing. He was a dairy farmer and had first hand experience of WW2 so his input was vital. I know that Rance touched many people’s life and made us all feel important. He would walk between working with Russell Crowe followed by DJ Perry and never made you feel any less. Actually the opposite, as he made you feel great about being a storyteller. He was deep with his characters and he always came with lots of notes, ideas and intuitions. He will be greatly missed.
Where do I go from there…?
Forty Nights and Chasing the Star has been getting a great holiday push here in the US/Canada. Chasing the Star has been licensed to Netherlands to a network called Family 7. Forty Nights might be right behind it. Also the films are looking to invade the UK and I will have more details on that soon.
The Christ Slayer is just finishing all the VFX and final edits preparing to move into post music and sound.
That means…
Wild Faith is preparing to come out of post sound/music. The VFX are all in and end credits are being tweaked. The last step is color correction along with the audio mix. I’m excited to roll this film out and I feel good about our chances of rolling a series out behind it.
The storm cometh
MBF – now has the bank account open. We need to start collecting paperwork and checks and also drum up the final investment units. We’ll be announcing more castings in the run up to Christmas. A lot of wonderful support for this film.
If yesterday put anything front and center for me it’s to keep following your path. I don’t know how many films I have still in me but I’ll keep creating and moving forward. Cherish those mentors in your life while you can and remember to turn around and mentor those around you. The holidays have been filled with joy and today we will decorate the beautiful tree.
Be good to one another.
DJ
Top Ten Updates from Last Week
Good morning out there everyone. I’ve got the hazelnut coffee fueling me this morning. What a week on all fronts. I went to a memorial yesterday for a high school buddy’s dad. I call it losing training wheels (losing a parent) and it’s happening a little more often now. It was a great reflection on life and again a reminder to us all to enjoy your relationships and to work hard to achieve what’s important to you. The family were surprised and so happy to see myself and another old-school friend.
Just like the many times we all shared laughing and partying around the campfire this gathering also included many toasts. That’s why the hazelnut coffee is my friend this morning. I’ve not had a hangover since New Year’s Day (Thank you Garrett) and this was a mild one, but thankfully it has now passed. I think since the old processor brain is moving slow I’ll just do a random list of updates.
TOP TEN UPDATES FROM LAST WEEK
- We had another digital trading card release last week and a new one will be releasing again this week. I think five from each film. I also know that “Character Cards” and a poster will be coming for the 3rd film in the trilogy “The Christ Slayer” – stay tuned.
- WILD FAITH music score will likely be finishing up this week. Our composer had 8 minutes to go when we spoke last week. We’ll be sitting down with our director Jesse Low this week to discuss the finishing of the film. I can’t wait to do a new watch with the music beds set in.
- “Forty Nights” will be playing Texas in Nov. followed by “Chasing the Star” in Dec. – Iowa will also be showing “Chasing the Star” as part of a Christmas program in December. We’ve just been approached by another church wanting to license. I’m happy that these church’s are going through the proper channels for licensing and not just going pirate on showing the films publicly.
- Upcoming film MBF (Man’s Best Friend) brought on more financial commits and we’ve got sponsorships developing nicely. This week we’ll be announcing more cast members. We met last week and we’ve got our target dates set with cameras to roll in March.
- The book deal on WILD MICHIGAN is close to being done. It was based on the original screenplay before it was restructured for budget as Wild Faith. It will allow readers to experience the original story. It was adapted to book format by author Dee Freeman. It will be available for Christmas!
- The KNIGHT CHILLS book is for sale now on Amazon and will be releasing to retailers nationally. David Hayes was the author who adapted the screenplay/film to a book.
- The “Chasing the Star” investors will be getting another ROI check this week. I truly do LOVE writing checks. It keeps the machine moving.
- Development work continues on several other collaborations. A western, a biopic, a few horror films and a biblical drama. I do love working with other artists and bringing projects from the page to the screen.
- The announcement that one of the library films would be getting new distribution with BMG was made last week. The ink is dry and I’m happy to report “Wicked Spring” our Civil War drama will be releasing early in 2018. The film has never had a digital release due to the initial release was on VHS. This beautifully shot 35mm film will find a new audience. A great “making of” will be included on the DVD. We are also looking at a special Blu Ray release also. PR on this will be forthcoming.
- I enjoyed several meetings this week at the office with a fire burning in the wood stove. I’m going to be doing many more sit downs in the coming weeks. I have sat down with many filmmakers in a meet-n-greet style and will be looking to do many more. Even if we don’t have immediate business I do like to get to know the minds behind some of these other projects.
In addition to the on-going film work I’ve been harvesting and storing everything from tomatoes to kale (A Melissa Anschutz fav at meetings) to mushrooms. My small patch of ink tip shrooms are nothing compared to the giant puff balls I got Friday at my friend’s place. We will be cooking some of those up tonight. I’m sure that I’ve missed a few updates but please do seek out and find your favorite film page on Facebook and follow the updates there.
Have a great week ahead and enjoy your Sunday.
DJ
Fighting to Get Into Pre-Production, Halloween Films and More…
The chill has settled back into Michigan and this week the harvest moon will symbolize what we already know – winter is coming. It has been a productive week and I’m excited to see how it plays out. We’ve been gathering commits on our new film MBF. We’re hovering around the half way point and we’ll see if we can get the last commits this week. I will have to make a decision on Monday after next to see if we shoot pre-holidays or post-holidays. Now we’ve got lots lining up for the pre-schedule but everything has an order. I heard this week about a project that again was filming with not much of a script or schedule. “Winging in” is not the way we do things at CDI. Projects are hard when you do everything orderly and when they are just improvised – I can’t imagine. Not with anyones investment that is – but people do take that path. So we’ll see if this new project is meant to go in the fall timeframe. I’ve had some great time spent exploring the subject of the wounded warrior. I’m proud of the announcement this week of myself and Bobby Henline in the cast. We’ve got lots of military folks working both sides of the camera and we’ll work hard to tell a powerful story. More casting announcements this week.
The Quest Trilogy Updates
Forty Nights and Chasing the Star are getting some good watches by the audiences out there. I think for a few people the presented ‘world’ of Chasing the Star is a new view. Many want to see the mysterious three men from far away bringing baby Jesus some gifts. Cue the Christmas carols – no. The world of King Herod was brutal and while we don’t go full dark we don’t sugarcoat the world. To understand the possible reality of the world puts a renewed realism to the story. So while some may lament the lack of joyous pageantry others applaud the realistic take. This November and December in Bedias Texas at the Miller theater the first two films will play. One in November and one in December. DVD and streaming are for sale now and please do take a watch. Our goal is to create a trilogy of films that can be enjoyed anytime but especially during the holidays. The third film The Christ Slayer is full steam on a larger list of VFX shots. It will be completed around April 2018 before some theatrical play and home video release. A poster is now in the works.
Forty Nights streaming
Forty Nights DVD
Chasing the Star streaming
Chasing the Star DVD
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074R58HRR/ref=dp_mv_of_dp_0
Wild Faith is now entering the last quarter of music scoring. We have a small list of important VFX plates that still need to be completed but we are close to having a finished feature.
The TV series development is going pretty good but until I can show the pilot feature I don’t think I can bring the deal full circle.
Other Developments
Pending my shooting schedule I’ve been asked to possibly appear at a Comic Con promoting KNIGHT CHILLS which was released this year as a book. When the author told me that I might be surprised by the amount of fans out there I was suspicious. The film was our first attempt at a feature film and while it has its moments we clearly missed the mark in a few places. But like all CDI properties it was made with a lot of TLC. I had a great pod cast brought to my attention. Instead of all the HATE, yes haters existed even back in the early days. My secret was just working harder while others waited. Anyway, with the book readers get a free watch on the original film. I’ve been reading a little bit of the book each night before bed and it’s really good. It is a great Halloween/Christmas (Yule) season film. But we’ve done some development on a sequel script and if this new interest continues it just may happen. Listen to the podcast here.
https://tapetalk.bandcamp.com/track/56-knight-chills
The book can be found at amazon and will make a great gift to anyone into fantasy, Conan, Lord of the Rings, AD&D and such.
BUY IT HERE
I’m also close to releasing the book WILD MICHIGAN that was written off my original script. The script was re-written for budget and a tailor fit film that became Wild Faith. I think people will enjoy reading the original story as adapted by author Dee Freeman. I plan to launch it in October and we’re getting close.
This week we’re writing some money out to investors and that always makes me feel good. I’ve got films from the library that will be prepped for upcoming release in the new year. My discussions with agents continues since I do have a few scripts I would like to sell off. I also would like to work with an agency for packaging but while this things could make certain things easier I will move forward and just see what develops.
DJ Perry as “Mason” in THE 8TH PLAGUE
I’m going to go refill the coffee cup. I want to harvest a bit more from the garden before having the mothers over for an early dinner. Grilled venison steaks are what I will be cooking. I also need to light a fire in the office. It was a touch chill when I was there yesterday. So enjoy the rest of your morning. If you get a chance watch a few of the films and if you enjoyed the watch – recommend it to your friends. If you’re into horror films I would recommend maybe The 8th Plague, Darkest Night, GPS the Movie just to name a few.
Be good to one another and have a great week!
DJ
Destroying the Identity/Self and Film Updates
I’ve got the hot hazelnut coffee by my side as I ease into writing these few words to share with all of you. New readers from Spain – welcome.
So I’m going to share something from my process of character creation. I’ve grown comfortable with my long hair and even my beard of various lengths. From Donnie in ASHES OF EDEN to Mark Franklin in BESTSELLER. Add in the identity that comes with playing Jesus or mountain man Ben Lily. The prep for the new role is for an injured military vet. I decided with some time to spare I would destroy the ego/self and go boot camp. I did not serve in the military and not sure that with my flat feet I could have. But holding onto the bearded long-haired look was holding me back. So I decided I was going to remove that. I did not WANT to cut my hair. I did not WANT to go clean-shaven. Especially as the air gets colder in Michigan and in a few weeks snow will fall. I thought about the ego of someone like Elvis who entered service and the pics of his haircut. I needed to break myself down. So I deemed this haircut as a NEED for the character but not a wanted thing. So my significant other helped with possible haircuts military in style. I did not like any of them because I did not want the cut. What I did want was that feeling new recruits went through when they got all their hair cut off and they became part of a unit/team/company of soldiers. So I had the cut done. I felt vulnerable with the shorn hair. I was not happy with my decision but beneath it all I was happy. I was far from Jesus, Ben and all the longer haired roles. See I think my girl thought I was doing it to feel good about myself. Many get hair cuts to feel good about themselves. I did it to destroy my current self. To create a new base to build Paul, whom I will play in the upcoming MBF film. This brought about an interesting conversation about change of looks. I was asked if I ever consider her in my hair choices. The answer was no. It has always been based on movie roles for 20 some years now. I’m always in development of some character. But it was interesting because I think many people do care about how they appear. I only want truth in the character. Does that constant change affect her? Perhaps. I guess because I do it for work reasons I never give it any thought. She asked what if I wanted a pixie hair cut and tattoo on her chest, would I care? I guess I’m open to allow people to express themselves. I like people who wear/look how they want to. I assume she picks styles based on what her work allows and what makes her feel good. Here I am cutting my hair against my own will to break myself down. To strip away the old and allow new growth. Not just in hair but in character. So a lot of credit to those non-industry significant others who have to deal with us and our character creation. So from this point on I’m growing into that new role. I just realized how different I think from many others. I don’t give a rats ass about the brand of clothes. I’ve been to India and I know the real cost of textiles. I know the mark up that these companies put on your favorite garments. I don’t believe the clothes makes the man but the man makes the clothes. I think if you judge me wrong because of a hair style, your loss. The other reason I pushed to do the cut this week was soccer. We won one of the most exciting soccer matches last week in round one of the soccer play offs. A fluke goal at the start put us behind. We settled in and took back control including scoring and making it a tie. With only 2 minutes left they scored. A minute or less and we attacked and scored with only seconds left. A shoot out that went to the fifth penalty shot kick and we WON. Tonight under the lights is the semi-final game. I’ve been using a headband to keep my long hair out of my eyes. Now I have full range of vision and I’m ready to focus on getting to that final game. Okay. Onto some film updates.
WILD FAITH
After a long wait the first official poster is HERE. I’m excited to finish this film. It will be done this year and if we can get done early enough we will look at a cast and crew screening. The music and sound design is going great. We just have 10 seconds of VFX work that is being worked on.
THE QUEST TRILOGY
VFX is the main push on THE CHRIST SLAYER. We’ll be rolling out the first official poster on this project in the coming weeks. Once VFX is dropped in we’ll fine-edit the picture and in Jan. 2018 it moves into music and sound design for 3 months.
CHASING THE STAR is in the marketplace and along with Part 1 FORTY NIGHTS will get the holiday push. I was looking at all the films on Amazon and it put a smile on my face. I’m so proud of all the artists. If you’ve watched and enjoyed the films leave a review on http://www.imdb.com (Film title) or amazon.com or wherever. I cringed when I saw our director asking on social media because it always brings the trolls, haters and such to leave their mark. But these mudslingers just smack an entire group of artists. I mean even in a bad film clip I can usually pick out some positive. I recently watched a clip edited by an associate I know – it featured some good locations but made me cringe when it came to some flashback footage. It takes as much energy to do something right as wrong. I would rather not call these people out as they’re doing something and improvement comes from doing. I also don’t feel in competition with anyone save our last project. I try to improve the work flow that often improves the final film. This example I’m thinking of was a failure of either the writer or art department. Know what you’re writing about. If I’m playing a Marine in the next film, I make sure it’s CORRECT. And if it is not 100% correct it should be close. Get the right consultants. There are many who will gladly help so that their history is not made a joke on-screen. Trust me as someone who has done many period films – it’s added work but so worth it at the end.
MBF
The new project by CDI is in full swing. Our first investors are giving their interest and casting is coming to a close. We’ll be announcing our two major keys this week. Anthony Hornus will be directing with Jesse Aragon serving as director of photography. We held on that PR due to the WILD FAITH poster announcement. We’ll start announcing cast over the next couple of weeks. I can say we have a powerful cast lined up. Stay tuned.
I’m going to call it for the day. The coffee cup needs refilling. I have a few errands to run and I need to mentally prepare for our game today. I hope you all have a great conclusion to your weekend and a productive week ahead.
Be good to one another.
DJ
‘Chasing the Star’ Release, Behind-the-Scenes and the NEW CDI Project INFO.
A little peanut butter toast and coffee to greet me on this fine morning. Last night I got to toast my longtime friend and film associate Dean Teaster for his 60th birthday. His property was looking just amazing. You can tell he’s put some serious time into it and it’s a very zen place to chillax. The tree fort is amazing and the cleared forest around it with the strings of lights, looked magical. A classic rock band, catered BBQ and a HUGE bar fueled the gathering into the night. I released my first burning Chinese lantern (pretty cool) and also watched the BIG fight to end my night. I hope my buddy will enjoy many more trips around the sun. A great time was had by all.
This week was full of film developments on many fronts.
The Quest Trilogy –
THE CHRIST SLAYER continues to move down post production looking to release next year. Meanwhile most of the attention is currently on CHASING THE STAR. The official release date is 9/5/17 but a few retailers have released early. Here’s the first Faith and General Market sites that you can rent/buy from.
Simply Grace magazine will run a featured story on Chasing the Star in November and Television On Demand becomes available Oct. 2nd – additionally were once again invited to attend the International Christian Film Festival 2018. We’ll see if we can follow our great 2017 run we had with FORTY NIGHTS. Here are a few of the recent reviews.
https://www.facebook.com/WildFaithMovie/
MBF
So this week we’re getting our summary for our new project MBF out to our past backers. We’re also going to be approaching our many sponsors that have supported our past projects. If you’ve got an interest in learning more on investment and/or sponsorship for your product or service, reach out to me directly at perrydj@aol.com
Additionally we’ve got first paperwork for a new deal on an older film in the library. Can you guess which film that might be? HINT: We’ve had the main theme of the film in our news headlines. Stay tuned!
This week business will continue to charge forward. At home – Our beans are slowing but the tomatoes are coming on fast and furious. My one pumpkin ‘Jack’ that was attacked has turned orange and so we do have one! The rhubarb/mulberry wine is ready to rack to the secondary. After a time in the secondary it goes to bottles. I’m also going to look at when we can do the shake siding on the office/fort. I really put in some time on the yard this past week which included discovering a large ground bee nest. I only got stung three times but now that’s been taken care of. Our furry boy Luke is on the mend and I hope that trend continues. Also today we have one of our last soccer games of our season before play offs. We’re looking like we might have low numbers today but we will battle with whatever warriors show up. Time to refill the coffee cup. Have a great week ahead.
DJ
Advanced Updates and Accolades
I’m sitting here letting the coffee lull me awake. It has been a full week and I had many developments both personal and business-wise. I’ve been in our home state of Michigan and Winter has released its grip but the chill remains. We had a lot of rain last week which led to morel growth in our area. Yesterday while doing some yard work I found my second group of the tasty mushrooms. The one I found yesterday is the largest I’ve discovered to date.
The garden till is next this week so we can get seeds and plants into the ground soon. The hops are already growing like crazy with the black raspberries right behind them. This week I’ll be doing some work on the office which has been a phase by phase endeavor. I enjoyed a little meeting on Cinco de mayo with a few film friends enjoying RYE of HORUS provided by one of our sponsors at Sanctuary Spirits. (Pause) Okay, just had to take a time out as my brown furry boy was chasing a wild rabbit living near by out of the yard. That plays positive for keeping the garden safe. Today I’m excited because we’re kicking off our first soccer match today. I took the winter off to heal the aging body but I might have to work the subs more often. It’s an age 30 and over league meaning you can turn 30 during the season. That means doing battle with 29 year olds and such. In my weekly doings nothing challenges me like a power match whereas two teams are working to dominate a game. Individual battles whereas two people fight for the space, the possession of the ball and to score. No thoughts of business and such just a meditation of motion, action and teamwork. It comes in handy when confronted with film issues and you need that added push. I know how to fight towards a goal. To earn something not to be given something – where you have to take the ball away. The other team will never give you the ball. Life will not usually give you things you must earn them. All good lessons to learn. Okay, let’s talk film.
Film Updates
Wild Faith
This cool western tale is now in music and sound design. About 40 minutes of dialog clean up and sound FX have been put into the film. Our designer and composer Dennis Therrian is loving the process. He loves the story, the acting and is feeling inspired. Development on the TV series is also moving forward. I would love to start shooting shows in 2018. A little hard work and that just might happen.
The Quest Trilogy
These three films rolling out with BMG are just starting their journey and I hope we’ll be watching them for many years to come.
The Christ Slayer (Third in the series)
We’re about an hour into the first edit and our director Mr. Nose is extremely happy. I want to get the first trailer in motion in the coming weeks. I’ve almost wrapped up all the final production business leaving only post work.
Chasing the Star (Second in the series)
The second film that follows the adventure of the magi just finished a week run in Royal Oak, MI and now is in Grand Rapids, MI at the Celebration Cinema for a week. This movie uses many artists from Michigan including Grand Rapids own CHOP & HUE who did our wonderful VFX space sequence. Our director Bret Miller calls GR home as well. So if you missed Lansing or Royal Oak enjoy an evening in GR and watch “Chasing the Star” this week.
Forty Nights (First in the series)
The first in our series released April 4th to DVD with remastered sound and visual. I will also drop it here ahead of the PR this week. At the International Christian Film Festival in Orlando, FL “Forty Nights” won MOST INSPIRATIONAL film. We were nominated for 4 awards but this nomination was the one I wanted to see us win. Why? Because our goal always is to inspire people with our storytelling but it also represents all the artists. Working together they created a film that was noted as being the most inspirational. Proud once again of our team. Next year they want Chasing the Star and The Christ Slayer after that. The Trilogy is doing what we had hoped. One of our EP’s was there to accept and attend the festival on our behalf.
Wrap Up
This week also consisted of development and work to prep some of the CDI library for new distribution. I was happy to wake up this past week to communications that a History class in Indiana (I believe) was watching “Wicked Spring” in class to show the humanity of soldiers during that horrific war. Some 17 years later and the film is still inspiring and teaching. This film is one of the films slated for a Special Edition release. We almost did this before but decided to wait and put it through our new deal. I will keep everyone informed. Once again I appreciate you spending a few moments with us on your Sunday to reflect back on the week.
Be good to one another!
DJ
Back Home in Michigan- Production Updates
Photo by Scott Allen Perry
The desert heat is no longer with me here in Michigan. I came home to wet and cold weather but also to my family, bed and comforts of home. It has been major deceleration as I went from a wild circus of people on the constant move to a much more relaxed pace at home. Things slowing a touch was is a good thing since I had a good case of jet lag. I’ve been trying to sort through mail (and email), pay bills and unpack even as bouts of tired struck me at odd hours. I’ve had many people reaching out and I’m sorry that I’ve not been able to get back with everyone. I’ve had lots of wrap up work on the most recent film and catching up on immediate business.
FAMILY BUSINESS:)
This weekend was a good day catching up with family business first at my niece’s b-day gathering yesterday at the local science center, Impression 5. I took science classes there when I was in Elementary school with my buddy John. It’s truly a great place to take your children and I’m glad that the place has survived and thrived for all these years. Today I’m up North visiting family and celebrating another missed b-day. Speaking of missing b-day’s, my girl was good about me missing her b-day while in AZ and I do appreciate her holding down the fort in my absence. It’s a hardship for all our significant others when we go off to create these stories. I saw many happy faces when loved ones (cast & crew) returned safely from the deserts of Yuma. So I give me heartfelt gratitude to all of those significant others who worked hard to maintain households while we battled to tell our tale in the desert.
The Christ Slayer
If you’ve not been keeping up – we filmed the 3rd feature film in “The Quest Trilogy” entitled “The Christ Slayer” in AZ. We shot for three weeks and change with pre-production and wrap out. It’s an amazing feeling of accomplishment because it was a 3 part film series and also the first time I had played the same role twice. That role was none other than Jesus, so that was no easy task. It challenged me in many ways everyday but I want to say my director (Nathaniel Nose) and my co-stars who helped make the process so very special. Carl Weyant and Josh Perry made each and every day a unique experience full of smiles and fist-bumps. Christine, Mel, Shane and every other actor I was blessed to share the screen with made each day easier with their enthusiasm. Their love for the story and their roles inspired me and honored me as a writer. The crew consisted of many warriors I’ve worked with prior and once again they brought their best. I additionally had the pleasure of working with a handful of new artists who I think enjoyed the overall adventure. They all worked extremely hard and the desert proved to be no joke, but the final footage revealed the results of those efforts. BEAUTIFUL! To all the people of Yuma associated with this picture, we love you. We could not have done this without you. The biggest question I was asked by many there was IF this was our last film. It was the last of “The Quest Trilogy” but I’m happy to announce that I will be penning a second slate of biblical films. This process might have already begun. (Insert sly smile) They will be separate from the three films we explored in this current trilogy. We will likely be going Old Testament with these new films.
“The Christ Slayer” has entered post and we’ll be rolling out behind-the-scenes photos and powerful stills (Like the one above) in the coming weeks. Also a teaser trailer is in the works and will release in the coming weeks. Releasing spring of 2018.
Forty Nights
“Forty Nights” will enjoy its new release on 4/4/17 and I encourage all of you interested in the trilogy to watch it. Our post team did a very good job re-mastering the film both audio and visually and Bridgestone has put beautiful new artwork worthy of such a beautiful story.
Chasing the Star
On the heels of this new release the second film “Chasing the Star” will enjoy a premiere on the 22nd of April. Following this will be various theatrical showings starting in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Royal Oak with many more planned. Once we’ve done our theatrical run we’ll be releasing nationally on Sept 5th, 2017. Follow our Facebook social media page for updates.
Wild Faith
“Wild Faith” is close to a locked picture and will move into music and sound design. I can say that the initial talks on the TV series have been positive. I think we have a good chance at spinning off into a television series. I’m looking at the business of it now and also working on some of the creative aspects for upcoming meetings.
I plan on aligning all our business and setting up for a strong 2018. There is a good chance we may film another feature or two this year but nothing is solid on the slate. As I noted before, I’m back to my daily writing and making some great progress. As the sun returns and temps warm I look forward to a productive year ahead. Thank you all for your support. (Cheers with a sip from the coffee cup)
DJ
Casting, Crewing and Charting the NEW YEAR!
A beautiful morning it has been to kick off 2017. The sun is shining and the coffee is flowing and we just had a modest meal of bacon and eggs. Last night we rang in the new year with some family. I got to share some samples of white whiskey made by wonderful traditional distillers. Also a touch of Sanctuary Spirits HOP TONIC and a few crafty beers. Shepherd’s Pie made sure to soak up most of the bite from the libations. We just stepped outside into the glorious sunshine that is radiating. The dogs played a bit and we reminded ourselves here in Michigan what the sun looked like. Yesterday I completed some organizing getting ready for the new year. Let’s look at a few of the final developments in our film work.
as “Agent Michael Stilton” in THE ACTOR (photo credit: Wayfaring Photo)
The ACTOR was represented by Adler Ent. and I’m told they will have some news very soon about where this cool NYC based drama can be seen.
I still do not have any updates on DEAD QUIET – things have been dead quiet about the status of this film:) Maybe 2017 will be the year.
WILD FAITH is in editing and on the social media Facebook site we’ll start releasing some actual STILLS from the movie versus behind-the-scenes. We’ll be closing in on a first cut in the weeks to come. The interest is there in a series so those materials will be developed. I will be looking for more key crew members should this series start to take shape. So AD’s, coordinators and other such keys feel free to start sending me a resume to have on file to perrydj@aol.com – also if you’ve worked with any of our other crew members please note that. The feature will be done this summer and start showings this fall.
DJ Perry as Jesus in the biblical drama “Forty Nights”
The QUEST TRILOGY
This amazing set of stories starting with FORTY NIGHTS will be releasing this year with our new partners at BMG. The release for FORTY NIGHTS will be around Easter 2017. Look for new artwork and the film is getting a remastering before the new release.
“Chasing the Star”
CHASING THE STAR the second film in the trilogy released a powerful trailer at the end of the year. The film is close to be done as we move into credits, color correction and complete the VFX work. We’ll be doing some event showings leading up to the Sept 2017 general release. I’ve seen this film at various stages and I’m excited for us to share this story.
THE CHRIST SLAYER is the third film and as we speak the business paperwork is being pulled together. We’re going to once again travel to AZ in March to film this final chapter. We’ve settled on our director and we start story meetings on Tuesday. We’ll be doing a PR announcement this coming week once they have their bio materials around. We’re looking for a few crew members to fill in on this film and if you are an actor we’ll be doing a casting call soon. West coast talent is actually better on this film due to limited flight budget. We also might be announcing a few cast members soon since we’ve been casting internally for a year plus. I’m really excited about filming this third piece of the story. It should release around Easter 2018.
We’ll be looking ahead at other projects in development. Change in the new year can come from changing old patterns, especially patterns that have had negative consequences. Last year we had many positive things happening and I can only hope to build off those advances. We have a wonderful team of artists and I’m looking forward to creating with them again in the new year.
Happy New Year to all of you!
DJ
Countdown 2016 & 2017 Preview
Sipping some dark coffee with that hazelnut goodness added as the outside looks like giant snow globe. Yesterday was spent on several shopping trips, a nice meal out and stocking up on food items. Today will be a belated bday gathering for my step bro so at least one trip out. I’m gonna fire up the wood stove at the office and do some organizing. Most of my time lately has been prepping for end-of-the-year and new year business. Let’s look at some updates.
The Quest Trilogy –
One of the teaser posters for CDI’s “40 Nights”
“40 Nights” new deal is complete on our end, signed and awaiting countersigned paperwork. What this will mean is a new push into the market in 2017. A possible return to theaters plus we’ll target a new 2nd quarter Easter 2017 national rollout. A possible festival or two as the film was invited to showcase.
“Chasing the Star” deal is being done as we speak. We’ll be doing premieres including a Yuma, AZ showing when we’re there to film the 3rd movie. A theatrical run plus event showing will follow the premiere(s). The talk is the national release will be in September 2017 on the run up to Christmas 2017.
When “Chasing the Star” is releasing nationally the third film will be finishing post. I think the idea is for 1st of the year 2018 theatrical and event showings on “The Christ Slayer” with a national release targeting either Easter or Christmas 2018.
On “The Christ Slayer” – I’ve been in talks with a handful of directors and I might be close to a decision. Also get those dramatic reels updated especially if you are on the west coast as that is where we will be filming. We announced some of the returning cast and more exciting announcements lie ahead!
This has been an exciting run on this trilogy of films. I hope audiences can enjoy these films for many years to come.
Wild Faith – The feature is in post and will likely be done next Summer (2017) and we’ll plan a fall release. The film is designed to be the pilot feature for a TV series so we’ll see how that plays out. I am doing some prep work on this endeavor which would be quite the undertaking. I’m thinking we might show the 1st teaser trailer on NEW YEARS DAY. This 1800’s tale is going to be powerful and I’m proud to have it counted amongst our product.
I’ve continued to get updates on projects like Sunn Classics “C.U.J.O.” and have a few films I acted in that still have not released “Dead Quiet,” and “Division 19” but that is often the way.
I’m going to cut it here as I have a string of things to get done before the Lions play and we have our family gathering. We might have to hook the dogs up to a sleigh. Have a great day and be safe on those roads.
DJ
DJ Perry's Official Blog 'Clawing My Way to the Middle' 