The coffee is fresh and hot and I’m sitting here in the lazy boy with all of you on this fine Sunday morning. I want to welcome new readers from the Czech Republic to the blog. I love that as the movies expand our circle of artists expands. The garden got some much-needed rain and is growing fast. We’re already enjoying lettuce for salads and on sandwiches. Also the large dead elm tree we had dropped is finally cleaned up. I spent a few meetings going outside and slowly feeding the outside chiminea and organizing the logs. Wood does not get wasted with the wood stove in the office and in the winter you need it. Also the siding is purchased and has been picked up to do the upper part of the office. I have a small bday/CDI gathering coming up so I did not want to try to do that this week. It will be a nice bday present to myself. I got to watch two good films this week that we’re not my own. One was “Wonder Woman” and I really enjoyed the film. It featured great action, locations and the production design for WW1. I also finally watched “In the Heart of the Sea” directed by my good friend’s son Mister Ron Howard. A great peek at life during that time period and how some thrived and fought to survive by the sea. It was said to be the inspiration behind MOBY DICK. I might have to try and tackle that book again. I fell asleep many times with that film on my chest trying to read it. Two very different films but both had great glimpses into other periods of time.
Let’s talk development first. I’ve been working hard to put everything in order here at CDI as all these great films roll out. Even other older titles are finding new life as people discover our films and potential $ still locked into some of them. The new slate of films I’m working on with the studio is coming nicely but I require another 12 month slate of smaller films until that deal can get going fully. So I might use this time to produce a few films that distributors have been asking for.
The symbol of the KNIGHT CHILLS franchise.
Knight Chills the film that kicked off CDI in the late 90’s has grown into a bit of a cult classic. It has been turned into a book that will release on paper and digital this Summer. It will be sold at Comic Cons as well with Source Point Press. I’ve written three sequel scripts now but the first two were too high of budget for what that small little film did. I did discover that it sold with Spectrum Films much better than we thought. The company liquidated and went under and we never recouped all our profits. The film sold again with another minor horror distributor and released to several countries. The bottom line is that a friend of mine in the Comic Con circuit via films, comics, books and graphic novels was a big fan of the film. He asked to write a book off the screenplay and we set up distribution with his Source Point Press. I’ve always thought the entire ‘idea’ could be a great franchise. I think this winter we’ll shoot the sequel. It’s a fun romp in the vein of TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL. They want to do a book on the sequel and expand into graphic novels. Not bad for a little film thought up by the Kennedy’s and I all those years ago.
I’ve also finished a first draft of a new script we’ll produce either this Fall or next in Michigan. The working title is “Man’s Best Friend” and I feel it’s a powerful piece that will find a broad audience. We’ll soon start doing some advance casting trying to find a few of the required roles. I’ve been identifying the 3 new films in THE CONQUEST TRILOGY the BMG follow-up to THE QUEST TRILOGY (Forty Nights, Chasing the Star, The Christ Slayer) that will film once again in AZ. I’m also setting up talks with a few entities about the Wild Faith TV series. A few discussions also over literary representation after writing/producing the last 4 films. I’ve done several work-for-hire writing jobs in the past including adapting books to script. Soon I’ll be throwing my hat into the ring with some large production companies. I love to write and so I might get the right team behind me.
Let’s look at a few new updates on the CDI film front.
Forty Nights – I’ve had several buyers, promoters and PR companies contact me over this film and our trilogy and I’ve directed them over to our distributor. I think we’re just at the tip of the iceberg with these films.
The Christ Slayer – This past week we got to see the 1st cut of the film. It was moving to see the 3rd film in this trilogy there on the screen. The film with no color correction, minus VFX and with minimal sound clean up was still beautiful. I also got to see the difference between Jesus in “Forty Nights” and now “The Christ Slayer” to fully see the evolution of the character. That can be said about several of the characters. They have started building some of the VFX modeling since we brought on our VFX folks. We had to get a special piece of equipment from New Zealand and that finally got worked out. Two scenes are still being worked but it will be a worthy add to the trilogy.
Chasing the Star – the film is delivered to our distributor and it is already creating positive dialog. See – http://lenovotips.net/news/The-Star-of-Bethlehem/
I’m excited to see this film pushed during the Christmas holiday season. It’s truly a biblical adventure that I think will help make that story seem more based in reality. I’ve said in many interviews that I wanted to take people behind the figurines of 3 wood or plastic nativity scene wise men and make them breath. I think we’ve done just that and while the film is darker in tone it paints the picture of why a celestial Messiah was sought after. Pre-Order this title when you can and prepare for an adventure.
Wild Faith – VFX work and sound design has been underway. Once music is applied this film is truly going to be something special. I love the film also because of all the special people involved in the making. We stayed in little lake side cabins and created this beautiful story. I do sincerely think that this film is a beginning of something more.
Well, I have a full day. A short flea market stop followed by a visit with my dad. Later if the fields hold we have a soccer match to play. I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and father-like figures out there who mentor and guide.
Have a great day and be good to one another.
DJ
June 18, 2017 | Categories: Blogroll, Uncategorized | Tags: agent, Bethlehem, biblical, blog, book, Bridgestone Multimedia Group, cabins, casting, CDI, Chasing the star, coffee, Comic Con, comics, cult classic, Czech Republic, David Hayes, deal, development, distributor, DJ Perry, elm, fall, fans, films, flea market, Forty Nights, garden, Happy Father's Day, horror, iceberg, In the Heart of the Sea, Jesus, knight chills, lakes, lazy boy, lettuce, logs, Man's Best Friend, Messiah, Michigan, Moby Dick, music, nativity scene, office, production design, Rance Howard, readers, Ron Howard, salads, sandwiches, screenplay, scripts, sea, sequels, siding, soccer, Source Point Press, Spectrum Films, Star, studio, The Christ Slayer, The Conquest Trilogy, The Quest Trilogy, title, titles, trees, Tuck & Dale VS Evil, VFX, Wild Faith, winter, Wonder Woman, writing | Leave a comment
I’m sitting in my hotel room looking out over the mountains of Yuma. That day of travel snuck up and once again I find myself in our old filming grounds. This wonderful town was first found when we shot the film “Deadly Renovations” a handful of years ago. I was looking at various locations to stage biblical films and the desert here was the perfect answer. We call it DESERT STRIPES when producing here because the desert comes with unique challenges that you don’t usually find elsewhere. We’ve got a good mix of returning cast and crew along with a new batch of artists ready to make it all happen. “Doc” our transportation captain takes care of us so well and we’ve really gown to have a film family here. I woke up refreshed after going to bed at what would be around 5am Michigan time. I know it will catch up to me later but right now I feel great. I’m sipping the coffee and catching up with all of you. I had all my gear, computer included all packed up yesterday – so you’re getting a slightly late update.
We just concluded our first production meeting down by the pool where we always hold it. The hotel crew here loves our team and they go out of their way to try to add a bit of HOME to our stay. I’ve just concluded my first batch of spending reporting to accounting and wanted to get this blog written before more hits my plate. Today for me will be working to finalize the cast/crew aspects which are minimal and look at our equipment. I will also carve out a little time to take my Michigan white self pool side and also run a few lines. I’m excited to be returning to this role and to tell this story.
This week we should also see final DVD artwork on FORTY NIGHTS (releasing April 3rd) and the CHASING THE STAR film should be completed by week’s end. Another exciting development is the WILD FAITH teaser trailer should also be completed by week’s end.
On the 19th we’re planning a “thank you” test screening for our friends at Champion Church. The Michigan premiere is looking like April 22nd bring my communications with our director Bret Miller.
It is exciting to see Nathaniel Nose our director on “The Christ Slayer” settle into this fine production machine. They are reviewing the schedule and looking at locations later this afternoon. I’m sure we’ll have lots of BTS photos and such start rolling out as we get deeper into pre-production and production. I’m going to cut this short because we have a list of TO DO’s but I’ll be here Sunday to report on the week of prep. I hope each and every one of you has a productive week.
Coffee sip! Cheers!
DJ
March 6, 2017 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: artists, artwork, AZ, biblical, blog, bret miller, cast, Champion Church, Chasing the star, coffee, computer, crew, Deadly REnovations, desert, development, DJ Perry, doc, DVD, filming, films, Forty Nights, gear, home, hotel, locations, Michigan, Nathaniel Nose, pool, stripes, teaser, The Christ Slayer, trailer, transportation, travel, Wild Faith, Yuma | Leave a comment
As I sit down to type I’m still stunned by the news of the passing of Bill Paxton at 61 years old. A small actor in big films that made memorable moments and characters and worked up into some major roles. I liked his directing and he was one of those people who I thought I could realistically share the screen with in the coming years. I’m just again reminded that we don’t know how much time we have here and so as we do our final off location prep on “The Christ Slayer” I will be appreciative. Appreciative that I can do what I love to do and feel a calling to do. I know that many are not engaging their passion but that freedom to do so has come by sacrifice. Let’s take a look at what new developments we’ve had this past week. No sacrifice required:)
The Quest Trilogy
This is very exciting and for those out there who have asked here is the Bridgestone Multimedia Group home video release schedule.
FORTY NIGHTS (April 2017), CHASING THE STAR (Sept 2017), THE CHRIST SLAYER (April 2018)
Now let’s look at updates with each one
The Christ Slayer (Pre-Production)
We’re very close to locking up the schedule so we can sign up our talent and start on transportation arrangements. It’s always a chore with a schedule usually it helps one area or another. We’ve almost crewed up and only a few crew members to add. I also want to welcome The Candleberry Company back as a sponsor. These films are made with the assistance of many great companies who believe in what we’re doing and want their products or services associated with our films. If you’re interested in having your company or service associated please do contact me direct at perrydj@aol.com
Thank you!
Chasing the Star
I had a chance to see the new theatrical poster which we’ll be releasing this week. It is a great piece of artistic work that captures the heart of the film. The end credits are almost done and will be dropped in this week. The VFX plates are in the film and soon it will be a locked picture. I’m excited to complete this second film and for everyone to experience it. The Michigan premiere is looking like April and we’ll follow that with multiple theatrical runs. BMG will release the home video in September on the run up to Christmas!
FORTY NIGHTS
This week we should get our first peek at the new DVD artwork. The release campaign will start heating up with the early April release. I hope that a great mass of people can start off their trilogy experience with this beautiful remastered film. We’ve got a few new reviewers taking an early look but I hope you all will watch and form your own opinions. I think there is a message in there for everyone. Stay tuned!
BESTSELLER is starting to negotiate a sales rep agreement for the foreign market. I think this tension-driven film will excite and frighten people around the world.
WILD FAITH
I told you of the great reaction to the first draft of the film. We’ve made our notes and should have a locked picture soon. We also got a first look at the teaser trailer and it was powerful! It gave me goosebumps and I watched it three times in a row without saying a word. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. It is in sound polishing now and once done TV series discussions can move forward. I think we’ll see a first poster in the coming weeks and again I’m so proud of the cast and crew.
Today I’m organizing and getting everything ready to kick Monday off hard. It always has a certain amount of anxiety as we always want to do a great job. We can only do our best and to date that has gotten us quite far. Again, bringing it full circle – it’s okay to feel this way but let us not forget the lesson of Bill Paxton, live, love and do what you were meant to do. RIP to Bill and countless others who don’t concern themselves with all our issues. To the rest of us – no rest until the peace finds us at the end.
Have a great weekend and productive week.
DJ
February 26, 2017 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: actors, April, artwork, Bestseller, blog, BMG, Bridgestone Multimedia Group, character, Chasing the star, Christmas, credits, developments, directing, DJ Perry, DVD, films, foreign, Forty Nights, home video, live, love, Michigan, poster, pre-production, premiere, prep, remastered, reviewers, sacrifice, schedule, screen, September, sponsor, talent, teaser, The Candleberry Company, The Christ Slayer, The Quest Trilogy, theatrical, trailer, transportation, TV, VFX, Wild Faith, world | Leave a comment
We had a nice day of sunshine yesterday and that allowed us to get outside and do a little bit of yard clean up. Today the weather is back to wet and overcast but tis the way in Michigan. In a few short weeks we’ll be back in Yuma, AZ to film our third installment in THE QUEST TRILOGY. Let’s examine those films and the journey that these projects take.
The Christ Slayer
The bank account is open and the finalizing of people’s paperwork and getting their investment into the bank is always a task. People are busy but we work on tight timelines. We only have a few units to assign before we’re a fully functional battle station. Paperwork between crew started this week and next week some paperwork on talent will begin. Right now rooms, flights for the pre-prod team are the priority of the production office.
On cast we’re waiting for our schedule this week so we’ll know how many days talent will be required. Casting has been mostly a joy but you always get to those few hard choices. This past week we came to a few casting decisions after some healthy back and forth. We finalized casting on one of our last co-stars, a supporting role and a few featured roles from the AZ area. Each artist brings their unique talents to the screen. I’m so excited about the casting choices that were made.
I’m also happy that because of distribution being in place we don’t need to drop any ‘lure castings’ as I call them. That’s less than ideal casting but it’s done with the possibility that it may help grab the attention of a distributor. I understand why this is done but it can have a backlash. Distributors we’ve spoken with will tell you that certain names are known but they’ve become known for less than inspired product. They spoke of the flood of films that basically takes (Insert animal) and (Insert Holiday) add (Insert lure casting) and repeat. Now, I respect the fact that it’s a business model but I need more to invest myself in. I need a story that means something to me deeply.
“On schedule, on budget and our projects bring high artistic value.” That’s how we’re described by distributors and why we’ve been developing our ongoing business. I’ve said it before, you need to streamline your operation so that you can work with marketing teams whose job is to put the film into the marketplace. No excuses.
T Rex and DJ Perry (Moses & Jesus) “innocent role”
As I’ve done before I’ll give you a hint to the upcoming casting along with a story. First one of the roles WAS hard to find because it possesses a quality you can’t easily manufacture. In this case it was the “innocent role” which in “Forty Nights” was our T-Rex/Moses and in the upcoming “Chasing the Star” was filled by the amazing actor Logan Kishi. Thinking outside the box led me to looking at a certain spectrum of talent. From there I saw an actor who shared by last name. I looked at his materials along with dozens of others actors but kept coming back to the one with the famous last name:) His humor was right on point with the writing and he had that IT factor people talk about. In moving down the road in the casting process we discovered this talent had a sibling who also is an established actor. Another read for another role and BAM it has become a family affair. I’m excited that these two siblings will get to share in this journey together. People may assume I’m casting from family but I’ve never met these two brothers with the cool last name:) If we are related it’s buried up in the in the limbs of the ole family tree.
Two local actors who’ve participated with us before in Yuma, AZ have landed featured extra parts that while small are very important. (As all roles are) I’m sure they’re excited to be participating and we’re excited to have them.
In summary – We’re moving forward strong. I’ve been spending time with the story and it’s a joy to be able to imagine the talent in the roles on the page I’m reading. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. I am also looking forward to a little sunshine and Mexican food!
A few of the co-stars of the upcoming “Chasing the Star”
Chasing the Star
I’ve been assembling information for our end credits. This week we’ll also start moving over photo elements to the distributor. We should get our street date set in the coming weeks. I’m excited for audiences to get their first peek at the film. I’m trying to make it possible for our friends at Champion Church to see the film before we roll cameras on “The Christ Slayer”. They’ve helped us in so many ways as part of our Yuma team and I like to give them a special treat as a thank you.
DJ Perry as Jesus in “Forty Nights” 4/4/2017
Forty Nights
The Easter stuff is slowly making its way out and that brings us closer to the 4/4/17 release date. The nice part about this release is that we’ll create a nice flow between the releases of the three films.
Once “The Christ Slayer” releases around Easter 2018 my hope is to see the three films play together or over three nights on television. I’m anxiously awaiting the new artwork which I hope to see this week. Fingers crossed.
Lisa Lauren Smith drives the drama as Haddie in #WildFaith
Wild Faith
We’ve had many people reaching out about this film. I sincerely think we’ve got some gold with this film. The energy while making it was just powerful and cast and crew alike brought their A game. This week we’ll be seeing the first full cut of the story. I would say I’m excited but that would be an understatement. Keep following us and I’ll keep you updated after the first watch.
I’m not going to wax on about development at this time. Truth is I have much to turn my attention to and so I will cut this short. All of us artists appreciate your time and attention and in a few short weeks and months ahead we hope to entertain, educate and inspire you with your stories. That is an artist’s hope.
Be good to one another.
DJ
February 12, 2017 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: actor, animal, artist, artwork, AZ, bank, battle, camels, cast, casting, Champion Church, Chasing the star, co-stars, crew, distributors, DJ Perry, dozen, educate, end credits, entertain, family, films, flights, food, Forty Nights, friends, Haddie, holiday, hope, humor, inspire, joy, Lisa Lauren Smith, lure, Mexican, Michigan, office, paperwork, rooms, schedule, screen, siblings, sunshine, supporting, talent, Television, The Christ Slayer, The Quest Trilogy, tree, truth, Wild Faith, Yuma | Leave a comment
It has been bitter cold this weekend and I’ve been trying to keep a small cold at bay. At least we’ve had a few days of sun which is a good change from the dark clouds over Michigan. This past week was our first week of official pre-production on “The Christ Slayer” so.. busy, busy – let’s take a look back at our week. (Coffee sip)
Teaser poster for “The Christ Slayer”
The Christ Slayer
We’re moving forward with shooting our third and final installment of The Quest Trilogy – entitled The Christ Slayer. I’ve been ignoring lots of the angry noise flying about around us in the news and just focusing on the load of work before me. That in itself has been quite consuming and refreshing. Friday we opened our new bank account and we’ve started to fuel up the ship. It was a two-hour bank trip dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s but now that’s set. Casting and crewing is about 80% complete since we’ve had the pleasure of team building over several films now. We’ve got many returning faces and a few new ones and in a few weeks we’ll again be in Yuma, AZ filming.
Casting – I’m very excited about several of our new casting choices. Christine Solomon and Carl Weyant will be wonderful to work with. This week we’re announcing a few new supporting actors via PR but I will let you faithful readers know in advance. Ms. Lana Wood and Mr. David Gries will be joining our cast. I’ve worked with both of them and I’m excited to have them onboard. We’ve also been reviewing reels and reads and feel very close to making a few additional casting decisions.
Crewing – we’re still in talks on a few crew positions but those cards are falling quickly into place. I’m excited to have our chef Eddie back on board. Great food goes a long way with people working away from home.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Chasing the Star – we’re getting to the last VFX shots and the mixing of the final film. We’re also about to go over end credits which is painful because almost always you end up with a misspelled name or worse yet, miss someone completely. I’m excited that we’re so close to being done. I am going to try to set up a screening of the film for our Yuma folks prior to filming the third. We’ll also be doing a premiere in Michigan before moving into certain theatre chains. Our deal with Bridgestone Multimedia is complete and we’ll be getting the home video street dates very soon.
DJ Perry and Jesse Low (Director) on set of “Forty Nights” – the camp of John the Baptist
Forty Nights –
We should have some new artwork to review in the coming weeks. The release date for the remastered “Forty Nights: film will be 4/4/17 and we’re also exploring some in-store signings. This film was beautiful before but we had such a tight release schedule last year with Wal-Mart that the film wasn’t as polished as we wanted. That said, people enjoyed the beauty previously but now we’ve got a film that’s a bit closer to our director’s vision. I’m also excited about foreign sales to start rolling on this first film.
Wild Faith
As of Friday our director/editor was working the last scene of the film. After that we’ll review, polish and lock it up. From there we’ll move it into post sound/music as “Chasing the Star” is moving out. I’m going to start looking at trailer and teaser poster work on the film. We’ve had LOTS of interest in this movie and so I do want to explore the possibility of the tv series.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
As mentioned above, the tv series could put our teams to work for several months. We’ve also got a few feature films in development. I also had an update on C.U.J.O. which is moving a bit slower but larger budget studio films tend to follow that pattern. The dog trainer may come visit us while in AZ. Aside from those developments I’m focused on the role at hand. I’ll have a clear head on what I want to pursue once “The Christ Slayer” is behind me.
Have a great weekend.
DJ
February 5, 2017 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: 4/4/17, 40 Nights, artwork, AZ, bank, Bello Pizzimenti, Bridgestone Multimedia Group, C.U.J.O., Carl Weyant, casting, CDI, Chasing the star, chef, Christine Solomon, coffee, cold, Collective Development Inc, credits, crewing, CUJO, David Gries, developments, director, DJ Perry, dog trainer, editor, faith, films, food, Forty Nights, Garry Nation, Jesse Low, Jesus, John the Baptist, Lana Wood, MI, music, poster, premiere, Randy Spence, ship, sound, studio, supporting, team, teaser, The Quest Trilogy, trailer, TV series, VFX, WAl-Mart, Wild Faith, Yuma | Leave a comment
(A sip of coffee) What a week. I have to say weather-wise it was very cold but quite mild compared to other states. Lots of great developments including getting all the business taxes submitted to our movie accountants. Only my personal taxes are left to tackle. I’m really staying focused on the films because I think unity is something we all really need right now. I’ve almost eliminated any social media viewing for pleasure save STAR WARS updates. There is so much hate, anger and fear – and Yoda taught us those things lead to the dark side:) But seriously, we all have different priorities pending our lot in life, but I’m saddened by the chaotic state of our nation. I think the health of our planet and the future we leave the children of tomorrow should be the priority.
I mostly enjoy people and that is never based on the clothes they wear, the car they drive or the house they live in. It’s based on their attitude, humor, compassion and how they treat their fellow human beings. I think we’re back to a dark place in America like pre-9-11. As tragic as all that was at least we saw the best in people rise from the ashes of those towers. The intangible tower of UNITY. Now if anyone values or dares looks at things differently, they’re considered STUPID right-wing, IDIOT liberals, ignorant ASS HATS. There is no real communication just shouting and babble.
Beautiful – by artist Jeff Butler
I’ve seen the left think Bush was the root of everything wrong. After that it was Obama who became the target. What people fail to understand is that all that negativity is poison spewed is also poison to the self. The crazed look of hate and non-rational ranting heard from both sides has damaged people badly. We’re a country of change complete with checks and balances. Trust in that and don’t be swept up in the chaos of it all. Seek clarity. The best actions are made when they come from a place of clarity.
Sanctuary of Storytelling
I want to be part of sanctuary that grants clarity. When people are no longer are able to cope with wild emotions that have pulled them so far from their normal orbit – they will crave peace. Once the TV NEWS gets turned off and they immerse themselves in a darkroom -the lights dim as the wind, music and beautiful visuals appear- messages of hope. FILM truly can be a sanctuary. We’ll be here tending that sanctuary ready to give peace of mind to all who enter. Maybe we can send calmer, cooler heads back out into the world. In America we must seek compromise – same side of the table negotiations versus hate and gridlock. It cannot be an all or nothing mentality where certain policy is only good for some. We’ll face many more challenges in the future and we’ll all need those moments of sanctuary. Allow yourself to go there. Let the venom be purged and your mind become calm.
Now to the films…
FORTY NIGHTS
We’re excited that “Forty Nights” is getting an expanded 2017 release. The change in name from “40 Nights” to “Forty Nights” will allow people who ASK for the film to find it easier. Many first run retailers who were asked in person likely typed “FORTY” and – Nope. Nothing in our system. So this expanded release will correct that issue. It will also have (in my opinion) stronger art work. The previous cover was a rush job by Wal-Mart. The cover was not our Jesus, and it was…poor quality in my opinion. The film is now being digitally re-mastered and may include a few extras goodies. I hope to reveal some new artwork in the coming weeks.
CHASING THE STAR
We met last week over the second film which is now in final VFX and color correction. This week we start to work on the end credits and we’re going to be setting up theatrical play dates soon after “Forty Nights” 4/4/17 home video release date. On Friday I had the first draft of our home video deal with BMG. We’ve got a bit of back and forth but should have an exact release date soon. This film lives up to what we started with “Forty Nights” and I’m so excited to see audiences take this second journey – Chasing the star!
The Christ Slayer
Once again, I’m in a race against the harsh desert of AZ trying to get all our investors and business in line. It has not been an IF but WHEN on these films and often these folks don’t realize what we face time-wise. We’re often the small investment and the urgency is not always understood until they feel the desert heat. That said, we’re moving strongly forward with the worst case situation being us having to shoot on the other side of the AZ summer. (124 degrees is too hot) With all the pieces falling into place I would rather shoot in March, so I’m going to push hard. Last week we announced our director Nathaniel Nose. Before that we announced our returning cast. Soon here we’ll be announcing our new leads in the film. We’ve found two of the four and we’re also casting a few new antagonists. I’ve had a few reels start to come in to me after requesting Middle East or Italian actors send their materials. Thank you. The crew is also shaping up nicely and we’ll be once again bringing some Michigan keys out to work with our AZ team. I really would enjoy storytelling in AZ when Michigan is buried under snow.
WILD FAITH
The first STILL photos are starting to roll out and soon I hope to have a teaser poster and trailer. I’ve seen some amazing footage from the film and I think audiences will really enjoy what we have.
FUTURE ENDEAVORS
We’re looking at future projects and where we want to go with our film slate. We have many options to consider. Keep putting one foot in front of the next one and before long you’ll surprise yourself on how far you’ve traveled.
Until next week…
DJ
January 15, 2017 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: 40 Nights, 9-11, actors, America, anger, audiences, AZ, Bush, business, calm, challenges, Chasing the star, children, coffee, compassion, compromise, dark side, darkroom, deal, desert, digital, director, DJ Perry, draft, emotions, endeavors, fear, films, footage, Forty Nights, future, hate, health, home video, homor, hope, human beings, investment, investors, Italian, Jesus, liberals, Michigan, music, Nathaniel Nose, nation, news, normal, Obama, orbit, peace, planet, policy, poster, right-wing, sanctuary, snow, social media, Star Wars, stills, storytelling, Summer, taxes, teaser, The Christ Slayer, unity, venom, WAl-Mart, weather, Wild Faith, wind | 3 Comments
It is a peaceful Sunday morning and I’m sipping the ole hazelnut coffee and about to give some updates on our film endeavors. First, I want to note the earthquakes that are hitting multiple areas around the globe. Also with the new wildfires erupting in the N.C. mountains. I hope my friends there stay safe. Earthquakes and wildfires and that could also describe the political shake up here in the USA. I’m not a politician and as a storyteller I want to enrich the lives of all people. My only note as of late is I’ve never seen positive communication between parties when the volume becomes LOUD and the EMOTION sets in. Ears close and frustration mounts as people feel unheard. Talking is always better than yelling. Trying to hear both sides and seek compromise will always beat out yelling in someones face. I think a majority of people who felt unheard just went silent and let their vote speak. Also as a former soccer coach I’ve noted that many people do not know how to lose. I saw a climate of “everyone wins” grow over the years and many of us know that is seldom the case. Now I’ve had immense amount of set back in my life and I try to waste as little energy as possible on things I cannot change. I try to accept situations and make solid moves from that stance. I hope that the divide which is now more in the open creates good communication, understanding and compromise. Time will tell.
About film
The Quest Trilogy
I hinted at a deal that is going done to take these films and other CDI properties to the next level of distribution and production. We have our first paperwork and are reviewing. I plan to put pen to paper this forthcoming week. I’ve been also prepping the other projects for presentation.
DJ Perry as Jesus in “40 Nights”
40 Nights – the beautiful comments continue and the new marketing teams will start work to prep for the new 2017 release push. I cannot discuss this too much until we have concluded the deal.
Chasing the Star – we’re entering the final phase of post-production. The first look trailer is being polished up and will be released soon. Audiences will be in for a great journey with this second film in our trilogy.
The Christ Slayer – this film is now moving into active development. We’ll be announcing new developments on IMDB.com and via new PR releases. I will be returning to my role as Jesus in this film. I look forward to completing the trilogy with this heart-moving, thought-provoking film.
Wild Faith – the editing is underway and approaching the half way point. We’re also prepping for one last pick up day that will be flashbacks of our main character. It is a return to shooting some Civil War footage and so fans of “Wicked Spring” will be happy.
Terry Jernigan and DJ Perry in “An Ordinary Killer”
I plan to roll out several of the classic CDI films from the library but I’m holding while we work out this new deal. But I assure you we will see several of the films re-release. Some will see their 1st Blu-Ray or streaming/digital deals.
I’ve had several people ask howe they can be considered for CDI films. The first thing I always say is get that showcase reel together. GAME FOOTAGE. On the CDI site http://www.cdiproductions.com we do post what we’re currently seeking. We do sometimes use IMDB Casting, Backstage or other casting notices but as a company of actor/producers we keep our eyes and ears open. When new talent is found that fits – they are brought into the discussion. Also if you’ve worked with CDI with no issue that puts you to the front of the list for consideration. I’ve talked about being ready for opportunity in past blogs but it is important. If you work a day job get one with flexibility. I use to live, and still do, quite conservative. I don’t spend money I don’t have on flash. I try to stay on top of my personal so when duty calls I can transition into business as needed.
On set of the thriller “Bestseller”
I did have one good conversation with an actor aspiring to produce at a certain level. I gave my honest advice which essential was about taking steps. If you’ve only done 5k shorts what experience says you’re ready to manage 2 million dollars? If you’ve never done the 50k or 500k project you’ve missed so many lessons. I liken it to the martial arts whereas you learn in phases. Nobody jumps belts or degrees without learning the lessons at each new phase. I don’t see where people in film think that is a good idea. And if you lack that experience it is easy for outsiders to run amuck with your project. And team building is so important. One bad “player” can damage/kill a project so the team is so very important. If you can make a solid 50k film you will be in better shape to do that 75-100k film. The learning curve is so very important. So if a project, passion or not is too big for you – set it aside and do something smaller. BUILD.
I’m going to go do a few things in the yard to stay ahead of the snow which will find us. Embrace the differences amongst us and communicate calmly. Less shouting. More listening. Smile. Work towards real change. I will keep influencing people with a story. A STORY can change the world.
Be good to one another.
DJ
November 13, 2016 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: 2017, 40 Nights, backstage, BluRay, casting, CDI, characters, Chasing the star, civil war, coffee, digital, DJ Perry, dollars, earthquakes, emotions, films, flashbacks, IMDB, Jesus, martial arts, Michigan, money, N.C., politics, PR, smile, snow, sports, streaming, Sunday, teams, The Christ Slayer, The Quest Trilogy, trailer, Wicked Spring, Wild Faith, wildfires | Leave a comment
