CDI Updates – Success is rarely an accident but often a result.
I’m sipping the hazelnut coffee like I always do but today our little chat is being done on my new work computer. It is a Mac Air and so far so good. My Movie Magic software is up and running and I still need to adjust a few things with my Microsoft Office. How the time flies when you just keep moving ahead. I thought the old computer was not that old but when programs started being limited or not working it was because it was from 2012 and had reached the final operating system it could handle. The old computer might get dedicated to photo management or something of the sort. I’m going into the end of the year with good tidings and joy. I’ve been working to try and round out my holiday shopping for gifts. I do love giving little gifts not just at Christmas but all year long. Much of what I purchase I do so for other people or for the movies will tell. (Props/Wardrobes) I’ve turned the fort office into Santa’s workshop jamming tunes and wrapping presents. I have to do some clean up before my brother and a few amigos come to visit tonight. I might need to split some more wood but I will wait until it warms up a tad. I went out to let the chickens out and it was FROZEN out. Back to the hot hazelnut coffee, see how that comes full circle?
WILD FAITH and WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS – The top picture is of Emmett, Ben and Hester in the original film. (You can stream on dozens of platforms) In theaters now is the sequel and it just returned to Alpena, MI where we filmed on Friday for another week of showings. It also opened in several new states from Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire you can see a full and evolving list on our FB page for Wild Faith Christmas. We also are excited to have it playing in CDI’s home town of Lansing, MI at Celebration Cinema on December 22 at 6:00 and 8:15. Being a Monday it should not collide with many people’s holiday plans. This franchise and the second film is getting great reviews from audiences. Laughter, tears and a film that really captures the holiday spirit. I could not be happier. I do have an idea for a 3rd film which I may or may not have started. I also have the eight 44 min TV series season one written. If I can find the right funding without too many strings we just might tackle that series.
Harsens Island Revenge – CDI’s second adaptation of a Karl Manke book. The 1st was Best Years Gone from the book Hope From Heavens directed by Shane Hagedorn (Ashes of Eden, Wild Faith Christmas). The 1920’s historical drama pits WW1 vets versus the Purple Gang. It is full of action and style and you can buy the DVD or stream it on Amazon Prime.
SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA is CDI’s previous Christmas story based on a true event during WW2. It might be returning again to the Fridley Theaters in Algona as the people do a yearly watch of the film and visit the two museums in town. (Nativity Scene, PW Museum) It is also streaming and for sale on DVD for those who do not want to brave the cold. Iowa folks are a hardy lot.
THE QUEST TRILOGY (Forty Nights, Chasing the Star, The Christ Slayer) are a series of Christmas adventures worth watching at any time but even more so during the holidays. Beautifully shot in Yuma, AZ from the rugged desert to the awestruck date farms, this film will make you think and entertain the whole family. I am exploring a blu ray for all three films next holiday along with a retrospective coffee table book on the making of the three films. Interesting enough a new CDI film is a loose follow up to this trilogy and that is the upcoming AI Jesus: The Secret of the Kingdom Chip. The film picture is almost locked and in Jan 2026 it will move into the music and sound studio. This powerful and heartwarming film will again promote much discussion as we move ever deeper into the age of technology. This film was directed by Anthony Hornus (MBF, Silent Night in Algona).
LOST HEART, ASHES OF EDEN, MAN’S BEST FRIEND, BEST YEARS GONE, WICKED SPRING, DEAN TEASTER’S GHOST TOWN, AN ORDINARY KILLER, KNIGHT CHILLS, THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ are all good cold weather watches from the CDI library. We are still working to try and update a few of the older CDI Classic Collection and we hope to bring a few of those back to audiences in 2026.
ROM COMS MUST DIE is a dark comedy that really makes fun of our obsessive film industry. It is in final mixing before it will do a run in theaters before releasing around Halloween on home video. Comparing RCMD to say Lost Heart is like comparing an apple and a screwdriver but if you like horror films and dark humor you will enjoy this very unique take. BESTSELLER is another dark film adapted from the book by Chris Knight and is a good late night watch. I’ve also acted in a handful of scary films having gotten my start with them starting with IN THE WOODS (New Blu Ray out).
DEVELOPMENT: There is several active and passive development underway. It is somewhat limited by the fact I’m still in talks with backers on the few remaining investment units on AI JESUS. Once that is finalized I will be more aggressive in my development. We do have possibles on several fronts. I’ve got several scripts I’m working on including a few sequels to fan favorites.
WRAP UP: I got the final distribution of returns out to our investor pool and we are in the midst of streamlining CDI product making it better tax wise and easier to write out checks to investors. Right now some investors are getting 3, 4 or 5+ checks which would be easier with one check and a broken down control sheet. Many thanks to our legal John Mashni and our accounting firm Davison & Associates CPA for assisting in this process. CDI is growing and might soon make some big leaps in production. You have to be ready for success. Success is rarely an accident but often a result. With that I’m going to wrap this up. This is my first business on this new computer. It really is nice. I often work something until it can go no more. That is how I’m sure I will live my life. I will work until my body can go no more. Unlike several friends entering retirement I feel like we are just getting going. I have business mentors in their 80’s+ who are still creating and making things happen. Those are my role models. CDI will do a big SciFi film my love letter to the original STAR WARS. I have other storytelling goals and with the CDI TRIBE we will make them happen. We bring in new tribal members every year. Find people who fit with you and watch the achievements thrive. Avoid negativity and drama that I hear about and occasionally see but we work hard to eliminate anything like that. At a certain age you want to have fun and create. That is what we do at CDI and I’m proud of that. I’ve said it before, I’m not trying to get to any top of any mountains where only the backstabbers and climb steppers exist. I don’t envy others work but I will admire a job well done. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season. I will be back with you all next Sunday to report any updates. I’m working with Adam Towner trying to put together a CDI 30th Anniversary highlight reel. I am working with David Gries also to update and give the CDI website a facelift. I’m excited for 2026 but I’m going to savor the last of 2025. Coffee Cheers my friends be good to one another!
DJ
Finishing the Year Strong! CDI Tribal Updates Entering September 2025!
Here we are again my friends. I’m sipping on the hazelnut coffee and reflecting on my busy week. We had a surge in readers from China this week. Welcome. This past week has been eventful. First at the semi-final stage our soccer team’s season finally ended. We started strong but at the end of the day they capitalized on a few more opportunities. What a great season and a great work out. My abs are killing but not from soccer from being on a ladder and putting a new gazebo together on the freshly stained and sealed deck. It is a lovely reddish color and will give a wonderful place to make calls from and relax. I’ve been harvesting mint, sage, oregano and more from the garden. I’ll be doing some trimming and cutting more firewood soon. I’m going to have some builders look at closer the office rafters in to keep the birds out. Aside from that it has been collecting eggs and organizing the under deck. Always something to do but those little improvements are well worth it.
To the movie updates-
- Harsens Island Revenge is playing until Sept 3rd at the Riverside Cinema and now in Grosse Pointe at the Okulski Theatre until Sept 4th. It is coming one night only to Forest Theatre on Sept 19th. We are working to try and get dates in Algona at Fridley’s for all our friends there. Emagine said if anymore openings they will try to slide the film into some additional slots. The film is being submitted to a few festivals via our home distributor. We had a great meeting with their marketing team and in September the marketing campaign will really heat up. It will be available on DVD and streaming on 10/6/2025. It is also up for several awards on Sept 13th for The Red Letter Awards. I think you can tune in online!
- Wild Faith Christmas is needing a last look on credits before it is mastered for theatrical. It is being submitted to the Wild Bunch Film Festival. The original cleaned up with like 13 awards at the AZ festival in October. We will be meeting over theatrical and our partners will start pitching to theaters. We hope to get it in where they will take it. It is a powerful story and we are excited to bring it to you. We will be doing the MI run for sure with Lansing, Alpena, Owosso, GR and Detroit. From there we’ll go to as many theaters as we can.
- ROM COMS MUST DIE is at the sound studio and we’ll be doing a watch through soon. We’ll get our director Travis Hayward in there to discuss music beds. The first teaser trailer is going to come out this week and I’ve been working on the PR release materials. I’m really proud of this comedy gem and Adam Towner makes a good debut in his first co-starring role. We might be looking at a premiere at the end of the year pending how progress goes. But 2026 will be the theatrical and home video release. Be ready to laugh!
- The Secret of the Kingdom Chip (TSOTKC) is moving full steam ahead on several fronts. I’ve been collecting biz paperwork and funds and fine tuning our budget. We are still assigning a few pieces of that to parties and we’re still bring sponsors on. We’ll be welcoming an Aussie company Three Cuts Gin to the film. Several more will be announcing and we are so thankful to them. Actor reads, set building, camera tests and more are all underway. We start rolling cameras in 18 days! All very exciting developments and we cannot wait until audiences see this story. I was given a great compliment on the script from Mary Badham who said it had a Rod Sterling flair to the writing. I’m a big fan of Rod Sterling so that made my week.
- IF you are excited about some of these new releases there are some CDI films you can watch to be ready. If you haven’t seen Harsens Island Revenge yet and want to see another film adapted from a Karl Manke book by Wild Faith Christmas director Shane Hagedorn watch BEST YEARS GONE. If you are awaiting Wild Faith Christmas make sure you watch part 1 WILD FAITH now streaming! If you are awaiting the Secret of the Kingdom Chip watch our 3 part The Quest Trilogy (Forty Nights, Chasing the Star, The Christ Slayer) and get some hints to the follow up story. Wanna see Tony Hornus previous directorial stories watch MAN’S BEST FRIEND and SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA. LOST HEART, GHOST TOWN, AN ORDINARY KILLER, KNIGHT CHILLS, BESTSELLER…the list goes on. As the cold sets in make sure you catch up on the Tribe!
DEVELOPMENT: TSOTKC will be my last feature film for the year. After we have lotta roll our showings and events in planning. We are working on a few film series consisting of dinner and a movie plus a mixer with Q&A and more. I’m finally to the agreement stage of a writing project that is pretty exciting. I will be finishing up MBF2 this winter also. We have some major meetings ahead on film projects as we have many working to try and take the CDI productions to the next level. The Hastings, Wild Faith TV series will get another push with the sequel release. So many stories to be told. I’ll be circling back to some contacts in Iowa trying to help launch a few stories there. I have a few associates with proposed collaborations that I need to dig into more. Both are westerns.
I’m full of ideas for moving into the future. Right now I’m focusing on the projects sitting square on my plate. We will have a great production in 3 short weeks and I’ve got a good amount to do between now and then. I’m going to go get ready to eat some of those delicious eggs. I’ve still got some business to wrap up to help get a jump on the shorter week ahead. If you again want to join us on this next story adventure feel free to reach out. We have a few more crew and a cast or two to lock in but we are looking good.
I hope you all are enjoying the slow transition to Fall. MSU won their first game and that was nice to watch. The LIONS are on deck and that is something I always enjoy. I’m going to work in the yard some today and start that transitional clean up. Maybe a fire outside and maybe even a first fire in the office stove. Push on everyone and lets make this a great year. I cannot believe we are in September already with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner. It feels like the Christmas tree just went down. That is how the wheel turns and so keep a smile on your face and be kind to everyone. I’m deeply appreciative to everyone who has supporting our artistic endeavors this year. My heartfelt thanks.
DJ
Father’s Day! New Releases! Casting & Crewing For Next CDI Film Discussed
Good morning. Happy Father’s Day! Hazelnut coffee cheers! It is a beautiful day and I’m sitting here and enjoying the morning vibes. I fed the fur babies this morning and also posted a nice little social media message to my dad. He likely will not see it but I will see him later today. He is almost blissfully free of the whole computer/social media thing. He enjoys the yard, his dog and is really enjoying his non hectic years. He took on a lot of responsibility at a young age. He built a lot from very little. He along with my mom gave us a foundation of love to build from. Our neighborhood was our own little paradise that we grew up in and I have a thousand stories I could tell from our upbringing. I know that not all children are given such a good foundation. He created our strong foundation because his was not there save with the help of a foster family. He was/has always been more practical because he had to be. I’ve always been a dreamer because I was allowed that luxury. I’m convinced that him allowing us to ‘play’ with the camcorder is why I have a career in film. It is why all these film stories have been born over three decades. Fathers, parents, mentors can make such a huge difference and without them so many of the great things we enjoy may never come to pass. So I’m going to finish this update before stopping by the flea market down the road and over to my dad’s place for a visit.
This week is also the run up week to my birthday. I’ve been known to get odd around my birthday. I’m a deep introspective person who really feels everything. I’ve often sought solitude because it helps me to focus. I can only be a storyteller and try to remind EVERYONE of our best selves. To recall and record our collective stories that showcase our best attributes or times where we overcame hardship. The world is in that place and many struggle to find their balance. I love that we try to speak to everyone and look to strengthen our common bonds versus what divides us. Everyone has their role to play and people all try to follow their own hearts. Problems don’t go away they change and the youth of today will become to ones to deal with the world issues. I hope we can move towards a place of peace and harmony, like John Lennon said, IMAGINE.
Film Updates-
Harsens Island Revenge is starting to book dates and our director is working to put Detroit in play. The heart of the story stems from Detroit history and we want the good people of the D to enjoy it. We are also looking to attend a few select festivals in addition to the theatrical play that will go through Oct 1st. I’m excited that next weekend our Northern Michigan friends can again enjoy the film in Rogers City around their wood boat show. Also Buda, Texas will be playing the film at a drive in which is way cool. It was always a dream to have a CDI film play a drive in. Now I need to find one close enough to attend. The film is also being prepped for home video. Some of our revenue from theatrical will be used to get E&O insurance which stands for Errors and Emissions. It is required by many distributors and is just another one of the little biz things required. But soon I will have an exact release date for DVD and rent/buy streaming! Find of Facebook page for this and all the CDI films. CDI and myself both have an instagram page where cool promos are promoted. Thank you for all the love so far concerning this film.
Wild Faith Christmas is moving strong down the line. We are getting close for a producers listen to the movie with music and sound design. We’ll start working end credits and the few VFX shots are being worked on now that color correction is about done. This follow up film to WILD FAITH has been anticipated for many years. I’ve noted I have a season 1 written for a TV series that happens after Wild Faith Christmas. I just need to find the right distribution/finance deal that allows creative control. I’m so proud of this film and it was emotionally powerful dry or without music. Now with music the emotion is magnified. We are looking forward to trying to get this into as many theaters that will take it for this holiday season. And on the lead up to the holidays in 2026 will be the home video release. I love this world and hope we do get to play in it more either as a TV series or more films.
ROM COMS MUST DIE – This dark comedy that spoofs that popular trend of romantic comedies and senseless horror come together in this film. We are looking to release a trailer towards the end of the month. On my Bday June 23rd? Maybe? Adam Towner and director Travis Hayward are polishing up the trailer. I’m really happy with how this film came out and it has a lot to say about the biz of film. Essentially it is a film about 2 struggling filmmakers working to get their second feature film launched after the first is a flop. The characters in this are all so enjoyable to watch. We are looking to have a Halloween season premiere and do a short festival run before theaters and home video in 2026. Again you can find the Facebook page and enjoy the promo as it rolls out.
NEW PROJECTS- We are in the process of launching a few new films. We will be looking at cast and crew in the mid Michigan area. We are still assigning a few of the funding units but we are almost there and on target to roll cameras in September on The Secret of the Kingdom Chip. SciFi and Spirituality mix in this uniquely powerful film. The response to the script from initial send outs has been great. We are in talks with cast first and will move to crew. This will be the second collaboration with McGraw Multimedia with John McGraw serving as director of photography. Returning to the director’s chair is Anthony (Tony) Hornus who helped bring such powerful films as Man’s Best Friend and Silent Night in Algona (SNIA) to life. A note on SNIA, it will start playing ad-based streaming on July 1st! So that means the film will go to ROKU, Encourage TV, XUMO and TUBI. We announced two of our leads Dean Teaster and Melissa Anschutz. We have cast/crew talks going on this week and will start initial scheduling. You can find the Facebook page for this new film also and follow along with all the new developments.
The Smoke & Mirrors (The short can be seen on CDI’s Youtube Channel) feature may or may not launch after we film The Secret of the Kingdom Chip (TSOTKC). We might wait until the new year but that depends on how smooth everything rolls with TSOTKC and our releases. I’ve also been working with several developing projects. I’ve been negotiating on several book to film deals but nothing has landed. I am soon to begin writing on another sequel to a very popular CDI film. We are not yet planning to shoot it but I want to get the first draft of the story down on paper.
I did read an outside script recently for a possible acting role but it looks like the schedules could overlap. One thing I’ve really learned over the years is to not commit to too much. I see many younger people fight with that. It can be scary when you are a freelancer and so many say yes to everything. That can be a mistake. I really put everything into whatever I’m working on. So with this Sept film around the corner we will see if I take on any outside acting. I do play a role in the upcoming film but we’ll talk about that on a different day.
WRAP UP: I’ve been feeling pretty good with how everything is flowing. We are working to streamline CDI business. My soccer season has been much needed. Our game last week had us win 4-1 our second win in a row. We lost the first two games 3-2 but we are now getting our groove with our team. I’ve got the yard in good shape with the plants. The mulberry and apple trees are heavy with fruit and I might start collecting mulberries this week for future wine making.
We will be scouting for our one needed location on the next film. I look forward to some of the meetings next week. I always have things on my TO DO list. I have several things I’m always working on. I love the good folks I get to work with and create. The journey is again that wonderful process. It will be fun having folks in the theater watching our current film. For my birthday (June 23rd) a good present would be to watch a CDI film(s) and if you have a favorite tell someone about it.
I’m going to go eat breakfast, water the plants, flea market and visit dad. Later today I will get to spend some brother time. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and spend time with your dad or spend a few remembering your dad if they have passed on. I hope each of you has a productive week ahead. Chip away at your dreams and don’t be hard on yourself if you go slower or make less progress. Just make sure you keep going in the right direction. Have faith in your dreams and be good to one another. When we speak again I’ll have made another trip around the sun official. I enjoy being where I am age-wise. I loved my younger days but I love my growth and wisdom too. Thank you for all joining me each and every week.
Coffee cheers!
DJ
Welcome to December- Keeping Momentum!
(The Christmas tree hunt was successful!)
I want to wish a good morning to all my friends around the world who stop on by each week to share in the artistic journey. I’m trying to update and enhance the machine that moves everything round and round. There are so many platforms and the nuances of each one. I don’t do Snapchat or TicTock and many others I’m sure. Facebook has been a good platform to land our different films. Everyone has a page where we post photos and release information. Do me a favor and seek out these films (Use http://www.imdb.com if you need to) and follow them. IF you have not seen the film please do as they were made for you to enjoy. If you enjoyed it please do invite your friends to follow. You can do 1000 invites on a page per day which means for many just a few days of invites. This is how we’ll reach more fans and friends which might be future fans. This is how sequels get made because of the popularity of a particular film. EXAMPLE: Wild Faith has been doing well and so it deserved a follow up sequel. If you want to see a sequel to Man’s Best Friend, Lost Heart or whichever is your favorite you need to help spread the word. I even have a RETURN TO ALGONA film idea about Edward’s return visit to Algona after the war. Watch SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA on select big screens playing in December in Iowa and the surrounding states. The grassroots way is the safest way versus large marketing campaigns that can bring success or large debt.
Releases and Re-Releases- As mentioned above our WW2 Holiday drama is returning to select theaters such as one night at the Boone Theater in Boone Iowa on Dec 16th. Fridley theater in Algona, Iowa is running the film Dec 6-12th. The film showing has been remastered and is worth watching on the big screen. For those unable or unwilling to drive to the theaters it can be watched on Amazon Prime. In a good surprise KNIGHT CHILLS will play five evenings at the Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn, NY on Monday Dec 2nd at 7:30pm, Dec 8th at 5pm, Dec 11th at 10pm, Dec 14th at midnight and Dec 17th at 10pm! http://www.spectacletheater.com for more info. I would love to see it on the big screen! It can be seen on Blu Ray from Saturn Core/Vinegar Syndrome and on 1/31/25 it will go streaming on FREE4ALL thanks to Deskpop Entertainment. Ammo Content out of NYC will be releasing AN ORDINARY KILLER on streaming December 15th!
(Going old school with Knight Chills and In the Woods)
MERCHANDISE – CDI Literary has launched with the KNIGHT CHILLS book on Amazon. The same arrangement with Katharsys Media has my first starring role with Jim Greulich available now IN THE WOODS with three books to accompany the new Blu Ray release. The novel, the making of and the prequel script if you dig sword and sorcery entitled panDEMONium. Plus the CDI EBAY store should be launching today if not within the next 48 hours. I have to check in and see if the Dec 1 launch is going live. For those who know him Big Bart will be supervising the CDI EBAY store.
DOUBLE BARREL – We have two CDI films in the immediate pipeline. One is preparing to release in Q1 2025. Harsens Island Revenge will have its producers review on the end of the week. The final touches are being done and so I’m looking to clink some glasses at the week’s end. From there we’ll put the theatrical deal together and look at a few festival showcases. This Karl Manke book translated so well to the screen. Action, romance and everything in-between. We’ve been in talks with Twin Engines over the home video. We’re looking to set up a series of premiere dates that kick off the theatrical with a certain chain of screens. We are also in talks with potential release sponsors to help this film reach is full potential. We released a spec promo video to thank Pepsi (Seek out the HIR Facebook page to watch it) and we’ll look to see how we can expand on that possibly with some TV play. I’m actively trying to get FORD on board as all the cars seen in the film are FORDS. It will be an exciting 2025.
(Pic by GW Burns from the set of WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS – Follow us on Facebook)
The second barrel is the WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS that is now into editing. We’re 10+minutes into the film and I’m hearing great things. I’ll let us get 30+ into the edit before I go get a preview. Our goal is to have the film release into theaters on Nov 1st 2025 but that will require a quick edit and for us to move right along on post audio. I think we can do it with Shane Hagedorn at the helm. He does not let grass grow under his feet. I’m looking to have a teaser poster ready in early 2025. We have some amazing photo elements thanks to GW Burns.
KEEPING MOMENTUM– It is very tempting when everything is going good to take your foot off the gas and coast. This must be avoided. While I almost have all the clean up done on Wild Faith Christmas I still have December film disbursements, end-of-year taxes (personal and biz) and 2025 development. You cannot spend a lot of time basking in what you’ve did because there is always more to do. A few of the new developments required.
- As mentioned the CDI EBAY store and connect it to the CDI website.
- Update the CDI website with Harsens Island Revenge info/trailers/making of
- Start next book release for the literary deal which will be the Ghost Town book
- Casting is close to complete on the upcoming ROM COMS MUST DIE (Scheduling is next)
- Considering an Adam Towner edited CDI Highlights Reel for the new year!
- Looking at upcoming writing and development projects (currently finishing the Wild Faith Hastings show updates 4 of 8 done)
This list could go on and on but these are a few of the action items. The cold and the snow make it much easier to chain to the desk for script writing and proposals. I am happy to report that the Halloween/Fall stuff did come down and we have a very nice Christmas tree undecorated but in the house. I need to bring the snow shovels out of storage. We have not gotten the huge drop others have but we definitely have snow. I’m trying to get some of the Christmas shopping done and I’ve got a good start on it. Thanksgiving went smooth with us being able to just visit versus host. We have some foster kittens that have been making our upstairs a playground. And they’ve discovered the joy of plants and dirt. Muriel is the name I think we’ve settled on for the one really young kitten who will be joining Sybil as full-fledged members of the house. The chickens community center has been winterized with straw bales and we are still enjoying fresh eggs. Finn (Our youngest dog) has been nursing a toe injury and that has almost healed. I’m thankful he no longer has that cone on with the new tree in the house. He saw it as a battering ram. Anything in his way be damned!
(A pic from Thanksgiving at Pa Perry’s)
I just finished some 4H bacon, fresh eggs and some dry rye bread. Washed it all down with some great hazelnut coffee. Do you know all the attributes of hazelnut especially amongst the Celtic Druids. The nine hazelnut trees growing around a sacred pool. As the nuts fell into the pool and were eaten by salmon they absorbed the wisdom. There is lots of historical myths which I was introduced too this past week. They also protect against evil. If that is true I should be well protected. I love studying the properties of trees, plants, roots, seeds and berries. Take a read it might be something that interests you as well. I have to go get the wood stove ready to entertain company this eve and into the week. I ended the week with a great meeting with Adam Towner and Curran Jacobs. We drank the last of the Mexican style chili-beer. Now I might have to make the Irish style beer next. Always a good toast for the new year as people come to visit. I’m now going to wrap this up and get after some of those TO DO’s. Do the same with your list and get that early start on 2025. I’m happy the Detroit Lions pulled out a Thanksgiving win. I have numerous relatives now passed that waited for that day. Stay warm if you are reading from a cold region. Welcome to December my friends!
DJ
October in Full Effect! CDI Updates 2024
Coffee cheers from a cool damp Michigan. Welcome new readers from Portugal and Romania and more. October has been beautiful but a bit dry. I haven’t had to mow in quite some time which is fine. I’ve harvested most of the herbs and I’ve been cutting wood getting ready for the coming cold. I might even polish up the stove and have a first fire tonight. The new younger chickens have been accepted into the big coop and so that is a positive. The older girls are molting and slowing on their egg laying. But the young ones might be getting ready to start. I’m looking forward to steak (venison) and eggs after I finish this. Also we have two more local flea markets one this morning ands one next week. Just in time before we travel up North for our WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS prep. My beard I’ve got to bring ole Ben Lily back to the screen has me wearing a bit of every meal. But I’m feeling ready to ride. I found the last few prop pieces for ‘Ben’ and so that should be good to go.
Staying on topic with WFXmas we’ve been having some great meetings. I’ve got all but one of the investor checks deposited and just a few more sponsors to collect on. The charge on sponsors is being led by PEPSI and had a great meeting with our rep there. I’m awaiting thermal mugs from our friends at the Michigan Community College Association. We have a few more great sponsors to speak with. We are enjoying the partnerships on production sponsors and are starting to explore release sponsors which is for our theatrical runs. If you want to align your company with WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS about to go into production or Harsens Island Revenge about to release in 1st Q 2025 please get in touch!
Harsens Island Revenge team was working to have a special pre-release screening on November 1st in Alpena, MI but to do so would disrupt on final post flow. Additionally the film would not be our final best film but a rushed version. Rush means mistakes and rush would have meant incomplete. We are still going to do a great premiere in Alpena, Owosso, Lansing and likely Detroit and Grand Rapids. We are in discussions over the theatrical and I have some paperwork to review this week. More on this amazing story very soon! If you cannot wait search up the title online and buy the book!
KNIGHT CHILLS – CDI’s first feature film from the late 90’s has now been delivered for streaming. I’ll be awaiting a release date but I also got some great news about a December theatrical play in Brooklyn, NY. More on that deal as I receive it. AN ORDINARY KILLER is still on track for a December 15th streaming and the HD DVD is also coming soon! I’m also excited for the special podcast that features the film coming from TWO AVERAGE JOES MEDIA. Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town smoky mountain western is streaming and the special edition DVD from the Ghost Town in the Sky theme park will be available soon. All CDI merchandise will be charity driven with a % of the revenue going to military veterans and/or animals. We will even have some movie props and wardrobe that people can bid or purchase. More on all that soon!
We are enjoying rounding the corner into the last Q of 2024. It has been a productive year and we are looking forward to 2025. Nov/Dec will be some prep for ROM COMS MUST DIE the feature film debut of Travis Hayward with CDI. We are exploring a few theatrical plays of SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA for the holidays. This movie continues to play on TV and available to rent/buy digital or DVD. Next year it will move to ad-based free with ads. We are also starting to push some of the other Fall/holiday titles like THE QUEST TRILOGY. Part 1 FORTY NIGHTS surpassed 2.5 million views on Encourage TV. If you have not watched these three films give them a go. I promise they are not your typical biblical adventures but have a unique perspective to each of them. There is a good change of a few more of those type films making it on our production slate.
BREAKFAST BREAK and WRAP UP!
I have to note I took a break during that last paragraph and ate my eggs and venison steak – so good. The key to venison is prep. Our fresh eggs are also splendid but there is a lot of work involved with chickens. This week will include insurance, communication devices, prop gun pick up, more craft service goods, hard drives and starting to pack personal stuff to be gone 3 weeks. I’ve already been swapping out my warm weather for cold weather clothes and gear.
I’m going to go get dressed and go walk around this flea market. See if any last minute props or wardrobe stuff jumps out at me. I found a great period derby hat that might end up on our antagonist. I hope you all are enjoying the turn of season as we enter that darker phase. As noted earlier I think I’m going to polish up the wood stove and get that ready for a first fire of the season. I’ve had several outdoor fires but there is something about crackling wood in an old stove.
Until we chat again next week have a productive week and be kind to one another.
DJ
‘Wild Faith Christmas’ and ‘Harsens Island Revenge’ Updates plus RIP to a Dear Friend of Tribe CDI
Hazelnut coffee cheers on a cool Michigan morning. I want to thank all the readers last week from 13 different countries. I want to note that the coffee is coming from a new NINJA coffee maker. I’m still trying to learn all the functions but it makes a good pot of coffee for sure. Our old one was getting glitchy stopping and starting while brewing. I have had a full week of updates some exciting and some sad, as that is how life is. Let’s start with some happy life updates. I preach to all my young “knights” (artists) around the table of the fort to mind their dental. I’m very persistent on staying on all that with brushing, flossing, sonic, water pic and rinses. I eat a very low sugar diet and even my vices save the occasional glass of wine or beer has diminished. From soccer no doubt I dealt with a few teeth issues mostly cracks. Not as bad as hockey but soccer can be equally brutal with less pads. I’m not talking about millionaire star players rolling around in agony at the first touch. I’m talking about a league of older gents proving they still have it. Venting their life issues on the field with very intense play and I would have it no other way. Anyways, I had a cracked tooth they could not save because the crack was below the gum line. I had it removed and prepped for an implant/crown next year. Between that and the deep clean I had my teeth are in good shape. But many functions from joints to eyesight can be connected to infection of the teeth. I’m glad to have all that fixed and dealt with. But I do encourage the young artists to keep that a priority so not to have later in life issues.
(Fall friends!)
I’ve been doing a lot of prep on the property by managing the wild growth of plants and trees. I’ve been harvesting the herbs as they get closer to end of the season. We’ve been integrating two new younger chickens into the flock. We are still enjoying daily eggs and that is a wonderful thing. I put in motion the new deck improvements which I’m not doing. I have a few larger build projects that I want to do including a front porch, car port and better privacy fencing but everything costs. So projects have to be spread out and prioritized. I’m going to repurpose much of the old porch boards to maybe build a few things around the property. The new deck will be set with grading under panels to waterproof the under space. Next Spring will likely be pavers and such so a nice area can be created down below. But I love the high deck to sit and sip coffee while enjoying the property and the park beyond it. Bouncing between the desk work and the outdoor work makes for a good balance.
(Pepsi keeping the office/fort stocked! Thank you so very much.)
I’ve been hitting a few estate sales and today a flea market gathering props for our next two films. I’ve found some great stuff that will work well in the two films. I seldom find things for myself but often find great presents and gifts for people. The hunt is a lot of fun and the former owners would likely be thrilled their cherished items are being used to be part of a story. I even found a train conductors hat which you can guess what film that might go with. WILD FAITH CHRISTMAS is moving down the tracks to keep with our train analogy. We announced three new actors onto the film all have been party to CDI Tribe storytelling before. Tim Lovelace (Harsens Island Revenge), Randy Spence (Chasing the Star, Best Years Gone & Harsens Island Revenge) and Steven Sutherland (Ashes of Eden) have been announced. Go watch their previous films with CDI and you’ll see what awesome actors they are. With those roles filled that leaves us with only two major castings. Both are children and we’re closing in on those roles. Crew is locked in and now so is the schedule. The official script and breakdowns for departments will be distributed next week. Director Shane Hagedorn had a wonderful scout trip and also got to look at the mine set. I’ll be posting pics soon of another set piece build for the movie. We have several new sponsors coming on board to join Pepsi, Lerma Transportation, Ace Pyro, Reinert Pottery and more. You can see them in a folder on our FB page along with some great pics of cast, sets and promo art. We are full speed ahead- giddy up!
(Now we are getting closer to a locked film!)
Harsens Island Revenge – As of early last week half the film score was completed and mixed in. Director Carl Weyant and composer Dennis Therrian plotted out the second half and that is being worked on. The film has intensity and romance and everything in between. Karl Manke‘s book of the same name is going to be epic on the big screen. I won’t go as far as to draw a direct comparison to Elmore Leonard but he’s on the same path. Unique stories and characters in his books and now films too. I still cherish the hour plus I spent drinking and talking with Elmore Leonard in Hamtramck, MI before realizing who I had been talking with. I got a sneak peek at the theatrical poster our director is working on and I was excited. It should be done next week and our friends at Pepsi plan to print them for the Alpena, MI premiere and the other premiere 2024 showings. I’m in talks to have our new partners at Dreamscape Productions participate in the theatrical roll out which is looking like 1st Q of 2025. For those awaiting home video it will likely be Summer 2025 that it comes out. This is how all the distribution windows work.
The Fall/Spooky season is upon us and that is good for films like BIGFOOT, UFO’S & JESUS aka LOST HEART, WILD FAITH, BEST YEARS GONE, BESTSELLER and several of the CDI associated films. (See CDI’s new Instagram page tribecdi that is slowly listing all the CDI films.) And immediately after starts our holiday window where films like SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA, FORTY NIGHTS, CHASING THE STAR and THE CHRIST SLAYER will be on full push.
I will be meeting with Bart Ketner in the next two months that will be overseeing our CDI EBAY merchandise page. I also love this trend of charity like what we’re doing with the new AN ORDINARY KILLER release (HD DVD coming soon and streaming before Christmas) benefitting Two Average Joes Media and The Red, White and Blue Project non profit. The EBAY page will launch end of November in time to get a few Christmas CDI swag with a % going to aligning charities. I might even get into doing signed scripts, movie props and wardrobe to raise money for various good causes. Curran Jacob’s FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH documentary film is another project where a % of the revenue goes to veteran families and youth wrestling organizations. It is about giving back and creating awareness.
(Greg Mason with Debbie Bennett RIP)
These two attributes were strongly held values with a special member of the CDI Tribe Debbie Bennett. She retired from being a specialist in the medical field helping people so her love of helping is no surprise. We at CDI met her as the kind, smiling and helpful significant other of actor Greg Mason. She had accompanied him to several premieres and after the WILD FAITH premiere she quietly asked if she could get more involved. I wasn’t sure what she was asking but inquired to what she had in mind. She had heard about our next film MBF: MAN’S BEST FRIEND that highlighted the plight of adoption dogs and wounded veterans. We had a few potential investors at the premiere to discuss the future film(s). She asked if she could invest. Now filmmakers know how hard financing can be but quality storytelling does somewhat sell itself. She had been quietly listening to all the other financial investor talks and was more savvy than anyone assumed. Never judge a book but the cover. She was an Executive Producer on MBF and the film LOST HEART after that. She came to set and worked as a driver picking up talent and taking them to the set and back again. LOST HEART dealt with grief and loss but in a very humorous way. She loved being part of a film that helped people (and dogs) she was an animal lover too. WAS- yes I was speaking in past tense. I got word from Greg Mason the other day that Debbie was no longer with us. She had issues with her liver and other complications and was now at peaceful rest. The CDI Tribe sends Greg and her family sincere condolences for the loss of a beauty soul. RIP Debbie but the stories you helped make and bearing your name will continue on.
This week we also added actor, writer, director Anthony (Tony) Hornus’ parents to our FB Collective Development Inc. “In Memory” folder. Most of our parents have played a great part in supporting our dreams as artists. That is not always the case but in Tony’s case it was definitely true. Just like our significant others who hold down the fort when we have to go away and film. Take a few moments to look at and read about many of the CDI artists no longer with us. I know I’ve missed some and sometimes I don’t learn about a passing for a while after. But we do try to add the folks who have traveled with the CDI Tribe along the way. Remember to appreciate the people that are supportive on your journey.
(My Mom and Dad with baby filmmaker DJ Perry)
WRAP UP: I’m going to wrap this up. This week I’ll be double checking our software that we use for accounting. (Thank you Dean and Josh) Also working with John Mashni on a few legal loose ends. I have to get our production check book in order and start putting agreements together for cast and crew. Everyone is doing little character things from looking at hair, wardrobe, props and such. I’m also going to get back to work on the TV series updates. I have 5 more shows to readjust to fit after the second film. I hope you all have a wonderful week getting your TO DO’s done. My alumni school Michigan State University won their second football match. Our Detroit Lions have their first game tonight which I’ll have to copy because I’m having some family and friends over. Again, appreciate the time with family and friends. Don’t be afraid to adventure and try something new. Many that we know are at rest their journey done. While your journey is alive and well, do the work, face the obstacles, trials and tribulations. Dare to do something great! I so appreciate all of you out there who spend your quiet moments with us. I hope I inspire some of you to dream on, as Aerosmith would say. Until next week-
Coffee Cheers!
DJ
NEW Screenshots, Nominations and Film Updates!
(Screenshot From ‘Harsens Island Revenge’ each week our dir. will release 5 new captures)
A not quite yet ‘TOP OF THE MORNING’ on a cold St. Patrick’s Day. So many good memories of this day from my crazy youth. Early starts with the green pints, bagpipes and festive atmospheres at such haunts as the old Irish Pub! Patio toasts and corn beef and many adventures best left untold. My days of sloppy mugs of beer spilling everywhere might be behind me now but I still love the memories. Speaking of- I want to welcome new readers last week from around the globe. Croatia, India, UK, Netherlands, Chile, Bolivia, Bangladesh, Canada and good ole Ireland. That is one of my favorite parts of doing this blog is that it brings together artists from all over the world.
This past week was much better, still filled with challenges, but better. I was having a rough one the previous week when trying to put the pick up shoot in order. The main issues were the 4 hour + drive from mid Michigan to Alpena and getting all people that were going to be on the active base identified. Pulling the shoot back was like undoing some of the work already done only to rebuild it. But that turned out to be the right call. It can be hard when you have to look at all the pieces on the board and make the call. Leadership seems cool when it is a few letters on a business card or a smancy title but when you have to make the hard decisions- different story. I’m happy to say we know have all our skeleton crew in place and our talent for front of the camera. Pulling off even a scene of WW1 is challenging and we could have easily dropped it and the movie would still play great.
But our team is never one to shy from making it just a bit better. Think of the film WILD FAITH without the Civil War flashback footage. It could have just been audio over a distant stare but we went for the more epic scope. If you haven’t seen WILD FAITH please do and you’ll see what I mean. We have a busy week ahead but when I write you all next we’ll have our airplane close ups and our WW1 opening in the can. (Old film saying) I want to thank our friends from PEPSI for again joining us on set and to our friends at TRU-HILTON coming on board to assist our out-of-town guests. Monday I’ll be picking up our lead David Reardon’s uniform and thanks to Tony Hornus and his hard work we’ll have our Germans. Tanks, Planes, and Soldiers coming at you. We’ll also be working with Dennis Therrian our composer/sound designer to get our narration voice over.
While mentioning Dennis Therrian, I want to gives a kudos to him for his ICFF Nomination for Best Music Score in a feature film (SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA). Also nominated was Cassie Dean for Best Leading Actress and Shane Hagedorn for Best Supporting Actor.
Additionally, Curran Jacobs our SNIA lead will be in Algona, Iowa to attend a meet-and-greet open house Sunday March 24th from 2-4 at the Ranger Station on the Tietz property. Curran has been developing the GOTCH script with myself, Mike Chapman (Historian) and CDI. The film will be a biopic on Frank Gotch, the Iowa Catch-Can world champion at the turn of the century. What is Catch-Can? Watch our FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH documentary and it will get you up to speed. Also we’ve been developing a film about the last conflict of the Iowa pioneers and the Lakota Sioux entitled SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE. So in the coming years we could very well be returning to Iowa to tell a few great stories.
RETRO-
I’ve been also organizing the business behind a few of the older CDI films. Example- like when a distributor’s term on a film has expired but they are still selling it. That means reaching out with copyright, chain of titles and the distribution agreement to either A) Cease sales or B) Redirect the profits. Other projects need to be updated to a HD version or conversion to theatrical files for those we want to return to theaters for a special run. I want the new HD streaming version of KNIGHT CHILLS to start releasing around Halloween. Working on the FROM VENUS Blu Ray deal. Essentially the entire CDI Classic Collection which includes the first six CDI Films. One day maybe an entire box set. To go along with some of the new releases we will have new promotional trailers. We have them in the works for Ghost Town, An Ordinary Killer and soon Knight Chills. Maybe some new artwork and prepare to introduce these films to a new audience. AN ORDINARY KILLER is based on a real killer and he happens to be the subject of a very interesting podcast called TWO AVERAGE JOES. This 2nd episode features an interview with a survivor of the killer featured in our film. Chilling and truly fascinating to listen to and watch. WATCH HERE: https://twoaveragejoes.com/podcast/two-average-joes-a-true-survivor-story/
IN THE WOODS, my 1st starring role was in this creature feature and the distributor should be announcing some release dates soon for the supreme Blu Ray. I hear the artwork is just awesome and I know a special poster for the theatrical is also being worked on. I will look forward to celebrating the release of this film 25 years ago.
MORE RETRO: My endeavors to bring some of the literary swag to you is progressing nicely. Scripts, ‘making of’s’ and novelizations are being slowly pulled together. I WILL have a few of the soundtracks put to LP record and now with the films on back up it will become easier to do.
FLASH FORWARD- We’re excited that our distributor TWIN ENGINES GLOBAL has launched a new streaming service for non-family/faith films FREE4ALL and movies like BEST YEARS GONE are now being seen by the tens of thousands and building. BESTSELLER a great thriller from Chris Wright has been gaining traction and we’re happy this platform is starting to provide just as ENCOURAGE TV has for our family/faith titles. Speaking of- get your family together this week or organize that watch party and once again journey into the desert with THE QUEST TRILOGY. Part 1 FORTY NIGHTS, Part 2 CHASING THE STAR and Part 3 THE CHRIST SLAYER.
(Melissa Anschutz as Mother Mary in The Quest Trilogy)
MICHIGAN ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT–
I’m also putting the final touches on a uniquely wild script that is all set in the Victorian era with a good dash of spooky steampunk. I have a few other scripts I would love to finish but this one appears to have it’s financing in place. HOT ROD LOVE is bringing on investors and sponsors weekly and once we are done with our HIR pick up shots we’ll go location scout the race track with have in our sights. We’ll be reaching out towards many more folks while making a big push in April to finish our funding and stay on track for a Summer shoot.
WRAP UP:
Corn beef and cabbage is cooking and this past week I also got the chainsaw and axes out and refilled all the wood bins. I still need to move all the oak logs out back to dry for another season before it gets processed into more burnable pieces. I’ll be doing more yard clean up and getting ready for a wonderful season of growing. We are all in hopes that things don’t bud too soon like the apple trees. Opening on our unusually warm days and after trying to survive a cold snap. Soon I’ll be planting new clover. The chickens are kicking the eggs out again. Some of the herbs are growing again already. Little flowers popping here and there. I also saw a robin bathing in the birdbath and I’m very ready for soccer and flea markets to start up. I got a new Spring hair shape getting my long 1920’s bangs out of my face and ready for a few new headshot pics. I hope you all have a productive week and know that life is all about challenges. I’m going to try and approach each one with positive optimism, a chance to learn and grow. I think it is time for a coffee refill and maybe some oatmeal or eggs, maybe both. Have a great Sunday and productive week ahead!
Be good to one another.
DJ
Welcome November – Fall Round Up At CDI
(What film is that from above?)
The hazelnut coffee is flowing so nicely this morning. It has been a fall fest around here as we moved past Halloween and into the holiday months. I enjoyed the lead up to the spooky holiday. Pumpkin carving and hanging with my brother’s family and seeing my niece and nephews costumes on Halloween were the best. He was an elf and she was a dragon. That love of fantasy sword and sorcery continues. On Nov 1st the ‘Rocking Rhubarb’ was bottled. We tried it in one of our meetings on Friday and it was met with good marks. It will get even smoother in the bottles. The apples are all picked by us or the local squirrels in the area. The chickens are molting and egg production is slowing. On Friday I was swinging an axe cutting logs into smaller pieces of kindling for the wood stove.
I also had the pleasure of meeting with two upcoming filmmakers this past week. One makes films with his brother and a best friend while also running a commercial video production company. It was nice to just spend some time and allow him to ask any questions he might have. I’m looking at seeing where perhaps we can assist them. The other meeting was with a fine local gent who has produced his first feature. It has played the theaters and is now working to get into the home video market. The hoops can be great as I can attest to. Many filmmakers likely could not pass quality control. Also many have worked on their craft/art but the business end is what they lack. It has taken me almost three decades to obtain the experience I have. For many filmmakers the funding is still the hardest part. And the real challenge lies when someone says yes, and you have to execute. CDI (Our prod co) is again about creating the best art inside business parameters.
What does that mean? It means managing cast and crew and enforcing creative lines. Many production companies struggle because if the problem is at the top it is hard to correct. If you have an owner always ‘line stepping” on his creative that will breed a host of issues. It is only stepping in to manage a situation on a business front and allowing your appointments to creative do their craft. I’ve spoke before about how as a screenwriter, once the director/writer meetings are over the writer steps out. If you are careful to pick the right creatives there is no need to micromanage. So take the time to pick the right variables/ingredients/cast/crew and your job will be much easier. Also have a very strong script before you move to execute it. Let’s look at a few projects that followed these principals.
SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA – This project was a hard one due to several factors. Shooting out of state is always a challenge. The COLD WINDS of Iowa really showed us what bone-chilling cold was. After a strong theatrical run we finally prepped for our home video release. We started our marketing meetings with the distributor. SNIA was one of the flagship projects that our distributor pushed at AFM. I will get a full rundown of how things went this week. We know that it broke into the pre-sale Amazon DVD rankings at top 100 and quickly moved into the top 50. Our main PR won’t even start until December 1st which is our official release date for streaming and DVD. I was informed that pre-sales were stronger than a few properties heavily PR’d. The campaign push is GIVE THE GIFT OF HISTORY. I’m looking forward to seeing what foreign territories and broadcast partners are coming on board.
I think in this time of strife in our history, a film like SNIA will be well received. It is about another really dark time in world history WW2. And it showcases a camp that was empowered to watch over German PW’s. A beautiful and inspirational act/event happened that is really encouraging. It shows that we too can find unity, love, compassion and understanding even in our own dark times. SNIA is the best run for a Christmas classic save maybe The Quest Trilogy (Forty Nights, Chasing the Star, The Christ Slayer). We are all excited to be part of millions of people’s holiday season. The film can/could stand up just as a military drama but has a wonderful holiday theme. Thanksgiving and Christmas are seen from various perspectives. The Townsfolk, guards, and German PW’s perspectives are all examined. I’m so proud for the town of Algona. A small community with a big story. Many people and even companies are giving the gift of the DVD. Many companies do holiday gifts for their employees and what better gift? I hope that batches of DVD’s are bought and given out to folks at retirement centers and teachers use it to stimulate discussions. We are excited for the German people to see a film that isn’t just about a scolding of their past politics but celebrating something else. HOPE. Hope for a better world. The film has a voice and lessons that can apply to now. The comparisons of Camp Algona during WW2 and say Guantanamo Bay are very different. We can only hope as storytellers to remind and challenge people to do better. Once you do get a chance to watch the film please do go to our IMDB.com page and leave your feedback. It’s not a perfect film as I’m not sure one exists- maybe Raiders of the Lost Ark:) If you haven’t been hit by a slew of our PR here is the pre-order link. Buy one for yourself and anyone who might enjoy this story. ORDER HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Night-Algona-Anthony-Hornus/dp/B0CL7DFYSK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TN24S4D0WPUY&keywords=silent+night+in+algona&qid=1699193228&sprefix=%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-1
Harsens Island Revenge – Aside from a pick up scene in Feb. 2024 and (2) VFX shots the film is done capturing footage. We had our director and McGraw Multimedia out with a first person drone capturing beauty and landmark establishing shots of the actual Harsens Island. We’ve had a few people inquire as to why more wasn’t filmed at the island and that is fine as most don’t understand the process of filmmaking. A full cast and crew plus extras came to about 200 people. Getting enough extras for scenes to participate on an island would be difficult. Lodging. Hospitals, Walmart, Gordons Food, Home Depot, and access to Camera/Grip and electric needs. All these are logistic reasons because of a ferry running at certain times being the main issue. Now add in how modern has crept into the island with each sign and renovation. The point is we did some PR to explain this but some were still not satisfied. But again, they’re not accountable for a budget or have the experience in filming a juggernaut like this film. But I respect the questioning- READ ABOUT IT HERE: https://www.prlog.org/12991986-harsens-island-revenge-moves-into-post-production.html
KNIGHT CHILLS – While Harsens Island Revenge represents our most recent CDI (www.cdiproductions.com) film, KNIGHT CHILLS was CDI’s first film. It shows the immense growth of our company. I still find it hard to believe it is such a classic to some but it is a living lesson to doing it yourself. Nobody can stop you from being a storyteller on film, a filmmaker – just do it. Learning how to produce the show is part of the equation and doing to proper BIZ is the other. Many get lost on the latter because it is far less sexy than the SHOW part. But the show will not flourish without the biz.
Watch our 1st release – https://www.amazon.com/Knight-Chills-Tim-Jeffrey/dp/B0CJ5WBSZR/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2O7QHUZYG7QNY&keywords=knight+chills&qid=1699194757&sprefix=knight+chills%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-2
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024
Much like Knight Chills above from the CDI library is being brought back to market, we’re going to keep at it. We will look to update and move one to two films into the market. We get Ghost Town back in Feb 2024 and we might look at setting up a big 2024 Fall release. That film had issues with our middle man/company (You can look it up) and Lionsgate. We are going to be setting up a special edition to release with Desktop Entertainment. These talks have happened but the deal is not official. I cannot assign it until the other agreement expires in Feb. But we’ve been working on a new trailer and prepping elements. The other might be FROM VENUS, if director Jeff Kennedy is up to helping provide some extra content. This would be with our partners at Saturn Core who did Knight Chills. Did you know Sir. Kallio from Knight Chills makes an appearance in FROM VENUS? FIGURE IN THE FOREST and AN ORDINARY KILLER are in talks to be brought back to market.
But looking ahead at new content-
HOT ROD LOVE is entering talks with track owners again. We had issues with our main location and had to shift gears. Pun intended. This 70’s comedy has some great lessons embedded into an ensemble of fun. We’ll have some talks in the next few weeks with creative keys and potential backers. I know that many of the sponsors and product partners love the idea of advertisement in the 70’s, groovy. We had some traction before but without the right place to film started to lose time. Certain stories need to be filmed at certain times. But things are looking really good for this film which if I have my way, summer 24 cabers roll.
(From earlier in the year now almost 8 million on Encourage TV)
HASTINGS TV Series – This beautiful season one, 8 show endeavor has many pieces lined up. We even have places being offered to build sets on. The town of Hastings would still remain our main location but the series would allow some travel. This spin off from WILD FAITH would be our love letter to those early Disney-like movies and tv shows that had lessons woven within. If you haven’t watched Wild Faith and met Emmett, Thelma, Ben, Hester and more – take a Watch-HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0LCdlq-BK0
SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE – Another powerful story from the state of Iowa. The amazing story was brought to me by the Donald Tietz Charitable Foundation to develop. The script is some of my best work and is again about perspectives. We’re going to spend several months talking to various organization and individuals about getting partners behind this story of actual events. These happenings are told in a brutal honest way with inspirational and thought provoking history captured keeping it from being lost to time. PRESERVING HISTORY is a worthy endeavor.
Associated CDI projects– possible. These occur when someone has their own funding and they control that aspect but lack and want experience that comes with CDI. But, we as a company have to consider their experience. In many cases it’s easier to just raise our own funds and execute production successfully as we do. Too many variables that we can’t control and the quality can fall drastically.
(WATCH NOW! Free w/ Ads – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLaw6zOAsw0 )
Script Writing is an on-going process. I bounce between pet projects and those slated for production sooner versus later. SMOKE & MIRRORS was a feature film and after our short concept film, I’ve been doing a page one re-write. The Halloween season gave me a nice backdrop for writing. I’ve also being reviewing books to once again choose one to adapt to a script. I think I’ve landed on the one that ‘feels’ right. If talks go proper and a deal is made I might start working on that project in Jan. 2024. I will work on writing daily on Smoke & Mirrors and my pet project scripts until the end of the year.
WATCH SMOKE & MIRRORS HERE FREE: https://youtu.be/4qcobe1eng0?si=sot3uuJYO2T_UofF
‘Axel’ in Harsens Island Revenge
Outside projects– Yes. I’m open to acting offers and have thought of bringing an agent once again to field those occasional offers. I had an offer just before filming Harsens Island Revenge but ‘Axel’ was already firm in play. But for the most part I’m good at representing myself on these outside projects. I’ve had some wonderful adventures in storytelling with some amazing artists so I do love the occasional outside project. But to leave means not just my personal but my business doings also have to be attended to. So it just depends on the team and the story, and compensation to a certain degree.
WRAP UP:
I’m smelling bacon and eggs and the coffee is getting low. We had to fall back with our clocks so that has the routine slightly wonky. The Detroit Lions are taking a rest this week. MSU actually won a game yesterday. WINS all over. Estate Sale stop by and I got a dozen or so Conan the Barbarian books for $4. WIN! I’m going to do some yard clean up and winterizing before seeing my brother and a few amigos later. Next week/tomorrow – I’m right back at the movie work refreshed and recharged. Make sure you get a dose of nature and laughter to recharge your batteries. I love the holidays and we have much to feel grateful and appreciative for. As the air becomes cold I look forward to calls and meetings around the fire to discuss new grand adventures!
Coffee Cheers!
DJ
‘Silent Night in Algona’ About to go Global – ‘Harsens’ Updates and Glimpses of 2024!
It is a wet and chilly morning in the Michigan. It makes me glad that we got our filming on Harsens Island Revenge complete. We do have some pick up shooting between now and Feb 2024. We will be working with my old friends at McGraw Multimedia to do some specialized filming on the actual island. We’ll be getting that just before we lose all our leaves and color. After that we’ll be doing a little PYRO action with one of our sponsors. We have a boat that meets an untimely end and we’ll be dealing with that here soon after. Lastly, we have two proposed pieces to get in Feb. one is a close up cock pit of a period bi-plane and the other is our opening of the film in WW1. A powerful and emotional opening to the film and thanks to our friends at thew Alpena Air Base it looks like we’ll be filming there.
(Don Most’s intense performance will shake audiences)
We’ve kept the momentum flowing with the releasing of official photos to our FB page. Some are stills and others BTS. We even have a special gallery black and white gallery and a “Meet the Purples” and a “Meet the Harsens Island Militia” section. Most of the pics taken by our production designer and still photographer GW Burns. He’ll be working with CDI moving forward and we’re happy to have him. I had meetings this week with several of the team toasting and getting good feedback for future endeavors. We are still wrapping up a few aspects of production but we are almost there.
(100+ years and still on the road, FORD tough)
The season of scares is upon us and last week I gave folks a list of CDI associated spooky projects or projects I’ve acted in. I did have some conversations with a past director about forthcoming films in the horror genre. We had some direct talk on timelines. If you don’t have a script prepared that can take a good part of a year to develop. Even with a strong, polished script you could spend a year between location scouting and casting. In our business there is a lot of talk and that can hurt filmmakers. Assuming something is moving forward when a third party might not be that interested but find it easier to just say maybe, soon…I could give a list of excuses often given. I use to live with my hope attached to those excuses. Now I work with only the most serious of folks minding my time. So if someone is giving lip service push for that letter of INTENT or move on.
Let’s talk about the juggernaut on the board. We had a first big teams meeting with our distributor at Twin Engines Global. SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA will be getting the highlight treatment at AFM (American Film Market) having been evaluated and targeted for success. The film was a surprise hit in the theaters with word of mouth bringing the film into 70+ theatre and played for 10 months after the Dec. 2022 release in Algona. The film will enjoy a release on DVD and streaming on Dec. 1st and we’ve been highly encouraged by our pre-sales. The film went live on Amazon last week to start pre-ordering the DVD. We’ve had hundreds of people asking for DVD’s since the theatrical release from around the country. Now the film has debuted in Amazon’s Top 100 and we broke the under 50 by week’s end. Can we get to #1 on Amazon? It’s a great goal and I would be happy to get in the top 10. Looking at all the negativity in the world showcasing humanity at less than it’s best it is a breath of fresh air to have a film like SNIA releasing. The based on a true story highlights some light in a dark period. Actions that reflect the better side of humanity and can give us HOPE that we can do good. It is the best chance to date of CDI creating a holiday classic aside from our biblical trilogy. (Forty Nights, Chasing the Star and The Christ Slayer) * watch all three in order you will not be disappointed. SNIA will make a wonderful gift and belongs to be part of everyone’s forever collection. You can even send the film as a gift with a message.
PRE-ORDER HERE (SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA) – https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Night-Algona-Taylor-Nichols/dp/B0CL7DFYSK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7VT1J3D4V465&keywords=silent+night+in+algona&qid=1698585918&sprefix=silent+night+in+algona%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1
CDI’s first film KNIGHT CHILLS a PG -13 thriller is also a pre-order for a special Blu-Ray full of extras- it releases on Halloween! PRE-ORDER HERE (KNIGHT CHILLS) – https://www.amazon.com/Knight-Chills-Tim-Jeffrey/dp/B0CJ5WBSZR/ref=sr_1_2?crid=L4UBHK9HY82J&keywords=Knight+Chills&qid=1698586174&sprefix=knight+chills%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-2
(One of the CDI props hanging at the office awaiting a future film shoot )
Looking Ahead to 2024!
I’ve been spending a good amount of time in thought and evaluation of which project to push next. Really you push several properties and get behind the one with the most momentum. I think we might return back to the film HOT ROD LOVE that we were pushing but lost our filming window and our main location was still a bit up in the air. It is a fun 70’s comedy based around small track drag racing. We had some commits to fund and we’ll see who else would be interested in participating. It could film early Spring/Summer and give us an opportunity to film again in the Fall or a Spring 2025 shoot in a warmer place like Yuma, AZ:)
(Bart Ketner and Travis Hayward brainstorming at the ‘Fort’ over Bday gifted HIGH WEST – thank you David Zugger)
As for writing I’ve got a few scripts that I’ve been working on as time presents itself. I’m also looking over a collection of books to once again try to pick a story that would translate well to the screen. I think I might have landed on one. I love to write in the wintertime and from the chill outside we can tell it is not too far off. I had some initial talks on the SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE film that would be our follow up in Iowa. I had a few semi-productive talks last week but the pending success of SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA will help these efforts. If I had the full funding today on Spirit Lake Massacre we would still not be rolling cameras to 2025 between casting and location scouting which is another state. I’ve got a few more financial talks over the next few weeks and I think we’ll make some good progress. The best is yet to come!
December 1st on DVD and Streaming!
The truth of our storytelling profession is that everyplace, every town has a few stories just deserving of being told. By population there are only a few storytelling groups out there who want to tell the story as is versus giving it the old Hollywood treatment where you get notes from clueless people thinking of profits not story. The two can go hand in hand but too often desperate filmmakers meets clueless executives and the result is a mess. Many do it right and that starts at the top with passion for a story. EVERY CDI film is like a handcrafted whiskey. A blend of ingredients chosen and handpicked. Speaking of- kudos to one of our sponsors RED CEDAR SPIRITS for sponsoring with us on Harsens Island Revenge. Our meetings as of late have included a warm taste of bourbon or a choice Pepsi product. The Bubly sparkling water is a popular chaser.
(The ‘Harsens Island Revenge’ edit once complete will travel to Dennis Therrian for another amazing score and sound design)
I’m going to wish everyone a fun and safe Halloween. I do enough characters and wardrobe to not feel a need to participate in dressing up. But the beautiful full moon yesterday and the awesome Fall days with leaves changing and falling, just has me super content. The last of the production items save one tote has been dropped off and repacked for storage. I’m looking forward to the holiday season that for me runs from Nov 1st to Easter! It is a good season to stay in with friends and family and watch or rewatch your favorite content from CDI. What is your favorite and why? Put your answers in the comments.
We have 4H bacon cooking and fresh eggs are on deck. I know some in Michigan are out there trying to fill their freezer with venison. This week I think I’ll finally bottle my ‘Rocking Rhubarb’ wine. Great for gifts and/or the meeting around the wood stove. It is at these brainstorming sessions that new seeds are planted. I will give some more thought to ‘AROUND THE FIRE’ podcast proposed a few times. maybe once a month with various storytellers and creators. We have finished the music video we shot just before our last feature film shoot. I’m really happy with it and I’m sure we’ll be able to share that soon. Until we speak again next week, be good to one another.
Coffee Cheers!
DJ
SEVEN UPDATES and LOOKING AHEAD!
(Axel from Harsens Island Revenge by GW Burns)
Good morning to you all! First, I’m happy to almost be settled back into home. I still have some wardrobe and craft service stuff to stow away until our next filming adventure. I’ve been working to settle all our Harsens Island Revenge business. I’ve enjoyed dropping into a fall festival. I’ve got the yard almost back to normal. I still need a little front yard work but with Halloween right around the corner it fits the theme. I’ve just about harvested everything that needs harvesting and will keep doing some clean up. I had to fix my gate and a few other home fixes. Yesterday we had a nice time with the moms and my brother and his family. They carved pumpkins and we ate sloppy joe’s. After we watched MSU take a beating from U of M. At least our Lions are having a good season.
Moving towards the theme of movies we can discuss the strikes. It seems the WGA has worked out its deal. The SAG-AFTRA negotiations is a cluster$#@%$. The news is dominated by discussions on Halloween costumes and can actors wear costumes that are ‘Struck’ by the union. Wait! Clarification- it doesn’t apply to actors kids. This all has become a bit of a joke. Nobody is putting pressure on talks by not dressing as some film characters. I’ll just bite my tongue and carry on.
Also with war happening in the world I think the time is right for our unifying stories. I think films like SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA (SNIA) is coming out at the perfect time. This is the season of ramping up PR for our upcoming releases. Let’s look at some of the new developments.
- SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA – The DVD and Streaming release on 12/1/23 and pre-orders are available on some sites. We’ll be getting a list of what platforms have picked up the film soon. We start our bi-weekly marketing meetings with the distributor this coming week. I know AMAZON PRIME will be carrying the film. It should start accepting pre-orders this week. I also found Google-play prepping for a release. Just google the film and scroll and you’ll see outlets approach. This award winning film will be featured at AFM to license around the world. Follow our FB page for all the updates. AMAZON – https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Night-Algona-Taylor-Nichols/dp/B0CL7DFYSK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QCRGKW7S0K6F&keywords=Silent+Night+in+Algona&qid=1697980490&sprefix=silent+night+in+algona+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1
- Oct 30th/31st is the wide release date for our KNIGHT CHILLS Blu-Ray with many already enjoying the film buying directly from the distributor Vinegar Syndrome. We do plan to release the new HD remastered film on streaming in the new year. PRE-ORDER HERE: https://www.amazon.com/Knight-Chills-Tim-Jeffrey/dp/B0CJ5WBSZR/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1U9U31YJB9IFJ&keywords=knight+chills&qid=1697980603&sprefix=knight+chills%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-2
- WICKED SPRING is playing on History Fix amongst many platforms. The film has been remastered and released. Here is a great interview I did with Will Eichler on the film and the making of an independent epic. WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=himyS5W61Mo
- If scary Halloween films are your cup of tea some of the titles I’ve acted – Knight Chills, In the Woods, Blood Ties, From Venus, Savage (writer), Smoke & Mirrors (Short), The 8th Plague * gory, GPS, Karma: (Crime, Passion, Reincarnation), Dog, Deadly Renovations, American Liar, Darkest Night, Donors, and Bestseller. Just google them up and see if you can find some of these titles.
- On the other end of the spectrum our family animated film THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ is playing free with ads. Maybe try playing Pink Floyd with it:) WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLaw6zOAsw0
- Speaking on music – our newest music video for Remorse Code will be completed very soon.
- HERE is a good watch the short SMOKE & MIRRORS which I took from a feature script. How many out there would like to see the full feature film of this? WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qcobe1eng0
WRAP UP: The last entry above is right in line with the flow over here at CDI. We are ramping up the SNIA marketing and Harsens Island Revenge (HIR) is now in post. And we should have a locked picture minus our pick ups on Jan. 30th. We have 2 pick up pieces to film in Feb and we will have a locked picture ready to move to Dennis Therrian for music and sound design.
We are also in development on several fronts and we’ll start to get an idea of our 2024 in the next few weeks. I have development meetings and calls underway and it will be exciting to see where that all goes. Winter is also my season of writing so I’ll be picking which projects I work on. I’m also exploring again a literary agent to offer my scripts or services. Everything starts with a powerful script.
I’m going to do some computer clean up and get some breakfast going. I am going to look at some development projects also this morning. I hope you all are having a great fall and that you’re getting your final 2023 goals accomplished.
Until next week- coffee cheers!
DJ
TEN Updates – Silent Night in Algona (trailer), Development Updates, Tips, Advance Notices-
Sipping the hazelnut coffee on this fine October morning. We have had a last spurt of warm and midweek it is suppose to go chilly again. Yesterday, I got my final mow on the yard. We harvested the last of the plants including a few more decorative gourds. I’ve been cutting and splitting wood for the winter ahead. Yesterday afternoon we got to have a nice outside fall gathering with my brother and his family. Pumpkin carving, apple crisp, cider and soccer plus add in a bit of leaf fun. I love this season!
Our development of the film projects continues on. Let’s look at a few of the updates from last week.
- FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH – is a wonderful feature length doc that fills in the missing history of this grappling art. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. It was presented by the leading authorities in such an entertaining way. The DVD is open to pre-order now for a Nov 1st release and/or you can rent/buy it now. https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.3bc38d35-d79e-49e9-82a6-e87ff63b4040?autoplay=0&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb
- BEST YEARS GONE is another release from this year. An award winning dramedy that will make you laugh, cry and ponder. You can buy/rent from here – https://www.amazon.com/Best-Years-Gone-Lana-Wood/dp/B09R4KDXGJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JUJIK4KVPU9K&keywords=best+years+gone&qid=1666530725&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjIzIiwicXNhIjoiMC45OSIsInFzcCI6IjEuMjUifQ%3D%3D&s=instant-video&sprefix=best+years+gone%2Cinstant-video%2C118&sr=1-1 – And…if you want to read an in-depth review, you can do so here – https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fronnielee.rocks%2Fbest-years-gone-movie-review-by-ronnie-lee%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1AL4lf8DCIxzPwRgU-0p4je7kNIFHj1KfKNw0avyDR25NjxRbbRkvawvM&h=AT0-ucPZlOsNalVICvt7_1cyBe5Gh38thIaNrYSscZu5PfJ70KPxjGT2vokU2piIUPgdERcaa3G2t1PFyH1CpyLmJpbn6c-l00Dv0qMxMNVs3vxrnDIUbiH4CmtNVUP-wVieTKcYrnFuQcaf1SQufAg&tn=H-R&c[0]=AT3LjCNz1EGR425orlMSHaN9h6RT070C39M9yk8LNKiwmb8xkHJ-aw1wuBh55Vu6UebSWPuIOzGWKGvAs1kKXmjL3gsizF9MOoNfAChhLVI9r8o5LkYvVlMzXhTf-aEQ_wsBEqsiKqbs1ySEMZXHpocAEHuNgyPWmrpbF0Xlme0Q-rNUmz6gfir3gikxLQqgJW3Llr1VjV90qkC9YRZs6moJ – We look forward to your reviews too!
- SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA – This is the last project for us to finish and release this year. We’ve sent an email to our cast and crew asking any of the team planning to attend the Dec 9th Fridley Theatre premiere in Algona, Iowa to RSVP by Nov 1st. We’ve got a list going and every ticket will be gone. Once we get RSVP’s on cast and crew we will start looking at extras. For those not part of the Iowa premiere – it will play to the public that night and for two plus weeks pending demand. We will also be setting up a Michigan premiere in the hometown of our director Anthony Hornus. This will be at the NCG theatre in Owosso. We might play the week after the Iowa or jump to after Christmas if we get too close. I know Celebration Cinema will be bringing it to Lansing and Grand Rapids. We will be looking to play the Detroit area and would love to have a Hollywood run. The film is looking and sounding amazing thanks to the hard work of Dennis Therrian. The VFX and color grading is getting close to done. Mid November we’ll be pulling all the elements together into a final film. Some exciting news, I saw the rough cut of the new trailer on Friday. I am so proud of all are artists and cannot wait for people to see.
- HARSENS ISLAND REVENGE – I’m so very excited that the #TribeCDI will be moving from one epic period piece to another. We have been preparing documents to assist in bringing onboard our product partners and sponsors. Our scouting trip was very successful last week. While a few days may be shot on the actual island we need interiors and such that we can control. We also need to not be dependent on a ferry or the few stores on a small island. So movie magic will be happening but it will all be shot in Michigan. We had some great meetings this last week and we’ll be making some exciting announcements soon. One of those exciting announcements just might be our director. I will be starting the writer/director script polish this week. Once I sign off it is up to the director and talent. We will be shooting in October of 2023! We are already hard at work.
- SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE is in script development. I am happy to say that I’m about 1/3 of the way through the first draft. There is a lot of research with this project and that is something I’ve immensely enjoyed. It has been an intense journey and the drama of it all is brutal and enlightening. I’ve had several times that after writing for a few hours I had to go work my hands in the dirt for a while. I will have my first draft by Jan 1st and from there we will start to look at production development.
- WILD FAITH just passed the 6 million mark on Encourage TV. This will can be found on countless platforms to enjoy. We have many fall themed films from SMOKE & MIRRORS, BESTSELLER, LOST HEART, BEST YEARS GONE and MBF: MAN’S BEST FRIEND. Enjoy them all with your family! Thank you for all the fan mail about these titles! Amazon Prime has most all of them.
- I had a great call out of the blue about another film project. This call took me back almost to the very beginning. A project that was in development many moons ago has interest and a proposed budget. This film is in the horror-genre with a large dose of mystery/investigation at the heart. Discussions were on how things have changed in the 25-30 years production-wise. I gave my interest in moving these talks forward. It takes time to develop things so the earlier you can start the better. More on this project if it becomes active. By active, I mean funded:)
- That is not the only project that was discussed in development this week. Following the release of FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH, our team is discussing both another doc feature and a feature film. In the wake of projects I always get a rush of pitches on scripts and projects. I tell my tribal folks to be ready for this rush. It can be a time killer 95% of the time. People are wanting badly in this industry and it can be truly maddening. Every outsider is a variable that can rock the boat. It is why we are so careful with how we build our projects and with whom. Life is too short to be wasting time. If you have a funded project we might look at it but we are at no lack of stories, scripts or endeavors. I can say with confidence that we’ll be doing more docs in the FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH series. Thank you to everyone who has supported the first one. It is really powerful and informative and I’m proud of it. Take a watch!
- This week I’m going to be sending KNIGHT CHILLS materials off to the Blu-Ray folks and check on the up-rez and progress on the new Ghost Town trailer. Both should be available next year as HD and streaming. After those get underway we will be working on FIGURE IN THE FOREST and AN ORDINARY KILLER. Classics:)
- PONDERING/TIPS/OPINION – This week was interesting due to various conversations. As we start the process of looking towards future projects, sometimes as far ahead as two or three projects, we examine ENERGY. Positive energy manifests in how people are in their day-to-day. There are people who are just always a joy to be around. They make a journey enjoyable. They are CAN DO people not CANNOT do people. They look at the glass half FULL versus half EMPTY. They work hard and EARN the opportunities, by giving their BEST EFFORT. I laugh to myself when I hear some people think they’ve paid enough dues and they are deserving of….it would be like a martial artist telling the sensei when they feel ready to test for a belt. These positive people don’t seek short cuts or to get ahead by stepping on others. That is a VERY common thing is the outside world for sure. While common there, it doesn’t thrive here at CDI. Some people are just not cut out for long form media like movies. They do better with smaller, simple short format endeavors. Or they cannot positively interact with people for that many weeks. I heard someone else make a statement that they will deal with whatever for the sake of using some artists, even if they are negative and a pain. They can have them! I will take a positive, good person with talent and develop that versus drag some negative person along. It is about the journey and not just the art. Ideally you want both but the journey will be long remembered. So work with good people you like. Develop the people who respect and have gratitude for the opportunity. We have big things ahead and so we want to develop our team even stronger. Lots of things happening behind the scenes. Just be that person that producers want to have on board.
I want thank everyone again for stopping by. Subscribe here and perhaps our website http://www.cdiproductions.com and our CDI Youtube channel. I love that you all come from various places around the globe. I’m going to finish up here and do a few more things around the yard and get ready for a busy week ahead. I hope you take all these updates as an inspiration of what a group of artists can achieve when they work together in a positive manner. Have a great week and be good to one another!
Coffee Cheers!
DJ
SNEAK PEEK B4 PR RELEASE- Official Pre-Production, Updates (Silent Night in Algona) and more…
Spain, Ireland, Iraq are where some of our readers hail from. Hazelnut coffee cheers from chilly Michigan. Fall is in full effect and I’ve been working to get the property ready for winter. I’ve been using the wood stove for meetings already so chopping and cutting wood has been a priority. I’ve been trimming the mulberry trees which grew out of control. Last night I used the smoker and cooked venison steak and acorn squash. The steaks were awesome and there is much left over which will be used for steak and eggs and/or venison steak chili. The egg production has slowed but not stopped as the weather has gotten colder. I had the pleasure of watching my niece and nephew play another soccer match together. They are getting the basics of the game down and it is fun to watch them. I will likely do one final mow of the yard once the leaves all fall. They are still hanging on and many changing into beautiful colors. I truly do love this time of year. My alumni MSU is having a hard go of it this year in football. Let’s see how the Detroit Lions do this week. Okay, onto some film updates.
FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH – We had a most excellent premiere showing in the NCG theatre in Owosso, MI. After was a great fall afterglow at Romas. Excellent pizza and hard cider were on deck. Some pictures were taken and everyone really seems to have loved the film. It played awesome on the big screen. 10/4/22 is the date when home video could start releasing. The DVD pre-sale site for 11/1/22 is up on Amazon but we are waiting for the streaming rent/buy link to go live. Several DVD pre-sale sites are popping up at many other record/DVD shops, just search “For the Love of Catch” and “DVD” and BAM! If you had a chance to watch the film at the premiere feel free to post a review on the http://www.imdb.com (For the Love of Catch). Hoopla which is the national library system for streaming films is carrying the documentary. We have been waiting, not-so-patiently for the Amazon release.
Another great update is that we met the other day about what will be next for the FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH, and I think we have a great idea for the next documentary film. I’ll be gathering a few choice sponsors over the winter and we’ll plan to shoot in the Spring. Who knows, documentary might not be the only thing we are planning. Stay tune and definitely check out the film when time allows. You will not be disappointed. Educational and entertaining to be sure.
SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA – One more film to release this year. Our WW2 Christmas film is now in music and sound design. The color grading is complete and the VFX are still be worked on. We’ll see a hint of that VFX work in the new theatrical trailer, being edited. We’ve been working on setting up the premiere in Algona, Iowa, the 2nd weekend in December. We plan to have a special premiere screening in Owosso, MI again at the NCG Owosso. Likely another afterglow although not on a patio, a tad cold by that time. The Iowa showing will have the theatrical run starting there immediately after the premiere. We plan to meet and greet folks at the VFW and share in their excitement.
I plan to start looking at a few event showings for the film. A few select festivals, but some might not like that we’ve played, or we are playing in theaters. I really want to see it play in Germany. We’ve been having the German dialog translated for the subtitles. I got some of the best news possible by the older German folks helping with this task. The thing is that for many Germans, that time period is not something they enjoy watching. Over and over they’ve been painted as all being Nazi’s which is not true. This film doesn’t sugarcoat anything but it also gives a fresh and new perspective. But the film brought tears to our translator and that speaks volumes about the story we have.
We’ve been in the studio enjoying the new sound design and music which just takes everything to another level. It is truly amazing that we took history and we truly bring it to life. In mid November our editor/VFX supervisor will be coming into Michigan to work with our team in assembling the final film. We will book into as many film theaters that will have us and once we ride that into 2023, as we said prior, we’ve play a few festivals. After that, it’s the big run up to the home video 2023 release. A truly powerful film that will likely become a classic.
WILD FAITH – Speaking of classics in the making. We’ll be announcing a new benchmark with our family classic Wild Faith. In 2020 we tried to work with the distributor to add up/estimate the number of views (minus broadcast TV which is in full swing). They estimated 20 million views, with the distributors Encourage TV having about 4 million views itself. Well that number now is 6 million views! So just that one platform has been getting about 1 million views a year. If all these platforms increased we could be looking at 40 million plus. We will continue to try and put the pieces in play for the WILD FAITH: Hastings TV series, but we’ve got several projects lining up in front of us.
THE QUEST TRILOGY (Forty Nights, Chasing the Star, The Christ Slayer) – Speaking of classics in the making. Starting Nov 1st we’ll be pushing this amazing series of films. The three films have been growing year by year increasing their audience. They are not preachy and just try to give a unique perspective to events often described in a few short sentences. They are inspirational and uplifting and provoke us to deep thought and contemplation. For many the watching of the three films has become a tradition. Make it one of yours.
This is also down syndrome month and I’m so proud of my brother from another mother Josh Perry. You can see him in THE CHRIST SLAYER where he is absolutely a gem. And as if he couldn’t get any better, BAM! LOST HEART also known as BIGFOOT, UFOS AND JESUS really showcases the comedic talents of Josh Perry. If you have a child with Down syndrome I would advise watching these films. I’ve seen the look in the eyes of a young child with DS admiring Josh and his work. You can see the mental limitations melt away and that is a beautiful thing.
Thank you to the fans of MBF: Man’s Best Friend who have made their love of this film known. To answer a common question I get- Will there be a sequel to MBF? First, I’ll say with how we left Paul, he’s just doing his time and it is not on the books. I’ve only played one character twice and that was JESUS in Forty Nights and The Christ Slayer. But, I will say that a rough treatment for a sequel does exist. Currently, I have my hands full with writing endeavors and CDI is about to officially announce the pre-production of our next feature film.
Here is the advance promo teaser for CDI’s next feature film. Adapted by your’s truly from another truly special book by Karl Manke. We will be releasing this pic and PR about the new project. Our team is location scouting this next coming weekend. I just might have some great pics to share next Sunday. I won’t write too much here and just leave it as a tease since we have PR releasing this week.
SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE – This is the powerful story I’ve been researching and putting into script form. I’m well into the first act of this story and I’m very happy with how it’s flowing. A few scenes so powerful, I had to walk away for a bit after writing it. I’ll be looking to have a teaser poster created for this project so I have a battle flag of sorts. It is just such an honor to be able to save this event in history and ultimately bring it back to life on the screen. I’ll be done with a first draft in a few weeks. I’m just really enjoying the journey.
WRAP UP – I hope you all continue to enjoy the fall season. We’ve had several folks respond to the CDI treat, not a trick- of the full short SMOKE & MIRRORS, being gifted to all of you. Take a watch and let us know your thoughts. It will be a great feature film in the future.
I’m going to go do a few things around the yard. We are planning to attend a flea market. Watch the Lions battle. Maybe some more writing on Spirit Lake Massacre and a locations list for Harsens Island Revenge. It’s the full moon so watch out:) I’ll chat with you all next week. Until, be good to one another.
Coffee Cheers!
DJ
Fall Welcome! Gifts, Premieres, Development Updates – the Art of Visualization
I’m sipping on the hazelnut coffee on this chilly Michigan morning. Thank you to all our international friends stopping by to join us. The journey of an artist is not always easy but it is fulfilling for the heart. I had many great meetings this past week. Things have been so busy I’ve been purposely trying to stagger some of the PR announcements.
SMOKE & MIRRORS – As a gift to our #TribeCDI loyal we’ve released our short film to kick off the fall season. If you like old creepy houses, seances and ghosts – this might be of interest. It is a free watch and will also allow you to subscribe and also watch some of the other CDI behind the scenes, teasers, trailers, interviews and other fun stuff. Read about it and watch free here – https://www.prlog.org/12933702-collective-development-inc-gifts-smoke-mirrors-to-open-the-fallhalloween-season.html?fbclid=IwAR1lkaiYFTtMYzztYdZcrSABPo7QSgy9OILLH3h1w5ihU1iDn2ctPJaGFCs
You can go to the http://www.imdb.com page for this film and leave us your thoughts. We will turn it into a feature one of these winters.
PREMIERE!
CDI’s 4th release of the year is upon us with our feature length documentary film, FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH. It is playing two shows one night only at the Owosso, NCG theatre at 6pm and 8:15pm with an afterglow at Romas restaurant next door, following the 6pm show. It will release to home video via Deskpop Entertainment on 10/4/2022 on Amazon Prime and several other streaming platforms.
This is in director/host Curran Jacobs home town of Owosso, MI and we’ll be there to meet and greet. After I would advise adding this DVD to your collection. Also feel free to go to the http://www.imdb.com page and leave your thoughts.
SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA – We’ve been working hard to set up the premiere and following theatrical runs starting in December. We are going to have the first showing in Algona and have been working to land the right place. The local theaters would be the best showing and we’re working on that avenue after the largest seating venue was shown to be lacking in the proper equipment to screen it. We want to have a nice night for those involved and after the general public will start getting their first look.
Music and sound design is fully engaged and this week will be checking on the German subtext and VFX progress. A theatrical trailer is being worked on and should be complete mid October in time to start playing some theaters and to screen at AFM in November. So many things to pull together and luckily we have great help and support from our friends in Iowa. COMING SOON!
HARSENS ISLAND REVENGE – This is the film that I delayed PR on but you’ll get your fill soon enough. We’re meeting weekly on this next film shooting in Fall 2023. We’re planning some scouting trips and we’ll be sitting down with various keys in the coming months. It is nice to have this extra time to plan and we’ll be using it. The roaring 20’s in Michigan is about to get the CDI treatment.
SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE – Included in the forthcoming PR is the announcement of my new script assignment. This story again focuses on a real event in 1800’s Iowa history. FADE IN – the script is underway and I’ll be completed by the years end. I’ll have a first draft before that but I like to really polish a story up. This is looking to film likely in 2023/2024 timeframe after the filming of Harsens mentioned above.
As the cold settles in, more film watching will happen. As the holiday season looms more CDI films will expand into new networks. The Quest Trilogy, MBF, Lost Heart, Wild Faith and now Bestseller, Best Years Gone…how many have you seen? A favorite? How many times have you watched it? Thank you for all the fan mail. Keep it coming. We love to hear from you, the audiences.
I can say with CDI taking a break from production to get all these films released proper – I am missing in front of the camera. Doing a few days or a week here or there might be fun but the role has to connect. I turned down a few roles this year. It is important that I connect with the character and I want the quality of the project to be there. So, my energy will be focused on finishing, pre-production, development and screenwriting. But it does have me thinking on agents and managers. I’ve had several over the years from the top agencies to the smaller boutique agency. Results and understanding you as an artists makes all the difference. We’ll see said the wise man.
I did have a good talk last week that could have me helping to produce a few new music videos. We had a few that we did this year (Vertical Bridge – Off to the Races & Deepfall – Revolution) check them out on Youtube! I still want to explore releasing LP albums on some of the soundtracks. I just bought another one yesterday at a sale – CASINO ROYALE (James Bond).
Visualization – I meditate and practice visualization of goals or guidance. One of the fun things I collect is HAI KARATE aftershave and such from the 70’s. It is what Gil Gilles splashes on his face before trying to get his Sylvia back in BEST YEARS GONE. Anyway, I’m at an estate sale where I like to seek props. I came up from a basement that was like a time capsule. I ‘felt’ something and was drawn to the back of the house. There in a bath was a brand new Hai Karate 3 piece gift pack! I need to visualize on something greater perhaps but what JOY I had. I love to visualize with fire, be it a candle or a fire in the stove. Tonight. There will be fire!
Another HUGE update was dear friend Dane who took a day and helped install a new bath floor, toilet and vanity with new sink and fixtures. We were about to do all this when Covid hit and we started to try our luck but…electricity and water are two things I don’t like to mess with. One day with a Shepherds Pie lunch and that bath got done. A foresee a little something extra special for Dane this year at Christmastime. Here is my public thanks to Dane. We all have skills and handyman is not my strongest.
I’ve got some business underway in Yuma, AZ area as the first of the CDI library is being prepped for 2023 release. Ghost Town, is being digitally enhanced and we’re prepping for a very special release with Deskpop Entertainment in the near future. But we also had several conversations about some collaborative projects to shoot once again in AZ.
Knight Chills is the other film about to be digitally enhanced for a special Blu-ray release and a streaming release again with Desktop Entertainment. FIGURE IN THE FOREST and AN ORDINARY KILLER will be on the list to enhance and re-release to new audiences.
There you have it. Some of the weeks best updates. I’m excited by the week ahead. My alumni MSU made a poor showing yesterday in football. My hope is the LIONS can pull another win today. Some more great meetings this week including friend/co-star Taylor Nichols. Come Sat of next week I’ll be watching FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH on the big screen followed by a tall Killian’s Red. But for now, coffee cheers! I’m going to get a refill and get some things done on this wonderful Sunday.
Until next week, be good to one another.
DJ
Hometown ‘Best Years Gone’ Premiere and CDI Updates
Hazelnut cheers on a nippy Michigan morning. I’ve got the fire going by my chair as I sit and reflect on a very busy week of life and work. Last night we gathered at the NCG theaters in Lansing to debut our new CDI film BEST YEARS GONE, directed by Shane Hagedorn. We had a strong crowd for the 1st show which they moved into the bigger screen to handle our sales. Also they extended the theatrical run until Oct 21st, so have day out going to see a movie. It really did play great there and I was happy to see so many family, friends and fans of the films. I love that every day more folks will get to see the story we told. The feedback has been strong ands I know the ‘haters’ always find their way but so do those who appreciate the stories. And at a kick off event I get to shake hands, take pictures and meet some of these fine people.
(Shane Hagedorn and DJ Perry greeted and chatted with many folks at the Lansing premiere)
My dad still wonders how I’m able to weave the story and all the dialogue into a script. I told him all those times of being assured of not paying attention or having my head in the clouds – THAT – whatever it is – IMAGINATION – it allows me to get lost in the story and manifest it. I’m awaiting word on another deal that would have me writing a script this winter and produce it next year with CDI. Add in the TV series of HASTINGS that is gaining momentum and 2022 could be a fun year of storytelling. Here are the Lansing showtimes- https://www.showtimes.com/movie-times/best-years-gone-156830/lansing-mi/
But before we get to 2022 we have a very exciting and important story to be told – SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA! I cannot believe that the pre-production caravan will depart next Saturday. Producers, director, art, AD, office and transportation will be doing final prep for the shoot that kicks off on Halloween. I had a wardrobe fitting last week and between the scene study which is feeling on point and the dapper WW2 uniform – game on.
We have some additional sponsor support from the Iowa State Bank so we want to thank them. This past week we filled several of the few cast and crew spots remaining. Just one or two cast/crew to go and that will work itself out. We had a few changes from illness or unexpected commits but our team will go and end the year with one great story. This week I need to pull together final props and production stuff traveling with me. I have to finish packing my clothes which needs to include cold weather gear. The nice part is this film I have like one uniform and a few hats unlike the multiple wardrobe pieces worn as Gil in BEST YEARS GONE. I am going to enjoy this final week of prepping things. There are several friends I only get to see while filming so again I’m excited to tell this story with our artists.
I know that this is the perfect season to release BESTSELLER, our thriller getting a campaign reboot but I do not have dates yet. My favorite film of the season is the animated ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and Hitchcock’s PSYCHO, which I’ll be watching to this week. WICKED SPRING HD is heading out to streaming and might be playing on certain platforms. I need to circle up with our distributor on a few projects but I’ve been quite busy with one film releasing and one going into production in under two weeks. FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH feature-length doc is in the post-mixing phase and I was thinking of premiering SMOKE & MIRRORS with it at the same time. Like the cartoons you use to get before a show.
I’m putting the coffee away this morning because of the chill. I just poured the last cup and I’m going to finish this up. My next update will be from Algona, Iowa! Today we might hit the flea market seeking prop items and a stop at Tractor Supply to get some food for the chickens. They are putting on winter weight and still giving the eggs out. It is nice to always have that abundance of eggs and you do taste a difference. My alumni MSU had another good game yesterday but our Lions still struggle. I want to again thank each and everyone of you who attended our showings. If you want to leave a review you can go to our BEST YEARS GONE page on http://www.imdb.com and vote and leave your thoughts. I hope you all have a productive week ahead. Be good to one another.
Coffee Cheers!
DJ
Exciting Developments – ‘Off to the Races’ Music Video – ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ & ‘Best Years Gone’ premieres, ‘Silent Night in Algona’…
I’m sitting here sipping the hazelnut coffee on this peaceful Michigan morning. I want to welcome the new readers from Italy, India, Pakistan and more. It is so nice to have an international circle of artists here. The last few weeks have been extremely productive and busy. This could not be more true of the film endeavors we’re working so hard on. Past, present and future all moving forward together. Outside of the film world we’ve been working in the yard with the chickens and the veggies and herbs. This past week I harvested the hops and we’ve been enjoying eggplant and other veggies. Today I plan on grilling up a few venison steaks after a late morning run to the flea market. I think the best way to try and organize the updates are with a bullet point list.
- Oct 12th Nationally this book above will release. I have a story in it about our boy ‘Luke’ who passed a few years ago. I love contributing to these books and if you need a good Christmas gift these books make a fine one to give. Pre-Order here http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/the-dog-who-came-to-christmas/401231
- The short film SMOKE & MIRRORS that will condensed from my feature script is now complete. Our producers were reviewing yesterday and it is really good. That ‘steampunk’ era 1900’s setting is so fun to play in. I’ll be looking at at screening to benefit the Dodge Turner house where we filmed. It will premiere and we plan to let you all enjoy it during the Halloween season. We are even cutting a short promo teaser but I’m very happy with our end result. It was directed and edited by Nathaniel Nose who directed ‘The Christ Slayer’ with us.
- The music video ‘Off to the Races’ by Vertical Bridge the winner of the BEST YEARS GONE battle of the bands is done. We’re deciding between two logos but the video is badass and we’re talking about releasing it this week to fuel the hype of our upcoming MICHIGAN PREMIERE! I think we’ll release the music video tomorrow and also if you attend the premiere you can see it play on the theatrical screen.
- The feature BEST YEARS GONE is complete but the last few days have been working to tweak color correction and remove digital hiccups:) The film will be rendered to a theatrical file (DCP) used by the theaters. It will also get deliver to our distributor so their marketing team can review and they can start playing their home video campaign that will have DVD/streaming release in Feb 2022. The premiere Sept 18th at the NCG theaters in Owosso, MI is next Sat with both a 6pm show that is almost full and the 8:15 show that is filling up. Both will be great to attend with photos and meet and greets plus the afterglow at Romas. We have a lot of details to attend to this week in preparation but next Sat the first audiences will meet the Gilles Boys and the madcap adventure that follows. This was adapted for the screen (by yours truly) from Karl Manke’s book ‘Hope from Heaven’ and so you might want to read the book after you take a watch.
- SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA has started assembling crew paperwork which we’ll start dispersing this week. Once our schedule lands in our lap we’ll start doing our cast agreements, travel and such. We’ll be releasing PR on a few more of the German actors plus we’ll be announcing our product partnership with two more major worldwide brands. Those brands being Hormel/Spam and Hersheys, both play into our story. Other sponsors include Smithfield Foods, Lerma Transportation, The Candleberry Company and more in process. It really is great to have these amazing brands working with us. We’re working on a teaser poster along with a hundred other small details. If you want to align your brand with our WW2 Christmas film please do reach out.
- This week I also received a script in the mail (I love that vs electronic) for a future film project to see if I want to act in it. I had a few conversations about upcoming scripts/films to write/produce and we had a good chat at week’s end over the WILD FAITH TV series “Hastings” and we’ll see where that goes.
- In active development is the new VFX division that we’re working to build so that we can enhance VFX shots in our stories and also use this entity to develop our own animated programming.
- FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH our documentary film is now in fine tuning and I think will be the first of a series of films. I had productive talks this past week about another documentary film to shoot next year that will build upon this current one. But ‘For the Love of Catch’ is more than just a documentary film it will be a brand that we can do many things with including hosting, promoting and live streaming a possible event. The possibilities are really exciting. As I said before, if you love college, professional, or any type of wrestling – you will find this doc entertaining and informative. It filled in so many gaps in my casual knowledge of the grappling arts as a martial artist myself. I think this film will become one of the pillars of the grappling and it really pulls the history together so that its not forgotten. It bypasses the typical competitive nature of the different schools and illustrates the common history they all share. And the love expressed by these instructors for their art is apparent in the heartfelt words that are spoken in each and every powerful interview.
- I need to circle around and look at the CDI Classic Double Feature with Knight Chills and From Venus. New artwork and maybe an entire new campaign that could include Knight Chills HD streaming. I see it:) Do you own the 1st DVD in the CDI Classic Collection? Heaven’s Neighbors and Figure in the Forest– which one or both might also get the HD treatment with a new campaign. We will see – I need to get a few things off my plate first.
- I’ve been having a great time immersing myself in WW2 footage and films. IN HARMS WAY with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas is one I just watched. They had access to so many military vehicles like battleships, but it is John Wayne. My short hair helped me start to see my character in the mirror. The line work has been just awesome. I love the things that are said between the lines. Yesterday was Sept 11th and the tributes brought back many feelings and visions of patriotic unity in grief. I think this script speaks in these ways by looking at the examples of the past and we can apply that to our present. I’m really looking forward to telling this story.
If you are in the Michigan area and want to attend our premiere please do attend one of the two shows and the afterglow at Romas. My schedule keeps me working and recharging more than socializing at film mixers so if you and I haven’t met – feel free to introduce yourself. Leave me with a card or whatnot so I can explore your art. I recall leaving a few past film events with a pile of scripts, headshots and VHS tapes of films and reels. Now a card with a link can do much the same thing. We are exploring additional theatrical play as the distributor preps for home video and foreign sales. So if you are unable to attend the film could play closer to your home or streaming will follow early in 2022. But, if you want to meet some of the cast, crew, band members from “Vertical Bridge” the battle of the band winners – this is the event for you!
(Above is from our Algona scout/prep trip- NOTE the cool car we will be using. One of many classic pre-1944 rides)
Okay. Flea market, lawn mow, venison grill N chill and prepare for a busy Monday! MSU had another great game and I hope our LIONS can do the same! I hope you all had a great weekend and stay safe, be kind and chase down those dreams.
Coffee cheers!
DJ
New Nominations, Post-Updates and Prepping for a WW2 Story
Hazelnut coffee cheers! I see new readers/followers from Jamaica, Ireland and Ecuador, welcome. It is a beautiful day that started with having my niece and nephew over to visit ‘chicken land’ before we all went down to the local flea market. I did not find any treasures but that is how is goes, sometimes yes, sometimes no. But this weekend has been mainly yard work clean up. The lawn garden bags are by the curb for pick up and I also shored up the raspberries. The rhubarb is growing strong and the apple blossoms are full which might mean hard cider this fall. I’ve shared the brown ale with the few meetings we’ve had. To me it taste like NEWCASTLE. Just amazing what fruit, veggies and/or grains can become with a little fermentation magic.
This week went by quite fast with the main tasks being making moves on BEST YEARS GONE post work. SMOKE & MIRRORS post work is also finishing up. (Almost complete) And we’re entering post with the documentary ‘For the Love of Catch‘ which is exciting. Additionally, we’ve been busy with the pre-production tasks associated with our WW2 drama SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA. We’ll keep announcing new cast and crew over the next several weeks. Everyone is excited about storytelling in this time period. many of us have been immersing ourselves it the 1944 culture. I’ve enjoyed digging more into my grandfather’s WW2 service.
This week we’ll have talks with our art department over the script. They will break down props and we’ll address more major challenges. Period films are a great endeavor that requires artists to be at their best and research is a key. I’m going to do a new photoshoot soon showcasing the new look I’m moving towards. I have a great WW2 coat that was a find last year. Preparing for a role can be a bit like preparing for Halloween at least by way of look. More on this fine film as it develops.
Proud to announce that two of our films both qualified as one of the five finalist in the prestigious ICVM awards given on June 23rd (My bday) in Texas. MBF got much of its theatrical and festival run squashed by the Covid outbreak but it has been gathering momentum. The two films are both very different in tone but I feel like we won just by having two of the five films. Congrats to all the CDI artists involved and thank you to the audiences accepting these stories. We are all very appreciative and thank you to ICVM.
Final 5 Random Updates
- BEST YEARS GONE – battle of the Bands still ongoing on our FB page. We added the bio for Celebrity Judge Joe Pullin and we might have more to announce. We are loving all the submissions – thank you!
- BEST YEARS GONE auto stickers are available and soon we will have more. I think shirts and hats are next up!
- BEST YEARS GONE trailer is being worked on by Nathaniel Nose. We should have something in a few short weeks.
- https://www.tudosobreseufilme.com.br/2021/04/melissa-anschutz-7.html?m=1 a great interview with Melissa Anschutz on her career and ‘Lost Heart’ (You can look it up in English)
- FORTY NIGHTS which plays with CHASING THE STAR and THE CHRIST SLAYER on Encourage TV is also creeping towards its first million views. If you did not watch these three films, which should be watched in order, enjoy.
A great pic of Erika Hoveland and I filming on BEST YEARS GONE. Seen here in Dane Deford’s boat. As the cold gives way to warmth and Michigan is defrosting, I’m looking forward to gathering again. I’m happy to say I’ve had both doses of my super serum and feeling just dandy. I look forward to some cookouts and such in the near future. Enjoy the rest of your day and the week ahead. Every day has been full of emails, calls and meetings but all worth it as the projects keep moving down the line. We have some very exciting things developing at CDI and I know that steady ahead can get you there.
Keep channeling your energy into steady ahead and soon you’ll find things happening.
Be good to one another. Coffee Cheers!
DJ
Covid-Free and What’s Up With ME (And CDI Updates)
Coffee Cheers! Again if you own a coffee roaster and want to get your brand name out reach out and we’ll use your coffee in our upcoming production of BEST YEARS GONE. I’ve been having the same issue with brewery and distillery options. We’ve always made product sponsorship deals with various companies and showcased them in our films. But they are slow to commit on this go-around and I have to guess that its the Covid effect on their businesses. If I don’t make a deal it will become just a created label. So whatever your business is if you want to discuss our sponsorship program reach out to me on here and we can talk.
I got my Covid test back that was super easy at Walgreens from my car. I’m clear. So I will report to the hotel this weekend under our new corporate deal with Tru Hotel/Hilton. Speaking of sponsors I want to thank The Candleberry Company for their sponsorship. Lerma Transportation is onboard to assist with the craft service. And it looks like BIOCLEAN will also be a sponsor again and in these times it’s good to have them on board. We are going to run a very safe set because Covid is not the only enemy. The flu and common cold is also a hinderance so we hope to keep everyone healthy. We have more cast to reveal including my old amigo Terence Knox (St. Elsewhere, Tour of Duty) and another CDI alumni from “Chasing the Star” will be joining us! I’m excited about the team of artists and we’re going to have a great time telling this story.
BUT…we have another movie rolling out as we’re starting to film. LOST HEART had a successful cast and crew screening in New Era at The Double JJ Resort. Music, interviews, food and fun followed by a wonderful film. Weeping, laughter and everything in-between. I was happily surprised by how engaged the audience was. We had a good number of local randoms mixed into our crowd. Bottom line is I think we have another hit. The local, regional and national media is kicking. From smaller reviewers like Noah Kaser below to Mike Huckabee who will be hosting Melissa Anschutz, Don Most and Victoria Jackson in Nashville. The film is truly funny and has heart warming messages about dreams and family without being heavy handed. Please do tune in Nov. 7th and 21st on ENCOURAGE TV (A Free app) to watch the premiere event and the film. It will start 7pm EST on those two dates (Nov 7, 21). Won’t you please join us? Noah below said he’s reviewed 200 films this year and LOST HEART is in his Top 5! We hope it makes your list also:)
Once we get past the premiere showings on the 7th and 21st of November we should know where the film is headed. Likely an exclusive run on a network before it goes wide. It will also start making its way around the world.
WILD FAITH/HASTINGS
I’ve had a few good meetings over our Mid-Western WILD FAITH turning into a TV series entitled “Hastings”. We have interest on a few fronts and if everything works out we’ll film 8 shows this spring. It will be a wonderful thing to see the beloved characters back in action. Several sites are streaming it but Encourage TV alone is closing on 3 million. Add in broadcast TV and foreign and we have a large and growing audience. I’m excited to put this in motion and to bring BEN LILY back into action.
SMOKE & MIRRORS is just looking awesome and sounds just as amazing. We are having some VFX work done and after credits – Shazam! Done:) Finishing up the feature script is on my things to do this winter.
MBF: MAN’S BEST FRIEND – We have Veteran’s Day approaching and I’m so proud that this film is making the rounds. Much of the festival and event play got squashed by the lock down but the film itself is growing via word of mouth. You can watch it free via Encourage TV yourself and leave your thoughts. I see that Brazil now has MBF.
I’m also excited as we enter the holiday season to start pushing THE QUEST TRILOGY. This adventure trilogy is shot using the “style” of the original Star Wars films. You can see it in FORTY NIGHTS, CHASING THE STAR and THE CHRIST SLAYER. It was filmed in the Yuma desert where RETURN OF THE JEDI filmed. It is a unique series of films and again is not preachy but thought provoking. Watch them all together to get a greater story and enjoy them with your family.
FEW QUESTIONS FOR MY READERS–
- Has anyone read my story in the cat book released this fall? Thoughts?
- Who has seen “The Quest Trilogy” all together and what were your thoughts?
- I’ve got several past thrillers and horror films perfect for the Halloween season, favorites? Scariest?
- Would you be excited for a WILD FAITH tv series? Favorite characters?
- MBF – Who do you agree with? Again a real thought provoker.
- Have you ever used a Candleberry Co candle?
This past week has been getting warmer wardrobe around and a few rehearsals on BYG film. We picked the last of the beans from the garden. The crockpot with beans and additional veggies and a pork roast will be filling the house with good smells. The Autumn Ale has been enjoyed at a few meetings. The chickens are doing good with the coming of the colder weather. We took a nice nature walk with Finn yesterday and I just love this season. I’m just feeling great about the coming week and I will be seeing some close artist friends that I usually only see when filming. Get yourself artists with a positive attitude and that vibe will transfer to the story.
Thank you again to everyone at The Double JJ Resort. It is a wonderful place to visit for golf, horseriding, waterpark and more! I’m going to get back to a few pre-production things today and I’m thinking of doing these next batch of blogs on a Monday since our filming for the next few weeks will include Sunday. So I might be doing a delayed blog OR I might do a video blog recap which might be easier. We will see said the wise man. Be good to one another!
DJ
TOP TEN UPDATES AS WE FINISH THE MONTH STRONG!
Me, T Hornus, John Saxon, T Turner and David Borowicz in Lone Pine.
Good morning and welcome to all our new readers from Denmark, Spain, China and more…coffee salute. I’m a bit later this morning getting to my blog because I was enjoying a larger breakfast. I also was putting some paperwork together for delivery this week to our distributor. First before jumping into film let me ponder to see if any events this week trigger any discussions. I want to offer up a RIP to John Saxon who was a great actor in movies like ENTER THE DRAGON. I was lucky enough to meet John in a honey stand in Lone Pine, CA at a festival market. He was a nice man and we chatted for a few and took a few pictures. I wish I had gotten to act with him but meeting him was a joy. So RIP to this fine actor for a lifetime of storytelling. Also Regis from the morning TV scene passed on. The circle of life keeps turning and it makes me feel blessed to be doing what I love. I had many conversations this week both business, personal and in-between. Maybe we’ll do a TOP TEN updates.
- LOST HEART will arrive Monday at the distributor and as previously mentioned we’ll be delivering some paperwork behind it. It is very exciting and we’re having a producers watch and theatrical/premiere planning meeting this week. We are looking for venues so if there is one near you that wants to play the film let us know. Home Video release is looking like Oct but I will know more end of the week.
- The short SMOKE & MIRRORS is in editing and we’ll have that rolling out this fall just in time for Halloween I do think. It was a short film taken from my feature script. The footage was used in a demo for a well known sound design company izotope. We’ll be finishing it up and use the short to launch a feature in the near future. Nathaniel Nose director/editor on THE CHRIST SLAYER was the director and is also editing. It was a fun period piece and I think it will lead to the full feature.
- We’ll also be announcing that CDI has entered into an association with The Red, White & Blue Project Inc. to produce a feature length doc entitled ‘For the Love of Catch‘ with our own Catch-Can World Champion Curran Jacob. We have some exciting people getting involved in the film.
- With LOST HEART done we will also be looking more at the 2021 line up. In active development is the WILD FAITH TV series ‘Hastings‘. I had numerous productive conversations on this project and I think it is WHEN not IF. If you have not watched WILD FAITH please do so. It will film in Michigan and could include the creation of a mini-studio.
- We are about to make some presentations on the WW2 Christmas project CDI will produce next year entitled SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA. We have over half the budget being covered by a foundation and we’ll be bringing on investors for the balance. Some great talks with the distributor also over this powerful story. It will be directed by Anthony Hornus as his follow up to MAN’S BEST BEST. If you have not seen this film please do.
- Three CDI Associated films will be getting a new release with ITN Distribution. Deadly Renovations, Darkest Night and Donors. These are films that CDI helped with and I co-star in all three. They are for those who like things that go bump in the night.
- BEST YEARS GONE is the next film up for CDI with a planned shoot window in November finishing before Thanksgiving. We had another great meeting and the film will have lots of exciting firsts for CDI. Shane Hagedorn is directing and those who enjoyed ASHES OF EDEN will be excited to see him directing again. We are planning to start shooting beauty shots and B roll soon as well as a few VFX sequences. Stay tuned! We’ll also be announcing a few more cast and crew soon!
- I need to turn some attention back at CDI Merchandise, CDI Animated and CDI Music Division developing. Having Lost Heart finished will give me some added time to work on these emerging divisions of CDI.
- I’ve got a batch of beer and wine ready to go. I just need to kick the process off.
- I’ll keep pushing ahead with my writing. In a few short weeks the new book that I was a contributing author on will by Callie Smith Grant. It be releasing nationwide with Revell Publishing. You can pre-order here – https://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Cats-True-Stories-Rescue-ebook/dp/B087RTPCT4/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=Second-Chance+Cats&qid=1595775817&sr=8-9 – I’ve also got a story in the book after that about DOGS and features a story with my ‘Luke Mr. Brown’ in it. I so appreciate being involved in these books and I’m actively seeking more book writing work.
PRE-ORDER NOW!!! My story involved ‘Lulu’ our little princess:)
As you can see it has been busy, busy with another dose of busy. If anything we are going to come out of this virus crisis with projects lined up to be filmed. I can work with that. Thank you as always for all your notes and fan mail I do read it and appreciate it. Control what you can control and keep moving forward!
Be good to one another!
DJ
SPRING Updates – Looking Ahead!
I’m sitting here sipping my hazelnut coffee in my Oswald’s Bear Ranch cup. We were planning another UP Michigan trip when all this virus stuff erupted. Now we spent a good amount of time discussing that last week and so I’m not going to hammer that this week. In Michigan we have had our stay extended for two weeks. I’ll just call it confinement for all the things in my youth I got away with. Again it was a wonderful week of organizing, personal and biz calls and getting things done. Let’s start with our next film up – BEST YEARS GONE.
This week we’ll load in the last financial piece and we’ll be all ready to sail once the storm passes. We’ve got a new schedule to review and I’m putting some fine tuning to the budget now that our day-of-days is more defined. We’re announcing more of our crew and cast and preparing to do a few ZOOM script reads. Shot lists are being prepared and I for one will be ready to get out and tell another story.
I had some productive talks with our distributor and we’re already looking at marketing for the immediate and the year ahead. The Quest Trilogy has been playing strong during the holiday window which runs after Halloween on the run up to Thanksgiving through Easter. Many new countries like Mexico, Brazil and more have enjoyed our three biblical adventures. We spoke of them cutting a great TRILOGY trailer for the next ‘holiday’ season.
NOTE: I also had the pleasure of watching Douglas James Vail’s new film 40: The Temptation of Christ – that also imagines the 40 days of Jesus in the desert. I enjoyed their beautiful locations, camera work and the unique way they handled the temptations. Take a watch if you enjoy these stories.
LOST HEART is just finishing up music and will be turning to sound design this last month before we mix, master and deliver. There is going to be a big need for new content so I think we’ll get a good push with this story. We might have a few other surprises when it comes to this film. This week ahead the distributor is working to lock up DVD wrap art. I would guess we’ll see pre-sales start after a while but we’ll see if we do any exclusive TV runs first. I’m excited to put this fun, heartfelt movie out into the marketplace. – Soon.
WILD FAITH / HASTINGS TV SERIES
The film is gathering fans as the distribution keeps getting deeper. Meanwhile we continue to have promising discussions on the TV series. If you have not seen the film please do and let me know your thoughts on a TV series. Like all the films, I had some fan mail on this film talking about the power of the themes and how nice it was to spend time in a world more simple.
MBF: MAN’S BEST FRIEND is also making the rounds thanks to all you fans out there. The reviews and word of mouth keeps growing our audience. I’m so excited that this film is making people ponder and discuss the topics. So watch with your family including the furry ones. As with any of the films just google the film in quotes and it will show where you can buy the DVD or watch the film. Again a big salute to all our service men and women who serve.
At this time my thoughts are with all our family and friends and we all look forward to sharing a few in-person laughs. Soccer season is approaching and I’m in hopes that we can still enjoy that. The blossoms are starting to bloom on the newly trimmed apple and mulberry trees. The hops and rhubarb are also starting to get some size and that is fun to watch. I’m going to use this nice day to get some more outdoor tasks completed. I hope you all have a wonderful week and be safe!
DJ
NEW NOVEMBER ‘CDI’ FILM DEVELOPMENT AND UPDATES
Coffee cheers to you all! So it was a great weekend for getting things done. I’ve been playing all kinds of catch up as we head into the end of the year. I’ve done what might be a final mowing of the yard and getting the firewood around. We had a good bout of wet cold with Halloween being rain, sleet and snow for most of the day/night. Now some argue for a better night or a less crappy night but that was part of the fun. The challenges of stomping around in a costume and accepting candy. I spent the day reaching out to a handful of old-school elementary school mates. I also called my mother early asking if my costume was done being sewn. She was confused until I confessed my tease and we talked about the great costumes she and my grandma Swope use to make us kids. My barbarian outfit pushed Grandma’s old sewing machine to the limit. My best costume was a robot made from a large box with tube arms and multiple dials, switches and such on the outside. I recall falling and all the friends having a good laugh as I could not stand back up. I was like a turtle on his back. I remember a great Halloween party at one friends house with games and such. I had a wonderful childhood and for that I feel grateful because as an adult I realize that is not always the case. So during the season I enjoyed many classics like THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and several others. Now we are onto the “Holiday season” that runs from Nov. to Easter and so it begins.
I’ve started my Christmas shopping as I love giving gifts. I’m a person who will do that all year around but I like how during the season, we stop to have a drink and share a laugh together. I had intended to have a Fall CDI party to replace the rained out Summer one but one thing after another kept falling on the schedule. I had weddings and memorials falling on the same day. We had just a busy life fall but that is the way of things. We just got done hashing out Thanksgiving whereas again it is near impossible to be in multiple places. So again I’m smoking a turkey and let me tell you it’s hard to find rolling papers in that size. Just kidding:)
We’re starting to revamp the CDI website for the new year ahead. Here is one of the narrative book commercials we did for Baker Publishing.
We also recently completed another commercial for a software company and that is the cool Victorian age pics people saw. We created content for a software demo and I was able to pull a small one day script from my work-in-progress feature script “Smoke & Mirrors”. So I’ve been wrapping up paperwork on that project and we hope to have the first invoice paid out next week so I can disperse. It is different working in the net 30, 60, 90 day corporate cycle. On the feature films we try to pay out ASAP to cast and crew as I know how freelancers need that. Check out http://www.cdiproductions.com to see some of the updates. We will be posting some casting notices also – so join us.
We’ll be processing and dispersing more revenue to our investors as the films continue to expand and sell. This will be the first season all three of the biblical adventures (FORTY NIGHTS, CHASING THE STAR and THE CHRIST SLAYER) will be all out on the market. Again these are NOT “faith-films” as per the new genre but films with faith at the heart of the stories. The films are not fluff and deal with deep issues that we all question and contemplate. WATCH all three together to get the greater story woven throughout the trilogy. That said I’ve also been slowly developing the next three films in the follow up trilogy.
NOTE: CDI is starting to release merchandise. A 40 Nights lobby card poster is available as are the Tee-Shirts from GHOST TOWN. Look to the Collective Development Inc. Facebook to see upcoming product.
WILD FAITH has continued to expand and amaze audiences in the power of the story. We are actively working to bring a TV series based on these characters to audiences. We have some good pieces moving on the board. If you have not seen this film yet with your family, please do take a watch.
MBF: MAN’S BEST FRIEND – In December the Equus Film & Art Festival in Kentucky will be showcasing MBF. We also are looking at several other festivals. I see that as the DVD’s are becoming more available people are buying many copies to give as gifts to family and friends who would appreciate this story. I continue to be humbled by all the great communications I have been receiving from people. Yes. Many people are also discovering for the first time that I am not disabled, at least not in a ‘Paul Landings’ sort of way. That is to my credit and I’ll accept that but as I’ve said, my heart goes out to all those vets who cannot turn it off. It is their life. So if you know someone that could benefit from watching this film – recommend it or better yet buy them a copy as a gift. I’m excited to see in three years what has happened with this film. I’m waiting to see what film theaters will run the movie. The fact that it is on home video has made a few chains bow out due to policy. But theaters need to understand that 3 main groups exist. The theater goers. The home video watchers. And the in-between who enjoy both. The theaters can get their share of viewers plus some who enjoy on the small screen want to see it on the big screen when the opportunity presents itself. See the film however you can or want but take a watch.
LOST HEART – So we are closing in on the first rough cut and soon we will do a watch through before fine tuning the edit. Once picture lock it is over to Dennis Therrian for music and sound design. First of the new year you can start looking for PR to start rolling out. 
DEVELOPMENT – We discussed the development of several projects. I’ve just signed onto a project to write a script from a book manuscript and produce the feature film. Next week I’ll be talking with the distributor and get that lined up.
Additionally we have another project that will be slated to shoot in 2021 but will start casting in 2020. We’ll be making an announcement on this film also once I get the distribution in place.
We’re also exploring returning to AZ for some filming in our spring window. We’ll be entering discussions on this project also – you all know CDI LOVES AZ especially when it is 20 below zero in Michigan.
Other seeds are being planted with a few other great talents bringing their project to CDI to produce. When time allows I might also have to finish up the feature length “Smoke & Mirrors” script. We’ll have a great proof of concept short in the coming months.
As you can see we have a great slate of business forming up. I’m excited to once again at being hired to weave a film script and to see it brought to the big screen. If you have a funded project that you want considered feel free to inquire about how a CDI associated project just might work.
Okay, today the ghosts and goblins will be replaced by turkeys and harvest baskets. We also need to pickle some beets that have been harvested. Tonight a little time with family and friends before diving into the work week. My first biz call is set for 10 am and I’m ready to get after November! Have a great Sunday and a good week ahead. Be good to one another.
DJ
The DEVELOPMENT path becomes more clear – journey on my friends…updates
I’m sitting here with my cup of hazelnut coffee as the wind blows wildly outside. The rain started yesterday and carried throughout the night. We watched a few atmospheric spooky films last night including, “I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House,” directed by Oz Perkins, which was a well shot mind-twister. Also yesterday a few of the talent from the “Smoke & Mirrors” short were in studio to record ADR since it is content for an audio demo. I might get back to finishing that feature script once I have a few free moments.
Speaking of writing I’m about to begin work on a script that we will film next year. I was approached by an author who wanted me to turn his new book into a film script and shoot it next year. (Fall most likely) So this week ahead will be getting the business paperwork together on that.
The storm cometh
Also I had a great project that I had put together with Rance Howard as my consultant. It is a WW2 era project that really has a wonderful message. I was approached at Norby Walter’s ‘Night of 100 Stars‘ Oscar party about writing and producing the project. To make a long story short I wrote many drafts of the script and things were moving slowly forward. I say slowly because new people kept being added into the mix that slowed it all down. A case of too many cooks in the kitchen and many of the cooks had their own agenda about what they wanted to shoot. Many of them tried to knock down and replace the story with their own pet project. These individuals were a bit older and hailed from Hollywood so that had to be the experts right? Not. So one last broken promise and I stepped back and made a string of films over the last several years. All that happened over there when I left was lawsuits against the Hollywood parties to recover “develop” money. We went on to make a string of movies, because we did not get mired in nonsense.
Fast forward several years later- Wilcox, AZ. As I stood on that stage accepting our 7th award for Wild Faith I thought about the long hard path of that film. Had Shane Hagedorn not wanted to push for that story, it never would have gotten done. I had put it on the shelf to die after failing to get the support I needed and after dealing with a handful of shameful scam artists out of Hollywood. My mind has continued to return to this beautiful story that Rance Howard and I spent hours talking about. This story had also been shelved. My mentor, friend and co-star Rance who was to play the Grandfather role has now passed. I found the courage to pull the story off the shelf and restart a few initial communications. So far it has been met with a positive reaction. It looks like I will do a new draft to trim and reduce budget slightly. This film would go out Fall/Winter 2021 since we would have some unique aspects of this story to put in place. But it looks like CDI will be doing its first WW2 film if things all come together.
WILD FAITH TV SERIES – The movie is still building momentum and I need to have some key conversations about where the series would live. We have a few great avenues to explore and I’m pretty sure we will make it happen. We need a few strong supporters and we’ll launch this Michigan-based TV series. I’m excited by the amount of talent on both sides of the camera we could use.
MBF: Man’s Best Friend – I’m hearing the first theater announcing that they will be playing this powerful drama in our Veteran’s Day march to theaters, will be our friends at Celebration Cinema in Woodland. That will allow our friends and fans in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
DONORS on Amazon Prime
Know many of you know I’ve participated in many scary films but some great filmmakers. During this last week of the season look at IN THE WOODS, The 8th Plague, Darkest Night, Locked in a Room, Deadly Renovation, Donors, Bestseller, GPS the Movie even the early CDI films KNIGHT CHILLS and FROM VENUS. I’m sure I missed a few of these films but they run the gauntlet of spooky to those that are more gory. Check the rating and get your security blanket;) The short we just did with Nathaniel Nose might be developed from my larger feature script. I like the old black and white and Hammer films more than the boobs and blood. Now the 15 year old me really enjoyed them but at my age I’ve seen a lot of red-dyed corn syrup in the dead of night in some dirty house, hotel, forest cabin, prison or locked room. I might fit the keeper of the lighthouse better than these days warning those kids to STAY AWAY! He who warns:) I would act in the right horror film again but it has to be be a good script with a capable team. This last Victorian age short got me thinking about a few of the Vampire talks I’ve had over the years. I was always a werewolf fan but again not eager to go through that make up process. Fangs might be easier:) So the question that has been put to me was – Will you do another horror film? The answer is yes if the story, team and business all add up. By business I mean paid and not just for me. Paid brings better cast and crew on the whole. I will not talk in absolutes because that is a fools talk. There are some exceptions to the rule but few, very few.
LOST HEART – As far on the other side of horror is our in post feature. This comedy drama is at the hour mark in the rough edit. My the start of Nov we plan to have a 1st cut and I want to lock it up by Jan 1, 2020. Now this film does have some mystery associated with it by way of UFO’s and Bigfoot. This film is going to be touching and humorous and I look forward to bringing it to audiences worldwide.
MISC NOTES: (As I recall them)
- Equus Film & Arts Fest has a ‘Going to the Dogs’ section and has invited MBF to play there in December in Kentucky. It could include a theatrical tour and another TV license tied in with their military outreach.
- I’m looking at my schedule about participating in a book reading in Jan. for my stories included in “The Horse of My Dreams” in stores and online now.
- In our meetings the HOPPY GRAPE APE wine is getting good response. Made from fruit and hops all gathered on our property.
- November I’m looking forward to a private screening of NECROLAND by one of my filmmaking peers Mr. Nathan Quinn.
- A collaboration or two might be in the works – one of these just might be a western.
I’m missing a few things for sure but I smell breakfast and in a few short hours we are going to spend time with the Niece and Nephew and carve pumpkins. I wish my old buddy John Luginsland was with us. The smell plus the stringy insides usually left to a chorus of laughter as he vomited like Linda Blair in The Exorcist, good times.
Have a safe Halloween everyone. Be good to one another.
DJ
RECAP and Looking Ahead with Projects
The hazelnut coffee is flowing and I’m finally landed back in the Michigan and catching up. We had a wonderful whirlwind trip to AZ whereas we were met at the airport by ‘Doc’ our AZ transportation Captain in a new RV. We went to Wilcox and had a few days of great friends old and new including Darby Hinton * who beat me for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in the very entertaining film ‘Bill Tillman and the OutLaws’ who also had my dear friend Lana Wood in a great cigar chomping role that reminded me of the mother in “Goonies” – just great.
I also had just bought a $2 Johnny Cash album at the flea market ‘Live from Folsom Prison’ and lo and behold we spent time visiting with John Carter Cash, his wife Ann and son Joe who had a short film “Dragon Song” at the festival and promoting a new documentary “The Gift” about Johnny. Just wonderful people and abound and so thank you to Rock and Brenda who put the Wild Bunch Film Festival on. We took home 7 awards of the 13 nominations.
BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ACTOR and ACTRESS, BEST CHILD ACTORS, BEST FAITH FILM and I’m forgetting one. Come on coffee! It will come to me.
That same weekend we had Lauren LaStrada win ‘Best Actress’ again in Wild Faith at the Hollywoodivine International Film Festival in PA. The film took Honorable Mention for ‘Best Faith Film’ and won ‘Best Film’ overall. Josh Perry was there representing THE CHRIST SLAYER and WON for his role of Albus. We were all so proud of him.
The weekend prior we were honored to have WON the Justice Award at Content 19 for WILD FAITH that was also recognized for SET DESIGN. Next week at the Green Mountain Christian Film Festival I’ve been nominated again for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ as Ben Lily. I’m proud of all the attention the films are getting.
So if you have not stayed current these are some of the CDI films you can watch on TV or get the DVD.
ASHES OF EDEN
FORTY NIGHTS – The Quest Trilogy Part 1
CHASING THE STAR – The Quest Trilogy Part 2
THE CHRIST SLAYER – The Quest Trilogy Part 3
WILD FAITH
MBF: Man’s Best Friend
- Also if you want to see some old school – my 1st starring film with monsters in it is called IN THE WOODS and can be found on Amazon.
- Also WICKED SPRING now released by CDI but an older Civil War drama.
- R Rated – Halloween fare could include DARKEST NIGHT, DEADLY RENOVATIONS and THE 8th PLAGUE if you dare:)
DJ Perry as Donnie in ASHES OF EDEN
The office has the wood burning stove going. This week I will harvest the apples for a crisp. We have been enjoying the HOPPY GRAPE APE wine at our meetings. We missed a family wedding yesterday to attend a memorial for my Uncle on the other side of the family. A unique, funny storyteller who will be greatly missed. He would have enjoyed LOST HEART.
LOST HEART is past the 30 min mark in the edit and I’m looking to move it to sound design and music towards the end ofd the year. The distribution is set and this will be another enjoyable CDI film.
This week we’re prepping for a short narrative film that is actually a demo for a software company. It is a Victorian age film short taken from a feature film script of mine entitled SMOKE & MIRRORS. It will be a fun project for sure.
We also will be pushing hard with the new momentum for the WILD FAITH TV series. Plus we have a few features we are developing foe 2020 and 2021. With that I’m going to close this blog up and enjoy the morning.
Peace to you all!
DJ
October Coming to a Close – Updates
Hello,
I hope everyone is having a good week. It was a long week filled with sadness, laughter, success and set back. But with my trusty hazelnut coffee I get to sit here and reflect back on some of it with all of you. First, our household has been much quieter with our reduced pack. Two sisters Lulu and Daphne are spending lots of time together. We will be getting another dog for Daphne to help train. She did such a wonderful job with our Luke. We really want to have a new guardian by the time LOST HEART shoots this coming spring. It might happen on the lead up to Thanksgiving since we will both have lots off time to make a new pack member feel welcome and loved.
Speaking on loved ones, cherish them because our shared time is finite. One of our neighbors from our childhood passed away unexpectedly after a brief illness. We got to catch up with childhood friends but unfortunately it came at a visitation. New childhood memories were made with the nice and nephew one night with pizza, pumpkin carving and seed roasting. This coming weekend we’ll have another reunion with my Uncle and cousins but also at a cost. My Aunt lost her short battle with cancer. She was the sun which everything went around and so they’re rightfully having issues adjusting. I am looking forward too sharing stories and laughter with my cousins.
This week I spent a good amount of time communicating with our film distributor as they prepare for AFM. For those not in the knowing it’s the American Film Market. A version of our MBF teaser is going to travel to AFM. The DVD/poster art for THE CHRIST SLAYER is being prepared. WILD FAITH deal is also in the works and I need to find out the details of the theatrical deals.
Part 3 of THE QUEST TRILOGY – The Christ Slayer is in post sound and music. Also we engaged our colorist for the film’s color correction. That is now underway. We had both Carl Weyant (Longinus) and Melissa Anschutz (Mother Mary) into the studio. A few lines had to be fixed and that process went smooth. We also were treated to some opening music that shows carpenters building wood crosses on the hilltop as Mary watches. With the opening music it is so POWERFUL. I’m excited to have audiences go on this final adventure. Again if you have not watched part 1 or 2 (Forty Nights, Chasing the Star) buy the DVD or stream it from Amazon. Also many other great platforms are carrying them.
WILD FAITH is also heading back into the theaters as the strength and power of this film is being noticed. Our celebrity narrator is looking at availability and paperwork has been sent across. We’ve had various outlets contact us directly over wanting this film. All those communications are being forwarded and soon the entire distribution flow will be announced. Once everything is in their hands we’ll turn our attention back to the TV series.
Also with MBF our military vet/adoption dogs film, I’ve seen about 30 min of the rough film and I’m rather happy with it even in the rough state. It’s a powerful and moving film and something else to look forward to next year. We keep adding more official stills to our Facebook page. Please do stop by to see pics and get updates.
LOST HEART has gotten its first feedback from one of our proposed stars and it was everything I had wished for. We will start moving it out to others to read. I really do love the story and again it is filled with powerful themes.
Speaking of scripts – this past week I wrote a PSA (Public Service Announcement) script and the client loved it. Now I have to prepare a budget because we also might produce it with CDI. Again, we do some commercial work at CDI but it’s selective. I’ve also returned to doing some writing on my first SciFi script, which is beyond fun. I’ve also started to look at a few possible literary agents to help sell a few scripts that I don’t plan to produce.
I also was encouraged to submit to a film shooting in fall 2019 as the bad guy. I sent my materials and if I am what they’re looking at I will read their script and do a short read. I am ready to get back in front of the camera again but it has to be the right project. This year audiences can see me as Jesus again, mountain man Ben Lily and injured marine Paul Landings. I thought maybe the DEAD QUIET film might release this year but it doesn’t seem like it will. This year I did do a commercial gig for “Our Daily Bread” and a music video for musician Trey Conner. I’m about trying something outside my box if the business is good and the project professional. What else will 2019 bring?
One thing I like to do at the end of each year is do a self-evaluation. Look at projects and project your goals for the new year. Look at what goals from the previous year were met and which ones were not. Writing this down so you can actually review next year is a very useful tool. From seed to harvest. Goals, destinations and such are all good but remember to enjoy the journey.
Have a great week and a safe Halloween.
Boo!
Pushing Christmas Sales and Prepping to Attack 2018!
I’m sipping coffee on this peaceful Sunday. Beside me is a new 5 gal of Green Goblin 3.0 wine started on Halloween and by 11/4 on the full moon it was bubbling like a possessed spirit had invaded it. See what I did there? The spirit, okay back to the blog. New readers/followers from The Netherlands, welcome. Readers from Israel has been following us and again, thank you. I love this space – open for artists to stop by and listen to a story or two. To get a few updates and let you know that these battles we fight to create our art are natural. Part of the process of healing people with the power of a story. A medium that weaves so many emotions through so many of the human senses.
David Gries in THE CHRIST SLAYER
It’s been a strong week of organization and prepping to move into 2018. New announcements on MBF, our next CDI film. We added David Gries and Shane Hagedorn two other fine artists. I’ve worked with both of them and these roles are in caring hands. March will be a nice mix of old and new talent working together. This coming week I plan to open the bank account. Small steps on the path to production.
THE QUEST TRILOGY
American Film Market is underway and BMG has Forty Nights and Chasing the Star there right now. We made some announcements that the films were making their way to the UK. I also see evidence that Asia might be getting the films next. I was notified of a Singapore government ratings for Forty Nights. I will seek to confirm but I really do hope that our fans to the East can enjoy these beautiful films.
Domestically our recent goal now that we’re past Halloween, has been making people aware of the first two films in the marketplace for Christmas. Amazon Prime now has both FORTY NIGHTS and CHASING THE STAR. Watch them back to back and if you enjoyed them give them a little word of mouth or post a review. I think those films are just starting to travel a long journey of being exposed to artists worldwide.
THE CHRIST SLAYER is the 3rd film in the trilogy and it’s moving right along. We released a still of it being worked on in post VFX. (Here)
This third film will bring things together nicely. The poster is on the 3rd draft and getting stronger with each one. This film is preparing to enter music and sound design in Jan 2018.
For that to go in WILD FAITH needs to come out. The music first draft is DONE save tweaks and end credit roll. We’ll start putting that together now. I have high hopes that once the film is done the full merit of a series will be seen. We’re soon to sit and watch the film with the music in. Right now mixing and balancing is underway. The 10 sec of remaining VFX footage is what we’re dealing with still. But the plan is in motion and I’m confident we’ll complete that shortly.
Knight Chills 20th Anniversary
We’ve also been delivering materials to our distributor for WICKED SPRING. It is an interesting feeling bringing that film to the forefront again. I did that role 17 years ago. Crazy. KNIGHT CHILLS had a new release with the book this year and that is a great little Christmas story. I’m smiling – but I will admit for people who have not been exposed to my work having KNIGHT CHILLS, FROM VENUS or IN THE WOODS be your intro is…scary. Zac, Frank and Alex are all great roles just not current representations. These films like others have gathered fans to which again I’m appreciative. My debate as of late was to accept invitations to participate in Comic Cons on occasion to celebrate these old works. I guess as I pondered it I got a touch of insight into Jeff Daniels who wants to be known for his dramatic excellence but people often just remember DUMB & DUMBER. How many sick, lonely, troubled and just bored people did that film make laugh? Giving relief by way of 90 mins of humor. Who are we to judge what people will enjoy? Hence art is subjective. Also some of these early films had so many rocks thrown at them. Some justified but many just the rise of the troll in this new medium of inter-webs:) I still hear the AOL dial-up. But if people can embrace these films more power to them. At the 15th anniversary to sit in the Alamo theater (Kazoo) and watch people shout, laugh and play the drinking game associated with IN THE WOODS was a joy. As we move through the present towards the future we must always make peace with our past. I’m getting there. I’m looking into the “Appearance circuit” although I’ve always wanted people to see the characters before the actor. I have met thousands of fans over the years and I’m appreciative. Although I don’t appear at many of these events it’s because of new work. I had a distributor friend ask if I was going to be at AFM. (Film Market) Actually I’ve had many ask. I told this person I was in MI overseeing post on two films while we prep for our new one. I would like to attend an AFM in the near future.
In addition to MBF prep we’ve been reviewing and looking at several other CDI & CDI associated projects. I think we’re preparing for another strong slate on films. As always I really do appreciate you stopping by. I hope the season is productive and wish you all a strong week ahead.
DJ
DJ Perry's Official Blog 'Clawing My Way to the Middle' 