Happy Easter Updates 2019
I decided to type this the night before since tomorrow will be a day full of family. I’ve had three pork shoulders in a smoker pretty much most of the day. A mustard and applewood rub – it smells wonderful. While preparing for company I’ve enjoyed the slew of biblical films playing on TV in the background. It was a nice surprise to be reminded that we’re participating when I woke to a sent promo clip showcasing “The Christ Slayer” from https://my.upfaithandfamily.com/the-christ-slayer . It was sent by a friend/associate with some kind words.
Today I also noted “The Book of Ruth” was still selling strong at Meijer. Furthermore I was unexpectedly stopped by a fan of the CDI films. It’s nice when you occasionally can meet the good folks watching and supporting your films. “The Christ Slayer” is about to finish up a run in El Paso, Texas. It was great to play a few cities in the great state of Texas. I hope you Texans enjoyed the film and go back to watch part 1 “Forty Nights,” and part 2 “Chasing the Star” on home video. Part 3 is also available on digital and DVD now if the film isn’t playing near you. I know Yuma, AZ is working hard to get a showing there. I’m not sure what Harkins has been so stubborn but we are exploring a few other avenues. So, big screen or small screen (Not so small these days) please do make THE QUEST TRILOGY part of your viewing tradition. I think as more people realize that the three films interconnect that a few questions will be answered. There is a bit of a puzzle/mystery woven into the three films.
“Wild Faith” – Wild West Michigan style
A series of theatrical showings will continue but the home video release will be upon us. Here are some dates concerning the upcoming “Wild Faith” home video release.
LOST HEART Advance News and more…
Well, well, well last week’s blog entry made a large impact. We had maybe the most readers from around the world. It was crazy to see all the countries represented. It was a great week and I’ll speak on some of that. I’ll also give a few open spoilers before released in PR next week. But I want to sincerely thank all the people who joined me this past week. I’ve got the hot hazelnut coffee here by my side and I’m going to get into some updates. I will note on a few things I noticed this week.
We had our 3rd film in THE QUEST TRILOGY – The Christ Slayer release to amazon, google play, Christian Cinema digitally. This film is unusual as it is available on home video (DVD will be March 4th) and will be releasing into theaters for Easter on April 19th. I had a big conference call meeting with the VP of BMG and 8 executives/employees from the theatrical company. I’ve never been in on a call quite like that as we’ve never had national releases. The call also touched upon WILD FAITH that releases into theaters March 23rd and will roll to home video after the platform release. I’m so happy that these films that do play great on the big screen due to the strong production values brought by our artists. I’ll be getting lists of where the films will play city and theater chains. I’m hearing that we have in MI early interest from Emagine, Celebration and Goodrich who carried the film before. Canada is being considered for theatrical and I hear that a deal in Brazil could be close. I was just proud to have all these talented people focused on our films.
I had a goal of making a trilogy of biblical adventures that would appeal to a broad audience like the Chuck Heston films of old. I’ve noticed that beyond the normal trolling that films with a religious topic or theme also get attacked. If you’ve watched The Christ Slayer and enjoyed it I encourage you to vote and share your thoughts. When you see a two sentence slam on a film versus an intelligent write-up/review it’s pretty easy to make up your mind on which review is more accurate. I’ve noticed on past films like Chasing the Star, that people don’t know their history. They complained that the film was dark. Ummm…King Herod’s reign was dark. They called it unGodly because it focused on a different religion with the Magi. Ummm…this is accurate and Christianity wasn’t close to being a religion. I don’t mind if someone doesn’t like something but when they claim something isn’t accurate is silly when only their education is what isn’t accurate. Lot of viewpoints are subjective but that doesn’t make it wrong. It just tells me that films like these were badly needed. So feel free to watch all three films now on Amazon but if The Christ Slayer plays near you in April please do check it out on the big screen.
Wild Faith should roll out new artwork and we should start to see more PR on this wonderful film. There are also some few things in play with the distributor that could lead to our TV series. We had good talks over this film which I think will play great all across this country. I hope my Canadian friends and fans get a chance to see this film on the big screen. But I learned that in Canada they have different ratings boards for each territory. So you could have to pay for multiple ratings but they still might elect to do just that. I’m excited to see this again on the big screen. We’ve remastered the film for the new release and added a great new addition to the film with a surprise story narrator.
MBF: Man’s Best Friend will have a first edit end of this week. We’ll spend two weeks refining the cut before moving it along to Dennis Therrian for music and sound design. The theatrical company has an early interest in the film and with a good amount of lead time we’ll be able to do some great marketing. We’ll also start work on a new trailer in April cut from the edited film. I’m excited that while we deal with all this new release business this film is right behind it.
And right behind that film is our newly announced movie LOST HEART. Our FB social media and IMDB pages are now active.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/lostheartmovie/?modal=admin_todo_tour
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9640414/reference
We will start announcing cast this week as we move forward. Also you will hear it here first but CDI will once again be teaming with director Jesse Low (Forty Nights, Wild Faith) on LOST HEART. We met with several talented directors and some of them could end up working with CDI in the future. But for this next journey we’ll be working with Mr. Low. Also we’ll be announcing Melissa Anschutz, who will be playing the title role of ‘Hannah’ in the film. A big congrats to them both and we’re looking at April/May timeframe to shoot. The film will again be distributed under a deal CDI has with BMG.
I’ve also been working hard on the end-of-the-year tax work for the films. On a personal level I’ve been in talks over finding the right literary agent to do work for hire writing and to sell a few scripts I don’t plan to produce. I’ve got a few outside CDI films I’m looking at for acting but we will see. Even if paid I don’t like working hard on films that never get finished. I have a few of those lingering in my past. But I believe I will be directed towards the right projects. I will be playing a fun supporting role in Lost Heart but you’ll have to wait to hear more on that.
Yesterday I spent some time cutting up firewood for the office stove. I’m going to work on finishing a few other business items today and get a jump on things for next week. Again I was just so happy to see the HUGE spike in readers and from so many countries. Keep following your dreams and telling those stories and creating that art. We’ll talk next week. Feel free to check out http://www.cdiproductions.com for other film updates. We will have a few holes in our casting that we’ll be looking for soon.
Have a great Sunday!
DJ
Theatrical Updates and CDI’s NEW Film
It is a chilly Sunday and even colder air and snow will soon be coming our way. I’ve got my Oswald’s Bear Ranch coffee cup full of piping hot hazelnut coffee. I want to welcome our new readers from Italy and the Philippines. This last week has included getting our http://www.cdiproductions.com site in line for the next 9 years. I’ve also been working with our team to get the end-of-the-year tax stuff around. A few remaining things to put forth to the accounting firm but getting close. Also my tech savvy associates are working to bring me into the google-age. These shared documents are really making it easier to archive and work with others.
THEATRICAL
We’ve done our own limited set ups in the past but now we’re involved in a new partnership program with our distributor BMG. I’m seeing 3/23/19 is when the platform release for Wild Faith is to begin. 4/19/19 is what I’m seeing as the release date for The Christ Slayer. Once I have a list of cities and theaters I will pass that along ASAP.
HOME VIDEO
Now with Easter Passover being the backdrop for The Christ Slayer the streaming and DVD will release prior. It is a film that is truly worthy of being experienced on the big screen. Feb 1st will see the film be available on Amazon. The DVD can be pre-ordered now at Amazon for a March 4th release.
Pre-Order here and streaming will be available Feb 1st
https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Slayer-Josh-Perry/dp/B07MG14J9H
https://www.christiancinema.com/digital/movie/the-christ-slayer
DOVE has awarded it their seal and you can read the review here –
https://dove.org/review/15069-the-christ-slayer/
WILD FAITH artwork should be releasing soon. This is the first time that we’re not directly in control of the theatrical. That is exciting but also has us waiting on info to pass along.
MBF: Man’s Best Friend – This film is close to the first cut as of yesterday. I’ll be doing a front credit breakdown so they can start timing that out. The movie will move to music and sound design last day in Feb. I’m excited to see this story come together.
LOST HEART – I’ve been speaking with directors as our team moves down the development pipeline. We’re putting our paperwork together so we can start bringing on our interested investors. Targeted casting has been taking place and we’ll be announcing those people soon. We’ve launched the film on http://www.imdb.com and we’ll be adding as we go. We’re targeting April to shoot in Northern Michigan. It is a great story and I know we’ll have a great time telling the story.
I’m going to wrap it up here soon. I might pour another hot cup of java and follow-up on some PR. If you want to do a story on either of the upcoming releases (The Christ Slayer, Wild Faith) let me know. Thank you all for your continued support.
DJ
Wrapping up the 2018 Year – Looking Ahead to 2019
New readers from Samoa and China joined us last week. I know that the filmmaking experience (resources, distribution, audiences) changes slightly from culture to culture. But at the heart of it we are passionate beings who love engaging in the storytelling experience either as listener/watcher or teller. I love being a creator and being an audience member. So yesterday basically two years to the day we finished the final elements to THE CHRIST SLAYER. Our director Nathaniel Nose came in and we polished the final mix/design with our incredible Dennis Therrian. His musical score is absolutely one of his best. The complexities and grandiose arrangements take you back to the classic days of Hollywood. We worked with Mr. Sundberg on our color correction, conforming and final composition. Last night at the office we shared a few beers and looked at the wide-screen, color corrected final master. A few of the final VFX shots have to be rendered into the timeline but I was blown away. Jesse Aragon, our DP did a wonderful job. This was the final film in The Quest Trilogy and is likely the largest scale production to date. CHASING THE STAR had more animals but the VFX in THE CHRIST SLAYER makes it the largest scope to date. Both the director and I liked the epic inspiration of Lawrence of Arabia and that soundtrack was with me in Yuma, AZ when we filmed.
The previous day we tweaked a few Mother Mary lines. This film has some powerful female characters in it. Especially the roles played by Melissa Anschutz and Christine Marie, who appear as they’ll be co-starring in a CDI film this spring. Brittney Risner and Carl Weyant give a classic Hollywood love relationship. And Josh Perry, will simply steal hearts. Amazing supporting performances across the board by Dean Teaster, David Gries, Bob Shepherd and more. Taymour Ghazi, Shane Hagedorn and my departed mentor Rance Howard brought the power one last time. Rance’s performance might be his last feature film role he ever performed. The final scene we share together in the film was our swan song to working together. I’m very proud of it. We talked for hours about that final scene. He made notes and adjustments – just two costars working out our motivations. I recall being so proud of Rance and feeling how special it was, never guessing it would be our last story together. Now all the elements will start to be pulled together for an upcoming delivery to our distributor. We’ll soon get to see how audiences enjoy this film as it travels to theaters and to home video. Stay tuned for CDI’s most epic adventure yet this Easter season.
I’m excited for everyone to get back to the office in 2019. I will be ready for a slight rest from the intensity of final post. You work end credits so hard knowing that by Murphy’s Law some misspelling or missed ‘thank you’ or name will take place. If your ever on the receiving end of that – know the filmmakers likely did not intend that. I had one situation that was suspect only because the misspelling came after working on a project whereas one producer on that project was NOT brought back on a film CDI was hired to reshoot. Either way, it showed a disregard for my brand ability to draw my audience to that film. No business reason why, so perhaps it was a true mistake or maybe it was personal. I don’t hold a grudge, but it makes me less likely to work with that company again. I passed the second time I was invited but it was partially timing, pay rate and the role also.
Integrity matters.
When in post this week, I was sent a news story that a Detroit-based – I struggle for the right word. I will use filmmaker, because he has made films. But in a promotional news story for FOX he claimed to be a producer on our CDI Ghost Town movie, our 2006 Lionsgate film. SMALL ISSUE – he wasn’t. He did not exist in pre, prod, or post production and was caught trying to do some head shaking actions in conjunction with this film. I didn’t really like, nor trust this person from day 1 and tolerated him out of respect for one of my producers until that head-shaking point. After that, I was done with him. Easy enough. These people burn themselves out as their true nature is revealed. But I would never go on a TV interview and openly lie and use it to promote myself. I was questioned if I should have legal bring it down. I might. But the justice in all this is I get calls on people about their character, integrity and true place in the film community as I see it. Yes. My opinions and sometimes my direct knowledge of someone’s actions. I’m always honest. I warn or endorse people simply by saying if I would work with this person or not. I’ve been contacted often. It’s a small film community and I do know many people who trust me to shoot them the straight skinny. And I have.
I recently had a great discussion about what another peer filmmaker is developing. All of it was heavily tainted in my mind all because one of his close partners. I’ve had first hand experience with that person and actually let them go. Not a bad person at all. I just would not risk any further capital on his efforts. Would you re-enter a situation with negative elements/variables? This fellow filmmaker lamented the often true statement of how every set he’s worked on has had the cancer of negativity. I’ve had a few “negative” situations like this over the years but those elements were isolated and corrected or dismissed.
Bottom line. This is not some vanity game for me but a noble tradition of storytelling. I’ve been blessed to have several great crews working with us but that all starts at the top. That means conducting good business, constantly streamlining your communication and having a solid battle plan. I believe in our artists and I’ve grown as an artist with many of them. We don’t participate in these popular film challenges, although they teach new crews excellent finishing skills. One friend, had his possible award-winning short disqualified because run time ran over by seconds. He could have either A) Organized a social media gripe that his team was treated unfairly for petty seconds of overrun or B) Accept responsibility that as team leader it was a costly mistake made by their team or him. In football they say it’s a game of inches. So start taking accountability as a new year’s resolution and watch the new growth happen.
I’m in hopes to discover a few good projects, properly funded to come act on this year. I also have to connect with the script/role as you always should. Aside from that, I plan to produce 2-3 features with CDI this year. I’ve had many new folks reach out about financial involvement and we’ll entertain those interested parties once I’ve addressed my current backers with opportunities. Beware of any investors that also bring too many strings attached. Sometimes those strings can be the downfall of a project. I’ve seen it happen.
Other Films-
We’re around the 1.3 hour mark on MBF and should have first cut in a few weeks. I would love to lock a cut by the end of Jan. we will see where we sit very soon. I think many of you enjoyed the behind the scenes MBF short we released on Christmas Eve.
WILD FAITH new art, theatrical dates and more should be announced soon. It’s heading back to big screens in March across the country. Home Video dates follow close behind. Those dates can be found on the FB, official Wild Faith or IMDB sites.
I’ve been in the trenches hard-working on these new films to bring them out of post. Once I get a few days rest here while our tech guru’s assemble and deliver – development will continue full ahead. I also plan to set my goals in writing for the new year and see how close I came to last year’s goals. Have a great wrap up to your year. Be safe and plan your 2019 approach. If you would be so kind you can take a watch on our past and forthcoming films. Handcrafted from our family to yours.
Have a great Sunday!
DJ
A Season Begins – Holidays Ahead
Good morning everyone. Coffee skol!
With business, it’s been a crazy week but also exciting at the same time. Personally it was a mixed week with a memorial yesterday for my aunt. It was great to see all my cousins and uncle but the bubbly laughter of my aunt was missed. We are hosting a second puppy playdate today to see how our remaining dog Daphne interacts. We’re looking to bring another member into our little pack this month. The holidays are hectic but our personal schedules slow which allows for some bonding and training time.
The snow will soon come to lower Michigan and I’ve been working in the yard to try to winterize. Our Viking Thursdays have been cutting some wood for the fort/office wood stove. We had some good visits around burning logs this past week. Let’s discuss some of the battles from the past week.
I like to stay ahead – prep for upcoming things. Our distributor had a good response to MBF at mipcom and wanted a teaser first look at footage for AFM. I don’t like rush jobs but in two days the team pulled together a trailer for AFM. We need to sit back and fine comb the footage. A tailored music score needs to be added along with a re-recorded Voice Over. We are looking to have that done but at the same time we’re trying not to disrupt the work flow on – THE CHRIST SLAYER.
I’ve seen the rough DVD poster art that BMG is using at AFM. I like it. It’s a slightly different style from the first two and features some of the characters from the film. I know that is pretty common and some like that and others do not. Either way it’s very polished. I like our teaser poster and I look forward to sharing the DVD art soon. I have not seen the entire wrap. I hope to have theatrical info on the film so we can PR the entire release schedule.
WILD FAITH is also part of those theatrical talks. We’re also working the home video deal. That includes the celebrity narrator we’re adding to the film. We almost had that recorded in LA last week. We had a studio on stand by and I was coordinating between agent and our director. Shooting on a project running over nixed that session and now we’re looking at Nashville next Tuesday. I’m in hopes we can close that down soon. Another great 2019 release!
LOST HEART development is ongoing. What I like about this film is a zany group of characters whose antics and actions offset the heavier aspects of the script. It has several solid messages woven into the fabric of the script. It is more grounded versus some of the other more high concept stories.
I’m also enjoying my writing on the Sci-Fi project that I recently spoke to a distribution company about. The literary agent review will continue into 2019. The stories I wrote for the book collection of horse stories is prepping for release. I’ve got to return some paperwork on payment this Monday. I’m looking forward to more book contributions in 2019 also.
Our other holiday films FORTY NIGHTS and CHASING THE STAR are starting their holiday season. DOVE streaming, UpLift Network and more are featuring some of the stories. I’ve stated before in was a dream to have the trilogy play together every holiday season. Last year the first two films were playing often in rotation and I’m exciting to be adding the third THE CHRIST SLAYER. From Nov 1 – Easter is going to be a fun ride.
Fun also not just because of the business but because of friends and family. I’m going to end this so I can get cleaned up. We have the puppy play date followed by a family bday get together. We’re also putting away the ghosts and goblins and the Thanksgiving stuff is coming out. The squirrels are loving the remains of Halloween. Those pumpkins will not go to waste. Have a great week everyone.
DJ
7 Updates – The Harvest of Hard Work
So last week was productive but also a week of dealing with the major absence of one personality from our furry pack Luke. I had fires burning both outside and in the office via the wood-burning stove. With Daphne and Lulu close by I swept leaves and organized the packing of yard items. Luke use to love to lay in leaves and patches of sun moving several times during the day. Daphne and Lulu did this with a few random tossing of the little ball for a chase. I also this week got a few supplies for my next batch of wine using our wild grapes, hops, some mulberries and a touch of rhubarb. I also got the materials for making dark ale for the winter months. I want to thank you all for letting me talk on the personal last week. Those personal issues all play into our art and our motivation. This week I’m going to do a “Just the facts” post because I’m going to do more yard work later on this beautiful fall day. MSU pulled out a win yesterday but the Lions have a week off. Let’s look at some updates…
- I signed contracts on two stories I wrote for inclusion in an upcoming book on horses called THE HORSE OF MY DREAMS, by Revell Books. I want to thank Callie Smith Grant for inviting and accepting my two stories. It’s showing me another way to use my imagination and storytelling beyond just screenplay. It will be a print and electronic book releasing this fall and it might make an excellent Christmas gift.
- I finished my 1stofficial draft of LOST HEART. This screenplay will be our Spring 2018 film and the 1stof a new deal with BMG.
- I also had a meeting over CDI non-family/faith content that went good. They have interest in a Sci Fi script I’m working on and a few other properties. It is great when you have a good meeting. I’ve had a few go South because of people looking for leverage by kicking at the production value or looking for an angle. But this company is producing and releasing for some great A list production companies. I was treated as an equal and that is a good start.
- I also might be digging into writing on another biblical adventure this winter. I’m going to be having some discussions on that this week. I have been actively talking with literary representation because I would like to have a more streamlined process. I have screenplays I don’t plan to produce so I should sell them off. Many talent and their production companies are looking for strong content. I have to do a new literary resume as an intro to the work.
- There is interest in both WILD FAITH and THE CHRIST SLAYER for a studio backed limited theatrical release. Wild Faith will most likely get that on the way to our home video. We have a wonderful deal underway that includes an additional of a celebrity narrator to our film. The narrator is our “Henry” grown into a man, thinking back on this and perhaps many forthcoming tales. The TV series is a real possibility and if so I’m excited by the Michigan work.
- The Christ Slayer is in process of color correction set up. Also sound and music work progresses along with a little dialogue clean up. I hope we can get the studio-backed theatrical. It ‘s depending upon if the excusing of a HOLD BACK clause can happen. What that means is that our digital and on-demand is set up along with DVD release. There is usually a window of time given between theatrical and streaming. With the target holiday being Easter all these targeted release dates are being pushed together. The film is epic and emotional and I sincerely hope it gets the larger theatrical with the home video release.
- To tie into the above topic – our MBF: Man’s Best Friend film also has the early interest and I see this film also rolling into the theatrical deal. All these films were built upon a home video deal but now as our distributor rides into theatrical – we do also. It will be a true blessing to have these films brought to theatres all over the USA/world. We’ll just keep focusing on telling the stories. But I did see a rough 20 plus minutes of the film and it left me with a big smile. The final three scenes I watched included Greg Mason, Tim Abell and Jim Gruelich. I cannot say enough how thankful I am to be surrounded by such great artists. The movie is nowhere near the climax and the power in the scenes is just popping.
In summary – we’re also exploring other expansion with our website and merchandise. It is a time of wrapping up business and developing new business. Thank you for spending a few moments of your time here. Keep plugging away at your personal goals. Every step is a bit closer to your dreams. Have a great week ahead and don’t forget to enjoy the season!
DJ
