My Third Fall Retreat (PART 2)

Saturday, October 17th
By now it was about midnight. I was originally interested in tagging along with some of them (roughly half of them I think) to play their version of Capture the Flag, so I joined their meeting in the big church pavilion. But after going over the rules and such, how far out into the fields it would be, and remembering how late it was, I figured it best for me to get some sleep. Speaking from experience here; if I didn't find a good 'early' opportunity and take it, my chances of getting enough sleep (if any) were low.
So I slipped away quietly from the pavilion and went into the guys' cabin. It was empty except this Korean guy Chris who was here for his first time. We basically hung out in that small bunk room and talked for a while, him sitting on one of the bunks and me (more or less) pacing the floor. We exchanged some background stories, I told him a few things about how last years' retreats went, how we were taught the lessons we learned, I told him some things that came into my mind whenever I thought about sharing the gospel with someone too...
I laughed, surprised how much I wound up saying. I didn't see it coming mere minute before, but I wound up sharing flat-out the gospel in my own words, to this one guy the same way I'd say anything else. Without other people looking up at me it was much easier to do, but I think that's the key; to just relax and do it like you're talking to any other friend.

The first night was tricky, since it was colder than I expected it to be. I was layered in pajamas and my fleece sleeping bag. Plus the door was latched, but that didn't do much to keep warm air in. One of my friends came in to unlatch the door since other guys had knocked on it several times, and lent me an extra pillow and comforter (guess I didn't look very warm to him either). That helped a lot. I was still pretty chilly, but I did manage to get some sleep out of it. It felt like very off-and-on dozing, so to this day I still don't know how much sleep I actually got. Doesn't matter though.
I was surprised that I didn't hear a single snore. It seemed like there was barely anyone in the cabin. I was happy and relieved about that, but still it had me curious...


The day itself was really good, and always my favorite day of these retreats since the most stuff happened on the Saturdays. I mean, it's a whole day (as opposed to our Friday night and Sunday morning). So obviously there's going to be some agenda.
Breakfast was around eight. I had a bowl of honey nut cheerios and made a cup of coffee (with honey stirred into it) to warm myself up again.

After breakfast we went out to the church pavilion for a game of Dragon Tail, which I enjoyed very much since it was funny, and then after that some of us did some version of Musical Chairs (involving towels; every time someone wen out they'd have to fold it some of the way). Not all of us did that one either but it was fun to watch.

Our lesson this morning was about knowing your audience. Here's some of the stuff I wrote down for notes:
- God's goal isn't to make bad people good. It's to make dead people alive.
- When we share the gospel, we're (hopefully) moving someone forward; emotionally and intellectually. Emotionally engaged.
- We're not called to act lovingly. We're called to love (there is a difference)

After the lesson came lunchtime (in my case, another cup of coffee). A close friend, Jenny, had texted me a while ago saying she was on her way. And now, right after I finished making the coffee, she had arrived. So I went outside and showed her where the girls' cabin was so she could get settled.
We had lunch, and I showed her around the park while a bunch of the others were (by my guess) off on some scavenger hunt, or playing bubble soccer, or throwing a football in the second field over. This time of day was the "free time" where the rest of us would just do whatever. I didn't care much for sports anyway, so I took that opportunity to spend some quality relaxing time with Jenny.

Following dinner, a few games in the pavilion a few hours later, and the band rehearsing inside, then came worship and our next lesson.
The main focus of this one was about worldview, meaning how others see the things that we share and talk to them about;
- How we say things can greatly influence what people hear (Is what they HEAR the same as what WE SAY?)
- Adapt/communicate it without changing the gospel itself

After the lesson we had a few minutes to prepare for whatever we were doing for the No Talent Talent Show (if we signed up).
First up went my buddy Ryan Galdo and his friend Calla (this was apparently her first time with Thrive too),  singing "Barton Hollow." THRIVE Fall Retreat 2015- Ryan and Calla "Barton Hollow"
There was a variety of other acts too like card tricks for example. This guy Jon gave a brief intro for each one, which made it pretty interesting. So before I went up to do my act, he said something about "...exotic parts of India..." Then it was my turn, performing a Baloo-Bagheera scene from The Jungle Book.
(I don't have the video of my act unfortunately, due to technical difficulties. But this is the scene I did, or at least most of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqvT8QX-mjc )
Here's a fun fact for ya; I was worried that when I did the last few lines of the scene (starting where Baloo says "but I love that kid. I love him like he was my own cub") I was gonna just start crying right up there. Well, if I had then I could probably harness it to get that emotional core of the performance/character out. But the worry was that I might end up blubbering and not getting the words out right. I guess it's a good thing I didn't, but I did try a little to make it sound like I could tear up any minute.

Later on, the intro for Jenny said something like, "taking a little trip to Europe..." and "...on the Irish side." She did some of her Irish dancing, which was pretty cool to see. The girl can prance like a deer!
 My friend Toria with this girl Elissa did another VERY messy sketch where Elissa posed at Toria's arms. They did this the last couple retreats; "Making Pancakes" was last year's, and this year's "How to be Fabulous" was just as hilarious if not more. They had a lot of makeup/mess to clean up off themselves and the table when it was over, but everyone was just cracking up the whole time.

My Third Fall Retreat (PART 1)

For the last couple years with Thrive, the Christian fellowship club at school, I've gone to the last three annual Fall Retreats. The way it works is, we go to Highland Park on a certain Friday evening, and it lasts till Sunday at noon. Not everyone stays the whole weekend but a lot of us do. I just happen to be one of them. Nights are pretty tough sometimes, but it's always worth it in my opinion.

I've never done an entry on the retreats before (mainly 'cause there's so much stuff to talk about that it's hard to pin down), but I figure maybe it's time I did.


Friday, October 16th
I made sure I got to the park early, so I'd have plenty of time to run into the guys' cabin and put my stuff down in a small bunk room. I always thought 'The less roommates the better' because then I had less chance of being kept awake by guys' snoring. Still, either way I had little spongy earplugs and my iPod.
I signed in at a table that had been set up outside, at the big church-like pavilion, and saw that there were also big pretzels and hot chocolate mix being served there. Plus, more people were coming, one by one, in pairs, groups, and it just kept going for I-lost-track-of-how-long.

(I rarely checked the time on my phone at all over this weekend, for maybe-obvious reasons. It felt better to just live in the moment with these people)

A nice cup of hot cocoa felt really good, especially after having grown fond of it over watching Once Upon a Time every week (it's a reference to the show, my sister and I do it all the time). But of course it didn't fill my stomach all the way, and I'd been dumb enough not to eat before leaving home. So I went back into the cabin and filled a couple of Pita pockets, that I'd stuffed in my backpack, with peanut butter. After eating a couple of those, my stomachache felt much better.

After being outside and sitting around a small kindling fire, we all went inside the dining hall for a game (teams making the tallest structure we could out of newspapers, asking yes/no questions to figure out the names taped to our backs), and then worship.

I've always been impressed by the contemporary Christian music and our talented musicians who perform it. Mainly 'cause I can actually understand the words! Always handy when the song lyrics pop up our the overhead screen so we can all follow along.

Around 10:00 was our first lesson with our speaker, Brian Musser, about knowing the gospel. The interesting twist he put on it was that it wouldn't just be a sermon. He wanted it to be interactive and have us do something with it. First, he asked us to write down what we could think of "What is the gospel?" And a few times he would invite someone to come up and share the gospel in their own words!
I stayed in my seat for that, but it was interesting seeing someone my age do it.

Brian delved into important aspects like "repent, trust, confess, believe," "Eternity in heaven, restored to God" and others. He put emphasis on knowing your audience, and gave us some good verses that you can really delve into the story with (like Romans 10:9, John 3:16, Romans 3:23-24 and a few others).

Plans in Progress

All right, I try not to stack too much on my plate when it comes to preparing for the future. Taking baby steps, a little at a time, helps relieve most of the pressure involved. Better to think about goals that can be stepping stones rather than be super focused on something that you want (or feel you need) to last the rest of your life, especially when thinking of a career.


Ok so these are some things that I'm working toward at the moment;
 

(1) "The Boy in the Iceberg"
In my spare time at home, mostly as a hobby, I'm making a rewrite of The Last Airbender. One, 'cause of how poorly the 2010 film did. And two, I feel it has so much potential and can make a great film if it's treated and adapted properly. I have my screenwriting textbooks for guidance, along with all three seasons of the show [AVATAR- The Last Airbender] to use.
This script probably isn't gonna go anywhere, I admit. But still it's fun to try and imagine how a really good adaptation should look and sound, what I'd want to see, etc.

(2) Law Enforcement
I know it might seem like a big jump for a film student to plan on going into law enforcement, but I'm excited to see what happens :)
After I graduate I'll have my film degree and know my stuff. But as a full time career I don't know how long being creative would last; if I would crash and screw up a movie 'cause of bad writer's block, stuff like that.
Plus it feels good to have something to fall back on, so I figure I'd look for a cool job where (a) I have specific orders and (b) it's something I care about and would like to be involved in.
The idea is to become a ranger, closer to nature and protecting the parks and forests. Maybe even work up to be a game warden. In order to have that chance though, I need law enforcement training. So the police academy offered at Mont Co feels like the best idea. And luckily there's a pre-academy course, offered as an opportunity to see if it's really something you're good at and ready for. So after I graduate with my degree, that's the goal for now.

(3) Faith
But of course, none of this really works without God, let alone faith in His will.
I may not go to church on Sundays (and I've only done one other faith-related blog entry) but still, in a way faith is all I've got. I can't tell what's gonna happen, or if it's even His plan for me to be a ranger. I have no clue, so I'm not gonna pretend that I as a believer have all the answers. Only He does.
Writing in a journal really helps with learning and adapting to the Word, so I've been using a journal that came in a put-together kit on my 21st birthday. It's made even more interesting with plain pages, and being able to draw pictures in it; crosses, trinity symbols, trees, butterflies, even dog tags (Ephesians 6:13). Anything that helps to remember the essence of the passage/reflection.
If someone were to ask me "what has God been teaching you recently?" then what would I say without babbling? How? Kinda tricky to keep track sometimes. That's the main reason I use this journal so I can validate and reflect on what I've learned.

One of my friends told me recently, "you don't have to worry about being in God's will if you are seeking Him." We might get confused and not know if what we're doing is in His plan. But as long as we seek and submit ourselves to Him, we are following His will. There's some food for thought, something to ponder the next time you ask yourself "what God does/n't want..."

Some New Adventures in Archery

I've been doing a ton of trial and error with my longbow and arrows, trying to figure out ways to load and shoot quicker. I don't mean shooting three arrows in 1.6 seconds, but faster than I can do it now. Let's be honest. How annoying is it when you have to fumble and change your grip while loading the bow to drawing the arrow back? It gets old and feels clumsy.
The way I try to approach this sometimes is "combat archery." I like to think of how archers may have trained in medieval times, how quickly they would have to learn to shoot, and what the approach was. So rather than go on Google for all of it, I went outside and tried a few things on my own.

The first idea I experimented with was using an overhand grip, with my fingers curled around the left side of the bowstring instead of the right. That turned out HORRIBLE because it forced the arrow to swerve to the left every time, so I needed to try something else.





The goal now was to go back to using the same grip I always have, but to load quicker somehow. That has posed a challenge, but it's becoming much less of a challenge with each round (or quiver-full) of arrows.

-SIDE QUIVER: Having a quiver hang from your waist allows you to load the bow differently, because you can slide the arrowhead in between the bow limb and the string to set it in place. Then with enough practice you can pull it straight back to the string.

-BACK QUIVER: When you have the arrows on your back and want to load faster, you can do pretty much that same thing. the only difference is you're pulling the arrow from a behind before laying it on the arrow rest. Let the head fall between the bow limb and the string, and get that muscle memory down.

More Arrows
The other thing you can do, whichever quiver you use, is hold one or two arrows in your bow hand while you draw back. When you release, you can reach in and grab the next arrow, and pull it straight in.


There's a difference between practicing until you get it right and practicing till you never get it wrong.
Beorn's Longbow: Quick Loading Tips
 A lot of this has been summarized in my latest BEORN video (I put the link right here) so hopefully it helps with visuals if the explanations were a bit confusing...

Seeing AMERICAN SNIPER come to life

I'd heard of Chris Kyle before, watched a bunch of interviews with him, and was curious about his book. Later on I heard there was a movie in the works, and that motivated me even more to read it; I read the copy my uncle lent me, listened to a YouTube audiobook a few months later, and then read the memorial edition I got for Christmas.
(I wanted to make sure I remembered as much as possible).

Chief Chris Kyle - Navy SEAL - Freedom Experience at Fellowship Church

American Sniper trailer 2

January 17th 2015, I've finally gotten to see his story on the big screen (I think it's the only R-rated movie I've seen in the theaters, now that I think of it). And you wanna know the crazy thing? Soon as the parking lot came into view, it was packed! Cars everywhere, really close to full.
But not only that, the lobby was even more packed! It was hard to find space to move or figure out where the line even started. There was a whole separate line, long and thick, just to get into the BIG-D theater where Sniper was playing. Mom, dad and I waited for several minutes to get to the front of the line to one of the cashiers. I looked around and figured a ton of these people were also gonna see Annie or Paddington. Obviously, cause some of them were kids! 'Might not be as full as we think.' I thought.

God was I wrong. The BIG-D theater was... well let's just say I have never seen such a crowded auditorium in my entire twenty years! It was hard to find seats. Literally, we were searching around until finding three seats next to each other; in the second to highest row.
It got hot quickly. I swear it felt like summer up there, but thankfully we got a good view of the screen. Still I had never expected to see that many people crowding into that huge theater to watch the film.

Some people, including me, gave a light applause for the scene with Chris's famous 2100-yard shot.
Sniper vs Sniper (2100-yard shot scene)
Bradley Cooper's performance was great, it was like looking at Chris.

When the movie itself was over, then came a subtitle saying Chris was shot by a marine he was trying to help. It switched to real footage from 2013 of veterans/supporters lining Texas streets, photos of the funeral, and Chris's casket covered in other SEAL's tridents. When that image faded to the credits (before that, even), the audience was silent. So much that if someone waited by the door they would have thought it was empty. I had never heard such a silence with this many people around before. It was truly surprising, but also touching, and much bigger than a movie.


During the few hours spent at the theater, I had looked around and noticed a bunch of veterans coming and going. I saw two guys with army camo ball caps, one man in a navy hoody, I saw another guy with a black t-shirt labeled "OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VETERAN" and there was this other hoody that amused me; "AND GOD SAID LET THERE BE MARINES AND THE DEVIL RAN SCARED"

I hope American Sniper wins all those Oscars it's been nominated for. Might have to wait a couple weeks to see it again so it won't be so crowded in there next time.

THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES, from the house of Beorn

[SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE! You have been warned!]

THEONERING.NET


Ok. NOW I've seen it twice, and can process the "epic-ness" even easier.
The film was very emotionally gripping, I have to say. There are a bunch of things that I could probably go on all day yammering about.

Should I start with the opening scene in Laketown? Bard shows a lot of guts running around on those rooftops with the place on fire, climbing up that tower and firing at Smaug until... one arrow left! It flies... NO! It didn't scratch him! Now what's he gonna do????
Bain showed a lot too, retrieving the huge black arrow from where he hid it and bringing it to Bard. I thought it was pretty crazy seeing the dragon talking to Bard and trying to discourage him where he stood. But I definitely did not expect that makeshift crossbow and using Bain's shoulder to mount the arrow. Now that moment was something else. It was very clever, and an interesting father/son thing in my eyes. Notice how afraid Bain is and Bard tries to sooth him until he shoots? And then what happens? I THINK YOU KNOW!

I cracked up seeing Alfrid, just SO quick to change sides, fleeing with gold and the master one minute and then yelling "All hail King Bard!" the next. "A born leader!"  HAHAH! Silly little weasel, Alfrid (I don't think I even need to describe how ridiculous he looks/acts when see him in his last portion of the movie).

Now onto the dwarves' side of the lake, in the mountain. The struggling conflict in Bilbo is clear when we see how the dragon sickness takes its toll on Thorin. I remember when I saw the second film I thought "He must have picked up the Arkenstone right after he put the ring on," and seeing that little flashback from Bilbo's perspective (as opposed to Smaug's in the last film) was literally showing the picture I'd made in my head. "I KNEW IT!" I thought as he took the glowing stone out of his pocket. That moment later when Thorin appears and demands what Bilbo has in his hand was intense and suspenseful itself, up until realizing with relief it was an acorn from [the other] Beorn's garden.
Seeing Thorin give Bilbo the mithril shirt was interesting. and I loved seeing that connection to Lord of the Rings fall into place perfectly.
But then came Thorin repeating Smaug's words "I will not part with a single coin..." Showing Bilbo just how far he was willing to go.

I've seen Open Season and Brave, so I was already way too familiar with Billy Connolly. I thought he was hilarious (the voice/accent alone!) calling Thranduil a sprite for example. Definitely tough, though, not one to be messed with. And I had barely seen any details of what Dain was going to look like, save a mane of red hair in a wide camera shot. So it was fun watching him fight and talk while riding on his giant pig (which I also found quite amusing).
Ok, Radagast and Beorn coming along with the eagles was epic! Changing into a bear and barreling through all those orcs? I kind of wish there was more of that to see, but still it was awesome.

I know a lot of purist fans don't like the addition of Tauriel. But I still do, and I find the subplot between her and Kili very touching. Much like the scene in the elf dungeons, I loved watching the part with them by the lake getting ready to leave. For those of you who don't know, the runes on Kili's stone say RETURN TO ME.
Seeing her upset over his demise may have tugged at the heartstrings even more than the fight scene itself.
Tauriel- "Why does it hurt so much?"
Thranduil- "Because it was real." That really hit home. And so did Thorin's last scene, no question. (It was adapted just right, Peter Jackson is a genius). That was such a sad one, seeing the hobbit cry over his friend after parting in friendship.
:'(

On a more positive note, the ending itself was great. It was crazy seeing that big auction outside Bilbo's house just like in the book, and then going back (or should I say forward?) to where we left off in present-day Hobbiton with old Bilbo. That scene made me smile, seeing The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings really weave together with that reunion of Gandalf and Bilbo.

It's a very, very bittersweet thing seeing the last Middle Earth movie there's ever going to be. But at least the entire six-film saga was no less than incredible, and the final film ended on a high note. I couldn't think of a better way to finish the film, or the series itself.
Thankfully, 'cause of the fans of the books and the films, and the people who brought the stories to life, the memory of Middle Earth isn't gonna die. I'll see to it, and do my part. Who's with me?

~Beorn

"The Enemy? Yeah, Can't Touch This"

The answers in these questions are candid, and used as a way to promote the music video that remains unfinished.


Principal photography on the "Can't Touch This" Christian parody started on April 23rd, 2014, and production still continues off and on due to revisions and availability issues. No one has a way of knowing how much is left to do, until it has already been done and the finished product reveals itself to it's creators.
Both main crew members on the project talk about the process as a whole, and trying to get the word out about it.



BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
Ryan Galdo
Songwriter, co-director, performer, and music editor

When did this start? Where did the inspiration for this song come from?
RG: Hmm... the inspiration for the song... Well, I was just starting to grow in my faith, and I think I'd just got done reading the Word. And I was also exploring new ways of rapping. And I was just scrolling through my library of instrumentals, and I came across the "Can't Touch This" instrumental 'cause my friend Sean gave me a whole bunch of instrumentals back in the day so I could learn how to rap. And then I came across this "Can't Touch This" instrumental and I'm like "Hmm..."
Gotta be honest, it was--- it was more like divine inspiration-slash-intervention coming in and just, it popped out at me and it's like "Ah, yeah, I should do that." And so, that was my inspiration, 'cause honestly the big guy is my inspiration for everything. And, that's how I just started writing the song. I started just free-flowing and free-styling, and just kind of let it flow out naturally as I was writing it. And I just started out with only two verses, originally, and then it turned into a full-on song.

What gave you the idea to make it into a music video?
RG: Well, these were the stages of what happened with this particular song. First, it just started out with two verses [to the song]. And then I had a couple ad-libs in there, and I was going to a professional recording studio in Philly. I had a little bit of time at the end of the recording session and it was like "here, I want to try laying down lyrics to this song." So I give the producer the instrumental, he puts it into a system and then I go in and I rap over top of it.
The next day I finished writing the rest of the lyrics, and then went back in the next night to the recording studio and recorded the rest of it. So I was like, "Ok. I have a full song right here." I can't sell it because of copyright laws, but I can put it up on YouTube. And so, if I'm gonna get this song out there, it should have a music video; if I want it to be up on YouTube, and it should be good, should have a music video. And that was the thought process.

In terms of scale, how big do you consider this video? What are your hopes for it?
RG: Hmmm... Dangerous question right there. Because I can't possibly know what tomorrow's gonna bring, I can't boast about tomorrow saying "Yeah we're gonna do this and we're gonna make this really big." What I can say is that if the Lord wills it, then He will take this to some awesome levels. Really this song is in His hands since He was the source of inspiration for it in the first place. Personally, I would hope that it goes viral. But that's a hope. I don't know exactly how He's going to do it, but this song's in His hands. So whatever He has done with it, He has done with it.

How do you think fans of the original song will react to this?
RG: (with a laugh) Well apparently MC Hammer is a minister now. So, I think that MC Hammer will really get a kick out of it. I think he'll love this remake, because now he's all about Jesus and... well, actually I don't know if he's all about Jesus, I can't pass that judgement. All I know is that he's gotten into ministry so... I think he'll get a kick out of it. As for fans, I've played it--- like  last night I played it and did a rap of it at Keystone. And this person who I played it for was singing the "Can't Touch This." And so he likes the song, but then I did the remake of it for him, and they were really getting into it. They were like, "OH, YO! YES! That's some truth", and they're laughing along with it. So I think they're gonna respond well. Again, I can't brag about tomorrow. I mean, I hope that they respond well. So far it's gotten great responses, and I've even had people request that I do it a couple times. So yeah, it's gotten some solid responses.

What about those who never heard of the original?
RG: (laughing) They just might think that I made that song originally.  But for those who haven't heard the original, then they're gonna see that and the song can stand on its own without people knowing the original. But that song's, like, way too popular for people to not know the original.

As far as production, what do you have left? Any big plans for more shooting?

RG: Here it is. We need a big group of people doing the main dance move; putting their hands up, "Jesus..." boogie to the side, "Jesus", boogie to the side. We need a huge crowd for that, and I want to get a whole bunch of believers together. People who are strongly rooted in Christ, who--- when this video gets out, they can be strong in their faith, to be able to stand with the message of the song. And that's really important. But I do want to get a giant group of dancers. I want to get maybe some extra shots of individual dancers, like a small group of more skilled talented dancers together, because the people who we just recorded earlier...

I have to be careful about who gets included in this video, because their name [their face] is going to be attached to a message that is all about Christ, and being able to stand strong with the armor of God. And if I have people on there who don't know how to put on the full armor of God and stand strong against the devil, then that's gonna be a problem. And that's gonna come back and that's gonna hurt them. It's gonna come back and it's gonna hurt the music ministry as a whole, and so I have to be very wary about how this is done. Everybody who I'm doing this with has to know how to put on the full armor of God, because that's one of the main themes of the song right there, and how to be strong soldiers for Christ. So I might have to rerecord some sections with other individuals who have already been recorded for it, just so that this whole process remains pure. That's gong to be real important. And if I have to cut people out because their lives are not reflecting Christ, I will do so, because that's really important. If their lives aren't reflecting Christ and God ends up taking this music ministry to a whole new level, then I too am going to be held accountable for that.

So, it's a high calling, and it has to be treated with care and it has to be treated responsibly. Just a couple minutes ago I let my manager go, because God revealed to me some of the condition of his heart and how it's not fully set upon Him. And that right there could easily work its way into the music and what I'm doing, and everything that I do will probably be watched. And so I have to be careful with who I let be a part of this. Because if I have someone involved in these projects whose life is not all about Christ and who can put their name upon something like this, and then say "yeah I was a part of that" but then their actions and their words reflect that there's something else coming from their heart, then that totally deflates and poisons the ministry as a whole. And I can't have that.

People who are in this have to be held accountable [like, spiritually] for what we're doing 'cause this is spreading the name of Christ, and this is a pretty bold song. This song has some very bold statements in it. And so, if there's someone in there who's not all about Christ or has something in his heart--- and I'm not saying that I'm anything better either, 'cause God's been working with me to refine my heart, to make sure that it's intentions are more pure. And if there's something in me, that needs to be pointed out. Yeah, please. Please point it out so that it may be refined, because I want to make sure that my intentions and my heart is still pure and completely focused upon God, so that "the enemy can't touch this." And that's how it's gonna have to be with everyone else because anyone else who's on this... it's very likely the enemy's gonna come after them because they're a part of this giant taunt to the devil, which is why we need to know how to put on the full armor of God.

So yes, I do plan on getting a bigger shoot and having a big dance scene of things going on, having some other strong dancers, but they gotta really be strongly rooted in Christ. That's what's most important, 'cause this is a big opportunity right here. This song has a lot of potential, but it needs to be done with a pure heart, and pure spirit.



BEHIND-THE-SCENES: THE CUTTING ROOM
Derek Bartlett
Cinematographer, co-director, and video editor

How did you get involved in this project?
DB: I'd heard him play the song on his mac book at one of our hot chocolate giveaways. Eventually he sort of came up to me and asked to help him shoot a music video for it. And how could I refuse, with the 'reputation' I'd gotten with a camera? I'd done a lot of music videos with movies [like The Hobbit] as well as footage from my own cameras. I've never done one like this, though, and it's a bit of a challenge. But he knows that, so it takes some of the pressure off me. Especially when he answers my questions and suggestions about what he wants on screen.

There are some pretty high [but not at all boastful] hopes for this video. Do you think it'll succeed?
DB: Well, duh! Of course Ryan has high hopes for it. And so do I. Our inside joke when we started shooting was, we kept saying that it was gonna make people forget about Gangnam Style. I think that tells you how hard we're working at it, and obviously we want it to be good. It's not something we can just throw together in a couple weeks. We need to sort of take our time to make sure we don't have anything less than awesome. We're not being paid for it or anything, so it's not like there's some guy telling us "move, move, move, we have a deadline to meet!"
That's the main reason we don't edit the video together. As an editor I need to be able to relax and experiment however I can, and I'm sure it's the same way with him. If there's someone else sitting there watching over my shoulder, there's a negative sense of urgency involved. And I figure we kind of evened out the work anyways. Ryan does the audio stuff and I take care of the video.

As the video editor do you feel the weight of responsibility for the themes of the song, and the people in it?
DB: Definitely. I mean, Ryan's really enthusiastic and has lots of ideas for how he wants the video to look and sound. A lot of times, but not all the time, I'll tell him what sort of edits I think would look cool and see what he thinks. Other times it's mostly done by instinct and just adapting his vision however I can. So you could say that my responsibility is to follow his responsibility.
The post-production work basically happens off-and-on during production, and it can be a little unpredictable. For instance he'll send me a revised version of the song, and I have to try and get it fitted to make sure it's synced up exactly the same way, because of small details like the way his mouth moves. Offset lip-syncing can really kill a music video, and the performance alone, so that's a thing I need to make sure doesn't happen.

The first thing I did for the video was, I synced up a video of him (performing the full song) to the audio file, and trimmed a bit of both to make sure it was set right. Luckily he had the song playing while rapping so we could get it timed right on camera.
Anything after that just involves inserting clips from different shooting periods in there. So it's kind of like adding layers, and making sure the audio and video stays lined up.

How close would you say the video is to being done?
DB: Well, not exactly close. More like we have no freakin' idea how far we are from being finished. The way it usually goes is, we'll plan a certain time for shooting something we planned ahead of time, and then I need to wait till we get a good amount of footage from it before I can continue editing.
When I do this in my spare time with movies, I know just what footage I have to work with, and how much is available. But in this case we've got no clue how much more we'll end up filming. It's kind of like trying to read a book with half the pages ripped out.
So it's better to sort of take it a step at a time, so we know which video clips work for the song and which ones don't. We have a ton of footage already, and any tech nerd knows videos take up a lot of space. Pictures don't, though. That's why I'm trying to take some still images to add into it here and there.

Long story short, we're not gonna shoot something unless we know it'll look great.