Belated Update

I know, I know, I have been slacking on the post over the past few weeks. Here’s a recap:

A few weeks ago, Hillsong threw a youth event called Exo day.  It kind of had a festival like feel, seeing as it was hosted in a massive stretch of field with a plethora of crowd-drawers and games. During the day there were dozens of separate stages set up where bands of all genres were playing back to back until the main event started on the large stage that night. I was working camera 1 assist, so I got the chance to be right in the trench between the crowds being held at bay by a barricade and the crowd with band on stage. At the end of the night, The Almost (a popular Christian band from the States) played as a sort of a finale for Exo Day.  Thinking back, over the past nine months, I have helped shoot on stage with Hillsong United, Jesus Culture, Stan Walker and The Almost. It just really reminds me of how blessed I am to have such an opportunity to work with such influential forces in the music world.

             Shooting was going well, however my timeline closed in on me faster than I could roll the camera. Before I knew it, my lead actor is flying back to Brazil and all the footage I shot with him is now useless. Honestly, I felt tinges of discouragement creep in at first. There were a few moments when I was tempted to not touch the project for a while, or even scrap it and paste together a cop out project just for the sake of getting a grade. However, there are a number of influential people that encouraged me to perceiver and tell the original story. So over the past week or two, I have recasted 2/3 of my cast, and have started reshooting.  I have learned that the shooting part itself is actually extremely easy compared to setting up times to shoot, negotiating those times with actors, and then booking out equipment. Here's a snippet photo (remember,  it's unedited)

            And now for the story everyone has been asking me about…the girlfriend. Well, it all started earlier this year at a party. It was a birthday party for someone I didn’t really know, so I was just meandering from room to room when a little blond girl sitting cross legged on a bar stool asked me about the bone carved tooth hanging around my neck. We started talking…and talking….and talking. Needless to say, after she told me how her dream was to go backpacking in Alaska, I started crushing on her immediately. She wasn’t going to college at the time, so I made sure I remembered her first and last name so I could look her up on Facebook and keep in touch with her. After awhile, she started doing the degree program and I would occasionally run into her and have a quick casual chat here and there.  We did a few small hangouts, then after spending an evening in the city we both realized we liked each other.

Also, I'm 21 today...

           

Yes, I know...

     Yes, I know, it's been a few weeks since my last post. So I'm going to try summarizing all the highlights over the past couple weeks....

     I can't recall if I mentioned the work I have been doing in Hillsong TV, so I'll write about it anyway. Every week, we are required to spend four hours working somewhere in the church (this is called "Fieldwork"). Over the past few weeks I have been cutting and editing sermons for Hillsong TV. Basically,  I go to an editing suite at the the church and am given a raw sermon shot with multiple (six) cameras. My job is to look at all the angles and pick which shot is best to cut to. The tedious part is however, making sure I cut at an appropriate time (when the speaker takes a breath or pauses), making sure there is no empty seats in the shots or people walking around, that the camera is moving, that a shot doesn't run longer than 15 seconds, and that the lighting is adequate . For example, one sermon I was doing, pastor Brian was wearing a black leather jacket and would sometimes become practically invisible on the darker side of the stage, thus making most of the  camera shots useless.

     I  started shooting my short film last weekend. Even though I had written (in my opinion at least) a solid script and had Bearden there to help me set up the lights and cameras, I realized how much actually went into the details. We spent a good ten minutes just trying to figure out how we wanted to shoot someone to go from one room to the next. Another challenge is getting my cast together. With everyone's jobs on the weekends and conflicting class schedules (including my own) during the week, I'm beginning to stress about finding times to shoot. To make matters worse, my lead actor is gong back home in a couple weeks, making the sand in my hour glass drain all the more quicker. BUT on the bright side, I am extremely happy with the footage I gathered last week. Here's a few stills, keep in mind they haven't been edited yet so they are really just scrren shot excerpts from the raw footage....

Nope. Not real moonlight, just smoke and mirrors...and a studio lamp with a stack of blue gels set up outside the window.

The name of my film is "Boxed In"...Hence the Box.

I don't know if anyone can tell or not, but he's actually under water in a tub. I'm going to be cutting from here and into a dream sequence.

    I have been reflecting a good bit on my life lately as I edge closer and closer to the  more than likely conclusion of this chapter of my life. I have thought about all the decisions that have shaped my worldview and who/where I am as person. I remember how my parents thought something was wrong with me as a kid, how it seemed like I had zero motivation. I wasn't physically inclined or coordinated, therefor I had no love for sports and they didn't particularly care for me either. I had no evident talents or skills to my name. It took me forever to learn things in school. It seemed like by the time I got a handle on something, the rest of my peers were miles ahead of me (especially in math). I was almost even sent away to military college, but thankfully my mom and dad decided to keep on letting me study at home and at KONOS (a program that taught lectures and gave exams once a week).

     

     There was not an exact snap, or revelation that led to a positive shift in my abilities, but instead a slow process of building self-discipline over the years. Somewhere along the way I came to terms that the only  people that could help me overcome what ever short comings I had, was myself and God.  Thus began the long climb to where I am today. Not to say I still don't struggle, I still have to try extra hard to learn new things and pay attention, the only difference is now I am familiar with how to deal with it. I feel like God wired me the way I am for a few reasons, but I can identify two in particular. 1.) To continually make me stronger through challenges and trails for His purpose on my life, what ever it might be. I think of it as scar tissue, which actually is twice as strong as regular skin. It's the body's way of repairing it so it won't get wounded next time. 2.)To keep me humble and close to God. 

"The One He Wrote On Sunday."

Well, that does it for Intensives, which I was ready for because I was ready to dive into the regular class schedule. Tomorrow I have a Camera operations class, on Tuesday a Christian Doctrine class,  and then Wednesday we have Personal Evangelism and New Testament followed by three tutorial classes (they are like mini sessions that just recap what we have learned)  back to back in the afternoon.

Tonight, was an event called Sunday Night Live that Hillsong does every Sunday for the month of August to kick off the second half of the year. It was a mix of media and a sort of live drama feel to present messages. I actually really liked the style and creativity behind it. One of the things I really want to do when I get home is to equip churches with the some creative media outlets. I feel like heaps of churches would actually really love to have their hands on some modern creative media resources, they just don't know who could do it. A video here and there every month I think would be a good start.

Speaking of videos, I casted 2/3 of my actors this week for my short film. I want to try shooting this weekend, but I still have to have tons of hoops to hop through before then (script revisions, setting a location, booking out equipment, checking everyone's schedule, ect.). This whole project seems to be growing a little more overwhelming each day, but by having a solid script written, it's much easier to get a handle on everything and have everyone on the same page.


My sister Anna might be coming down in October to go to New Zealand  with me. I'm really hoping it works out,  I 'm hungry for some adventure. Melbourne was a blast, but it was only a snack compared to the satisfaction that comes from being in the wild places of the world. I often day dream and recollect memories of scampering over boulders, fording rivers chest deep in water with my hanging by their laces around my neck and my backpack over my head, coming to that break in the tree line that opens up and allows you to see the valley of pines below. I even miss those nights of cutting up fire wood with a machete in one hand and a flash light in the other, swinging in my hammock at night and listening to the soundtrack of nature,  and the feeling of morning rain on my face and being grateful for the tarp to pull over me. I could really go on and on about this, but right now I really need to get some sleep. But while we are on the subject, I leave you with some pictures of past exploits.

This trip is probably one of my fondest memories.

"His 50th entry"

This one is a more of a "just checking in"  kind of post.
This week was the first week of the new semester. We met the new intake for TV on Tuesday. It feels completely bizarre to see them filling out their "Past Experience Forms" the same ones I filled out 7 months ago. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!  The new intake is pretty massive as well. We were told just under 30 new students would be coming in...it will be the largest class the TV/Media stream has ever had (we were the biggest when we came in at only 18). It was also in this meeting that our new fieldwork was decided (where we would be serving in the church). They asked me if I wanted to stay on booking, and I told them I would rather be working in a more involved position. To my surprise, they moved me to work in Hillsong TV (Which is broadcasted internationally). It might not turn out to be that big of a deal, but I'm excited about none the less.

This semester is going to be pretty hectic. They told me my new fieldwork would be one of heavy responsibility (even though I'm not even sure what I will be doing yet), but besides that, we also only have four months to write, shoot, and produce our short films. So this week, I have made writing the first draft of my script my top priority. Next week I'm gonna work on casting my characters and making revisions.  We also have twice as many exams to do this semester as we enter into the studying the New Testament.
In other new, Bearden and I helped shoot a video for Sunday Night Live next week. It feels really good to be actually working on videos again...especially ones that will get put up on the big screen. Even if all I do is stand there holding a mic stand, it's heaps better to be involved than on the outside looking in.

"The One He Wrote About Going To Melbourne."

Well, the end of the appreciated break is coming to an end. Class intensives start back Tuesday and we start a new chapter here at Hillsong. We are no longer the same bewildered students wandering around in hallways trying to find classes, but a more mature and knowledgeable group that knows a little bit more of what to expect in the months to come. The only thing is, we only have four months to write, shoot and edit our short films. We will also have twice as many test and exams on top of being active in positions of higher responsibility.

Ok, so to recap the break....

The first week I took off to just recover from conference. I slept in and ran in the morning and in the later afternoon I would go visit and spend time with some friends. At one point we went to the city and we decided to take the ferry back but we ended up in the middle in boonies around midnight with a  45 minute walk to the nearest train station.

This week I had planned a road trip to Melbourne ( 539 miles south from Sydney in the state of Victoria). However, part of the plan fell through when one of the drivers bailed t the last minute, so a friend and I had to make a quick call to take a train there instead and meeting up with the rest of our friends (who had a car) when we got to the city. All these plans were hastily researched and put together at a party the night before. I had just enough time to go home throw some clothes in my backpack, get about two hours of sleep and meet my friend at the bus stop. When we got to train station we were told that most people book the tickets in advance and we were probably not going to get on. We found the ticket register and asked anyway and turned out there were two seats unclaimed. We bought the tickets with only minutes to spare before departure. It wasn't long after I sat down that I pulled my cap over my eyes and slept away the first few hours of the 11 hour train ride.

I fell asleep in a concrete jungle and woke up to this.

When we met up with the rest of our gang in Melbourne took some time to stroll around and get a feel for the city. I found it was a city that appreciates and incorporates more art into it's streets than Sydney does. Every where we went there was a sculpture here, some abstract art there. An entire back alley was completely devoted to showcasing local street art.

  A friend of ours from college, who lived 45 minutes outside downtown,  had opened up her house to us while we were in town. This came as a relief not only because it was going to help out with our funds, but I had made no plans (or even looked at) any places to stay while I was there.

 The next day was spent doing more exploring around the city. We went to a museum,  an ancient cathedral, a massive library,  and a few shops here and there. That night we went bowling at a strange club/arcade place. It reminded me the time my dad took me to Dave & Busters when I was a kid. When we returned to the bus stop, we found it completely locked down and abandoned by everyone except a handful of janitors who laughed and told us the trains had stopped running an hours ago and wouldn't be running again till 5am the next morning. At a lost for what to do, we huddled together and shot ideas back and forth. A security guard felt sorry for us and told us we could hide out in a nearby open lounge as long as we didn't fall asleep. However, we managed to make a deal with some cab drives to take us home on a flat rate.

The next day we decided to take the car into town so as not to get left behind again by the trains. We spent a few hours driving around just looking for parking. The going rate was $20.00 and hour in most places. Ironically, the best parking we could find was in one of the city's larger casinos. On the way back, the iphone we were using to guide us back died, so we were forced to use our boyscout skills and buy a map at a gas station.  After many turn arounds and mix ups, we finally made it back to the ous in wee hours of the morning.

Once again, I got a few hours of sleep, (over the past few weeks, I have gotten pretty good at waking up quickly and getting on the go)  rolled my clothes into tight little bundles and stuffed them back in back pack. Once again we found ourselves at the ticket office of the train station, only this time we had booked our tickets, we just had to pick them up. As he handed us our tickets, the clerk looked up at the clock and told us we had 4 minutes to board the train on platform 1...the only thing was I had no idea where platform 1 was and this particular station had multiple crowed levels. After doing a brisk running through the station we manged to find our train and be the last travelers to board as they shut the doors behind us. The train sluggishly lurched forward before we even made it to our seats.

                                          Band of Horses makes great train riding music....

"The One He Wrote About Conference."

Well, Hillsong Conference finished up yesterday. My has it been a crazy week.  I'm still trying believe such a mammoth event is over now and my first semester of college is officially completed.

Monday was an 11 hour rehearsal at the Sydney Entertainment Center. I was allocated to be the camera 1 assist (the one on stage behind the drums) for the entire conference. Basically, it was my job  to make sure the person working camera never had to worry about tripping on his cable. It wasn't required that I be there on Monday, but I went anyway just to help out for a few hour and ended up staying the entire day. It ended up being a good thing though because I got a chance to learn my way around ahead of all the other assists that came in the next day.

The days went as followed: We would wake up around 5:30am and be at the Hillsong campus by 6:15 to get on the bus. The bus ride was about 45 minutes to the Entertainment center in down town Sydney. We would have a rehearsal for about an hour and half, then have maybe a 20 minute break before meeting back out on camera and start the opening session. During a transitional video between praise and worship we would dismount of the stage and I would be given the camera. I then would go under the stage and hand off the camera to a operator on the other side. The first time I did this I tried crawling on my hands and knees like I normally would. I then tried cradling the camera in my elbows like I had seen solders do in trenches under barbwire. Eventually, I was just laying on my back and squeezing the camera between my thighs as I used the crossbeams under the floor of the stage to pull myself across. After the camera was handed off, I had an hour to myself to sleep while the pastor preached on the stage above me. There were three sermons a day with rehearsals in between, so us folks on camera rarely even left the auditorium to see daylight. Most of our meals were ran to us while we hid behind monitors back stage. There were many occasions were I had sandwich in one hand and a  coil of cable in the other. I defiantly feel like I have gain more dexterity in my hands over the past few weeks. We normally finished around 10:30pm, then get on a bus, go home, shower, sleep and start the day over again.

There were a few highlights however. One time, during an opening song I got to ride the stage lift (the had it set up to make it so drums could rise up out from under the stage. It made me feel like a rock star even though I was dressed completely in black, crouching down and trying my best not to be seen. It was just an honor to be on stage with bands like Hillsong United and Jesus Culture. In fact, the hallways back stage were filled with Hillsong celebrities. One time I was walking down a crowed ramp when some dropped their water bottle and I swooped down and picked it up as I walked by. I spun around and slapped it in the open hand that had dropped it, as I looked up I was faced with none other than Brian Houston...I shouldn't have been shocked seeing as I see him every Sunday, but I was a tad star struck regardless. Also, all the openers were pretty awesome. Although I didn't get to fully see all of them because I was on stage, it was cool to see some of the videos I had helped film up on the jumbo-tron.

One of the biggest struggles for me this week would probably be trying to keep a cheerful attitude. The communication (or lack of) is astonishing to me here. Maybe it's the culture I was raised in or perhaps it's just my personality, I want things to be concrete and know what's going on. Unfortunately, that's not how they run things here. I don't want to vent heaps about it, but it was something I had pray for patience and that God would help me get over myself by giving me a good attitude.

"His New One"

Conference is slowly creeping around the corner, and we have spent the majority of this week getting preparations rolling. I have been running around  working on so many projects all over the campus that having these quiet nights to myself in my room have become dearly cherished. 

What exactly have I been doing? Production stuff mostly. Odds and ends to enhance the overall aesthetics...in other words heaps of painting and packing up storerooms. I was rolling up some cable yesterday when I was I was reminded of one of the times my papaw took me to a studio to to watch a  tv shoot. One of the camera guys was rolling up a wire while talking to me. "You see this? Watch what I'm doing." he said as he expertly spooled yards of black wire in seconds. "I spent my first few years on the job doing this right here."  He held up the coil of cable to show me. "And you will too if you want to get into this business."

I got to direct again earlier this week. It went a little better than my first time, I feel. One of the biggest struggles right now is just trying to find my style of how I want to cut what goes up on the screen and how I want the camera ops to work their shots. I feel like it's been really good for my brain as well by having me keep on my toes by being put in a position where I am forced to think and react quickly.