First I need to warn you, this video contains some graphic violence.

Book trailers are typically 60-90 seconds and give you the plot of the story with words and a few pictures. We were asked to create a book trailer that would feel more like a film trailer and use live action elements to demonstrate the action described in it’s pages. The story deals with terrorist attacks and epic battles in the middle east. All the makings of a 100 million dollar Denzel Washington Movie.

We had about as much money as they would spend on coffee for the crew. I was excited about the challenge but it created a lot of obstacles to overcome. When funds are lacking we attempt to solve problems with creativity. The crew and I examined what we had at our disposal and what would echo the themes and tones of the Danger Close Novel. The trailer needed to create curiosity about the book, and show a hero who had risked his life for others.

We researched what terrorist dress like, specifically, how they wear their clothes, how they decorate their base of operations. (With all of my google searches I was pretty sure my IP Address was getting flagged by NSA.) Then we took a torn out floor in an office building and recreated something that resembles what we found. We were pleased with the end result and I’m told the author, Lieutenant General William Boykin is ready for us to start working on the film. So are we General.

So 2010 started off with a chunk of work. In order to make our deadlines, production on Volume Four of Coffeeteria (Dramatic Series) began Saturday Jan 2. That meant working over Christmas break to finish the script, cast new parts, assign crew, nail down locations, and gather props. The Trailer you’re seeing above is actually for Volume Three Fuel Ignited which has just recently been released.

At the end of production, volume four went immediately into post, while Can Do Cameron (Kids Adventure Series) and Mystery News (Kids Mystery Series) went into production.  We’ve also just wraped up another piece that I’m very excited about, but can’t yet unveil. It required some action sequences and prop guns and represents the high production values we continue to strive for.

All in all, a busy start for the year, and we’re grateful for it.

Living Proof Live with Beth Moore was one of our first event videos and it holds a special place with me.  Although I’m not a woman, I’ve always [confession] enjoyed going to these events.  Beth speaks with such intensity and conviction that it becomes difficult to know which parts to use in the video and which have to fall to the edit floor. I’ve found myself looking through footage and getting so caught up in what she’s saying that I forget that we’re editing.

Once I watched a event promo video with my wife and after she said, she wished she’d been able to go to that event. I realized that is the entire goal of any good promotional video. That’s the key reaction you’re seeking. So when we set out to make a video I ask myself what would make me “kill to go?”

This go around, we didn’t have the budget to actually shoot footage at one of the Living Proof Events. That sounds like a vast deterrent in promoting an ongoing event and I wasn’t keen on recycling footage from 3 years back, knowing the best stuff would have been used already. I knew there were several hundred recent photos available and requested copies of those and was also given a copy of one event’s live feed.  Going through the pictures we looked for what best tells the story of what happens at Living Proof. People marked by the weekend.  We used music that makes the events. We looked for both profound and humorous moments from Beth. When you watch this I’m hoping that somehow you find yourself hoping you can go to the next Living Proof Live.

Thanks to Rich Kalonick and his great photos.

So old 80s video games hold a special place with us.  Pac Man, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, those games are legend. Can Do Cameron is our childrens Spy Adventure Series  (20+ episodes to date). We’re always trying to take Can Do somewhere different and the idea of putting him in one of those old school 8-bit video games seemed hysterical! It was a little different spin on the “trapped in video game” concept going old school rather than super advanced.  The graphics designed in this are so very nostalgic and I like hearing Cameron talk a little smack at the computer.

A little trivia, the Seventh Story office is in the same complex as Veggie Tales. About 5 minutes in you’ll notice a purple door covered by some wood palates. It was placed there to cover the Veggies Company logo as we were shooting in the small loading dock area right at their back door.