Three of our crew sped down to Indiana for a 2 day commercial shoot for Newborn Lifeline. It is a pro-life, pro-adoption oriented piece. Even though we could have sworn we promised ourselves we would never shoot outside in the winter again (since shooting The Penny last year in sub zero temperatures) The film included a final scene outdoors, so we had to break our promise. Yup it was cold, but everyone survived, and managed to keep a pretty good attitude!

Also, due to a number of extras not showing up we really needed some help and the Sampleys from www.take7films.com came up from Louisville to save the day. Big thank you for that guys!

This short commercial will be airing on national television in the near future, so keep an eye out!

We've completed the three, roughly six minute long episodes which will now go into the editing phase. It was a fun project. Here are a few more stills for you to check out!

Greetings everyone! I have been pretty busy with a number of other projects since we finished shooting The Penny, but I did find some time to put together a demo reel and website showing some of my work as DP (Director of Photography) The purpose of the site is to let people know I'm available to work on other projects in between Filmweavers films and give them a sampling of the kind of lighting and cinematography I produce.

Please take a look around and enjoy, don't hesitate to contact me with comments or questions! 

-Ethan

www.dp.filmweavers.com

We shot another short commercial for right.org in MO just for fun. This particular commercial was conceived by John-Clay Burnett of www.reelcastproductions.com He also directed the short. You can view his blog post about it at this link which also talks about some of the effects done in it.

http://reelcast.blogspot.com/2009/05/snack-bank-bts.html

Or watch it right here! Enjoy!

In other news, while not a Filmweavers production, half of our group got together just for fun and shot a couple 30 second commercials for the contest being held by right.org. Perphaps you are for the bailouts, or perphaps you are against them, either way it was a fun reason to get together and practice making something we've never done before, a commercial.  Thirty seconds goes by alot faster than it seems like it should when you are trying to tell a story! The second commercial will be released on the site shortly. We'll post as soon as it's completed.

We hope you enjoy the commercial! Don't blink or you may miss it.

Don't forget to watch it in HD with the HD link on the bottom of the Youtube player at it's Youtube home page! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8PZHa_2bgo 
After the contest is over we will release a full 720p version for download on the website.

What a week!  Just one day after wrapping up the January pick-up shooting on "The Penny", we all packed up and started the long drive from Wisconsin down to Texas for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF).  Twenty-four hours of driving later, we arrived at our motel in San Antonio, checked in, and headed over to the festival.

This is the fifth SAICFF we have attended and I would have to say it was probably the most beneficial of all of them.  Even though we ourselves did not have a film entered this year, there were still a number of films we had worked quite a bit on over the past year that were in the festival.  It was very enjoyable to be able to watch "Pendragon", "The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry", and "The Other Son" all on the big screen, and see our countless hours of work paid off by the finished products before us.  All three films were very well received by the audience, with "Jonathan Sperry" winning the award for "Best Score".

The highlight of the festival for me though was getting to meet with so many friends and acquaintances in the Christian film world (both old and new!).  We enjoyed a number of meals with these folks catching up on each other's lives and work, as well as making big plans for the future.  God is doing great things through these people's lives!

Following the festival the "Filmweavers Four" took a couple days off for some internal business meetings, after which we parted ways once again to each other's respective homes.  Back here in WI now it's -25 degrees with wind-chill and I'm having serious second thoughts about having left TX...

But alas, I will brave the cold and begin the long but enjoyable process of post-production on "The Penny".  Over the next few months we'll do our best to keep you updated on the progress of the film, and sprinkle in a few photos and such along the way, so stay tuned!

For now here's one photo from our time down at SAICFF:

(L to R) Micah Webster, Rich Christiano (Director of "The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry"), Ethan Ledden, Chris Staron (Director of "Bringing Up Bobby"), Dustin Ledden, and Yours Truly (Nathan Webster)

This week I'm helping the Leclerc brothers out with a short they're shooting entitled "The Other Son".  My job responsibilities include AD/AC/Data Management/anything else they need help with. :)

We're five days into a 6 day shoot.  I thought I'd share a BTS video they put together from day 1.

I'll have more eye candy from the film as well as my thoughts on working with the Sony EX1 and Letus Extreme in the coming days.

We had another succesful showing of "The Heartwood Dagger" around the world on Trinity Broadcasting Network's TV stations last night.  It's great to see the responses we get from people across the globe who view the film each time it's aired.  If you were one of those people we're always glad to hear from you! For those of you that missed this showing, and if you enjoy staying up late at night, there's another showing scheduled for Wednesday, June 4 at 11:00pm Pacific Time.  ...

Read More "TBN Showings"

To the outside world, things here at Filmweavers seem to be pretty quiet right now.  But don't let that calm before the storm fool you.  Within the next few weeks there should be some exciting new developments and news on the way.

Some of us are currently busy working on Pendragon effects (which are coming along quite nicely), others of us are working on some more script writing, still others on some pre-production, and that's not mentioning the latest TBN showing coming up and the distribution we're working on.

Keep checking back over the next few weeks as more of these things get tied up and we can release the storm after the calm!

After many, many, many, many (ad infinitum)  weeks furthering the development of the adventure script "Aeolus' Treasure" (working title) what could be considered the Final Draft of the script has been completed. It bares some resemblance to the initial first draft we completed back in December, but it has been worked, worked and reworked. Many scenes we've gone over so many times we can recite them in monotone with our eyes closed.

Tensions are high as we want this script to be as good as possible. The formula to get a good script is simple. First, write one up and submit it to the board. If you start getting suicides you know you're on the right track. Keep doing revisions until all the board members are gone. Presto! You have a killer script! Our problem is their won't be anyone left to make the film. :)

At any rate as part of this completion, the script has been mailed off to our group of expert script consultants for feedback. We wait with baited breath as the first poeple ever to encounter the script outside of Filmweavers take a look!

"The Lost Socks" has been been chosen as the winner of the first ever Christian Filmmakers 24 hour film festival!  The film was selected from the field of over 70 entries.

http://www.christianfilmmakers.org/contest/

You can view the film on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk5tVJ1qvRs

When your production studio is spread across several states at the same time it get's pretty hard to get together and actually have a hands on meeting to talk about scriptage. As wonderful as it is Skype doesn't always cut the mustard for such meetings. We managed to squeeze a day in to meet ( 3 of us at least) at a hotel in Springfield MO to go through the adventure script. We are gearing up to have the next big draft of the film completed by next week!

This past Saturday Micah and I (Nathan) participated in the Christian Filmmakers 24 hour Film Contest.  This event requires that you produce an entire film in 24 hours, script to completion.

You can view the film here.

We kept our film simple and shot it entirely with the help of our family in their home.  The main character is our younger brother.  It's not perfect but it was fun to take the challenge of creating a film in only a day.  Hope you enjoy it!  Be sure to rate the video and comment on it if you like.

A secret and subversive editing project arose quite abruptly several weeks ago for Dusty and myself (Ethan)  This highly anticipated reality TV travel adventure film is set in southeast asia, and tracks two curious chaps across exotic locations in 8 different countries. They visit missionaries, battle crowds of Muslims and dangerous traffic to get the story told. Over 10 hours of HD footage, and various digital title effects make this project worth the endless 3 in the morning nights and midnight pizza raids. While not yet fully completed. We'll post another update in a few weeks when this project reaches it's finish.


Please note that while exceedingly cool and doubtless unforgettable, Project Aperture is not affiliated with Filmweavers in any way shape or form.

Filmweavers is pleased to announce that "The Heartwood Dagger" will once again be airing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the most watched Christian television network in the world.

On Saturday, January 26 at 7pm Eastern time the 46-minute family drama will air on TBN stations across the country.  To find a station in your area go to:  http://tbn.org/index.php/2/2.html

We would encourage you to tune in, enjoy the film and be touched by it.  As always we welcome emails and comments on the film as well.  Let us know what you think!

Studio: Evan Bambrick Length: 5 mins Budget: $0 Evan Brambrick brings a visually interesting and original short. We found the plot refreshingly tight in contrast to many shorts that try to be more than they are. Photography varied from nice to average. Acting and production design were adequate to carry the story. Sound design was above average. Overall it made for a unique...

Read More "Timeless Review SAICFF 07"

Studio: Noa/Rice Digital Length: 46 mins Budget: $5,000 Noa/Rice Digital brings a 007 style story from the Cold War era. The plot while interesting suffered from lack of developed editing. We were impressed with the acting. The lead particularly held his roll. Photography was fair for the festival, but did not do dvx100 justice. I would have liked to hear more Sound Design and the Score seemed to hinder...

Read More "Smuggler’s Ransom Review SAICFF 07"

Studio: Providence Studios Length: 9 mins Budget: $650 Providence Studios creates a warm and innocently humorous allegory. The simple Restore Unto Me manages parable like to show a neatly packaged truth about human nature. Child actors were cute and immediately endearing. There was no Sound per se, but the Score was adequate and Production Design didn't detract from this film...

Read More "Restore Unto Me Review SAICFF 07"

Studio: 3rd Floor Productions Length: 55 mins Budget: $18,000 A period piece from 3rd Floor Productions. Set in the prohibition era was one of the shining moments of this festival. The plot was interesting and one of the most watchable we’ve seen. Though a major twist was given away by stilted acting, most of the (predominately) young actors, grew on me and seemed convincing. Sound was adequate,...

Read More "The Photographer: How the Rain Falls Review SAICFF 07"

Studio: CV Productions Length: 10 mins Budget: $700 From CV Productions a short about the dangers of personal evangelism. The story was somewhat humorous the plot average for a short. Photography with the XL2 was also average but didn’t detract from the flim. Sound design needed some work. As a special note the end credits were unique. Plot ...

Read More "Opportunity Review SAICFF 07"

Studio: Illuminate: A Moving Picture Company Length: 12 mins Budget: $10,000   From Illuminate comes a solemn short. Meant to be thought provoking the plot seems to us to be unsettlingly obscure. Believable acting by the characters was let down by lack of a real story. Sound , Score, and Production seemed adequate. In all No More Sundays makes a nice looking demo reel piece for Illuminate. ...

Read More "No More Sundays Review SAICFF 07"

Studio: Heumoore Productions Length: 53 mins Budget: $15,500       We were all happy to see another installment from Heumoore Productions of Bubble Trouble fame. We were not disappointed in Heartstrings. The plot and the actors have matured. Acting, photography, and production design remained in the same simple "home movie" style. All were charmed...

Read More "Heartstrings"

Producer: Marc Mattos Length: 7 mins Budget: $629 Extinct is a cute stop motion from Marc Mattos. The plot was original and though referenced ideas bounced around often in the conservative circle managed to hold its own with humor and pleasant visuals. For a claymation the shooting was above average with thoughtful use of dramatic lighting. Sound was adequate and supported the...

Read More "Extinct Review SAICFF 07"

Studio: Predestined Productions Length: 27 mins Budget: $750 While colorful and poignant, the newest offering from Predestined Productions supports a refreshingly unique opening with a slightly clunky plot. Acting falls both above and below the mark. Accolades to the wife of the drunk who holds her part very well. Though nicely photographed, focus...

Read More "Angel of Love Review SACIFF 07"

Over the course of the next couple days here at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival we will be posting some reviews of the films we have the opportunity to view.

The ratings will be based on an overall scale of the other films shown here this year (as well as past years).

This is obviously not the end all source for reviews of the films but we thought it would be fun to take a more structured critical look at each of these movies.

Hopefully these reviews can be taken at face value and in the spirit of critical encouragement, not read into as anything personal against those of you involved in the making of them.

Do you ever have a story that leaps from pen to page (or finger to keyboard). Just literally jumps from your mind and spreads itself out. No laboring through page by page creating mortar with no straw. Instead you have the pleasure of discovering each twist and turn. Meeting each character; seemingly suggested by the plot rather than having to be worked into it. But then somewhere around the second trimester your infant-in-creation comes to a dead halt. The first draft is all fleshed out, the...

Read More "Mid-life crisis of a plot and writers block"

Well, as most of you may have seen by now, this years SAICFF film festival semi-finalists have been announced! Some of you may have also noticed that amidst this year's entries the Filmweavers studio name is nowhere to be found.  There are a number of reasons for this, personally I find it a little sad, this being the first year since the festival began that we haven't had a semi-finalist in the festival. However... not to be discouraged. This has been a hectic summer for all of us and... though I can't say much about it (employees who talk have been known to disappear) Filmweavers biggest production yet is in the works!! More tidbits on it as the year progresses.

Just a couple interesting observations on the entries. Firstly the combined budgets of the narrative and young filmmakers categories are just under $104,000. Combined budgets of all films this year are nearly $210,000!! Certainly the most money spent on festival entries ever. Larger Christian studios seem to be taking an interest in entering films as well. At some point I wonder if they will put any kind of restrictions involving commercial professionals entering.

Also a curious note, about 35% of the narrative films this year are shot in HD which is certainly a first as technology continues to grow more affordable by the year.

It IS neat to see the amount of resources and commitment being put into various Christian films this year, I only hope that the larger studios gaining interest in the field don't begin to overwhelm the fledgling indy groups with their big budgets and expensive equipment. Christian indy's like you and us can give them a run for their money...but why don't they pick on someone their own size eh?

 From our sources deep within Filmweavers production laboratories we've found that a new intern arrived in the little hours last night. Doubtless the late arrival was intended to shroud his mysterious coming in even more secrecy. Word on the street is that he's come to do a stint in 3D work. But only time will tell. We'll keep you informed and as we collect facts and attempt to get closer to this illusive new addition to the Filmweavers staff at this time only referred to as "J" in internal FW's memos. This picture was found laying in the forest surrounding the FW's New York office:

Well, here I am in South Western Colorado. A pleasant 20 hour drive from outside Springfield, MO which is a not quite as pleasant 16 hr drive from home base in NY. Yes, it's been a lot of hours in the car, but the scenery was gorgeous. I'll post some pics when I can. Today, was our first day of audio camp. It's been pretty good, John is obviously a fountain of information. He seems to have a ready anecdote for every question. He talked on Location audio today. A lot of it was things we already...

Read More "Christian Audio Camp"

The website is making good progress and is probably 75% completed. We are sorry for the delays, but these things always take more time than anticipated. We are incorporating a number of new techniques into the site and are certainly learning a lot in the process! The new release will either be in a few days, or this coming week.

Despite the silence on this blog a lot has been going on for Filmweavers in the last few months. The totally revamped Filmweavers website is slated to be posted this coming week so stay tuned for this long over due update!

Now available is a short promotional ad for our films. It basically contains short trailer spots for each film and was created for distribution on a home schooling documentary. Filmweavers had the opportunity to shoot this 30 minute DVD entitled 'Raising Children on a Godly Foundation' for Morningstar Educational Network. It is available for purchase via their website.You can also click here to view the promotional.

Just in is the new Clocks trailer available for download! We did manage to find a couple stills from Tsitra project lying around the office here. I don't know who was responsible for leaving them out but chances are the individual was since fired. Also! We have just been informed by the Tsitra team that a first rough cut of the film has been completed!!! The rough contains around 120 computer generated shots, and 6 minutes of live action. The rough contains all the animation but in blocked...

Read More "March 03, 2007"

This winter has been an extremely busy time for Filmweavers, hence the difficulty in keeping updates coming. But rest assured, no news has been good news in this case. The crew here is still very much alive and kicking. Mostly just kicking. We are continuing to publicize The Heartwood Dagger and our other films where opportunities arise.

Also, the new website design is still in the works, though it's been somewhat on the back burner as you may have noticed. We are hoping to release the new updated site in the coming months with new content and resources for christian filmmakers!

Some of you may be wondering about the top secret project Tsitra. Rumor has it that Micah is in New York for a month just focusing on the animation process with the director. We should also be seeing some brand new screen shots from the film shortly.