Category: Documentary

Flying Blind

I’m very excited for today’s release of ‘Flying Blind’. Over the summer of 2017, I worked with an incredibly talented post production team at Billy Graham to assemble what I believe is a very powerful short film designed to encourage Christians to take their seemingly small decisions and actions more seriously. The program features four heartfelt true stories plus an allegorical illustration designed to support the overall theme of the program as well as Franklin Graham’s message.

Every single person involved in this project put great care and many hours of prayer into every single aspect of this piece. I’m really proud to see this level of writing (and re-writing), shooting, acting, musical score, art direction, visual effects, editing, color grading, and marketing.

My specific role was editing the story segments alongside Tyler Garnett who post-produced each segment. In addition, I color graded the entire piece and got to dust off my composition skills to enhance the score for the opening segment – everything from the first note through the opening title. The trippy, dark synths and top melody line (unashamedly influenced by ‘Stranger Things‘ and reminiscent of 80’s film scores) are my additions to an existing underscore.

Larissa Miller, full-time at BGEA, produced the airplane segments with Evan Vetter editing. Micah Bomgaars, full-time at BGEA, was senior producer, overseeing the entire production of the program.

This piece truly has the potential to help stir a spiritual awakening within the church, which in turn can really minister to a hurting world. Please watch and then share with anyone you can. BGEA has a Flying Blind landing page with information for ordering a free DVD and discipleship resources. Thanks for reading and watching!

 

Father Douglas Bazi – Iraqi Priest

I spent a good portion of 2016 into early 2017 working on a documentary about the rise in global Christian persecution – culminating in a global conference this May in Washington, DC. What struck me the most from everyone who was interviewed who had experienced true persecution first-hand was the call to truly love and forgive even when most would be calling for hatred and retaliation. I’ve been deeply and permanently impacted by these stories. My eyes have been opened to things that are too easy to ignore in the U.S. Editing these stories has also renewed my passion for the power of story telling through video. Yes, there are some pieces that I will work on that have no big impact on anybody. They may sell a product or scratch an artistic itch (and that’s not such a bad thing), but working on projects with subject matter that I’m most passionate about is where I long to be.

 

You can view the full Persecution and the Gospel program here:

Fuente De Vida

My friend, Tyler Garnett, directed this passion project and enlisted me for the color grade. It was masterfully shot by Chris Calnin on a RED EPIC DRAGON at 5K.

Some of the kindest words I’ve ever received from a client came from Tyler on this one:

“John – Thank you for taking this project to the next level. I love the fact that you don’t settle for anything less than the best. Even though I said it was done, you still tweaked shots, fixed problems and cleaned up my project. You have a desire to make everything you work on your best work. I am so thankful for that drive. I can’t believe how much better you make everything look. Your ability to match color and make scenes feel so seamless is probably one of the most unknown necessities of any film. Not only are you good at what you do, you also have a soft heart for children. Thanks for letting my son come watch cartoons on your couch while we worked.”

7,263 miles from home and two edits later…

…I hope the impact of these stories can be felt for a long time to come.

I hope the people of South Sudan see the peace they deserve.

And I hope Samaritan’s Purse can see their rescue efforts once again transition to rebuilding programs.

From March 25 – April 7, 2014 I had the wonderful and challenging opportunity of field editing in South Sudan with Matt Rath, producer/shooter for Samaritan’s Purse. The needs in South Sudan are overwhelming, to say the least. But the dedicated efforts of Samaritan’s Purse, working alongside the international relief community, is saving literally thousands of lives and helping to meet the physical and spiritual needs of these beautiful people. South Sudan is a rough country and the political turmoil has left tens of thousands dead, and more than 1 million people displaced from their homes. Keep South Sudan in your prayers and in your news feed. These two videos are just a small glimpse into the great need and glimpses of hope for the people of South Sudan.

%d bloggers like this: