Entrusted With Arrows --a behind-the-scenes production blog--

Moving the Blog

2010-05-05T09:50:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! We just updated MovieMakers.ca and will also be moving the blog there. So from now on news about Entrusted With Arrows will be posted on the new MovieMakers Blog.

Once again, thank you for all your support!

New Blog: http://www.moviemakers.ca/blog/?cat=29

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Dallas

Pre-Orders now being accepted!

2010-05-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

We are now accepting pre-orders for Entrusted With Arrows, the DVDs will be shipping on June 1st. Pre-order your copy now: http://www.entrustedwitharrows.com/dvd.html

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Dallas

New Teaser Trailer!

2010-05-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4amHK3uSEuM
http://www.vimeo.com/11437143
Tangle coming
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=390533817679

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Dallas

Composer Announcement1

2010-04-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to announce Andre Forbes as the composer of the original score for Entrusted With Arrows. Jurgen Beck needed to step back from his commitment as composer due to his wife's health challenges. Please continue to pray for Shawn's full recovery from her cancer treatments. Jurgen is now Executive Music Producer, acting as director and mentor for Andre. Andre was chosen as composer in early March due in large part to the excellent job he did scoring our trailers. Since that time he has been producing excellent music for the film, which is a joy to listen to. We can't wait to share it with the world on June 1st! Now we have the talent of two excellent composer collaborating for the success of our film. What a blessing for us all. Check out Andre Forbes' work at http://www.MusicManDre.com.

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Greg

Entrusted With Arrows .com has arrived!

2010-04-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.entrustedwitharrows.com/

A bit late but here it is, as promised, more big announcements! Please take a gander and let us know what you think! :D

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Dallas

Entrusted With Arrows Teaser Trailer!

2010-04-13T10:33:00.001-07:00

Facebook:

Youtube:

Vimeo:

Tangle:

Please become a fan on facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Entrusted-With-Arrows/110527638982215

New Face Book Page

2010-04-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

First Big news of the week! We have a new Face Book Page, please join it and help us spread the word! I believe we need to aim for at leas 1,000 fans, that is a big number right now, but with a little help it could be achieved.
Thanks so much for all your support so far, please keep praying for us and the project, we want to finish strong!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Entrusted-With-Arrows/110527638982215?v=wall&ref=nf

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Dallas

Look for big news and updates this week!

2010-04-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that we have lots of news and updates just itching to be announced this week, so keep your ear to the ground! (Could we finally be releasing a trailer?!?!?)

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Dallas

Jost's New Album!

2010-04-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

Josts are one of the families featured in our documentary, they have just put out a new Album! Check it out, see if their tour will take them to your aria! We have the privilege of t aping a live privet performance for the documentary, it is relay good stuff! (listening to our copy that just arrived today!)

http://www.josties.com/

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Dallas

Working on Trailers

2010-02-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

Dallas is busy putting together a few trailers for Entrusted With Arrows. He has sent a teaser trailer to Andre Forbes, who has offered to compose the music for our trailers! Thanks, Andre!

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Greg

Loose Ends

2010-02-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

The locked version is in the hands of our composer, Jurgen Beck. Please pray for Jurgen's wife, Shawn, as she is now recovering from surgery for breast cancer and for creativity and wisdom for Jurgen as he composes the score.
We now have a few other items to take care of. We are refining all the text portions of the film, which is relatively easy. One of the most difficult jobs is "cleaning sound." One of our interviews had an air conditioner running in the background, which gives a very loud hum. When cutting in and out between others' interviews this hum is very noticeable, so we are taking on the job of removing it. This is a very difficult process and usually leaves an unnatural vocal tract. I think of it as an icy sound with lots of pops and other artifacts. Others liken it to recording in a glass bottle. We need prayer on this one! We are also working on the special features and trailers. The special features will include a full interview for each family. This will be full of the wisdom that had to be edited out of the main feature, so I'm hoping people will take the time to watch these!

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Greg

Locked!

2010-01-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

Yes! We have finished editing and have sent our locked version to our composer, Jurgen Beck, for the score. A locked version is basically a promise to the composer that we will not tinker with any of the time code, so that he can confidently do his work. Dallas still has a small amount of work to do with the graphics and text, but this won't change the timing of what we sent to Jurgen. Next is work on a trailer and special features. I am working on the script of our next mini-project, an educational film about the definition of urban and rural. We have a goal of pre-production, filming and post in one week. We'll see! We are also brainstorming for a new major project. Our goal is to be increasingly time efficient!

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Greg

Narration is Done

2010-01-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

Last week we recorded the final take of our "readers." Dustin's good friend, Jason Buzzard, has a nice deep, resonant voice and did a really nice job of reading the male voice. Shauna (my wife, Dallas' mom) did the female voice. Throughout the film there are quotes from the web, books and scripture. Their job was to put voice to the text as the viewer reads it. Thank you Jason and Shauna! I wish we had taken a photo of your recording sessions!

We also found a fairly major mistake in time to correct it. One piece of the host's narration was in the wrong place and the piece that was supposed to be there was never recorded! It was good to find this in time to correct it. We had a mini-taping session in the backyard in front of the greenscreen, which enabled us to put me (the "host") in the downtown setting where the rest of the narration takes place. We did it outdoors to have the same lighting as the sun shone in my eyes, making me squint. :0) Fortunately, it was only a few sentences and Dallas did a great job of making it fit right in!

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Greg

Arrow Shots

2010-01-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

Today we went out to Erdmans' farm to "shoot" Daryl "shooting." Arrows, that is. We needed a model to shoot for a silhouette of a warrior archer in the act of shooting. We found a nice outcrop of sandstone with bare trees behind. Very nice shot, I think. Dallas will be taking the footage and adapting it for the title sequence of Entrusted with Arrows. We are very close to a locked version, which we will send to Jurgen Beck for the original score.

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Greg

Holiday Videos

2010-01-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

On monday ChristianFilmMakers.org held a 12 hour video contest. We and many of the families we had interviewed made submissions, none of us won, but the Jost's did place 6th! i thought you all might enjoy seeing the videos.

Jost's video:

Lammiman's video:

Clemons' video:

Munger's video:

To see all the entries click here: http://www.christianfilmmakers.org/contest/2009-12/
Marry Christmass and happy new year!

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Dallas

Filming Narration

2009-12-17T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today we got the weather break that we needed to film our narration. The temperature was just above freezing (3ºC), winds were light and the sun was shining. I love this view of downtown Calgary, which we chose to represent the world's culture and its worldview. The mountains behind are pretty spectacular, too, but I'm not sure they represent anything - other than the beauty of God's creation! You can see the Saddledome on the left where the NHL's Calgary Flames play hockey. It was built for the "88 Winter Olympics. Some of you may be old enough to remember that! Those beautiful towers were built by our "dirty oil!" [Ha! Don't get me started on Copenhagen and "climate change!" Anyone have an extra trillion dollars? Hillary? Hillary? Perhaps this blog is getting off topic.]

Anyway, the filming went very well and hopefully will bring glory to the Lord! Thanks to Travis for coming along and being our "teleprompter" operator. Dallas spent the afternoon editing our new material. It's coming together!

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Greg

Edit of "Entrusted With Arrows"

2009-12-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

We forgot to tell you that last week we got our edit down to 57 minutes! Exciting! (For us anyway :0) ) This took a lot of prayer and thought, as our "interviewees" gave us such wonderful material to work with. The difficulty was deciding what NOT to use. Very difficult! It's a rather unique link we have built with each person we interviewed, as we daily watch and listen to what they had to say as we edit. It is painful each time we have to hit the delete button! We have decided that because there is so much helpful material, and that no audience wants to watch a three hour documentary, that in our special features we will have a mini-documentary for each family. Unfortunately, we are not able to use the children's interviews in the main feature - we're sad about that! But we will include them in the special features mini-docs. I feel badly when we have someone do an interview, then we don't use it. It feels disrespectful to what they had to say. Hopefully people will watch the mini-docs and benefit from the wisdom and experience these people have to share!

We now well on our way to inserting "B-roll" over the interviews. Dallas has created a new "Documentary Snapshot" that has a bit of a different look than it did in November. This due to the new B-roll and the narration placeholders. (We have a still shot of our location covering a rough reading of each narration sequence.) Compare to November 23. Dallas says to tell you that if this one looks longer, it's because it has a more frequent frame capture.

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Greg

Filming Narration

2009-12-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

You may recall that after our trip, our camera started to literally fall apart. We are very thankful that we are able to borrow a Canon Vixia hv30 to film our narration sequences. Thanks to our friend, Sharon Krushel, for sending it down from the far north! Meanwhile, during our trip and since, we have been writing and rewriting the script for narrations. It feels a little better each time, but when is it truly finished? I guess the answer to that is - tomorrow, since that is when we begin filming. Our desire was to film outdoors before the snow started to fly, so we would have an autumn look. Two blizzards with four foot drifts and a -30º deep freeze have definitely eliminated all feelings of fall. It is definitely winter! The good news is that Monday's -34º has given way to temperatures around the freezing mark, so it is much more manageable weather for us to film outdoors. We will try to minimize the snow in our shots and still go for the "autumn look" as much as our location will allow. We are also praying for sunny skies and minimal winds. We will film indoors, as well, to see which has the better look.

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Greg

Our New Title!

2009-12-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

After much prayer, thought and consultation with you through our survey we have arrived at a title for our titleless film. It is "Homeschooling entrepreurial dads who want to be more active and available to their children in order to seriously disciple them as commanded in Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6." Actually, that was our second choice. The title we will actually use is Entrusted With Arrows. In our survey it was the runaway favourite, which confirmed our conviction that this was God's idea.
It was interesting how God answered this prayer. For months every time we thought of title ideas or key words, we wrote them down. After adding Psalm 127: 3-5* to our script, I wrote down "... Arrows" on the line after "Entrusted with ..." When Dallas was reformatting the text of our brainstorming list "Entrusted with ... Arrows" came up on the same line! When we thought of how our children are the arrows that God has entrusted to us, it made perfect sense. This is what our script had already said about arrows in the narration: "Our concern is not only for our children’s salvation, but also that they assume God’s character, becoming more and more like him as they grow - eventually maturing into warriors for God’s kingdom - attacking the gates of Hell as it shows itself in their generation. Psalm 127 says that our children are like arrows, which we can launch into the battle where we are unable to go." God has indeed entrusted us with these arrows. Will they hit God's target, drop to the floor or fly where we don't want them to go?

*“Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.."
~Psalm 127:3-5 (NIV)

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Greg

Help us with our title!

2009-12-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Can you please help us with our title? Please follow this link to a survey about which title to use.

Thanks for helping us out! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RXLPTMJ

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Greg

Zeroing In

2009-12-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

As we work in postproduction, the following is our guide to help us with those difficult editing decisions.

Target Audience:
Bullseye - Homeschooling fathers who sense God’s pull to be greater spiritual leaders in their homes
Circle 1- Wives of the “bullseye” fathers
Circle 2 - Christian homeschooling parents who haven’t yet considered the above need
Circle 3 - Christian parents who don’t homeschool, but need to be challenged to take greater responsibility in discipling their children
Outer Circle - Church leaders who are willing to see the need to teach and support parents in their God given responsibility to train their children

Purpose: to challenge Christian men to take up the responsibility that God has entrusted to them, namely to be the spiritual leaders in their homes, to train up their children in they way they should go, so when they are old they will not depart from it. Our prayer is that, whether they choose to homeschool or develop a home business, they will choose to step up to their calling to be vigilant in their role as spiritual leaders.

Reason: Christian families are losing their children to the world in unprecedented numbers due to the breakdown of the Christian family. We have a family leadership crisis, more specifically, a fatherhood crisis, which is having a devastating impact on the spiritual condition of our children. Parents need to make their children’s spiritual welfare their number one priority. Fathers, in particular, need to make this their personal responsibility and not just leave it to the “experts.”

Synopsis: This film highlights the efforts of a few Christian men who take extreme measures to directly train up their children in the way they should go. They do this by not only educating them at home, but by developing businesses which allow them to be with their children on a regular basis, living side by side with them, following the commands of Deuteronomy 6.

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Greg

Editing!

2009-11-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

Our first full edited version of the film is one hour forty five minutes! Yikes! We have to trim about 50 minutes to get down to our time budget. There is so much good material from our interviews that we will have to cut. Please pray for the Lord to give us wisdom as we start to cut it down.

Jurgen Beck - Composer

2009-11-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased that today we made arrangements with Jurgen Beck to be the composer of our documentary. Jurgen has a passion for the message of our film, which makes him a real partner in what we hope to accomplish. This is a very exciting development for us, as well as an answer to prayer. We are looking forward to working with him. You can check samples of his work at his website - http://www.jurgenbeck.com/.

Documentary Snapshot

2009-11-23T15:47:00.001-08:00

This is the documentary in a snap shot ATM, a frame every 2 second I believe. I had seen this with other films to look at color from the big perspective. I thought it might be good to see what our film looks like in the grand picture. What colors are in the film? What colors I would like and how to tie things togather with the graphics.

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Dallas

Sherwood's "Courageous"

2009-11-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

How exciting to see Sherwood Pictures theme for their next film production. (Sherwood Pictures are the makers of Fireproof, Facing the Giants and Flywheel.) God is leading them to speak about the same issue he has led us to - fathers discipling their children. This is an issue which is close to our heart, as our enemy makes great strides in breaking up the family. Christian fathers are called to be the spiritual leaders of their homes. We are addressing this through our documentary. Sherwood Pictures is doing it with a narrative feature film. Please pray for both projects, that they will have a huge impact on our culture! Check out their announcement at http://www.thenextsherwoodmovie.com/.

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Greg

Remembrance/Veteran's Day and "History With John Brown"

2009-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Today is the day people all over the world gather together to honor and remember fallen heroes, those who fought for our freedom, and those who sacrificed all that they had for something they believed in. And as we all take this day to remember, not just World War I, but all wars, I thought it would be appropriate to present to you my next video, History With John Brown. The property he lives on was located right on the battle lines of the Union and the Confederates, marked with its own aspects of history. Honor the fallen soldiers, who fought for their country. Join John Brown as he describes just a few of the things he has found and discovered about that piece of land.

By the way - I apologize greatly for the abrupt ending. I forgot to charge my battery.

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Travis

PS - Once again, along with the embedded Tangle, I have a YouTube version for all you Tubers.

We're Working Hard!

2009-11-09T21:51:00.000-08:00

I am here to apologize on our lack of posts. We're currently in the midst of major editing, discussion deals with composers, and marketing our latest product, Amazing Math: Subitize Me! However, I am currently working on some more videos to bring to you, so keep your eyes open. Expect videos such as a short history clip from John Brown, a time lapse, and more family specific videos!

Also, if there's anything you'd like to know, questions, suggestions, or ideas, please do not hesitate to let us know!!

Update

2009-10-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we have been busy editing as well as doing marketing for the Amazing Math videos. We met with the Math person for the Calgary Board of Education the other day and she loved it! It was a very positive meeting!

We are now starting to write up the ligaments of the documentary, the parts that hold the thing together. Pray for us as we do this, it really is a crucial stage of the production and of forming the film.

You may also have noticed the new banner for the blog, all the men interviewed are featured. I am slowly beginning to build the supporting media for the film, such as web site, trailers, etc.

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Dallas

Amazing Math

2009-10-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally have released one of our long over due projects Amazing Math: Subitze Me! and a new MovieMakers.ca web site! Please check them out, thanks for all your support!

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Dallas

"C-Roll - The Brown's Interview"

2009-10-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Viewers rejoice!! The second installment of my c-roll footage series is in, and you get to watch it. Enjoy this wacky, and yet again confusing, bit of material.

And again, these piece of footage was just one random blip of video, not meaning to make any sense. It doesn't help that my battery died.

I apologize for any internal hemorrhaging caused.

Note: if you prefer YouTube to Tangle, please click here.

Mt. Rushmore and Wind Cave

2009-10-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

On October 6th we visited Mt. Rushmore and the Wind Cave. There was fresh snow in the mountains but despite the cold, it was beautiful and we enjoyed our day. Did you know that each face on the mountain is 60 feet tall? Washington's nose is 21 feet long and the noses of Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln are 20 feet long!

The Wind Cave was very interesting. The original hole where the cave was discovered in 1881 creates a wind by differing atmospheric pressure from inside the cave and out, thus the name. Inside, we saw rock formations of boxwork, popcorn and frostwork. Our guide turned all lights out so we could experience true darkness. You could not see your hand in front of your face. He also lit a candle lantern so we could experience the cave as the early explorers did. Fascinating.

Later, we saw bison, deer and antelope out on the prairies. When evening came the black hills truly stood out black against the sunset.

~Shauna

Tech trouble..

2009-10-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

6 years, 40+ projects latter, my camera may have bit the dust... So we are now renting a JVC DV tape deck and importing all the video. Still a lot of technical questions to face before the doc is over because of it though. I am glad that the deck at least recognizes my tapes, it is the first thing other than my camera ever to do so!

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Dallas

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Canadian thanksgiving, so we are taking a break before we start to work on the doc again.

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Dallas

Home Sweet Home!!

2009-10-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce some very good news: We made it home!! The weather wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it could be, and we made it home in good time. Last night we ended up staying in the Super 8 in Great Falls due to the cold factor. This morning we tried to start up the van, but the battery had died, or something along those lines, and we had to get AAA to come and boost us up (thank goodness for AAA). Later on, after a final, cheaper refueling stop, we had to get another boost from a kind gentleman there. Finally at the border we didn't dare turn it off. The process there went very smoothly. The rest of the way home was rather painless, and watching how big the kms numbers were compared to miles was confusing and interesting. I guess we need to get re-used to metric...

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Travis

P.S. We still have plenty of trip and video info on the way...so don't take this as the end!!

Snow Storm

2009-10-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

We are currently preparing to leave South Dakota early to beat a nasty snow storm which is in the works. It is currently a quarter to 8, and we woke up at 6. Hopefully we can make it through without any problems, and if worst comes to worse, we will spend our life savings on a hotel. We will add more posts when we are next able, if not tonight or tomorrow, after we get back in two days!!

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Travis

Bouchards in Des Moines

2009-10-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

While passing through Des Moines we finally got to see my best buddy from my young adult days, Dave Bouchard, and his wife, Sue. This is the first time to see them in Des Moines, since they moved there from Calgary 26 years ago. They fed us really well while we were there, highlighted by huge, tender barbecued pork chops. They were great! It was also great to "chew the fat" and get caught up on old times. We were there on a Sunday, so got to worship with them at Rising Sun Church of Christ, where Dave has been music pastor all this time. Beautiful building, friendly people and wonderful worship. Also had the opportunity to be "culterfied" be Des Moines' new sculptures downtown.

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Greg

Des Moines Iowa

2009-10-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

We spent the night in the church parking lot of my parent's good firends (my dad's best man in our parents wedding), it was nice, we had the big building to our selves, with showers and large kitchen. I have a hunch one of my parents will post more about that latter.

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Dallas

House Sitters

2009-10-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Tracy and Matt for house sitting while we are away. You are a life saver! And thanks to Emily, Timothy, Elizabeth and Robyn for taking care of Kazzie. You are awesome!

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Greg

St. Louis

2009-10-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we passed through St. Louis and saw the arch. We couldn't find parking for the trailer so we didn't stop, so not much to post other than that, as a result we will also post a tank you to our house and cat sitters. :)

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Dallas

Aunt Jane and Uncle Joe

2009-10-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

While we were in Kentucky we stayed with my Aunt Jane (Mom's youngest sister) and Uncle Joe. As a couple in their mid 80's they are amazingly active. The live independently in their own home which is huge - and beautiful. We enjoyed getting caught up and getting re-aquainted with cousins I haven't seen since we were young. Sharon and her husband, Marty, and Stephen dropped by for a meal and we very much enjoyed our time together. A highlight was one morning when Aunt Jane made a good old fashioned southern breakfast with biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, and grits with sorghum. It was awesome!

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Greg

Creation Museum

2009-10-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

On the last day of September, our family made a two hour drive from my Aunt Jane and Uncle Joe's house in Bardstown, Kentucky to greater Cincinnati where the new Creation Museum is. It is a truly world class museum, which brings a Christian worldview to the world of science. God created all things, so all scientific discovery will ultimately reveal his truth. The young earth theory not only best reflects the biblical account of origins of all things, but is also the best interpretation of all scientific evidence. This museum so clearly explains this along with presenting the truth of God's intervention in history, in Jesus. I particularly liked the part of the museum which explained the creation of Adam and Eve and the events which followed, through the flood of Noah. The explanation was clear and the artifacts were very realistic. Adam and Eve were quite a handsome couple, it turns out. (They were my great, great ... grandparents, after all.)

The film, "Men in White" was pretty awesome, too.

The best part of the day was when we met Ken Ham, the founder, (we discovered that Ken will be speaking at AHEA in Red Deer next year!) and his assistant, Perry Petrushenko, who turned out to be from Edmonton. As we chatted we found that we were both homeschoolers, and that we both knew Greg and Elizabeth King and Ross Haven Bible Camp. The next thing we knew, we were at their house for supper, having a great time like old friends. Wow!

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Greg

We were blogged about!

2009-10-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Betsy Clemons posted on her blog about our visit! http://www.freewebs.com/operastagebeauty/apps/blog/entries/show/1850533-visitors-from-canada-

Rushtons

2009-10-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Our final interviews were with the Rushton family. They were undergoing extensive renovations in their home, so that we could not meet there. Instead we filmed Harold at his business "Playmasters" and Cindy in a local book store that she writes in often. My mom has long followed Cindy's blogs and things. The Rushtons also took us to see the home of Helen Keller. We had a great time getting to know the Rushtons and I think they will make an exalant contribution to the documentary.

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Dallas

Mom’s Perspective

2009-09-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

It is so inspiring to meet other Christian homeschooling families. The families we filmed for the documentary were from different places, in varying businesses, some with many children, some with fewer, some with young children and some with grown and married children. They were all strangers to us, and yet we shared the common bond of being brothers and sisters in Christ, and that of homeschooling. Each of the families have been so hospitable, from sharing meals with us, to letting us camp on their property, to allowing us to stay in their guest house, and always wonderful fellowship. It has been refreshing to see these wives and mothers so happy and content, fulfilled in their calling and supportive and encouraging to their husbands as they in turn lead and support their family.

I feel I have been blessed to meet these wonderful, godly women. Lisa Jost is so positive and encouraging. I loved watching her interact with her children and seeing the love flow between them. It was neat to meet Kyrstin Brown, another second generation homeschooler as I am. Contentment flowed from her countenance. Bonnie Munger exemplified for me the fulfillment of having completed homeschooling well, as her children are now out of the nest and are continuing the legacy with her grandchildren. We felt so welcomed by the Clemons family. Kathy has a sweet, gentle spirit with constant encouraging words for her eight children. And what wonderful, creative children they are! I have been inspired to have afternoon tea parties with my children as she does hers. And finally, I was so excited to meet Cindy Rushton- she has been a mentor to me through her writing for many years. She is wonderful, very sweet and giving! Though her children are now graduated, she continues to bless the homeschooling community- worldwide!- through her books and online programs.

Thank you ladies for your inspiration, example, and steadfastness in the calling God has given you. I feel so very blessed to know you!

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Shauna

Clemons

2009-09-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I think we will be up to speed in a post or two. Internet hot spots are fewer and further in-between than expected so far.

We pulled in to the Clemons on Thursday afternoon and were greeted by good old southern hospitality! Our families got along famously right from the start. The Clemons own a guest house that they allowed us to take over; it was nice to take a break and spread out after 2+ weeks in the tent trailer. It even had a washer and dryer! Huzzah for clean clothes! The Clemons called their guest house “little Canada” during our stay.

Sam Clemons is a surveyor. Rather then film B-roll after lunch as usual, we were able to get some hands on experience in surveying in the afternoon as the older children were off doing auditions for their upcoming short film. Each evening we shared a meal and then the games would come out. It is a lot of fun when big families get together!

It really was a joy to get to know the Clemons family and we were truly sad to leave. And Lisa was very sad to have to say goodbye to Princes Pinky (the cat). One more interview to go and then we start heading home!

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Dallas

Stone Mountain

2009-09-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Okefenokee Swamp Park

2009-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Gliding in our boat through the murky tannic acid waters, overhanging trees mirrored in the dark depths creating a mystical atmosphere, we spy a log floating up ahead. But wait, the log suddenly moves toward us and we can see beady, menacing eyes staring back at us- it’s an alligator!! So went our fascinating field trip to Okefenokee Swamp Park in Georgia. Alligators, turtles, lizards, snakes, LARGE spiders, and humidity combined with 30* temperatures on the first day of Fall...this is very different than home! I think we are all feeling that many of the things we are experiencing are very surreal.

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Shauna

Tybee Island, Georgia

2009-09-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful place! It is very warm (hot) but the ocean breeze is cooling. And, ahh, the ocean! Majesty, power, and beauty! This was the first time our two youngest had experienced the ocean- they were more interested in the swimming pool until we dragged them to the beach and then suddenly they were enthralled! “Wow, look at the sand!” “I found a shell, and another, and another!” “Can I jump the waves?” “Do we have to leave?” And Adam’s favorite line for anywhere that he particularly likes: “I wish we could live here!” I was pleased that the water was so warm- not cold like the Pacific Ocean. The kids had fun body surfing in the waves, at least until a wave tumbled Dustin against the abrasive sand (he has the battle scars) and then the coast guard came along warning of rip tides forming.

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Shauna

mini vacation

2009-09-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

The day we arrived we took a walk down the beach.
On Sunday after a wonderful Church service at Savannah Christian Church we walked around the old part of Savannah.

We found a spider in a park that was literally the size of my Dads palm.

On the Ocean we swam and enjoyed the waves but also tried to dig for clams, but we weren't very successful.

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Shalayne

To Tybee Island!!

2009-09-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Just as Dallas said, we are still alive. I can confirm that for you. Relaxing on a quaint little island by both the warm ocean and Savannah, GA, made us totally forget about updating you guys on our trip, so we'll try to get back on that.

After leaving the Munger's in North Carolina, we drove down to the beautiful city of Savannah, located on the coast and full of as many trees as one could wish for. Right next to Savannah, however, is a little island named Tybee Island, and that is where we stayed. We had to drive over a several mile salt marsh to get there, and seeing it at both high and low tides was quite the sight. After pulling into the campground, which was quite nice but had the loudest cicadas ever, we set up and headed to the beach.

From what I could tell, Tybee Island was an old fort of some sort, with old bunkers and batteries used as sever-weather shelters, and several canons located around as decoration. However, this is where I shall end, and so I hope you check back soon for some more stories about Savannah, Okefenokee Swamp, and the Clemons!!

Mungers - B

2009-09-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Along with Greg Munger we also interviewed his son Paul Munger and his family. We didn’t get to see much of Paul and it was even tricky to coordinate our schedules. Paul is working as the casting director of extras on One Good Man, and as such was very busy. The Munger house was a constant flurry activity as they were hosting many cast and crew, and helping with craft services all wile working around the rain.

When we got there we had only a very short 30 minutes to shoot Paul, and it often takes us 20+ min just to set up our lights! It was good this was not our first time setting up, buy this time had got in to a “groove” of sorts and each knew or jobs. We set up in record time and got a bit of a time extension with Paul. After that we had another crunch time interview with Shela (Paul’s wife), and then got all our B-roll before lunch!

I really wish we had more time to spend with the Munger family, even the short time we had with them we had was really enjoyable!

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Dallas

Mungers - A

2009-09-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

We set up our tent trailer in the Munger’s driveway and were able to spill out in their large car port which was nice as it rained the hole time we were there. The Mungers were also hosting another family who was part of the crew (Teacher, craft services and extras) on Advent Film Group's film One Good Man.

After we had set up we talked with the Mungers in their living room about the next day. The conversation turned to the Munger’s most recently finished film A Blueprint for Language Arts Success Greg was showing us the DVD, how they made their DVDs in house now, how they did this and that... then you can imagine all of our surprise when my name appeared the credits! I had forgotten, and Greg didn’t know, that Paul (Greg’s oldest son) had given me a “special thanks” credit at the end of the film. We all had a good laugh about that.

Greg Munger owns Piedmont Educational Services a and has had several films created including the multi award winning Animals of the Bible, which he made with his son Paul.

Along with us filming our documentary, I felt like I was in the middle of christian film making central. It seemed that everyone was somehow involved in a production of some sort on some level. It was a very busy and very fun place to be.

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Dallas

From Canada to Georgia

2009-09-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

We are currently are camping on the east coast, I just wanted to let you all know that all is well. We are taking a short vacation time before we start head north and get interviewing again. It is nice to take a brake from all the driving. This is the warmest natural body of water I have ever touched! Asides from a dugout that is. Some times it has been warmer than out of water, and that is saying something since it has sat around 30c the whole time we have been here.

Look for posts in the next little while about our interviews and visits with the Munger families, our exploration of Savannah, and other adventures on the ocean!

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Dallas

The Jost's: A Behind-The-Scenes C-Roll

2009-09-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! A video about the Jost interview - Made by me!

However, I apologize if you don't understand this video at all. But the truth is, the day went exactly like this. Random, confusing, and everything inbetween. So enjoy, and laugh anyways.

Another thing: this video is made up of footage I've been taking on set during filming - I'm currently recovering from a broken arm, and I'm not the best, so it may get better as time goes on.

Important: No animals were harmed in the making of this film.

To whom it may concern: WE'RE SORRY.

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Travis

EDIT: The video is now embedded Tangle, so for you who still want the YouTube video, please visit this link.

Q&A with Dustin

2009-09-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

As you should all know well by now our trip has taken us through many American states to this point. Many of our Canadian friends have been emailing us questions about our neighbors to the south, so we thought it would be a good idea to use this post to answer a few of their queries.

Bill from Calgary asks:
What does Della Wear?
A: She is wearing her new jersey.

Suzanne from Edmonton asks:
Where has Ora gone?
A: To see Attle.

Sarah from Red Deer asks:
What did Ida hoe?
A: She hoed her merry land.

Joe from Regina asks:
What did Tenna see?
A: The same thing Arkan saw.

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Dustin

Washington DC

2009-09-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Washington, DC. It was amazing though not really what I expected. I’m not quite sure what I expected but that was’t it. We had a wonderful time time looking at the sights, like the White House, the monuments, the scenery and the amazing architecture. There was so much history as well. Unfortunately we only briefly saw two of the Smithsonian museums because of the closing time but they were very interesting.

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Shalayne

The Brown's

2009-09-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we met the Brown family: John (dad), Kyrsten (mom), Cedric (10), Schuyler (almost 8), and Galadrea (almost 6). It took over an hour to find their house because we got lost. It seems to be a common occurrence because we got lost going to the Jost’s as well, we just didn’t know it until we phoned them like they asked. Once we found it we were amazed by the beauty of their property and house. Standing on the front porch there was a view of rolling hills, where a Civil war snow ball fight took place on Christmas day, and a creek running through. Looking up to the large elegant house was a water fall running down the hill. Once inside you were surrounded by a big open floor plan with a German theme. The boy’s bedroom upstairs was a Mexican theme and Gladrea’s a pretty pink late 1800s room.

Mrs. Brown had fresh homemade lemonade and iced tea for us the whole time we were there. The first night she also had some kind of peanut butter squares that were delicious. During our first visit, Galadrea, their only daughter, was watching me quite closely. Occasionally, I’d glance over and see her watching me so I would smile at her. After a few of those she would quietly make her way to the seat next to me and watch me for a while and then make her way back to her mom. She is an adorable princess.

The two boys, Cedric and Schuyler, were very intelligent and outgoing. I would say that they know more than me, either that or different knowledge. The filming went very well, we were a lot more efficient than last time so we finished in good time.

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Shalayne

Stranded!!

2009-09-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

So this is interesting...As I type, we are currently stranded on an off ramp from a toll-road in Illinois. The thing about long journeys is that you need to keep an eye on your gas tank, or else you end up on the shoulder, like us. However, Dallas and my dad are currently walking to town to find a phone, where they can call AAA. They should be able to get us gas in some way or another, and we'll be back on our way. Hopefully we learned our lesson; this is our third time running on fumes!!

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Travis

PS: Thanks to Sleep Inn for not locking their wi-fi!

Meet our family

2009-09-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

We are a "mid-sized" home school family from Alberta, Canada.

Greg is the Dad. He just retired this spring from teaching in Calgary for the last 30 years.

Shauna was a homeschool graduate before homeschool was "normal," and now works hard at home to educate her own kids.

Dallas graduated from home school in '05 and has been busy working to build MovieMakers, the video business that he and Greg started together.

Dustin has also been graduated for several years. Along with attending Bible collage he has been building a local website design business.

Travis is the oldest in school, enjoys science and is looking at learning a trade. He does graphic design work for the family business as well.

Shalayne has just begun high school. She loves to play and sing, and facilitates the shipping and handling for MovieMakers.

Lisa is a very eager grade five student keeping Mom on her toes to have enough learning activities for her to do. She is knitting away the miles when Mom can't think of anything else for her to do!

Adam is the youngest. He is very excited to start school. We don't think he quite gets the trip thing yet.

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Shauna,

Dallas

The Border

2009-09-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally crossed the border into the US. It took over an hour of waiting, interrogation and prayer. I was fine until they invited me into the back room and began the questions while snapping on rubber gloves. After they gave Shauna the same treatment, all eight of us sat forever in a small waiting room - reserved for those of us who feel like criminals (guilty ‘til proven innocent) - while they searched our vehicle and our belongings. The one suspicious substance they found was a small jar of swedish bitters, our family cure all. Once they decided we were not a hazard to homeland security, they suddenly became nice and gave us a thirty day business permit. Our prayers were answered and we were on our way. We are now a couple hours behind our itinerary and are trying to make up time. We would like to see my brother in Chicago on the way through, but are not sure we will have the time!

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Greg

The Epic Journey

2009-09-08T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today our family embarked on the first leg of our adventure. After packing ruthlessly for over eight hours, we ran into several hiccups. We were just about ready to leave, when Dustin discovered that our trailer jack was broken and next to useless. We finally took it off and quickly left to pick up travel papers from social services before it closed at 4:30. We arrived there at 4:32, but luckily someone was still there. It is a major blessing that God kept the doors open, despite the fact that most businesses are locked down by that point. After arriving at a campground near Brookes, AB, we discovered that all the power sites were taken!! We are currently situated on a lovely no-power site, relying on battery power, enjoying the cool of the night, and taking in God’s beautiful handprints (the stars) as I sit here typing at 9:35 PM. Another bonus was that, unlike our previous road trips, we have more room in both our van and trailer than we expected, which is a nice surprise. Would you consider praying for us as we continue on in our adventure, that all would go according to God’s purpose, and that we could figure out a way to fix our trailer jack?

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Travis

P.S. Does anyone know which cables plug into which side of a trailer battery?

Out of Time!

2009-09-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Both motorhomes failed inspection and we are now out of time. We are leaving tomorrow for Homeschool Camp northwest of Edmonton, then immediately heading east the day after we return, so we need to put the idea of a motorhome behind us. Fortunately, in the spring, God blessed us with a tent trailer that sleeps eight, along with a van big enough to pull it. Our “Plan B” has now become “Plan A.” We were all very disappointed to not have the motorhome to use for school on the road, and our prayers are for contentment with what God has already provided. We also know that the cost of gas will be much less, and it be will easier to navigate urban areas. We also won’t be tempted to keep a motorhome we can’t afford, rather than selling it as we planned! So now we are in a flurry trying to adjust and pack. Can’t wait to get started!

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Greg

Photos of our visit with the Josts

2009-09-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Wonderful Jost Family

The family that sings together... is amazing!

The intricate scroll-work talent of the Jost men.

The family that prays together, stays together.

The view from the family's back deck.

The beautiful wide open prairie with the Montana Sweet Grass Hills in the background.

Interviews...!

Fun and laughter!

Ahh, a table for a large family with lots of room for friends.

The relaxed Papa!

Two film-makers sharing their common interest.

Motorhome

2009-08-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

We would like to be able to edit and homeschool while traveling, so we are looking for a motorhome. We are surprised that for a little bit older model, the price is much less than we thought. Our plan is to buy in the fall, when it is a buyers' market, and sell in the spring, which will be more of a sellers' market. We are asking God to supply a reliable one, from a seller willing to give us a good price. Today we are deciding between two and are praying for God's wisdom and provision in our decisions!

Filming Screens

2009-08-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Dale Jost

Our Camera is not the best camera, being close to out of date and with some frustrating "features". However we have learned allot over the years with it. I was very happy with the image we got during the Jost Family interviews.

Lisa Jost in her kitchen

We used our Lowel lighting kit and a Lowel light of Joal's to get a nice 3 point lighting and a look I liked. I was amazed at how much the lights did for the camera, when we would turn them off the camera image would look black and white.

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Dallas

Change of dates for San Antonio Christian Film Festival

2009-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Josts and Lammimans in San Antonio at the 2009 Festival

One goal for our documentary is to enter it in The San Antonio Christian Film Festival, which was to be held in February 2010. We expected an October submission deadline, so were on a tight time frame to complete this project. Yesterday the festival announced a change of dates, due to construction at the convention center. The festival will now take place in October 2010 and the submission deadline is now in June! The time pressure has now evaporated, but we still want to try to stick with our timeline so we can begin a new project in November. Now we are asking God whether we need a motorhome for this trip or not. We had planned on editing on the road in the motorhome. This still seems like a great idea, but not as urgent. We are looking for God's provision and leading.

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Greg

The Mama Is Excited!

2009-08-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

I am going to enjoy and benefit from this filming tour in many ways, and I already have . As a homeschool Mom, I am always interested in learning from other 'veterans in the field' and so I am excited to meet new faces from whom I can glean. Lisa Jost did not disappoint me! I especially loved seeing how joyful and content she was, and it is always wonderful to see how families work together and relate - what a blessing and example she and her family is! Because my own husband has retired from teaching to take on this adventure of film-making, uncertainties certainly have been entertained in my mind. I relish security. I loved listening and learning as the Jost family dispelled those uncertainties and expounded on God's amazing provision, miracles and blessings in their lives. If we remain faithful, He will provide and bless us beyond what we can imagine. No, things may not always be easy or go according to our plan, but He remains steadfast and true. I need to be reminded of these things. Thank you to the Josts for their tremendous example of faithfulness!

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Shauna

Wind Screen "A" field testing

2009-08-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

So earlier I posted that I had got some fun fir to make a wind sock out of. Well the day we left for Milk River I made one up in 5 min. It muffles the sound down a bit, and could not take the good strong winds that Milk River had to offer, but I think it did to something to cut them down a bit. I was getting some bits of sound outdoors rather then just the constant Chhhggggchhchchcgggg that wind usually makes. So I think it was success and will work well for light winds.

I have lots of fur left so hope to get some different designs made before we leave for the actual tour.

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Dallas

The First Miracle

2009-08-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

The first miracle of our trip happened on the first day we arrived in Milk River. We were planning on camping at Writing on Stone Provincial Park near the Josts. We hadn't realized that this year the park began accepting reservations through a new online system. When we turned off Highway 4, the sign to the park, which was still a half hour away, said "Campground Full." If we didn't stay at that park we would be commuting long distances, so we decided to see if it was completely full, praying as we drove. It was getting late when we got to the next turn-off. Again the sign read "Campground Full." We decided to continue the last ten minutes to see if there was one spot available and speculated how God might make it so. We saw RVs leaving and thought they may have been turned away. When we arrived at the gate, the sign read "Campground Full." We drove into the park to the registration office. She said there was nothing available, but would check her computer for the following night. When she did, she said, "I don't believe it, someone just cancelled! I just turned someone else away five minutes ago." This little answer to prayer saved us hours of driving to and from our visits to the Josts home. Thank you, Lord!

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Greg

The First Visit: The Jost Family

2009-08-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

This week we drove down to the little town of Milk River in southern Alberta to meet and interview a devout Christian family, the Josts. We have had previous connections with a few of the older kids, but really getting to know the whole family was a joy, and it was awesome to learn the heart of Dale Jost, the father.

The Josts, along with living on an acreage and raising various animals, have several albums and tour regularly under the name of "The Josties". If you want to learn more, please visit their website, Josties dot com.

Aside from this, Jesse, the oldest, is an excellent speaker. I have personally heard him, and he delivers his message in a way I have never heard anywhere else. Josiah, the third oldest, is currently designing logos for an international clientelle, and does it quite professionally. Visit SiahDesign.com to find more information about his company, what he does, and what he believes.

They have also produced a small homeschool magazine, Hearts At Home, which is delivered to several hundred readers. I could go on with details, but we'll leave some of that for you to find out in the documentary, and you can visit the Josties website. I hope to upload some exclusive photos and video of our visit, so keep your eyes peeled and feel free to subscribe!!

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Travis

Shopping

2009-08-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

We went to a lot of stores today to look at cameras, audio recorders and computers etc. Didn't buy anything as there is a lot to think about, what do we need? How is the best way to use what to have? What should our workflow look like?

We did get some fun fur I plan to make a wind screen/sock from for our mike.

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Dallas

That MovieMakers Documentary

2009-08-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

MovieMakers, who have previously brought forth the educational films Amazing Map, Amazing Math (yet to be published), and the hysterical skit Pinata: Life of Brokenness have embarked on a new journey, this time to create a documentary. A documentary about entrepreneurial stay-at-home dads. To quote Greg Lammiman, the brainfather of this project:

"...Christian Homeschool Dads who are home entrepreneurs - dads who have found a way to be at home with their business and who disciple their children as they engage in their careers. ...inspire homeschool fathers to seek to be more actively involved in discipling their children by being with them throughout the day, rather than being at a job and leaving it to mom. ...feature families from a variety of circumstances - locations, careers and ages of children."

Another, shorter way to put it is from Dallas Lammiman, his son:

"A documentary about entrepreneur fathers who work from home in order to spend more time with their families. We want to focus on how their families work together and benefit as a result."

Although currently unnamed, filming is expected to start soon, and updates, located on this blog or the Facebook page, will be readily available.

Become a fan on the Facebook page, and share it with your friends!