End of Summer Sale - All Films $9.25 Per-DVD

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Offer Ends September 5th! The simmering days of summer are winding down. With the fall season fast approaching, here's a great opportunity to enjoy inspiring stories, learn new skills, and prepare for the holidays by bringing family enriching films into your home. Our End of Summer Sale is the perfect way to help build your family DVD library - at an incredibly affordable price. All original, family edifying films are just $9.25 through September 5th and all film packs and box sets are discounted as low as $8.30 per-DVD. Shop Individualbuy now » Shop Packsbuy now » Shop Homestead buy now »

 

The Scout

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

We’ve returned to the sight of a new feature project that’s in development for a few days to further research different aspects of the story.

Our kind hosts took us an hour up the road to enjoy a Queen City football game - which just happened to be against the squad from Music City…

A few days later, they took the producer/director and a few production assistants on an aerial scout of the area…

Anticipation…

Here’s the response every filmmaker likes to receive…

Stay tuned to learn more about what they saw from up there…

GWC Speaks

Saturday, August 28, 2010

“Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God”

- George Washington Carver

Film

Thursday, August 26, 2010

No question, these are exciting days in the world of faith-based film.  We ran into a music industry executive at a coffee haunt the other day, and he echoed what we’re hearing a lot lately:  what’s happening with faith-based films is reminiscent of the development of the contemporary Christian music industry twenty five years ago.  Thanks to Alex and Stephen Kendrick at Sherwood Pictures (and others), an appetite is being created in the market for films that speak to people of faith.

Christian movies have been around for a while, but the movement is experiencing a re-birth of sorts.  Predictably, it’s in a two steps forward, one step back season now, but we’re encouraged as we see more and more skilled craftsmen turning their attention to new opportunities to communicate truth through the medium of film.  There is much debate as to whether films should be designed for the faith-based constituency or for the mainstream market, as well as whether films should be produced and distributed through Hollywood, or whether new and alternative systems should be developed.  These are important discussions to have, and we anticipate increasingly more effective films to be the result.

We’re also pleased that we continue to be approached by many young people who have an interest in entering this field.  We believe the next generation of faith-based filmmakers will stand on the shoulders of what’s happening now and make films that have a tremendous impact.  They usually want to know what they can be doing now to get ready.  We point them to places such as the Christian Filmmakers Academy in San Antonio, and also remind them that experience is the very best teacher.  They should never underestimate the value of what’s learned through the process of every short film they make.

We’re looking forward to continuing to provide the sort of films that we have been at Franklin Springs, but we also have a few longform narrative projects that we’re currently developing, and we certainly hope to enter the feature arena in 2011.  Stand by for more news on this front, hopefully soon…

Book/Television

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

On the New York Times Hard Cover Non-Fiction Bestseller List today, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven comes in at #29.  Earlier this year, Tyndale Publishers hired the Franklin Films side of our business to produce an hour television special based on the book.  The show has been airing on TBN; the next prime time airing is on Labor Day, September 6th at 7:00 PST (9:00 CST).

The shoot in Columbus, Ohio was an adventurous one, and is often the case, it saw each of the crew numbers wearing several different hats.

While one young production assistant doubled as a stand-in, another production assistant stepped into the lighting department to man a reflector…

He then moved to the camera department, where he helped ready a 2nd unit camera before it went airborne…

He then hustled over to the cast side of the production, where he served as a stunt accident victim, being boarded in and out of ambulances and helicopters…

All in a day’s work for a young producer-in-training…

The Thinker

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Several years ago, we produced 15 episodes of a discussion-based television show on PAX-TV entitled Sunday With Simon.  The experience was memorable because the show included culturally-engaged guests such as Bill Bennett, Chuck Colson, Phil Vischer, Micheal Medved and others.  One of the real benefits of doing the show was the opportunity to work with the show’s associate producer, Os Guinness, who helped shape questions and content direction for each episode.  Os, the highly acclaimed author, speaker, and think-tanker, always brought a laser-sharp assessment of what were the most pertinent issues to address with each guest.  We came across this quote of his the other day, and were happily reminded of what a privilege it was to walk alongside Os for that season:

“In an era that prizes tolerance, affirms diversity, and bends over backwards not to appear judgmental, serious claims to truth sound much like an obscenity - often prompting embarrassed looks, rising blood pressures, and even open hostility. Clearly a claim to truth marks one off as culturally gauche, politically most incorrect, or on the side of the fanatics and bomb throwers. The Christian faith, however, unashamedly claims to be objectively true - not relatively, not subjectively, not pragmatically, but objectively true.”     

                                                                               - Os Guinness

The Bigs

Monday, August 23, 2010

We blogged earlier this summer about part of the upside of a demanding travel schedule this year being the opportunity to savor a few picturesque minor league baseball parks around the country, such as this one in Asheville, North Carolina…

A few weeks ago, on the other side of the country, we finished setting up at the Phoenix Convention Center…

We then walked a couple of blocks to the other end of the baseball continuum.  On a 112 degree Arizona day, we watched the Diamondbacks battle the Giants - in an enclosed, air-conditioned stadium… a dome.

All things considered, we still give the nod to a relaxed evening in the cool air of the Blue Ridge Mountains…

V.A.L.S.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Here’s an excerpt from yesterday’s inbox, commenting on the Venture Academy Lecture Series:

My husband is really enjoying the Venture Training Videos . . .  such wonderful information as we work to try to transition someday to him working on his own.

Thank you for such wonderful videos that continue to inspire us and point us to our Savior.

                                              — Kristi G.

The Hunt Is On

Friday, August 20, 2010

It’s coming in September - The Family Heritage of Hunting.  Here’s the new trailer:

Check back for more updates soon.

Comments?  Send them here.

 

And Then There Were 11

Friday, August 20, 2010

Today kicks off pre-order specials for The Art of Crafting, the eleventh DVD in the Homestead Blessings Series.

Homestead Blessings - The Art of Crafting - Trailer from Franklin Springs on Vimeo.