First Look
As I'm sure I've mentioned before, one of the main thrusts of the company I work for is to produce helpful, quality resources for groups and agencies, such as religious organizations, and to tell good stories. In as many years, we've put out three dramatic productions which we have written, directed, produced, etc. , two of which have garnered awards - we're waiting to find out if the most recent will be so honored.
It's that time of year again when we begin the brainstorming phase of preproduction and we sit down to develop the story. After narrowing down the overall theme - spiritual giftedness - with the annual conference resource ministries team, it is our task to come up with the plot and script. Today my dad(boss) and I spent the latter part of the afternoon hammering out many of the subtleties of our main character and his journey through the plot. Though I won't spoil it by talking about it too much here - you'll have to get your own copy HERE when it becomes available next June - I think we made a lot of really good progress. There are still a few scenes that need to be added to help the story flow and most of the dialogue needs to be articulated but I'm excited about where it's headed.
I think what makes me excited is the fact that I'm excited. Lately, I've been in a bit of a rut - I still am - and haven't really been too excited about anything and this is a welcome change of pace. In previous years as we've worked on these projects I've felt a little more like an outside observer, offering input here and there as it was asked for, during the writing phase. This time around, however, it's been refreshingly different. Today was the real beginning of the project and I was in there from the start as we came up with who the character would be and how his gift would be allowed to shine. (I actually chose what his gift would be, which thrust us into the quite active development of the plot.) We got into a lot of the psychology behind the man and, I think, have really begun to weave it all together quite well. I'm glad to be taking a more substantial role.
It's going to be a drama, but we're going to add some humor to it too. It's a very personal story and deals with some delicate issues, particularly in the character's background, so there is some weight to it. But we're going to try to lighten it up with spots of humor here and there.
I know it's me talking here, and I may not have the most objective view on it, but every year we feel like we're getting better and better with the dramas we put out and even though we're in such an early stage, I already feel that this one has the potential for being even that much more powerful that last year's.
