Update Time!

Don't let the exclamation fool you, this is mostly going to be a "still nothing to report" kind of post on most fronts.

I've been asked to address a few issues and I realize that I have neglected my updating duties over the last week or so. So here goes.

My screenplay was not chosen for production. I was pretty disappointed and I still want to get some feedback on it, but I can't really complain. There were some very strong screenplays chosen and this was just my first try. I was assigned to sound editing for my specialty on the upcoming production of the scripts they chose. The script I am on is called "Two Hours", a cute little british-style comedy about an accountant forced to watch his boss's young son for two hours.

I still have nothing to report on my internship. My first place I applied ended up not needing an intern. So my resume has been sent out to several places late last week and I am waiting to hear if anything comes from those. I am praying for God to put me where he wants me and I am praying for patience if this is going to be a long process. I'm also praying that it won't be :)

For those who are wondering, the John Williams concert was awesome by the way. He conducted an extensive encore that featured some major staples of Star Wars music and the theme from E.T., which was the highlight. But it was an all around very memorable experience and it turned out to be everything I had built it up to be in my mind.

If anyone is wondering about pictures, particularly from me and Andrew's trip out here, I have many on my phone. Unfortunately I don't have a cord yet to transfer those pictures to my computer for posting. I hope to have an extensive recap of our exciting 4 day adventure soon, complete with pictures and maybe some pictures, but it will have to wait until I can get to a store (hopefully Monday or Tuesday).

I think that will do it for this entry. I will try to keep up to date on facts and happenings more regularly so I can have more space for musings and thoughts in the future. Look for pictures coming early this week.

Nothing Terribly Exciting

Not a lot to report right now but thought I'd post up. The screenwriters group (which I'm a part of) has a fairly open schedule right now so it's been a slow week on our end. I turned in a 8 page screenplay today for consideration for my Hollywood Production Workshop class. Everyone in the program turns one in (about 50) and they choose 5 of them to make into short films. Then we spend the rest of the semester working on them in teams of 10. I am happy to have it turned in and I'm satisfied with my story. I kind of have my heart set on this so I'll be disappointed if they don't pick mine. We find out who made it next week so update coming then.

Other than that, the wildfires are no where near my part of town in case anyone is wondering. You can see them sometimes, and the smoke makes for some mean have sometimes, but we're safe for now. The big concern is there are some big fires right now and fire season isn't supposed to reach it's peak until October. Yikes.

We're going to the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday as a big class outing. John Williams is conducting the LA Philharmonic. They're crappy seats but it should be still be pretty cool just being there. Throw in John Williams conducting his own music and I'm pretty excited.

Anyways, feel free to send any questions you would like addressed in my blog. I'm kind of free forming it right now.

Til next time!

1 Week

Wow this has been a crazy week. Until a few days ago I didn't have regular access to the internet so I apologize for the delay. I don't have a ton to say even now.

I've been here a week and it has been quite a whirlwind. Class started on Monday, but we've mostly been doing orientation class stuff, not so much real class work. That's not to say we haven't had assignments, and I am even now working on my script for an 8 minute short film. If my script is chosen it will be produced by one of the teams in Hollywood Production Workshop. I'll keep you up to date on that, I really think I have a shot at being picked for that.

Other than school it's been a pretty eventful week. I got to attend an Angels game on Tuesday with a friend from Minnesota who also just moved out here. It was a bit of a drive from this side of town and the Angels lost but it was still a blast. The Angels have some of the game's best fans and the stadium is beautiful so it's always a good time regardless of the outcome. I also got a free Angels cup that lights up because some drunk guy left it behind :)

I also got to meet Michel Gondry (director of Eternal Sunshine..., and Science of Sleep) on Wednesday at a big signing thing he was at not far from La Brea. It was cool, even though I didn't get to talk to him at all. Eternal Sunshine is my favorite movie ever so it was really awesome to have him sign it for me.

On Thursday I got to meet actor Doug Jones (Hellboy I and II, Pan's Labyrinth, Fantastic 4 - Silver Surfer) when he came to speak to our LAFSC group. He stayed and talked, very casually, for about 4 hours. He does a lot of creature acting (his first role was Mac Tonight in a series of McDonalds commercials between 1986 and 1997) so he talked a lot about acting with crazy makeup and prosthetics on. He is in with driector Guillermo Del Toro and is expected to have major roles in Guillermo's "Hobbit" films. He was a lot of fun and very entertaining to talk to.

Today we went on a tour of the Kodak Theater, where they host the Oscars. Ironically, no pictures are allowed there...

Things are going reasonably well so far, though 3 girls have had things stolen already (cell phone, clothes from a washer and a wallet). It's kept things interesting. They were all avoidable things and serve as nice object lessons for the rest of us. We're all treading a little more cautiously now.

The weather has been gorgeous, though hotter the last few days. There's also some wild fires all over California right now which keep it interesting. Some are visible from where we are, though they are much too far away to be dangerous. It's pretty commonplace here, but still new enough for me to be interested.

Anyways, I should probably get back to my "homework". The professors (if that's what they're called here) have advised us to brush up on movies in general, but especially the classics off the AFI top 100 list (apparently movers and shakers like it when young'uns know about the movies they grew up with). Now I have to watch at least a movie every day or I will fall behind. Work, work, work...

More later, stay tuned.

Luke's Pick: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

As previously mentioned, this is my all time favorite movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. After a bad fight, Clementine decides to undergo a procedure to erase her boyfriend from her mind completely. Devastated after he finds out what she has done, her boyfriend Joel decides to erase her back. But he gets more than he bargained for when the erasing process begins to remind him of the good times they shared. Unable to wake up he must try to find a way to stop the procedure the only way he can; inside his mind. It makes for some trippy stuff but it's a beautiful story.

Here and Waiting

Andrew and I have arrived in the City of Angels. After 3 harrowing days of intense travel, we arrived safely on Thursday afternoon. Kevin, our gracious host, showed us around the city for a while and took us to In-n-Out Burger for dinner.

Today will be our fun day. We hope to see a few more sights and hopefully eat a bunch more food. I'll write more tomorrow after I've officially checked in, moved in and started orientation.

Last Day

This is officially the beginning of my last day at home for (probably) the next 4 months. I would like to start out with a reminder to all of you to pray for me and my brother as we drive to LA Tuesday-Thursday. Safe driving and blessings on our time together would be appreciated.

So this is it. It's really starting to sink in now that I've started packing. First off, that I have way too much stuff. But mostly just the reality of moving so far away from home. I have said my good byes to my friends and most of my family. I missed some but you can't win them all I guess. It's gotten me thinking about what I hope to achieve in all this and I think I have an idea.

Over the last several years I have become increasingly disillusioned with pop Christian culture, particularly the media aspect. Movies and music alike have a narrow vision, often preach to the choir and are often times of sub par quality. Movies like Fireproof may have a positive message for those that need Christ's love but how many non-Christians would go see it? What non-Christian will buy a Casting Crowns album (especially if their Christian friends are pirating the album anyways, but that's another topic)?

When I applied to LAFSC, there was an essay question that said "What is a Christian's role in Hollywood?" I replied that Christians should be leading the way. Christian films should be the best films out there. Ones that make you think and ask questions. Oscar nominated stuff. Instead we produce low quality stuff that people don't really want to see, besides the occasional church visitor that happened to be there the day the pastor told his congregation to go see it.

I was recently turned on to a former NBC show called "Kings". It was unfortunately axed after just 12 episodes this spring, but this is a truly remarkable show. For those that have not heard about it, or maybe were misinformed about it (the ads were poorly done), I will sum it up for you. The show is literally the story of David and King Saul, but set in modern times. There is a little bit of artistic license for the sake of good television but it is surprisingly accurate to the real Biblical narrative. It has an incredible cast with some top notch writing but there is also extensive talk of God and he carries a very real presence in the show (protecting David, among other things).

After watching this show I had an overwhelming desire to read the Biblical story and see how it compared, what other subtleties I had missed out on. I hope to someday have a Bible study group look at the show as I think it can promote good discussion. Now I can't say for sure that this was the creator of the show's intention, but if it was he succeeded.

This is the kind of stuff I want to make. Stuff that can be present in the mainstream media, acclaimed by critics and make people think important thoughts. Stuff that can make people do active things like go to church or pick up a Bible. The United States, contrary to popular belief, is hungry spiritually. I think the "Passion" movie proved that without a doubt. People that had never set foot in a church were suddenly thrust into the very heart of the story of Christ.

I don't know what God has in store for me in California (though as I've said before, I know he has something for me or he wouldn't be calling me there). But I pray it is having a hand in revolutionizing what I see as a flawed industry. This is what I have a heart for. This is what I want to do.

This will be my final entry from my house in Shoreview. Once I get to California you can all expect more frequent (though perhaps shorter) updates so make sure you check back often. Ciao!

Luke's Pick:
I have decided to include this section with some of my updates, starting with this one. For those that have trouble finding movies or television shows to watch, I will be using this section to make some suggestions that I think anyone who reads this will enjoy. This week, since it ties in so well with my entry, I am suggesting the tv series "Kings". Check it out on Hulu.com/kings, or on DVD September 29th.

2 Weeks

I am writing this as my two week warning. I will be leaving with my brother for LA in about two short weeks from today on August 18th. Andrew, for those that don't know, will be accompanying me on the 3 day drive before flying straight to Wheaton after I have checked in at the school.

My mind is flooded with a variety of emotions and thoughts. Nervousness is obviously one of them. Nervousness is a natural part of any move, or even the smallest change for that matter. New experiences, new people and a new town in a totally different part of the country certainly qualifies. Oh and I'm also going to be about 2,000 miles away from my family and friends here in Minnesota. For those bad at math (or geography), that's a long ways. So it would be understandable if I were freaking out right now, right?

The weird thing is, I'm not as nervous about it as you might think. There is some trepidation about meeting new people, and some nervousness of getting lost in a big new city, but that's about all. But I've done the whole new people thing before, and I got a head start on learning LA roads this spring, so even that isn't too bad.

Mostly I think I'm just excited. I think this is the 2nd natural emotion that springs out of a change in circumstance. It's almost always attached and in equal measure with nervousness. For every thing that could go wrong, there is also the feeling of what might be. This is hopefully the beginning of a totally new life for me and I can't wait to see what God has for me to do out there, and who He has for me to meet.

The thing I didn't really expect, or maybe just didn't remember, is the seesawing I have been experiencing over the last month or so. I will swing rapidly and quite unexpectedly between overwhelming excitement to finally leave for Los Angeles, and a general apprehension about leaving the state that I love so much. While this is mostly unpleasant, I did have what I consider to be a breakthrough recently.

A few nights ago I was walking out to my car when I was hit with a very calm, general sense that I should be in Los Angeles. And not future tense like I should go there, but that I should be there now. As in that minute. It wasn't nervous or excited, just a sense of belonging and safety. I just needed to be there. It's a feeling I have experienced before, and in the past I have come to diagnose it as common homesickness.

Whatever I am headed to in Los Angeles, continue to pray for me as I go through this major transition in my life. As slow as things are right now, they will be going 110 mph in just 2 short weeks.

So What is LAFSC?

I already told the story of how I ended up there but what is this LA Film Studies Center and what does it have to offer? What am I going to be doing while I'm there? I would like to take this opportunity to address those questions and more. So without further ado, let's take a look at what life is going to look like in LA.

The LAFSC is a CCCU run extension program. Founded in 1991, the program was originally located near Universal Studios. It has since relocated to West Hollywood on the "Miracle Mile" (the exact address is 5455 Wilshire Blvd for those interested).

They run a semester long program that focuses primarily on writing, producing and directing. It is a 16 credit course consisting of; a 6 credit internship in the industry (that equates to 20-24 hours a week), a 3 credit lecture class called Theology in Hollywood, a 4 credit Hollywood Production Workshop course (where we make a short film) and a 3 credit elective which is one of either Professional Screenwriting or Motion Picture Production (I will be doing screenwriting).


For housing the program sets us up in fully furnished apartments in the Park La Brea apartment complex a few blocks away. We are housed 4-5 in a 2 bedroom apartment. You can see a picture of the layout to the left. The apartment is 1,112 sq. ft.

The LAFSC facility takes up approximately half of the 16th floor in the 5455 building. They have a small soundstage, editing lab, audio lab, foley stage and lecture room. The editing lab, as well as a student lounge area (equipped with Blu Ray and high def tv) stocked with about 1,500 movies. The facility is modest in size but really packs a punch with what it delivers.

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I truly do feel God's call to come to this program. But there are other practical appeals to this as well. For one, the LAFSC boasts a very impressive resume of graduate accomplishments. These range from Arrested Development to The Exorcism of Emily Rose. The LAFSC helps prepare people to actually work in the industry and they have the track record to back it up.

Another thing that attracted me to this program was their dedication to story telling. Throughout my initial visit I became aware of a growing disconnect between film schools and the stories that films are supposed to be about. Schools like USC will teach aspiring film makers to make pretty movies but they forget to teach their students that the importance of creative story telling. Writing creative original stories is an emphasis of the writing tract and immediately caught my eye.

Of course the biggest bonus of this program for me is the Christ centered environment I will be entering. All the students in the program come from Christian colleges around the country. I am more excited for my Theology in Hollywood class than I have been for any lecture class in my life. I have visited a church that I really liked the two times I was there this spring and I hope I can make a few trips there during the semester (it's 30+ minutes away from the school). There are also several good churches nearby so I will be checking those out some too.

The bottom line in all this is I will be spending the semester with fun, exciting people that share my dreams. I will be able to hone my craft with fellow Christians from around the country (and a few from beyond). I will have the opportunity to intern within the industry and make connections that will help me down the road in my career. Oh, and I'll get to live in an awesome apartment!


You can find their website here if you have any more questions.