“It started with a bandit and was chased through the governor’s office and eventually found its way to the Forestry Department…” the story began as I addressed my audience in an April screening. They came to see my lecture at Brainstorm, a research event hosted by the university, in which I screened Consumed and Consecrated. I spoke to them about some little known behind-the-scenes info from Consecrated. The first day of shooting, I arrived with a truck full of film equipment. I had lighting, camera equipment, sound equipment, scripts- the whole production in my little yellow truck. (One morning before shooting, an extra told me that I had a mobile movie studio.) I was unloading my gear and saw this cute dog running around. He ran into the garage and felt very comfortable there. As I opened the front door, this dog ran in ahead of me. “Who is this?,” Mandy offered as she began to love on the dog. I put down my first load of equipment. “I don’t know. Who is this?” I returned. We looked at each other puzzled, as neither one knew of his secret identity. They later adopted him and named him Bandit. The first part of my story.
During filming, we had a scene that involved fire. The original shoot had terrible lighting issues and needed to be reshot. Unfortunately, Bryan and the surrounding counties were all under a burn ban. So I did what I knew to do- I called the governor’s office. After speaking with a nice young lady there, she directed me to the forestry department where I was told how to fill out a “hardship form.” As it happened, the weekend I faxed in my form requesting permission to burn, the ban was lifted. We shot the next day. This made for the last part of my fun story.
As I told of this latter story, I noticed the expression on one audience member’s face. Really? You really went to that trouble? Who do you think you are? Those were some of the messages I decoded from it. I don’t think she was particularly negative toward me, just perhaps came unexpected as to how serious about my work and calling.
This wasn’t the first time I received such a “vibe” from someone. There were other times where people thought I was making myself bigger than I actually was and taking things more seriously than needed at a particular stage. I honestly have a simple thought when approaching someone or an organization about their assistance in a production: The worst thing they can do is say no. And I’ve stood by that and been amazed about what God could do just because I wasn’t afraid to step out.
For no more than I had to shoot, I could have snuck on Portman Lane and shot the scene with the fire and no one would have known. But this is real. And if something happened and my face was to show up on the cover of a newspaper for something negative, it would be considered real.
Plus, if you don’t take it seriously, who else would? If you don’t express the passion and the excitement, who else would? The Fort Worth Star-Telegram ran an article this week interviewing Joseph Gordon-Levitt on his recent directorial debut, Don Jon. He said “When I started trying to work again after having quit, I realized that I had to take responsibility for my own creativity,” he explains. “I couldn’t wait around for someone else to hire me and tell me that I could make things. … Then it grew from there…” If you don’t have the vision, who will?
I am learning to be humble and not to boast in what I’ve done, so I want to be sure to end it like this. God loves you and He has so much planned for you. Please take it seriously. Sweet dreams.
Tyler Slawson 