It's a New Website!
Due to the fact that I've been working on some mega cool projects to promote YWAM ministries, I wasn't able to develop this TV program as much as I had hoped.
I was able to create a small 'studio' on the YWAM Saint Marc upper property. Throughout the months I've used that studio to interview and share christian messages and news. People still love it! Meanwhile, I've been compiling teaching subjects and papers to equip Haitians for filmmaking. I've also been building odds and ends of equipment. A few months ago, I produced a music video called Misye Ale which has proven my position as a professional filmmaker in Haiti. The next step, which I was setting up for, was going to be a 4-phase plan to create a seven man professional filmmaking team. This is where I stop. If I started this 4 phase plan, I wouldn't be able to drop it off to join the Day of War film. So I'm going to leave it there. You guys will get to see the video for it and hear in detail what the plan is when I get back!
In returning to Haiti, I knew I was going to be side-tracked with all the needs for video here, and I sure was. Our base is going to be growing tremendously over the coming years. The new film equipment has been helping put us on the map by showing that we are engaged & professional. It's a joy to see how engaged viewers get with a project once they've seen it, but at the same time I've had to start saying "no" to some. Big projects have eaten away weeks of time as I've had to deal with 10's of GB's on slow computers. I'm thinking of getting a Mac soon!
Recently, I'm working on a DTS promo and it's going to be seriously cool. All I can say is stay tuned!
The Bon Fwi Program
YWAM Haiti
You already know that Bon Fwi is aimed at creating fun & engaging entertainment which disciples the audience through visual storytelling, but what does that look like? Bon Fwi was launched in 2011 as a one-man-band attempt to see what is possible until I could get official training. Now that I have experience, I'm ready to implement the vision. What I see is a small group of passionate local Christian filmmakers influencing their nation with documentaires, short stories, and more produced year after year. An example would be my recent production: Misye Ale. Videos like this one become iconic in their own right, grounding their messages into the Haitian culture and influencing future filmmakers.
I was going to publish with this new site a video sharing the vision for the TV program. I even have the polished script to film. However, now that The Film Institute in Kona, Hawaii is in Production Design for the epic film project Day of War, I am putting it on hold. Why? While I was doing the film school in Kona, I was offered the opportunity for an internship in the film. I could have stayed in Kona to work with the Film Institute, but instead God called me back to Haiti. Now with a solidified vision for the Bon Fwi program, it's a good thing I take this one-time opportunity first. I don't know yet when I will join them, but I do know I can't dive into developing a Haitian ministry only to break away from it for the Day of War film project.
From now until I will be interning with Day of War, I'll be focusing on YWAM projects, including packing up Bon Fwi and allowing YWAM staff to work with a cameraman and editor to create their own content when I am gone. After interning with Day of War and learning tons about film, I'll return to Haiti to unpack Bon Fwi where I left off!
The Future
First of all, welcome to my new website! My Google site wasn't working out, and Wix gives tremendous simplicity & flexibility. So now you can explore these pages to find out more about me. Have you seen the Bon Fwi site yet?
I'd like to take this time for a mid-year summary of what's been done, and how things are going
"Freelancing"
Did you know I filmed 2 weddings this year and next week I'm filming a 3rd? I've also made 3 commercials for a non-profit solar solutions organization called Clean Compassion. I like to call this work 'freelancing' but it's really any work outside of the YWAM bubble. Through it I'm building a strong career foundation, and that opens up areas of influence in filmmaking. If you notice, this website is very career focused!
Learning Spiritually
The biggest lesson I learned this year was one similar to Job. Remember how Job didn't curse God just cause things weren't going right? Well something hit me in a quiet time with God. What if God didn't exist: you were in full control of your life? Would you still walk in discipleship? Seconds went by with that thought. I couldn't digest what I just heard. Walking in God's footsteps should be MY choice, not His COMMAND. It was like the keys to discipleship went from the sky, down into my hands. I began to realize how much I held back because I thought I had to receive permission from God to do anything. He had the keys, and I had to keep borrowing them just to unlock the love in my heart. Now I had the keys, because the truth is the decision is mine. God's existence should not take that from me. A lot of Christians suffer crabbiness cause they sense the obligation to love. I wonder if the same principle works for them? Is there something you're holding back in YOUR life just because you do it cause God exists? Stop doing it then. Just for a while. Put the keys in your hands, and you'll find that love is not a limited supply you must stow away. It grows with each kind act!