NEW MONSTER COMPUTER

This is the monster editing machine that we built for editing the STC Reality Show.
Thanks to your help and donations we are able to edit in true HD in real time, and have immediate access to all footage! As the logging and editing continues, please pray that we would have the energy and stamina to keep going- reality series are not a short video or a ministry report, we have 1000 times more footage than usual!

Editing Begins!!!

So- we are back and ready to roll! Many of you have been getting our email updates already. Shoot us back at ben@currentpictures.org if you are not getting them and want to get them. We are back from Europe and are excited to start editing our HD series on Serving the City! Thank you so much for your prayers and support- it has meant a world of difference to us!

God has done amazing things on this trip, and has shown us how much we need Him in any endeavor. We spent almost a month since we have been back praying and deciding how to go about incorporating serving in our every day life. This trip was a life-changing experience for us. As we meet on Sundays with twenty-somethings Current community, we are praying about making a difference here and now, in a community around us.

Do you have any cool stories of service? Of people you met in Brussels or here in the US? How did it affect you? What did you do? We want to hear what you think and what you are learning! Let us know!

85 DAYS AND COUNTING!!

We're down to 85 days before the team leaves for Europe to film Serve the City: The Reality Series.

We're in the process of raising the remaining $35K needed to complete the first season. We'll be holding several events in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out!

We're getting our crew finalized, and need continued prayers for that. And we continue to have new networks, both international and domestic, who are interewsted in airing our programs once we shoot them.

85 and Counting!!!!

European Reality TV- God, anyone?

Did you know who brought reality TV genre to the US? Mark Burnett- the creator of Survivor, Apprentice, Are you Smarter Than a 5th grader, and On the Lot.

Interesting, I thought.

As we are getting ready to shoot Serve the City reality series in Europe, and since the creator of the genre is British, I decided to see if there are any channels in Europe that broadcast only reality TV and sure enough- I found Zone Reality- http://www.realitytv.co.uk/shows.php?char=d
This channel is dedicated solely to the reality TV genre and is based in UK- home of reality TV.

I decided to create a small experiment- in the search window I typed in- "faith"- and my search produced no characters. Thinking that "faith" was too broad of a term, I typed "God," and still none of the reality shows contained that word. Then the term "Christianity" came to mind- again, nothing. My last effort was typing in 'spirituality" and guess what- no results.

Personally, I think it to be sad that the channel that has reality shows coming out of its ears, so to speak, does not have a single show that touches the subject of spirituality, a subject that so many people wonder about and are passionate about, even if they hate it with passion.

I would like to change that, and bring the subject of spirituality back to European screens- after all, what else is more REAL than the one who made this world?

DC Indie Film Festival impressions and thoughts

This past Monday March 5th we were in DC; participating in the DC Indie Film Festival with our documentary on spirituality of twenty-somethings, Case for X. It was awesome to get into the festival that received 2400 submissions and only accepted 139- a totally God-thing the way I see it!

First of all, when we came in and met the director of the festival, she greeted us in a very excited way- "OH, YOU are the CASE for X!".
Then she turned to her team and said, "They are the ones who made this.. this.. SPIRITUAL FILM!" (I personally kind of like this description) Then she proceeded to tell us that atheists usually send films, and oh, don't forget the abandance of porno films, but never did they get a spiritual film like this before. So, Case for X brought them luck and helped them to erase the impressions from the bad porno submissions (Happy to hear that even though I was never greeted in this way before :)) So, they created a category to include our film and named it Looking for Answers. Our film screened first , followed by a documentary on the power of art an drawing; a short film on death and childhood, a documentary on living in the desert; a couple of shorts; and yet another documentary on the outer-space.
Our team concluded that the answers are not in outer-space so do not even bother looking.

The response and questions we got after the screening were very positive, mainly from the people of various faiths or no faiths at all (the place was not swirming with Christians as you can imagine).

Director of Jewish spiritual life from one of the local universities said he saw the description of the film and came because of it. He wanted to know why we chose Christianity to cover this topic of spirituality of two generations and appreciated our honesty when we told him why- (I had to admit my bias and the fact that my true alliance is with Christ- cover blown! :) oh well)

Another filmmaker from TX told us we are doing the most important thing we could be in our lives, and that he felt inspired by us.

WE also had the opportunity to share with the audience and the festival stuff about our next project, SERVE the CITY HD reality series and received a positive response from the crowd.

Overall, the festival environment was interesting and different. Keither Southerland is premering a feature film he is staring in this Sunday as a conclusion for the festival. So we figured, if Jack is on our side, what else do we need?

Seriously, please stay tuned to more updates from Current Pictures! Less than 100 days left till our departure to Brussels

P.S.
hey team before you and I forgot all the cool things that happened this week- and what God did, read this and reply! Add your impressions of the festival in the comments section :)

100 DAY COUNTDOWN

We're bumping into hight gear. We've got out reality show planned for the summer, and will be leaving the U.S. in approximately 100 days! We'll be filming in Brussels, Russia, and a third country, either Ireland or Portugal. We're at 50% of needed funds to make the reality show happen, so the blitz begins.

Please be praying with us, as we seek God to do amazing things to make this happen.

We'll keep you updated!!

Stand on My Shoulders

I’m a 60-something woman from a traditional Christian background. So why am I supporting a cutting-edge ministry to 20-somethings? I desire to communicate with them, but I do so with difficulty. Culturally, socially and even spiritually, we speak with different accents, if not different languages.
To answer the question of my conviction of the need for Current Pictures, I have to go back to the beginning of my Christian pilgrimage. My parents, my Sunday school teachers and some wonderful leaders in my town opened their lives to me. They were examples. They challenged me. They expressed their belief that I could achieve anything God led me to do. They opened doors of opportunity.
In my 31-year career with a Christian publisher I again was mentored, challenged, picked up when I failed and provided opportunities to use my gifts in ways I would never have dreamed possible. As I moved from a young professional to a middle-aged one and older, I came to understand and appreciate the reality that the work I was doing was made possible by generations who had gone before. I literally stood on their shoulders, an inheritor of their rich legacy.
Now it is my turn to look to those younger than I who have a vision from God to reach out to their generation. Many, if not most, of that age group do not come from a faith background. Some have been scarred by encounters with churches and Christians. They have the same need for hope and good news that I did. They have incredible gifts and skills. Many are volunteering their services to make Current Pictures the success I believe God wants it to be.
And so I now gladly say, “Stand on my shoulders.” The lessons of the past, the realities of the present and the promise of the future can be our resources to join God where He is working with a generation that can change the world.
If you are a supporter of Current Pictures, please tell us on this blog why you are doing so. If you would like more information about Current Pictures, visit www.currentpictures.org. Also, please share your views on reaching out to 20-somethings.
--Linda Still