Nena, the Sequel!

Nena 2 is now in production. However, time is passing by fairly quickly and in a season where things are getting tougher for the producer.

When I first began to plan for Nena 2 and 3, I was ignorant of the fact of how much work was needed to be put on these newer productions. They have a bigger cast and have a very tight budget. My friend/boss, Bruce Ostrout, once again, has kindly given us his equipment to use for the filming.

Making this short film is like working a full time job. The only difference is that I am not getting paid. With rehearsals, location scouting, adjusting the schedules, and storyboarding, I can easily spend 40 hrs a weeks on the project.

A few things happened that made it seemed like production was never going to happen. For once, some know that my grandmother passed away on the week that we were supposed to start the shoot. Then, two days prior to filming the first scene of Nena, my aunt got involved in a car accident. Not to mention, I got attacked by killer ants while scouting for the place we went to film this past Saturday. All these incidents led me to believe that somehow Satan, doesn't want us to film this show. Hum...I wonder why??? (rolling eyes)

If anyone is reading this who is a trusting believer of Jesus Christ, please pray for us, the cast, the crew, and anyone who has been volunteering to help out with the production. We certainly covet your prayers and need them. Pray that we will continue to TRUST Jesus and what he is doing through this production. :)

Filmmakers, animators??

In an interview with Steven Spielberg, he mentioned that filmmakers should be animators. This is why...watch the video

Vinegar Hill, a Film Production With a Mission

This is a production company I would love Kairo Films to emulate and hopefully work with in the near future. Read their story and how they got started.

http://www.vinegarhillpictures.com/profile.html

Then, take a minute to watch their video work. It is AMAZING. This was the company that produced the short film for NEXT, a Christian conference for young adults.

Nena, the short film

Now, you can see Nena on the Nena Blog. :)

Run For Their Lives - September 5th - 2009

Visit RunForTheirLives.Org to register for the race.

Brilliant Music Composition from a 6th Sense

Music composer, James Newton Howard of the Sixth Sense, thought it well when ask by M. Night Shyamalan to create music that would feel to the audience that there is someone there with the actors but you just can't see them. With Nena, for example, I would like to create a feel that James, a man after God's own heart, is not alone. I hope, as a film director, to bring the presense of God into the film so that the audience can experience someone else being there with James. Obviously, not in a creepy sense.

Any suggestions, let me know.

Here is a video interview with Mr. Howard and Mr. Shyamalan talking about exactly what I mentioned above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CH_4OID07o&feature=related

All of this music composition made me think about Psalm: 104:33-34 "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him for I rejoice in the Lord."

The Nena Rehearsal Video

Watch me as I rehearsed for my role as James in Nena. I had this idea to call the short, Finding Nena. But, it sounded too much like "Finding Nemo". Didn't want them confused.

I personally think my rehearsal went so much better. See if maybe you agree with me.

http://vimeo.com/2367735

The Nena Expectations

Nena can be depicted as a story about God working in the lives of His people to display His example of what a Christian follower should be. But, really, James has a lot of issues to deal with, and plenty of faults to correct as he is moment by moment sanctified more into the image of the Perfect Redeemer, Christ. Nena is simply the link that gets people to watch the short because she really is a cute dog.

For those who thought that Nena was like this 21st century version of Lassie...well...she isn't. She can't bark a language James can understand when a little boy is stuck inside a well somewhere. Or a type of dog who rescues men from burning buildings. She can barely lift up her own chew toy. Nena is simply a dog God gave James dominion over to teach him patience and all the other fruits of the spirit.

I hope you really enjoy this blog and the Nena short film series. I will do my best to keep these short films Christ-centered, entertaining, but convicting, by God's Grace.

What I Think is the Lord's Direction for Nena

As I thought about the story for the first film, the Lord spoke to me. "I can make these lifeless rocks worship me and do my will."

Sooo, why can't He use a silly, tiny chihuahua? Because He prefers his chosen children to do it.

That is where I come in.

Why not use the concept for Nena to develop a series of short stories about the life of a young person and his influence of God to others, ultimately leading to God doing all the work and people recognizing Him for doing so.

The Concept of Nena

The concept for NENA began one day in my porch. I was having breakfast and doing a devotion. My dog, Baby, aka Nena, was laying next to me. Motion between tree branches was heard out of nowhere. Baby sees a squirrel jumping from one side of the wooden fence, that divides my property from the city's ditch, to my neighbor's fence. My chihuahua turned into the Incredible Hulk-pooch. Her hair on her neck began to raise, and her snout enlarged as she tried to scare the living daylights out of the squirrel. That dog has a constant heart issue with every squirrel she sees. What is up with that?

My dyslexic brain began to envision a Rambo-type version of Baby climbing up the fence with her army-colored bandanna around her puny head, and a gun belt crossing over her right dog shoulder down to her left side. She is diligently trying to attack the squirrel. But, the squirrel wont budge. The fight scene was somewhat like anything we can think of seeing in the most recent years of action thrillers...Matrix moves, Spider-Man swinging, etc...

Then...the godly man in me got back to the basics. I said to myself, "This dog needs to repent!"

As if...

I put on my pious, double-oh Paul personality and begin to apply a Christian theme to this entire daydream about my dog and her nemesis, The Quarreling Squirrel of DOOM. My dog could have learned a valuable lesson, that is to make peace with her enemy, like Jesus did when He came to save his unruly flock who were once his enemies. (See where I am going with this???)Suddenly, my dog becomes this good, K-9 Samaritan, that frolics into the house and brings out a biscuit to share with Squirrel.

There.

The moral of the story was "Go the extra mile for your enemy. If he is hungry, feed him...or it..." whatever.

Welcome and Meet Nena

The short series, NENA (Click on "Nena" to watch the video), is the story of a young man, James Sanchez, and his trembling Chihuahua, Nena. Although the series has Nena in the title, it is really about her stubborn and courageous owner, James, and his walk with the God of Creation and in Jesus Christ.