Week One Adventures

It's hard to believe that after anticipating my arrival in L.A. for months, I already have a week of work under my belt. And what a week it has been!

On Monday, I learned about the joys of parallel parking in downtown Los Angeles. After I successfully landed my car in the allotted spot, I was faced with an even more daunting task...getting out of the car. I immediately ruled out exiting from the driver's side, because traffic was zooming past me and I knew that the moment my leg left the car it would get sliced off by a SoCal motorcyclist. I didn't have a skylight, so that method of escape was not an option. The passenger's side door seemed like the best way to go. Unfortunately, it barely opened a foot thanks to a curb that could have protected a small fortress. As I squeezed my way out of the car every lever, bolt, and wire in my Buick's door dug into my first-day-of-work outfit. What's this, a car grease stain on my shirt? I'd better make sure my backside is presentable. To all the people who walked passed me at that moment, no, I do not regularly check out my butt in the reflection of my window. Just trying to make a good impression on the first day of my internship. 

The eventful start to my morning turned into a wonderful day working with my producer, Justin. He is currently marketing a Paramount film, Captive, and he needed me to go through interviews and pull sound bites for a promotional TV documentary. I waded through a lot of material to find some solid clips, and most of them made it into the final documentary! 

Tuesday was a ball. Oops Doughnuts Productions lives up to its whimsical name, because the moment I walked into the office I was greeted with posters, movie props, and toys from wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling. And the view isn't too bad, either (check out my Facebook cover photo). My favorite part of the day was taking a field trip to Hollywood Center Studios, where we got to watch a rehearsal for the Disney Channel show, Liv and Maddie. During the run through, the producers and writers took notes about jokes that got laughs and which ones they needed to rework a bit. I am definitely going to go on a Liv and Maddie Netflix binge so I can appreciate the experience even more next time! 

After the trip to the set, the Oops Doughnuts staff went to a meeting with the director and put me in charge of the desk. When guests came in, I offered them water and made sure they were comfortable. Then the phone rang, and about twelve lights on the phone started blinking. I momentarily panicked because I did not have any experience with phones in a big office. After I gained my composure, I decided the pick up the phone. "Oops Doughnuts!" It was an executive from Disney. "I'm sorry, so-and-so is in a meeting right now, but may I take a message?" I have never been more nervous in my life, but I felt so proud of myself when I hung up the phone. 

Time to say goodbye, because I am going with the other Taylor students to a screening at the Hollywood Bowl tonight. We need to get there early so we can find a place to park. (And then check out our derrières in the reflection of the car, of course.)

One of my jobs yesterday at Oops Doughnuts was organizing their colossal library of DVDs! 

Keith in Hollywood

My first trip to Hollywood in 2006. I thought the people at Warner Bros. would like me
more if I wore my Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shirt.

A spirit of entertainment has been bottled up inside me for as long as I've been alive, so when I visited Hollywood for the first time in 2006, I was in utopia. On a Warner Bros. Studios tour, I saw the alley where Spiderman kissed Mary Jane upside down, a backlot where Eddie Murphy's Norbit (a truly atrocious movie, I've heard) was then being filmed, and the gravel road where the Jurassic Park Jeep was chased by dinosaurs. I asked so many questions our guide couldn't even finish the tour, but I didn't care. I had been bitten by the movie bug, and I knew I would make it back to Hollywood someday.

Now it's 2015, and Hollywood, I'm back baby! And I'm a powerful, suave, cover-of-Variety, electrifyingly exciting *cough* intern *cough*.

In all seriousness, I could not be more excited to be in Los Angeles this semester brushing up against movie magic once again. I am already learning that in the real world, "movie magic" is synonymous with lots of Excel sheets, hair pulling, parking tickets, high blood pressure, and caffeinated beverages. But at least once a day I feel a wave of pure adrenaline pulse through my body and I think, "I'm in Hollywood right now, on track to do what I have always dreamed of doing. Thanks Lord!" The perseverance of those in my field often results in an end product that leaves consumers feeling entertained, inspired, and motivated to live their lives in a better way. This thought makes me delighted to face L.A. traffic in the morning. 

I now have two internships that are helping me move towards my goal of becoming a film producer. For one of my internships, I am an assistant to a film producer who is currently doing what I would love to do in ten years. The second one is a development internship with Andy Fickman's production company, Oops Doughnuts. Andy directed comedies such as The Game Plan, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, and my personal favorite, Parental Guidance. I won't go into a lot of detail about the internships in order to protect the privacy of the companies, but I look forward to blogging more about where my own LA journey takes me! 

And...cut. Check the gate. 

Senior Night Remarks

How can you sum up in four minutes a friendship that has lasted four years?

When I was a senior in high school, I determined I was going to find the right college for me no matter how long it took. I turned to page one of U.S. News and World Reports and started making my list based off things like religious affiliation, geographic placement, and (let’s be honest, guys) male-to-female ratio. My dad took a look at the list and said, “These are all great, but there’s one I think you should add. It’s called Taylor University.” I had never heard of Taylor, but I wrote it down because I thought it would be the nice thing to do for my parents. Flash forward to now, and I guess I want to start off by saying, “Thanks, Dad.”

My Taylor University experience is branded by friendship. Class of 2015, we laughed together at every presidential reading of, “Twas the Night Before Finals.” We cried together when we only had ten minutes left of that movie and our P.A. announced, “Open house is over.” We supported each other when we woke up one morning to find no Bob Craton emails in our inboxes. We watched as new buildings were constructed around campus and our landscape changed. Since freshman move-in day until now, we have done life together. 

As I am faced with the fact that my time at Taylor will wrap up in a matter of hours, I bet I’m not the only one in this room who feels like I’m suddenly losing someone very close to me. It’s like when that childhood friend you’ve shared all your secrets and stories with moves away. The thought of going forward without that friend by your side is painful.

I tried to think of a mature, sophisticated analogy to help me articulate these emotions we’re all feeling, but I decided that the best choice is Toy Story 3. I don’t need to give you any background on the characters; we all grew up with Woody and Buzz. At the end of Toy Story 3, Andy has to leave and he can’t take his collection of friends with him. He makes the decision to give his box of toys to a new little girl, Bonnie. What makes the ending to this movie so perfect is that – even though we are filled with sadness for Andy – we’re happy because we can only imagine the adventures Woody and Buzz will have with this new child.

My time at Taylor University has changed the way I view serving others. Service still means the obvious things, like mowing a lawn, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or washing someone’s feet. But tomorrow, an act of service will mean opening my hands and sharing my collection of friends with the world. There are so many hurting people out there who need a friend. Although goodbyes are difficult, it brings me happiness to know that saying goodbye after graduation will mean that someone else in the world gets to say “hello” to a Taylor Trojan who will show him or her the love of Christ.

Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Sometimes, God’s work within us is heartbreaking. It means relocating and adjusting and making new friends. But the end of this verse is a reminder that one day this idea of friendship will be completed as we worship Jesus together forever.

Thank you, Class of 2015, for a great four years. I’m glad we’re friends.

Fifty Shades of SpongeBob

I usually don't voice extremely strong opinions about what's showing at the movies. Thanks to free speech, we can go see whatever we want at the neighborhood cinema (unless North Korea gets involved). Heck, that's why I want to make movies! I want to say what I want on that screen. However, Fifty Shades of Grey being billed as a "romance" on Valentine's Day makes me uncomfortable. In school as a substitute, I hear kids talking about taking their dates to see it on the 14th. Huffington Post writer Carey Purcell voiced my sentiments in her article "Fifty Shades of Feminism" when she said, "I sincerely hope that […] the Christian Grey ideal of romance is not one that will be perpetuated throughout our culture." I can tell you right now that if I took a young lady to the movies I would not want her to think my idea of love went hand-in-hand with abuse, objectification, and pornography.

Are petitions and picket lines going to prevent people from buying a ticket to this movie? This blog post is about how to successfully boycott a film. And not just Fifty Shades of Grey, but any film you don't want to see succeed at the box office. And you might even have a little fun in the process. (No, the answer is not to buy the film from the studio and burn it...a tactic Evangelist Bill Bright tried when The Last Temptation of Christ came out in 1988. Crazy.)

Here is a passage from Andy Crouch's book, Culture Making, where he quotes Barbara Nicolosi: 

"Any publicity is good publicity. Protests not only fuel the box office, they make all Christians look like idiots. And protests and boycotts do nothing to help shape the decisions being made right now about what movies Hollywood will make in the next few years. (Or they convince Hollywood to make more movies that will provoke Christians to protest, which will drive the box office up.) Some suggest we simply ignore the movie. But the problem with this option is that the box office is a ballot box. The only people whose votes are counted are those who buy tickets; if you stay home, you have thrown your vote away, and you do nothing to shape the Hollywood decision making process regarding what movies will make it to the big screen" (p 70). 

So how do you cast your vote against a movie? The answer: go out and see a different movie. The vote that speaks loudest to Hollywood producers is "the power of cold hard cash laid down on a box office window on opening weekend." I promise you that the studio executives will laugh at the online petitions and hit "delete" from their e-mail inbox without reading past the subject line. But they will take dollar signs seriously. 

So this Valentine's Day weekend, consider seeing…

Kingsman: The Secret Service (Action)

The Last Five Years (Romance/Musical)
Selma (Drama)

Paddington (Comedy/Animation)

SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water (Comedy)

Come on, you and I both know SpongeBob is destined to become the Valentine's Day classic of our generation.

The studios think audiences will like to see the sexy faces of Jason Dornan and Dakota Johnson on Valentine's Day. But what the executives want to see are the sexy faces of Washington, Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, Grant, and Franklin. And you can choose to do whatever you want with those faces when you pull them out of your purse or wallet. Choose wisely.

4 Things Every Rising Freshman Should Know

I can't believe I'm going to be a senior. When people say, "Oh my land, how does it feel to be almost done with school?" it is all I can do to keep from covering my ears and screaming as I run away. Just last week my parents were dropping me off at college for the first time and we were all crying.

First of all, I'm not done yet. I am going to enjoy every day that I have left of school! I am even living in a dorm as a senior...because I want to. When else in my lifetime am I going to have the opportunity to live on a floor with 50 other guys? Never. (Unless I go to prison, which is not part of my plans.)

Second, I remember when I was a freshman the rising seniors wrote notes on Facebook or on their blogs giving advice to the little kids at the bottom of the totem pole. Being young and slightly less mature, I thought, "The nerve of those stuck-up seniors! I can do this college thing all on my own without their advice!" Three years later, I stand corrected. I also have four things to say that I wish I could have told myself when I was starting school.

1. Don't be afraid to say "no." College is a place where commitments will pop up left and right. I guarantee that in your first month of school, you will be asked to sign up for clubs, try out for plays, audition for chapel bands, go to social gatherings, and help people you don't even know with their homework. It is so easy to get bogged down and not enjoy your college experience because you have no breathing room. "No" is a word that is hard to say but will ultimately be your ticket to survive and thrive at school. 

2. Don't be afraid to say "yes." In high school, I was in the play Cheaper by the Dozen. The father in the story is an expert in time management and is trying to get his large family to save time. At the end of the play, one of the kids says, "Dad, it's great that we're always saving time...but what are we saving time for in life?" That father says, "For doing what you love!" That always stuck with me. The reason you should say "no" at school is to make sure you have enough time to say "yes" to the things that you love, whether that's playing video games with your roommate, going on pick-a-dates, or getting ready for a world-class Airband act.

3. Post-it Notes are your friends. Worried that you will have trouble staying organized at college? Buy several different neon-colored Post-it Note pads and some fresh Sharpies and go to town. They are fun to stick all over your room, and you will feel great when you use those nice felt tip markers to cross homework off your to-do list. (If anyone from Post-it or Sharpie is reading this blog: I expect my share of profits for the free advertising!)

4. Never judge a professor before you have had him/her in class. I have had several experiences where students have made a professor sound like the Devil incarnate. I go into the class with horrible expectations...but usually, I end up loving that professor. Pretend classes are like movies; don't let anyone (even your best friend) spoil them for you. Sit on the front row with a smile on your face. The professor won't be able to do anything but think you are the best student he/she has ever had!

There you go! I will leave you with a picture of myself as a freshman. Yes, that is a Post-it Note on my head. Good luck and have fun!

Noah: A Flood of Opinions

Noah is a difficult movie to write a review for, because the opinions are going to be different among filmmakers, conservative Christians, and culturally-attentive Christians. Each of these groups will have different conclusions about the movie. Because of this, I have decided to write three mini-reviews so you can see all sides. Truthfully, each of these reactions I felt on some level after watching the movie. Noah is not a movie you can come out of the theatre with definitive ideas about -- and I think that was Darren Aronofsky's intent.

First of all, I must make a note that the violence (and implied violence) pushes the PG-13 rating to its limits. Some of that violence involves women, children, and babies. I would not recommend this movie to anyone who is sensitive to violence. 

From a filmmaker:

Cinematically speaking, I give you permission to go into Noah with extremely high expectations. I guarantee that those expectations will be met and maybe even left behind in the dust. In my opinion, there has not been a Biblical story with this high of production quality since The Passion of the Christ. 

There is one big reason for this. Darren Aronofsky, unlike some filmmakers who tackle Biblical stories, is not afraid to branch out and make artistic choices with the camera. For example, there are a couple of beautiful time-lapse photography sequences that caused my sister and I to look at each other and go, "yes!" He visually creates this pre-flood world from the ground up. Christian filmmakers need to get out their notepads and write this lesson down: "Creativity is a good thing in movies!"

The scriptwriting deserves a shout-out, too. Any story about a handful of people building a boat and then living in that boat for a long period of time will need serious character development in order to succeed. The crazy thing about Noah is that it's not just about Noah. We see the journey of each character as they all struggle with leaving the old world behind and moving on to new beginnings. Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson give us such a beautiful, deep look into their female characters that the movie could just as easily be called, Naameh and Ila. I guess that title doesn't roll off one's tongue like Noah...

I have to end this section with a quote from an esteemed scriptwriter, Jack Lugar. He said (and forgive me if I get this wrong, Jack): "There's a difference between a narrative and a documentary. A narrative is fiction and a documentary is fact." I think we need to apply some of Jack's wisdom to Noah. Yes, it is a movie based on real events, but movie-goers know how to read the language of a movie screen. They know that the movie screen is not a station that dispenses only the facts; if they wanted that, they could just watch the news. The movie screen is a venue where movie-goers can watch art and get new ideas about life. 

From a conservative Christian:

Not surprisingly, some liberties were taken from the original Biblical text of Noah's story. There are times when I felt like the script was borrowing from other Biblical texts, like the experiences of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Aronofsky denied pulling from other cultures' flood stories, such as "The Epic of Gilgamesh," but I found traces of these, too. 

Without going into great details and spoilers, there are two problems Biblically I would like to mention:

1) God is more distant in this movie than he is in the Bible story. For example, in Genesis 6:13, God speaks to Noah (presumably with a voice) and gives him the low-down on why a flood is coming and how to build the ark. In the movie, hearing from God is a more hazy happenstance for Noah. He gathers from a dream that something is amiss and then goes to consult his grandfather Methuselah for further counsel. (Methuselah, played by the wonderful Anthony Hopkins, kind of acts as a stand-in for God in this movie.) God is always referred to as "Creator" and is portrayed as a being "somewhere out there."

2) The character of Noah is different than the Sunday School cookie-cutter image we have in our heads. He isn't a ancient version of Santa Claus that rescues the animals in this movie. He struggles with depression, self-doubt, mixed signals from God, and drunkenness (see Genesis 9:21). He seems angry for most of the movie...but do you blame the guy? After re-reading Genesis 7 (the flood account), I can see why the filmmakers had to invent some of Noah's character. The text is all description; there is no dialogue. Genesis 7 reads more like a newspaper than a movie script. 

In the first twenty minutes of the movie, someone who is going into Noah with the expectation of a story that matches the Bible's account verbatim will be severely repulsed and disappointed. And rightly so. If this is what you want, do not go see Noah. 

From a culturally-attentive Christian:

This is the category into which I fall the most strongly; it is a combination of the two views above. I recognize the Christian "shortcomings" of this movie, but I will not let those get in the way of recognizing Noah as a high-quality opportunity to find truth and transcendence. 

Have I mentioned yet that I found transcendence while watching Noah? And not in the part of the story where most people would be impacted. I felt God speaking to me very strongly when the waters started pouring in and the crowds of people are trying to get inside the boat. God, that should be me clinging onto that rock. I have no righteousness on my own. Apart from Jesus, I'm just as lost as those people.

Jesus is never mentioned in the movie, and as I have already said, the Creator is a distant character. But Darren Aronofsky has made a movie that the secular world will have no problem watching and enjoying, and Noah opens a door wide open for spiritual conversations. This is the most redeeming aspect of the movie. I would easily be able to share the Gospel with someone after watching Noah with them.

The bottom line for the culturally-attentive Christian: Noah is not for everyone. But as Christians, are we going to see the potential in this film, or are we going to throw the baby out with the bathwater and go see the latest Transformers movie?

Food for thought. Or maybe I should say...water for thought.

Love Letters from God

Here are three letters from God to you. Each letter represents how God has shown his love in the past, present, and future. Feel free to share them with friends who need encouragement!

Past

My Child,

Here’s a riddle for you. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

I’ll give you a hint – I have done all those things.

But I also created your inmost being; I knit you together in your mother’s womb. When you were a child, I loved you. And I taught you how to walk, taking you by the arms. You were a cutie, and you still are.

But like a sheep, you wandered astray. You disobeyed and did your own thing.

I know you’ve heard this verse a million times, but let me tell it to you again:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Remember how every good and perfect gift is from above? I have given you eternal life, and this life is in my Son.

Jesus was pierced for your transgressions, he was crushed for your sins; the punishment that brought you peace was upon him, and by his wounds you are healed. Our relationship is healed through my Son’s sacrifice.

Love,

Father God

  

(References: Psalm 139:13, John 15:13, John 3:16, Isaiah 40:12, Hosea 11:1-4, Isaiah 53:5-6)

Present

My Child,

I’m sorry that you live in a fallen world of fear and worry. People are always asking things like…what are you going to do when you’re out on your own? Where will you live? Who will you marry?

Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more important than those things.

Take the birds of the air, for example; they don’t sow or reap or store away in barns, but I still feed them. You are valuable and precious to me.

I am your shepherd, and you lack nothing. I make you lie down in green pastures, I lead you beside quiet waters, and I am the one who refreshes your soul. The reason you don’t need to fear is because I am guiding you along the right paths for my name’s sake.

Don’t worry about tomorrow! I am here with you right now. I will rejoice over you with gladness, I will quiet you with my love, and I will rejoice over you with singing. Come to me if you are weary and burdened, and let me give you rest.

Sincerely,

Father God

(References: Matthew 6:25, Zephaniah 3:17, 1 John 4:18, Psalm 23:1-4,

Matthew 11:28)

Future

My Child,

Here’s something you can take confidence in: you will see my goodness in the land of the living. The former things have taken place, and new things I declare to you.

I know the plans I have for you. They’re plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. You will dwell in my house all the days of your life. You will gaze on my beauty and seek me in my temple. In the day of trouble, I will keep you safe in my dwelling; I will hide you in the shelter of my sacred tent and set you high on a rock.

Because of Jesus, I will not deal with you according to your sins, and I will not repay you according to your iniquities. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is my steadfast love towards you; as far as the east is from the west, that’s how far away from you I have removed your sins!

The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

But my steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear me.

Trust me – neither death nor life, angels nor demons, things present nor things to come, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate you from my love in Christ Jesus.

Sending all my love,

Father God

(References: Romans 8:38-9, Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 42:9, Psalm 27, Psalm 103)

© Keith Cantrell, 2014