This photo has all of our acting students, but two of the filmmaking students left before this photo was taken. Photo courtesy of Pete P.

We had what we as faculty thought was our smoothest Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp to date! This was the 12th year of Film Camp, and I've taught there annually since 2013.

We were concerned that we'd be shut down by the coronavirus lockdown, but we kept moving forward, and though we lost a few students, we had the ones who helped make it such a smooth week.

We completed three films! After taking out a day for pre-production and auditions on the front side and auditions for some upcoming professional projects on the last day, we completed one short film per day, three days in a row! Our first day had 17 setups! It's really extraordinary, and we know the hand of the Lord assisted us. All three films glorify Him, and I can't wait to let you know once they're released. The rough cuts look fantastic!

It was such a blessing to escape lockdown and spend time in the Colorado Rockies at Ministry Haven and co-teach with Ken Lawrence and his son, Zack Lawrence. We reminisced about how Zack, who was working as the gaffer on Indescribable, wore a shirt with the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp logo. I told him I'd love to teach there someday, and it's been such a tremendous blessing!

In addition to a full filming week we had a couple of guest artists who enhanced our experience.

The producer and director of the series Vindication, Jarod O'Flaherty, did a video conference with our students, and he talked about how it went from a single short film to a series because the right people saw it at a film festival and encouraged him to keep going. Now they're in pre-production for Season Two!

My mini-review is at www.RichDrama.com/Vindication.

Our acting students were so blessed to have Mimi Sagadin join via video conference! Mimi played Corrie ten Boom in Return to the Hiding Place. I've taught with Mimi at the  Christian Worldview Film Festival Guild performed with her in  Princess Cut and  Skydog. I had her speak to our acting students because they were working on a short film I wrote that alludes to Corrie ten Boom's book The Hiding Place. Mimi was kind enough to read the passage our film mentions with the accent she learned while playing Corrie. It was AMAZING! You can see a brief clip from her talk with us below.

The film also deals with loss, and my friend, Chad Moore, was kind enough to create a video clip for our acting students and happened to do it the day after severely damaging his leg! He talked about how he and his family lived through the same loss our screen family was dealing with in the film. It was a powerful addition to our work!

Our newest screen children!

And speaking of screen families, I added three to our roster of screen children! Though Joyce didn't play their mother, I did a sociodrama with her to help prepare to play my character, so we're adding them to the list, bringing our total up to 28.

My favorite moment actually came after camp was over, when a filmmaking student wrote to me to let me know she was pursuing the Lord more deeply because of a talk I'd done on revival! I had shared a video about the Asbury Revival of 1970, where chapel went for eight days straight around the clock. You can check it out at www.DayAndNight.org/thegreatexperiment.

Here's a short excerpt from our video conference with Mimi. Future students of the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp will be able to see the entire session.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/kOCACmNwgBY



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I was so blessed by the Christian Worldview Film Festival and Guild this year!!!

You can click through to my notes on Facebook for lectures by Phillip Telfer, Brett Varvel,  Chad Burns,  Bobby Downes, Stephen Kendrick ( Making God's Decisions,  Guild close,  brunch), Rich Christiano, and a directors panel with Rich Christiano, Brett Varvel, Ken Carpenter, Stephen Kendrick, George Escobar and Chad Burns. You can hear some of these sessions and many of the breakout sessions here.

I got to work with a number of talented students through four workshops, including one at Living Water Fellowship for their drama team before the Guild began, and I got to co-teach a workshop with Mimi Sagadin ( Return to the Hiding Place, Princess Cut).

With Stacey Bradshaw who was the costume designer. They let me keep the pants.

The Screenwriters, in which I play Forrest "Woodsy" Woods, took runner up for Audience Choice and Best Score, but the real encouragement was that Mike Hill and his family won several awards. They've cast me as the lead in a short film they're doing in Southern Oregon in June: A Matter of Perspective. I asked Mike's son, Ethan, which awards they won and he wrote, "...by God's grace we won the Sanctity of Life award, The Fatherhood award and runner up for young filmmaker and finalist in best animation. ( Joni and Friends promo - which you were in also placed as finalist:)" I'm even more excited about working with them this summer!

I got to speak with the creative team after Rather to Be Chosen twice, and lamentably I missed The Messenger's Box, in which I play Jesus. I got to see one of the Joni and Friends videos, but not the other. Just too much going on!

This is the second year in a row I got to perform in a live project during the Guild. This time it was for a TV pilot (TBA) with friends Anita Cordell ( Providence) and John Hotea in his film debut. He asked us later how he could have improved and I told him about my first film and how I was expecting more feedback. I asked the director if I could do anything better, and he said, "I would have told you if I thought of something."

During past Festivals I've performed short pieces ( Jonah in 2013 and Gideon last year), but this year I got to do almost all of Beyond the Chariots. Afterward a young man came up to me and told me that when I performed that play at his church two years ago he rededicated his life to the Lord after the play. He said this year it confirmed his commitment to live for the Lord.

I've tagged these wonderful people here.

Another highlight for me was when Nathan Jacobson (who's been in four films with me) and I planned dinner, and I ran into Rachel Marley (former student and teammate on our performing arts team in Sochi during the Olympics). I asked Nathan if he was OK with her joining us. Before we knew it we'd blossomed into this group of former students and castmates! After introductions I had the professionals share a tip with my former students.

It's impossible to capture all that happened throughout the week for myself, and then multiply that by the hundreds of lives that were affected, and it's mind-boggling. The spiritual impact the Guild and Festival had on me personally was immense. I made some significant life choices after hearing Stephen Kendrick speak, and the week gave me much hope that future films will point more clearly to Jesus Christ as the Way the Truth and the Life. Someone suggested we set up a red carpet, and one of the organizers, Rhett Simpkins, said, "We're not about the red carpet but the Narrow Way."

What follows are the observations of Vickie Lynn Smith. She was one of my students, and through leads I sent has been involved in professional productions, including  Rather to Be Chosen, The Messenger's Box and Lifestone Velocity...

I coached Jonathan DeRoos on his role for Lifestone Velocity while at the Rocky Mountain Christian Filmmakers Camp for a scene in which Vickie (left) played Alice Jones. Rebekah Stought stood in for her character for rehearsal there.

Day one,  Monday, was good. Mostly because of my excitement to be there and see friends old and new. Not bad, right?... That in-between feeling was enough for me to beg God that night to turn that around the next day. Every day I kept asking God to make the next day better and boy did he deliver!

He first showed up by convicting me left and right. Real fun stuff.
-Brett Varvel spoke powerfully about the impact of our lives and testimonies. Then he blurts it out. "Will God say 'Well done my good and faithful servant!'... or will God say '...come on in' " Ouch. I've been saved for over 15 years and have a nice pile of ashes to show for it. Point taken.
-Stephen Kendrick talks about Alex and him being a team. Never tearing down but always building each other up. I feel that principle is usually emphasized within marriage- not brotherhood. I've failed in possibly every single relationship to build up instead of tearing down. As a friend, girlfriend, daughter, and sister. ugh.
-In another main session, Stephen's gaze lands on me and says "The Holy Spirit can pump joy and life and peace into you." I guess that's what it means to hear God and not the speaker. Wowzers. I nodded and promptly wrote that line down!

Now for some light.  Saturday! One of the best days of my life. I wind up casually walking up to Travis Palmer and ask him what his story is. Well, he spent the next four or so hours pouring into me- his story, testimony, lessons learned, and God's faithfulness. It hits me about 30 minutes in that I am speaking to one of the coolest, most God-used people. He asks me then about me, where I'm from, etc. I tell him I'm from Detroit and we talked about its dire need for salt and light. To sum it up, God used Travis to assure me I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be (geographically that is). I felt positively ordained, hearing that I'm supposed to be loving on and influencing the Detroit film community. I felt so filled with joy. He prayed. I cried. It was great.
Little did I know that wasn't all. I wind up sitting next to Greg Tull at dinner. He asks me what my passion is. I tell him what I do and why I like it. He's no dummy. He repeats the question. I said to myself, this is maybe the 100th time I've had this conversation... maybe it's time I'm honest. I tell him while I enjoy being on set- crew or cast- the real fire is music. That ultimate dream is my music being in movies. Scoring films. He spent the next 15 minutes ministering to me and encouraging me and making it crystal clear that I have no business burying that God-given passion!

He prayed. I cried. It was great.

Oh yeah, that morning I had the honor of recording a little guitar diddle with Tim Casey for a short that was filmed at the festival. God is good. He knew all along:)

Before the award ceremony we worship "..let it be a sweet sweet sound in your ear!"
Yup. That's my prayer. It is now!

I've felt like I'm going to burst since Saturday. While reading texts and posts that are underlined with sadness about the week being over, all I can think is it's okay. This week was amazing, but only because of God! And God is with me always- not just when I'm with hundreds of other Christians! I'm ready to make this year count. I'm ready for the old Vickie to die and the new Vickie to raise triumphantly with Christ. I'm ready to toss the junk to the side and focus on my wonderful heavenly Father. I'm ready to make my abba proud! I can't thank you all enough for doing what you do and allowing God to use you. I'm forever grateful.

with love,
the new Vickie :)

Joyce prayed for the persecuted church after Adrienne C. talks about what Christians are facing around the world.  Pastor Randy Solomon preaches on Luke 6:27-36, drawing from his experience as an engineer with illustrations of how we get our power for lights and hair dryers, always searching for ways to have the power of the sun here on earth.

He mentions The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. The film can now be purchased with Return to the Hiding Place, starring Mimi Sagadin as Corrie ten Boom. I've taught with Mimi at the Christian Worldview Film Festival Guild performed with her in Princess Cut and Lifestone Velocity. I also got to teach with Jeanette Clift George who played Corrie in The Hiding Place.

Opening by Pastor Jim Warren. Offering and prayer by Joyce.

https://archive.org/embed/SRandyForgiveness102515

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If you want to more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ visit www.WestchesterChapel.org/Salvation.