Greetings, dear friends of To Serve The Crown! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
While the last year was a challenge and even a tragedy for
many, I pray that each of you were able to (because it was 20/20) focus on what truly matters – the pearl
of great price, our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For our part, 2020 was very productive. We were able to film seven scenes last year, a
few of which included significant lines and set-building. Now, after six years of filming, principle
photography is finally complete!
I am forever grateful to all two hundred of you who have
volunteered your time, talent and treasure to make this movie possible.
My update today comes after a two-week vacation which I
spent transferring the rest of the movie footage to the editing computer. This is the first time I’ve seen most of these shots. I don’t mind telling you I worried some of the footage would make me cringe. I
recall much struggling in some of those sessions as my kids grew tired of the
process long before they were able to deliver their lines in any convincing
way. I must admit some lines are
tongue-twisters, and the story requires a range of emotions kids don’t
experience in real life. And that’s not
to mention my amateur lighting and camera work.
Thanks be to God, my fears were unwarranted. It turns out that even though we struggled for days to film some scenes, we did eventually get a good take, every time. And the technical flaws are largely fixable in the editing software. It won't be Hollywood – and it was never intended to be – but the movie will indeed be watchable!
In addition to this good news, God blessed the project yet again
by providing a new layer of meaning. I
don’t think it’s giving too much away to tell you the story is about a typical
Christian girl who must be humbled to accept God’s plan for her life. After her momentous decision, she proceeds faithfully
despite every indication her efforts are all for naught. In the end, she discovers God rewards the
faithful – if not in this life then in the next.
Isn't this the pattern for every Christian?
The movie is set in medieval Ireland. To provide context, it begins by
showing the life of Saint Patrick. The
second pleasant surprise for me this week is that the little Saint Patrick vignette follows the
same trajectory as the main story. Though
born into a Christian family, God humbled Saint Patrick by his kidnapping and
slavery. Saint Patrick then lived for
God quite heroically. His reward is his admittance into heaven as a famous saint of God. So the movie’s intro not only
provides context, but it also prefigures the main plot. I didn’t see that coming!
There is still plenty of work remaining on this project between
here and the finish line. I have a
number of additional shots to film. I
need to record a few voice-overs, the narration, various sounds, and two songs. All 2,500 video clips need to be edited
together. Each one needs color
correction and audio scrubbing. We need
to add foley, ambient sound, a musical score and closed captioning.
After 10 years, I won’t predict a completion date, but rest
assured the project is proceeding as quickly as I can manage. I will thank you all to continue praying for
my family and me as we enter the final stretch.
Greg Bussey