Highlights and Disappointments...

First off, the disappointments...and there are not too many...
1. The Canon XL1...if you've read past posts, there is no reason for me to elaborate.
2. People who vanish. I could name, but I won't, at least ten people who promised to help with certain aspects of the film (weapons, opening logo design, costumes, set construction) who vanished and no longer called or emailed. Others picked up the slack.
3. Not having the time to shoot the Librarian, the water funeral and the 'march of death' as the warriors were to go into the forest. This was also due in part to the issue covered in #2.
4. The lack of rain.
5. Divas...they were not part of the production.

Now the good stuff.

1. The crew and actors. No fights, no problems and everyone got along well.
2. Ted stepping up and taking over 49% of the film. Go TED!
3. Shawn's rain rack. He is the rain wrangler.
4. Last minute additions or one day actors (Susie, Debbie, John, Stephanie, Brittany, Sally (tho she ended up doing more than she bargained).
5. Kevin and Denise Hunter for letting us shoot in their forest.
6. The footage!
7. The posts that Ted put on the web site to keep us all encouraged.
8. The guys (Andrew and Michael) from across the pond over in England and Scotland.

And this, number 8, sort of leads into the thank you list.

Thanks to...

1. My wife for putting up with this for two years.
2. The cast...
1. Danielle for bringing Gwen to life and for running, jumping, falling, crashing, getting soaked, getting tackled, getting punched, learning lines, getting covered in blood...you rocked it!
2. Luke for his ability to suppress his smile when needed. Thanks for all the time you put in...I know that first kiss was rough, but you pulled it off.
3. Tarina for stepping in and making Lilly real and for having to wear the thickest, hottest costume. Now go get a tan.
4. Matt for being buff AND being able to act. Thanks for being tough and strong when Ted had to smear fake blood on your back...that had to be hard.
5. Debbie for taking control of her character and bringing some fresh new life to the shoot. Great to have you if even for only two days.
6. John Gruse. Freakin' Obi Wan, man, Obi Wan. You added a sense of class to the shoot! Way to die, man!
7. Norfleet. The buff James Earle Jones. Danielle said it best when she said 'no one has ever been so polite when beating me up!' Thanks for getting barefoot and wet!
8. Brittany (Bree the warrior). Thanks for being there when the other actor didn't show. The fight with Danielle looked great and you perked up a lot of exhausted people with your energy.
9. Sally for taking a one scene character and making her a major part of the film emotionally. There will be tears!
10. Li for running, jumping and carrying on like a crazy.
11. Katie...for running, jumping and carrying on like a crazy...but in your own unique (not a twin but really is a twin) sort a way.
12. Loren...wish you could have been there more, but the way you ran barefoot and blindfolded through the forest really impressed and inspired everyone.
13. Susie for pushing past her illness to bring a matronaly (is that a word) spirit to the shoot.
14. Stephanie for being thin and pale AND being able to act. (it's an inside joke, people...relax).
15. Tiffany. It was a small roll, but you looked good in the two scenes. We would have loved to have used you more, but scheduling was a monster.
16. Adam for being a spaz as Core and for all the time he spent in make up the day it rained so hard we had to stop shooting.
17 and 18. Zack and Max for going ahead with the shoot even tho the mosquitoes were killer.
19. Megan. Evil, pure evil. THANKS!
...I feel like I am forgetting someone...

3. The crew...thanks to...
1. Ted for all of the technical stuff and for the directing and the editing and the support and the stuff I mentioned above...
2. Shawn for the rain rack improvement and his ability to control the weather. Also for his Garum arm design.
3. Matt for the camera and acting.
4. Stephanie for her costume supervision and her organizational skills.
5. Sally and Stephanie for the catering.
6. Brittany and Elizabeth for running around and doing whatever we asked them to do.
7. Ron, John, Micheal, Ted and Andrew for the CG work.
8. Jim for letting us use the camera.
9. IPFW for also letting us use the cameras and for showing our trailer.
10. Lana for her AWESOME photos!
11. Anyone who I may have forgotten to mention.

Special thanks to God for keeping everyone safe and for His great sense of humor with the weather. See, it rained in Scotland where Mark and Michael needed sunshine and it was sunny here where we needed rain. It keeps me smiling and thinkin'.