i don’t think there really is any definable “end” to a film project, but certainly the moment you start exporting that final file makes for a good feeling. i’m sitting on the screened-in porch of my parents’ house right now as i wait for Compressor to do its thing. Dad is grilling some hamburgers with propane (and propane accessories). Mom is on a mission trip with the church youth group; i’ll rendezvous with them on Friday. the dogs are lounging in the back yard, no doubt wondering if they’ll get any of the beef they can faintly smell cooking. I’m trying to relax for the first time in a few days, but the agitation of hurry and coffee are still coarsing.

the film began without me, from the life experience of jessica powers. the soul of this film is her creation. late one night, she and i discussed the possibilities of the story while talking in my driveway. jess was attempting to leave, and I was babbling on and on, but under a bright country moon, not unlike the one in the film, we worked out the details that would later become jess’s first draft.

jess researched tirelessly and wrote several more drafts, each one of them great. the parabolos team contributed and gave their notes. i made my changes as director, and we launched into production.

we all spent hours and days working separately and together. i spent nearly every day at Starbucks working on directorial prep and trying to hide in plain sight — despite looking like a member of the Village People — while i prepared for my cameo as the bartender.

since then it has been a blur. eight or nine days of production and reshoots, weeks of editing, logistics, sound work, composing…

soon everyone will be able to watch the film. i hope you all enjoy it as much as i do. it’s the culmination of months of work by so many people. some are long-time friends, some i knew only for the few hours they were on set. some are professionals in the film industry with feature and television credits, some have never so much as touched a video camera. some live hundreds or thousands of miles away, some of us have practically been living together. but each person made a contribution without which we could not have made this film.

thank you to all of them. and thank you to anyone who so much as lifted a breath of prayer or spoke a word of encouragement to one of us. you have no idea how far and deep your kindness goes.

i love you all very much, and i hope you enjoy the film.