2 rewarding and tiring weeks... media training done!

Me with Bernard Lee from Navigators Singapore looking at something in the shot

Everyone's looking forward to tonight, Friday 24 Oct 2008. It's where all the long hours in class dealing with writing stories, acting, camera, lighting, editing and the hard work of 3 full days of shooting all come together. Tonight is the final film showing and graduation for the 13 students from all over East Asia including 4 from Singapore who have come together for this 2-week intensive media training course. We are all eagerly anticipating the first time the 3 short films produced in the past 2 weeks are shown on the big screen.

For me, these past 2 weeks have been very rewarding and an answer to a prayer when I first went full time. I asked for 3 things.
1. To be able to train others to produce and use media to connect to the lost
2. To be able to have an impact in and beyond Singapore
3. To work with and to speak into the lives of young people
This is the week that I saw all the above come together. I'm so thankful to see this happen. PTL!!

I had the opportunity to teach camera and lighting classes, as well as to be Director of Photography on 1 staff film called The Blue Elephant. The staff film is designed as a real life demo for the students on how films are shot, the different production roles, and how a set is run. The staff also split into 2 groups to assist the students as they developed their own script and shot their own films over 2 days. Looking at the crazy schedule, it was quite incredible and definitely God's provision that all of us were able to not only survive the long, long hours but also to be able to finish and deliver the films on time. I was personally very impressed with the quality of the scripts and production for these first time filmmakers. I think they will go far if they continue to make their films as they return to their own countries and places of work.

I also had a chance to develop friendships and spend some extended time with several of the younger staff to learn about their own journeys in ministry as well as the struggles that they face. I was especially touched by how some of them have parents who are not believers who may not fully understand their reasons for choosing this path.... I am now so thankful for the support that my immediate and extended family have given to me to do this at this point in my life.


Fred (left) director and acting class instructor, and Karl, New Zealand staff based in Hong Kong await the start of the dinner









Well, it's 7pm, and the guests are slowly starting to trickle in, hampered by bad traffic on the way. The staff and trainees sit in the room set for 60 people for a buffet dinner eagerly awaiting the start of the event. A few of us are busy trying to solve some projection issues that is making the films come up looking like someone went through them with a shredder horizontally. After panicking for awhile, and trying to recompress the files and changing the projection settings, we finally found a setting that would minimize but not totally remove the problem. This will have to do for tonight.


We finally started at 720pm for dinner. Various VIPs from our regional office came to officiate and to see the results of their investment in the training. We showed the 3 films in between testimonies from the students in their various native languages with translation to English. Some of them were really touched our hearts.



My son Matthew acted in the Blue Elephant film. It's about a boy who is looking for that perfect present for his father for Christmas. He goes into the second hand store and the storekeeper recommends him a most unexpected but "really special" item.

I was very proud as I watched the films - some of them for the first time - and as I listened to the testimonies. I finally felt that all the tiredness is all worth it. As the students went up to receive their certificates from the Regional director, I was a little like a proud parent... giving wings to them to fly for the first time.

After the event, we all took the obligatory photos with everyone, and promising to continue to keep in touch. I'm sure some deep cross border bonds have been built in these 2 weeks. Only God knows what can happen after this.