Monday, January 17 -
Happy MLK DAY!!!!! Wooot!
Tuesday, January 18 -
This evening we had a guest speaker come to our school. His name is Ken Wales, producer of Amazing Grace (2006), the Christy TV series (1994), and many others. He was really great, he shared stories about his life and experiences and many things that God has taught him along the way. It was so encouraging to hear from a person who has been very involved in the film industry, but has stayed close to God, avoided compromise, and desired to show God through his work.
Wednesday, January whatever -
Through one of those friend of a friend of a friend situations, I was invited to an ACE (American Cinema Editors) Lecture Series in a private screening theater on the NBC/Universal lot. The three of us that went felt slightly out of place since there were only like 50 people in the audience - who were all interns or intern applicants at ACE.... whoa! There was a panel of about 10 assistant editors and editors for various TV shows and films who discussed their jobs and how they got there, and how certain things work within the industry.
Saturday, January 22 -
Happy Birthday Andrew!!! For Andrew's Bday, a bunch of us guys drove like 30 minutes to some random Donut place in one of the 3 or so Little Korea sections of town. Have you ever thought about how in American English, the word "donut" can either be spelled "donut" or "doughnut"? Both are correct, and both are incredibly delicious! Well after the donut place we went back to our apartments and then headed for the beach. Pretty much half of our school showed up there, which was funny. 
The water was super cold but I went in it up to my waist anyway, just cause I'm that much of a man. But it was a great day, Gordon and I sat in the sand and talked, then we all threw the frisbee and played some sand football. After that some of us left and went to In-N-Out and ate a dish that was quite the delish. We got back and cleaned up and then my room full of guys went over to one of the girls rooms to play Mafia. It was pretty cool!Sunday, January 23 -
Gordon invited me to attend church with him at Reality LA. The worship was AWESOME. It was totally my style of worship. You know the kind that a Hillsong and Planetshakers cover band would do (inside joke with Trevor Ekanger and band). No but really it was great, and they spend a lot of time just worshipping freely after the message to respond, very different, very awesome. 
Later that day I went hiking with Michelle and Drew. We hiked right around the Hollywood sign. It was a lot of fun, and SUCH a beautiful view. For those of you in Idaho, it reminded me of LA's version of table rock. We got there just in time for the sunset and then just chilled there for a bit. It was nice to have peace and quiet finally. After we left their we went straight to Mosaic church.
They rent out a nightclub in downtown LA. It was kind of weird being in a place like that and they have like a live DJ playing while you're coming in, but other than that the service was pretty normal. We heard a good message about not living on bread alone but on the word of God, and how God provides for us daily in so many ways if we just rely on Him and ask him to help us. Monday, January 23 -
After doing some errands throughout the day, I went longboarding with Anson through a nearby park. It was SO much fun, like the sidewalk just winds around and you get going pretty fast, but it was awesome- until we ended up right in front of a security guard who told us we couldn't skateboard. So then we walked to the street and stood there and talked for an hour or so about life and all. My roommate, Dan, randomly appeared before us.... well I guess he more so kind of walked up to us. Then when we all got back we went swimming at the pool! Which, if I have not mentioned before is AWESOME! The pool is heated upwards of 80 degrees and the hot tub is 104 and both are really nice.
Tuesday, January 24 -
So I found out that I didn't get the director position on the film. Yeah, I was a little bummed, but like I said in my last blog, I really just want to be where God wants me to be, and he obviously didn't have that in his plan. I'm just glad he's taking care of me in the way that HE knows is best, otherwise I'd always be trying get everything I want, when I want it. My position on the short film is sound design. I actually picked this as my second choice because it is the thing that I am least skilled in out of the positions. It's not my favorite, but I think I will learn the most, and may very well learn to love it. I am also incredibly excited to work with the soundtrack for the film, because as you know, I do love music. Well I had an interview this morning for my internship. It's at a place called Buddha Jones, they make theatrical trailers and tv spots for features.
You can see on their website all the trailers they have done, very well done, I might add. The interview went really well so I look forward to hearing back from them. Also for your enjoyment I have added and for my pleasure of being random, I have inserted a picture here of the view of LA from the top of my school (yeah the security guard took me and some friends up there!)Wednesday, January 26 -
Last week I was absent from the first of our Bible studies, but this week I was there, and we had a few guys from other apartments show up too. It was pretty awesome, we spent time sharing our testimonies and reading the word and talking about which parts of it really spoke to us. I'm excited to see where things go with our Bible study over the semester. We'll be reading through Psalms and John.
Heres a video of my apartment:
if the video doesn't play, CLICK THIS LINK.
Friday, January 28 -
I've been getting a little discouraged because almost everyone else seems to have their internships all set up, and I don't. I was hoping to here back from the place I interviewed and still hadn't. Well anyways, I finally get a phone call. It wasn't from the place I interviewed, but it was at a different place that we had sent my resume to (Skip Film, also a trailer house - meaning they make movie trailers, not live in a trailer house). They asked me if I could come in for an interview on Monday. Hopefully one of these two will work out for me! With all the free time that I've had while everyone else is at their internships, I've been going over to the school and working on touching up some stuff on my short film, as well as working on the DVD for it. I've been getting a lot better at After Effects, because I've been spending so much time on it! Praise the Lord for Andrew Kramer and Videocopilot! Later in the evening I just hung out with my roomies, had some good conversations with them, then we felt like watching the Dark Knight and stayed up till like 4 talking - Yay for college!
Saturday, January 29 -
Today was AWESOME! The guys did our annual community breakfast together again. We went over to another apartment and made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. It was pretty cool we had like 5 guys more than the last time. I guess Saturday morning breakfast is a big hit! After that some of us walked to a nearby park and played basketball and hung out there for a while. Later on we drove to the Universal CityWalk, which is basically like a big outdoor mall with shops, restaurants, etc. We ate their and hung out for a while. I had some delish froyo at this place called yogurtland, its super popular here, its basically EXACTLY like Orange Leaf.
Went to see Tron: Legacy in IMAX 3D. Sure, story-wise it's no Oscar material, but I absolutely loved it, especially being a guy that is very partial to visual effects. I don't know how I guy could watch that movie and not want to visit the Grid and get a lightcycle. Later on, I went over to another friends apartment and chilled their for a bit. Btw I found the Tron game online, in case you are dying to play it. Sunday, January 30 -
Most difficult day getting out of bed yet! I went back to Ecclesia today (the first church I visited here). The sermon was over 1 Corinthians 6 and sin that separates us from God, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor 6:11. Covered pretty extensively was the biblical stance on homosexuality, and as you can imagine, it was rather intense - you could definitely feel the tension, and that's no surprise considering that we are in Hollywood and in California. BUT I would say that it was the best presentation of a Christian stance on the issue that I have ever heard. Click this link to listen to the sermon (the one labeled "symmetry 1/30/11). Another reason I really like this pastor is because he leaves out opinion and just gives straight scripture. After church we had some people over to our apartment for lunch and watched a movie. And then after I napped for a while we started the Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition of course) we are going to watch them all in a row (consecutive days not same day!) Then went to the pool for a swim and the hot tub was awesome cause it was a cooler day today.
Los Angeles
So heres little bit about Los Angeles for you: Gas is an average of about $3.50 a gallon, however if you drive about 2 blocks you can usually find a gas station that is 30 cents more expensive. The climate is pretty dry, about 70 degrees clear skies almost everyday and in the upper 50's at night. The people are incredibly diverse - on an average day you will see about any race and social class. Especially Koreans and Jews in the area I live. Overall, the people I come in contact have been pretty nice. You know those days when you drive and you "almost" get in a car accident but don't? That's literally like every time you drive here. Oh and EVERYONE has nice cars here. I have maybe seen a handful of cars that look as bad as mine since I've been here. And how about the film industry? In case you didn't know, it is mostly owned by Jewish people (I probably sound like I'm making racial jokes and stereotypes, but trust me, I'm not). To give an example of how difficult entering the industry is, lets look at SAG (Screen Actors Guild). SAG represents about 120,000 members worldwide, about 70,000 in LA, and as if membership isn't difficult enough, only about 50 of them are big name stars. Unfortunately its pretty much the same story for the other Above-the-Line guilds here - DGA, WGA. (Below the Line guilds are much easier to enter). WGA has over 50,000 submissions a year and only a small fraction are sold and an even smaller fraction produced. A guest speaker told us that the chances of us becoming a director or writer is similar to a high school basketball player getting into the NBA. Discouraging, huh? Well be encouraged because God will take you to where he has called you. Your plans and desires may fail, but God's will not, so place you plans and goals on him. Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. If your plans are based on serving the Lord, then you don't have to worry about statistics and the odds against you. The Lord will take you to wherever he has called you. But don't just think of this in terms of your job, think of it in everything. Even your little plans, commit them to God and he will bless them. Commit your desires, goals, new years resolutions, friendships, relationships to God and he will guide them. Our plans may fail, but His will NEVER fail and nothing can stand against them.
Me
In spite of all the things that I've given God and had no ability to hold onto, I must confess that I still have held onto fear. Fear of certain situations not working out the way that I hope it does. Fear that my heart will break more than it already has. After realizing how consumed with that fear I had become I realized I must entirely surrender it to God. Although my circumstances are new, my struggle with fear is nothing new. However, I remembered that over summer when I was on choir tour, I was having a deep discussion with one of the families that I stayed with, and I confessed the fearfulness that I struggle with. One of them said to me (this is a paraphrase, obviously) "We often think that the opposite of fear is faith, but it's not. The way to conquer fear is not just by gaining more faith, but being 'made perfect in love.' She gave me the verse - "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18. I still experience pain everyday, but it drives me closer to my Creator, the One that I can completely rely on and trust. I am striving to make him and keep him my greatest desire above all else. And wherever you readers are at, I encourage you to do the same. I love you all!
If you read all this I am thoroughly impressed with your patience! Don't worry, I'm sure my blogs will get shorter over time.
