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5-5-19
A year ago, filmmaker and producer, Dr. Kevin McAfee, and Project Manager, Stephanie Musser, made their way to Johnstown, PA. Here, they met my family, some of my friends, and a number of my church family. The journey to make “The Harvester Chronicles: JP Knights” into a movie had become a reality a few months before, and we were bursting with excitement as we showed Kevin and Stephanie around Johnstown! Since then, we sought investors for the screenplay, and God graciously provided the investments that were needed. We needed a WGA Screenwriter, and God supplied Jim Gromer, a screenwriter who is uniquely suited to handle the subject matter in JP Knights. God continues to work His Will to accomplish this grand project of His making! OUR ROOTS I am reminded time and time again that this is GOD’S PROJECT! As many of you may recall, I asked God if I would be able to write something that would compare to some of the fictional stories that were being told to teens… magic, vampires, and many other mystical or mythical tales. However, I wanted to have my story more about the light, not the dark. God answered my prayer, and “The Harvester Chronicles” was born. Soon into writing the story, I discovered and realized that the writing of the story was more like watching a movie in my mind, and I only wrote down my perspective of what I saw. This was no ordinary story – this was something that God wanted to be told. He gave me the desire to write it, and then He spoke the story into being. All I had to do was type down what He showed me. I was constantly amazed at the intricacies He developed, and threads He placed throughout the story. It was so humbling to realize that I was nothing in the telling of this story…I was merely an envelope carrying an important letter from a Father to His loved children. Now, God is using Kevin and Jim to further the story in the visual language of film. I believe they are chosen by God to do this. As Psalms 139:16 says, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Both Kevin and Jim have had specific and unique experiences that, I truly believe, were given to them to enable them to do the screenplay and complete the journey to film that God has willed to happen! They need our prayers to help them to hear what God wants. The enemy does not want this story to be told, so Kevin and Jim need spiritual protection on a HUGE scale! So that is the story, isn’t it? To let EVERYONE know what our loving heavenly Father has been doing, is doing, and will continue to do until He sends the Lamb to bring us home. God is using His angels all around us to protect us! The focus sometimes is on all the demons and all the enemy’s forces. But like Elisha had to pray in II Kings 6:17 “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” I also want all to see: “And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Do you realize that 1/3 of the angels left with Lucifer – that means that 2/3 of the angels are still on God’s side? The enemy is quite outnumbered! “The Harvester Chronicles” gives us a picture of what the Lord’s angels are doing every moment, every day. They encamp around us (Psalms 34:7) and bear us up (Psalms 91:12), and they also minister to us (Mt 4:11). We are not alone in our journey through life! Angels are all around us, helping us, protecting us, ministering to us. I also love how God shows us what prayer does in “The Harvester Chronicles.” Prayer empowers the angels. Prayer brings strength to those who are weakened. Prayer helps the seed of hope to take root and grow. Prayer brings comfort to those who are mourning. Prayer takes us into the very presence of God and the Lamb. The imagery in “JP Knights” shows me the reality of scripture. Isaiah 61:3 says, “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” These words sound nice, but now, to see how the ‘oil of joy’ and ‘garment of praise’ were used for those mourning, it becomes more real and tangible. It’s not just poetry! Then the description of how the words of the Lord are visualized as living and powerful (Heb 4:12) captivates my soul, and the vision of creation leaves me without words. Translating depictions like these into film has its challenges, and only certain scenes and concepts may actually make sense for the movie, but the hope is that the movie will cause viewers to read the book, and thereby dig deeper into the story with its imagery. This is the story God wants to share. The Bible is true! We have only to open our spiritual eyes to see the realm where angels, prayers, worship and the Word of God are living and real! THANK YOU I am humbled by those who faithfully pray for the JP Knights Project! YOUR PRAYERS ARE IMPORTANT! We focus on what God is doing. Please continue to pray for our protection from the enemy, for clarity to hear the Lord speak, for health, for patience, for conviction in this as a ministry. Most of all, please pray for God’s will to be done through all who are to play a role in this project. Thank you!
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At the beginning of this month, our family was on their annual vacation and the second day on the trip, we were reminded that "today is the day to pray" for JP KNIGHTS for one of our family members. Isn't it amazing that we never take a vacation from praying do we? If we ever think that God was needed even when we travel, sometimes it is way more than normal, but it doesn't stop us with our covenants.
TIME TO PRAY Our hearts filled with prayer for JP KNIGHTS today and this was not a normal day. It was an honored day to remember this great story and the trilogy project we are called to create. At the end of March, since our family is scheduled to pray for Beth Lambert, for the writing we are doing on the trilogy, for the tripling of our efforts and for the tripling of the number of prayer partners needed for this journey, we enthusiastically prayed. Instead of building a one story creative building, we are building a three story building and the process is huge. This is why PRAYER IS WORTH THE TIME INVESTED. THREE TIMES THE POWER REQUIRED This means it is taking three times the amount of time to develop our beat outline, but here are the good news. When one of the screenwriter's calls and says, "I have been praying about the character arc for over three stories and I have a unique approach to the end times and we are on the phone excited about the new reveals?" Then, the new track is opening doors that are not our own. Whose are they and how did the new doors open? YOU NEED TO READ THE BOOK It's because of the faith of an author in Pennsyvlania named Beth Lambert who is yielding, believing and praying for every day. You see the foundation of everything being created is at the basis of the Harvester Chronicles. Have you read the book yet? If you haven't please order your copy today from Beth and just launch into this. One of the most unique parts of this story was when Beth would say, "I don't know how this came out and all I know was this...it wasn't me writing the story". This is when the Lord of Hosts takes over our creative minds and begins doing things that are above and beyond what we know or even understand. CALL FOR ONE FINAL GROUP OF PRAYER WARRIORS Beth is continuing to seek the prayer partners who will take one day of every month and begin a steady regimen of intercession. This means on vacation and not on vacation but without God, none of this can happen. We often say in the film industry that there are so many obstacles that come against us, but we believe exciting days are truly around the corner, not because of our team because we are on the right team. Thank you for supporting us in prayer. Do you know the number of people visiting our website are growing as we are having about 400 unique visitors previewing what we are doing every single week. We know the industry is watching what we are doing, how we are going about our strategy and beyond. A NEW STUDIO WAS BORN THIS MONTH A couple weeks ago at NRB the new studio opened with Lionsgate, KINGDOM STUDIOS with our dear friends the Erwin Brothers, Kevin Downes and Gunn. Let's remember to keep this new faith based film studios in our prayers. This is a real affirmation that we are on the right track, with the right trilogy at the right time in history. What a wonderful affirmation that one of the studios is really capturing the vision of films of family, faith and freedom. Guess where the guys are coming...to Franklin, Tennessee in our backyard! Your prayers matter and be thinking of the very people who might come alongside of this vision with the finances to make our first motion picture. People of Pennsylvania are going to step up in a big way. Successful financiers are out there and they will want to be a part of this epic film project headed toward history. I believe our best days are only beginning. Your Director, Dr. Kevin McAfee Filmmaker Prayer has been such a foundational part of this entire process for our team. From the very beginning in May of 2018 we began to recruit prayer partners for this project. One of the first things we did was to meet in the church home of author Beth Lambert and Gary, along with their family to ask for people to "get on their knees".
HOW WE GOT STARTED We recruited 31 prayer partners who for every day of the month, people use this time to pray for the film. These individuals are recruiting more prayer partners as we grow in our entire scope and breadth for the future. Without the power of "one" praying, we do not feel we will be successful. However, with the power of people praying, "All things are possible" and this is our "secret sauce" for the future. When we first met Beth and Gary, they shared spices their farm would grow and process to enhance our culinary experiences. They have a seasoning which is placed on meats, poultry and fish which is wonderful. It is amazing the difference in sitting down to a meal with the right seasoning. In fact the entire taste changes and makes the food so much better. OUR WRITING PROCESS HAS EXPANDED In film, we have learned how to alter, modify, change and expand the experience in digital cinema through decades of filmmaking. Our screenwriters are in the throws of food preparations and we are testing seasonings, alternative courses, additional appetizers never before discovered and working to expand the "feast" for our audiences. The original assignment has now grown into three times the amount of work. Please know how much prayer is going to help us get through this. THE NEW CREATIVE SHIFT Because of the powerful prayer team assembled, we are making a HUGE shift creatively and it is the reason for this blog. Beth always dreamed for a trilogy to take place which is why the HARVESTER CHRONICLES was originally created. She had some initial creative thoughts on how this would transpire, but nothing concrete so our team is working diligently to provide the best visual story possible. As a result, we are expanding on this franchise to possibly consider three films over just one film. You can imagine what this really means! An undertaking of this size is the most complicated process that the most sophisticated great authors like Tolkein, C.S. Lewis and J.K Rowling have used. Structure will be key, visual story telling will be even more important on the screenwriting side and yes, prayer remains the foundation of the process. Therefore, the comprehensive beat outlines, the character arcs, the sacrifices, the struggles, the resolutions, the villains, the hero's journey, the victories must all be "mapped" as we still work one film at a time, with an understanding of a greater climax by film three. WHY YOU ARE NEEDED What does this all mean? We truly need help and you can be involved directly. Beth's journey has always been in prayer. If you connect with her, hear her speak or know her heart you would see, she was "led" to write this story. This came to fruition because of prayer, but we are needing to triple our prayer efforts. She has already doubled them, but we need the next level, which is YOU! We are challenging our entire prayer team to now expand. We do not have one person per day, but to find three people per "prayer day" to represent what we are doing. Would you be interested in helping us? We have seen in the meta data statistics our audience online is growing. In fact, the number of people going to our website has continued to grow since beginning the screenplay. Over 300 people new visitors each week are now viewing this site and we are so thankful. It is all happening because of prayer. REWARDS ON THE HORIZON Impact and the number of people who can experience evangelism will also grow. The eternal rewards are growing, the prayer rewards are growing and yes, even in the fiscal arena. This strategic direction provides a larger opportunity for financial rewards for our investors and we are always considering the fiscal rewards. Another answer to prayer is on the horizon for them as a result of this new "shift" all because of prayer. JOIN OUR PRAYER TEAM TODAY Please pray about joining our prayer team and if you would, connect with Beth Lambert and sign up for one day each month you would be willing to pray. If you can pray and fast, even better, but most importantly, we need people praying. Our foundation is only as good as the prayer team circling. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful "dream" as the vision grows each day. I am reminded by a very wise man to "Aim Small and Think Big". This is certainly true for our film project and we believe will make a huge difference in the future. Lastly, we continue to also ask the Lord to bring us the right "financier". This means not just any individual with the capital to make these films, but a "financier" with the heart to use the visual language of film to impact the world. This series is going to be huge and we know the Lord will lead us to the "exact financier". Only an executive producer who has the heart to keep "our unified mission" will align with our future, so pray about this too. Thank you for joining our crusade and working with us through the power of prayer! Dr. Kevin McAfee Filmmaker It would be impossible to truly say "thank you" to our prayer warriors and for all the HARVESTER CHRONICLES JP KNIGHTS prayer team as we give our book to screenplay report this mont. Each of you who love this book and have been interceding in prayer for our team know the real results is all about God's mission, His provision and eternal timing.
The target audience of the book is different than our movie. Therefore, the creative elements will change in our transition, but the ethos remains. Great lessons, wonderful characters and exciting challenges form the backdrop for a new movie that is inspired by Beth Lambert's book. In this blog in January 2019, we will give the entire team of intercessors the update for your prayer journey following the JP KNIGHTS. RESEARCH & MISSIONAL STRTEGY These past few months since the fall, hundreds of hours of reading, praying and seeking the best way to transition this book into a film have been our screenwriters unified goal. From the early days approximately one year ago, we knew our task was large, because it was to communicate the supernatural and spiritual warfare from the heavenlies to illuminate "light". We also realized the mission from book to film was different, so how would we resolve these issues with excellence founded on Beth's heart and spirit. We began with a diagnostic discussion of our mission for Beth's book to become a movie. A book is not normally written in the "visual language" often and especially when the heart is to be inspired by Harry Potter, one of the most successful movie franchises. However, Beth always saw this story transitioning into a film, which is why GRP FILMS connected. Therefore, the mission is in the beginning creative discussions as we seek to identify the "flagpole" upon which we base the visual language in a story for film, using the same ethos. Once we arrived together for the new "flagpole" or creative mission as a team, this gave us insight to do everything within our power to bring the story to our target audience in the best way possible. Evolving into what God wants is the next key to this strategy and over a few days, we were led to grab the pole like the Marines at Iwo Jima. BETH LAMBERT SCREENWRITER Beth will be the first to tell you she is an author, but the team is excited to have her creative insights into this powerful storytelling journey for the movie. She was stretched to think of the visual strategies we might consider adding for a new audience. Your prayers carried us while we were in Colorado and are helping in our decision making process, so please continue with your loyal commitment and if you want to join the prayer team, please contact the Lambert family. Beth was invited to join the screenwriting team by director Kevin McAfee to provide additional insights into the filmmaking process. She is a blessing to the team of veterans. God's word is the true foundation of the team's unified charge in this creative endeavor and now the methodology is transitioning into the optimal setting for young people in the visual language. When you transition from a faith based book addressing a faith based audience to a movie that has an underpinning of faith to a secular audience, the expectations completely change. The mission does not in the ultimate goal Beth defined for the entire team. NEW CREATIVE BOUNDARIES FOR CINEMA When you have a group of decisions that relate to a secular middle school audience and even high school audience, there are creative boundaries the team is now considering. These are the primary motivations for ensuring we have the right "model" for the film, verses just taking the written word to "show" verses tell in exposition. Felt needs, spiritual attacks, real problems and viable solutions to teen issues in crisis are serious for secular audiences today. Even younger films are "edgy" filled with bad language and compromising situations, which our team is family friendly in purpose. The very "position" of the hearts of young people today are being compromised at every turn and truth with "action" is needed to capture their attention. These are the very reasons and challenges Beth began in this journey. We are reminded we do wrestle against flesh and blood, but with the principalities of this earth and the very powers upon which the Bible leads us to forge ahead as ambassadors of truth. In order to accomplish this cinematic goal in secular filmmaking, we are taking "the best part of our book" and most impacting segments to bring about a movie "INSPIRED BY THE HARVESTER CHRONICLES"! Beth gave us from her chapter summaries over fifty ideals and values we are adopting as we address the secular audience. We all working now to finalize the beat outline for the newly identified audience and are excited to bring this report to your attention. WHY CHANGE PERFECTION One of the real measures of finding a book and making this journey transition into a film is the realization the audience and also the visual language. How many times have you read a perfect book or even seen a perfect movie? It's not possible to find either, so when you go into different art forms, you have to consider the who, what, where, why and how of every creative decision made. In a book, you have twenty pages to set up a back story, but in a movie, you have thirty seconds. So, we begin with the process by "cherry picking" the best book elements and then establishing the best cinematic locations to illuminate the core lessons. This means the film will look different but include the spirit of what Beth has created. Many of you may wonder, why do we need to craft a new visual backdrop? Allow us to provide additional insight here. The visual language is very different to young people who live in a sight and sound generation and are not church goers. The book has many church oriented analogies and is written to the church audience. Beth wanted to go further and create a Harry Potter type of experience for a secular audience. When you consider the greatest film franchises which are allegories, fantasies or action oriented to capture the imagination of this target, one must look at Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the list goes on and on. Millions of young people are going to watch these films each week and are being impacted with their lessons. Add on top of this, the video games and services in streaming platforms being provided in today's world through social media? It is a radical new visual experience young people have learned to accept. We must be in the "zone of acceptability" and think in a new way! There is a real war for the battle of the mind going on in every generation, but none greater than the very group of young people today. In the latest film we saw at the end of January, THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING there is a modern allegory for the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the round table, but the darkness portrayed in the film is huge. Unfortunately, there are no beings of light, which is why Beth's story will connect to this audience. Uniquely, the team watched THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING on opening weekend before we met with Beth to discuss JP KNIGHTS and comparisons. What was discovered in the JP KNIGHTS story again and again was the exciting "beings of light" and the angelic counters in the creative realm which no film has ever attempted like hers. This led us to a group of "thinking outside the box" ideas, so please buckle your seatbelts and place your tray tables in the upright and locked positions. It's going to be a fun movie ride courtesy of Universal Studios. EXCITING NEW CREATIVE ELEMENTS... If you are a young person, you will be very excited to hear about these new visual elements the creative team is currently constructing. Here are some of the preview elements we are considering adding to this movie as we connect with our target audience. We will discuss the different book audience from the film audience in a moment, but check out these new additives we are adding to your cinematic dinner. In the world of the supernatural and spiritual forces, we are creating a unified chain of command in the areas of "light beings" and dark creatures with the identification of a prominent villain from the dark side of the story. This is very Biblical and also exciting. Using the very characters you have come to love created by Beth, we are truncating the story with a new "backdrop" and visual setting, which will be during the time of the end of school year and beginning the "summer camp" season nestled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Our JP KNIGHT heroes will encounter a powerful and beautifully painted geography in this arena, which is the largest creative leap we felt the Lord provided us. (One of the creative signs God kept providing was "goose bumps" when we knew it was not our idea, but His!) This new shift from the book will prove to be exciting and give the entire story Beth created the optimal visual design for the future allegory. You will see Hawk Watch and meet creation in new visual elements along with creative designs for Beth's wonderfully crafted story you have come to love. An entire team will be assembling to visually depict a new wonder from the imagination of the screenwriting team. Our team wanted to stop and thank each one of the dozens of you who have been praying because without you, this would not even be happening! We also this past month during the creative sessions brought in a seasoned veteran from Youth For Christ to pray over the team and give us future stories of "camps" where working with young people, amazing events have taken place in the spiritual realms. This creative discovery process continues into the coming days, so keep those prayers coming. Now, back to some of the new ideas you can be excited to experience on the silver screen... Our lead characters are the same as Joel's name has been abbreviated for the film to J.D. because his name was Joel David in the book. His friend Kyle serves in the same creative position, but possibly a bit darker. Then, the main characters Jill, Garrett, Pastor George and Liz are also broadened in their character arcs. Because the film will be ninety minutes, we will have to make the cast list smaller than the book, which is also common. What does this mean? This means we are adding a level of character flaws in each character helping connect with the reality of young people issues they are facing. PROBLEMS YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FACING One of the problems in the youth area globally is the "drug culture" which is consuming our young people today, so we will be hitting this arena head on. Beth provided an additional creative inspiration in the spiritual realms of having creatures of darkness looking like "beings of light" based on His Word. Everyone jumped out of their chair with enthusiasm as we could sense a divine direction even in the new creative ideas. Over and over again, the "goose bumps" were there as we prayed in each segment of our brainstorming. Connecting with the most powerful lessons from the story and getting advice from Beth of her understanding of God's mission and word, there was not a time when we could not feel and sense the presence of prayers. This means great news from the literary opportunity as new books will be created on the horizon! Author Beth Lambert will be a busy lady and needing your prayers in this regard too. HANDLING THE SUPERNATURAL Demonic forces are "sensitive subject matters" and we are not going to give people an excuse to simply move away from the Lord if they make bad choices by blaming their behaviors on the spiritual attacks alone. Do you remember the old Flip Wilson comedy sketch where Geraldine said, "The devil made me do that"! It's not a Biblical truth, but a very funny line we can all understand. We are working to ensure the faith based market gets a new understanding of how God's forces and his angels are always at work, always present. One of the great blessings of our faith as Christians is that we can call on the Lord and He will answer us. However, his answers may not be in the way we want, but in His perfect timing. The fine creative line is being considered at every turn and we will be seeking out youth pastors and advisors to proof what we are doing ensuring the right steps for the future. All through the process, the team wants to ensure we have pastors, advisors, counselors and people who will pray for us as we creatively walk the tight rope of fantasy and imagination with the Word of God. These experts will also be "trusted sources" for our deliberations. Clearly a movie that is fantasy based on spiritual warfare is not the easiest road to navigate, but one of the most exciting you can possibly imagine. Thank you to all who have joined our team for this purpose. You are here because people are praying. SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR HOSTS - THE GROMER FAMILY Jim Gromer and Rachel Gromer opened their beautiful home to our team as we gathered in the snow for six days to search the heart of God for this epic story. We deeply appreciate their hospitality and heart in making our experience amazing. The research which has begun in the fall is culminating into one of the most complex and wonderful transition of a book to a film, we have ever encountered. Rachel thank you for a wonderful dinner prepared for our team with your family. It was such a blessing to be with you all and to know your heart. Please extend our love to your children and to Jim's parents for making all of us feel at home. Your hospitality and love never ceases to amaze us. CONTINUED PRAYERS NEEDED Change is never easy and we want to thank Beth and all the "book lovers" who enjoy this wonderful literary work. The book THE HARVESTER CHRONICLES JP KNIGHTS includes many wonderful sermons and is written to a Christian audience. The movie as we have shared, will be shifting to a broader audience who does not know God and is not in church, which is why the backdrop has changed. You will want to talk about this book in your area where you go to church and if you don't have a copy, please order yours today. Remember to continue to pray for the entire team as we "let go and let God" take over the new setting and look of this book. Beth wanted to provide the optimal visual presence over her own book to consider what the Lord leads the three member team. This selflessness is not easy for an author, but the screenwriting team has invited Beth to participate and become a part of what God is doing. HONORING FLIGHT 93 Beth wrote the book in her hometown and was inspired by the geography of this beautiful area. When the filmmaking team arrived in Pennsylvania the first time, they recognized the heros of Flight 93 and immediately began to discuss the possibly addition of this sacred memorial to the movie. Our film could make people more aware of this amazing sight. It is agreed by all that the setting of Johnstown, Pennsylvania is where the movie is going to be filmed in the additional outlaying areas, woods and farm land around Flight 93's hallowed grounds. The heroes of Flight 93 provided the very ethos of introducing the JP KNIGHTS to how brave souls were willing to take a stand against darkness. These grounds of Flight 93 are forever in the hearts and souls of the team and we thank the Lord for their act of sacrifice during the worst terrorist attack on US soil in history. Without these heroes, many would have lost their lives. If you have not visited this memorial, you need to go and experience the impact of these brave men and women who were patriots giving their lives for others. They are the ultimate warriors. THE LAMBERT'S VISION Thank you Beth for being willing to "listen" and know this is all about God and for your creative journey. Your vision to expand the target audience was groundbreaking along with your vision of the "angelic beings" in a beautiful story. We are all so thankful for the prayer team which has assembled, because without people praying, sacrificing, fasting and seeking the Lord, none of this would be happening. Gary Lambert is the champion for this creative crusade and without his unending support and belief, we would not be here. His faith in our team, the process and reaching young people continues to inspire us. Ben's creative job in helping us with the filmed overview was outstanding and Katie's support has been deeply appreciated. This is a huge step of faith that many could not see, but this family, along with Dee Butler have been awesome. The vision demonstrated by this Pennsylvania family is a testimony to all who know them. There is a calling and a destiny on their lives and they deeply appreciate your support and prayers. This doesn't mean it will be easy, because visionaries are often discounted and not seen as realists. We beleive the opposite is true. Our followers are growing, the screenplay is being developed and a new vision is on the horizon for one of the most exciting films to touch young and old. This will be a family friendly endeavor and a film all will enjoy. Included in the movie will be humor, suspense, romance, action and more, so stay tuned as we transition this book and make a movie "inspired by an epic story of adventure". SPIRITUAL ATTACKS We recognize from the past about THIS PRESENT DARKNESS and any film which is about the spiritual realm there will be spiritual attacks. Wrongful accusations, lies, deceit and even mistakes will be surrounding all who are involved. Please pray for the families, the members who so faithfully are in this body for protection, safety and angelic protection. Without people praying this is an impossible quest. But with God, all things are possible and we know He is going to get all the glory. May the Lord bless you all. YOUR GRP FILM TEAM As we prepare for 2019, there is a lot to cover in a short time. We begin by thanking every prayer warrior in our team who is continuing to lift up JP KNIGHTS the movie as we move into a series of huge creative meetings. Thank you in advance for keeping your "day" to pray sacred and also for making sure you cover the following prayer needs:
PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
There are many different decisions we will be facing in 2019 and when we consider our new year, we know the best place to start is on our knees. Truly, it may sound a little old fashioned, but we believe in the power of prayer. When we started this journey with Beth and Gary Lambert, the first thing we did, was ask for a team to meet for prayer. When we circled together at the Lambert's home church, we decided to do everything we could to provide a sacred place where we could pray and we found a new spiritual home. With meetings with the pastors, we have found a "safe place" in Johnstown where we gather, so look forward to us coming back in the first quarter of 2019 to share more. Thank you for the prayers from 2018 which began our journey last Spring together. We believe the best days are ahead and we are blessed to have you in our journey together. May the Lord Bless you in every way. Beth ends her letters with a salutation and we end this 2019 letter with the same. For The Lamb, Your Film Team In the month of December the screenplay is on the move. Our team will be meeting on the primary diagnostics for character development, plot lines and more. The balance of the focus is cadence, target audience and creative boundaries.
One of the more creative discussions we have discussed are the lead characters, which are teenagers and their intersection with the supernatural. When you consider how Fantastic Beasts, Chronicles of Narnia and even Lord of the Rings has used the natural and coupled with the supernatural, there is a creative boundary involved. When you are working to ensure the film adaptation of the book, there are cinematic and target audience decisions which "drive the creative". However, it all begins with a great story and Beth delivered and JP Knights will be more prepared to have the success because of the foundation of a wonderful book. Also, we want to recognize financial advisor Barry Thomas who is now in our inner circle as he and his family believed in our process and were "led" to become a part of our film. With the team of finance professionals like Barry coming on board in Pennsylvania, this is just one more example of a foreshadowing of things to come. The new film production LLC is now in place thanks to Forrest Fordham, our excellent counselor and legal advisor in Pennsylvania. This means we are preparing for the film to be produced and made into a full length feature film. When the screenplay is completed in the first quarter of 2019, we will be meeting with future financiers in the Pennsylvania area. Stephanie Musser, our Vice President will be working to schedule meetings with investors and financiers on the Executive Producing arena as we move forward in communications and materials. A special thank you to all the "behind the scenes" team members who have been working so diligently to provide the blue print and the excellent financial platform required. Meetings in Colorado this month are already scheduled and the screenwriting team will be coordinating efforts with Beth Lambert via conference calls who has been invited to become a foundational part of the screenwriting process. Beth provided invaluable data and background character overviews in the initial meeting in Nashville for preparation moving forward. Finally, music is going to be a huge part of the future for JP KNIGHTS because when you are a film team whose focus is on the target audience of teenagers, there is a recognition of how powerful great music will be in the film. Please continue to remember the team in prayer and for the music collection associated with the screenplay. Congrats Beth and Gary, Kevin PS The future is very exciting right now! The screenwriting process is now "off to the races" as the Lambert's traveled to Nashville Tennessee the first of this month to embark on the journey of communicating the powerful story of JP Knights to the world. How did this happen?
In the Spring, we engaged with Beth and Gary Lambert to find resources to help us fund the screenplay activity. Through months of hard work, over one hundred prospects considered, many meetings in Johnstown from our Co-Executive Producer Gary Lambert along with Stephanie Musser and more, results finally began to happen. Securities advisor and prayer comrade reviewed the materials and came alongside of the Lambert family to invest. Forrest Fordham our own legal "counsel" who is locally in the area for the Johnstown community encouraged us and after months of hard work, all of the initial seed capital was funded. This was a huge answer to prayer. As a direct result of this excellent effort, we are beginning the journey and need your prayers as the entire film team surrounding Beth gathers together. Jim Gromer from ABC and the Starz Network is now working with the Denver Broncos and will be serving alongside this writing journey. Beth and Jim carry a special unity in their faith and have been talking for months about this new future. Dr. McAfee will be providing all oversight into the creative outline, the beat outline, scene by scene outline, structural overview, script polishing along with help from the Filmmaker's Roundtable. He and Jim have just completed the first draft of the screenplay SAND IN TUSCANY and are thrilled to be working with Beth and Gary on this project. Creative Outline discussions have now begun in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Colorado and everybody is absolutely thrilled to be working on a project of this magnitude! It's finally becoming a reality and this is because of YOUR PRAYERS. Early meetings with studios are also very promising as this new spiritual warfare action and adventure film ignites audiences with special effects, unique story telling, comedy, epic battles and more. There is a renewed enthusiasm about the journey and we are thrilled to bring this new screeplay to the forefront. Please continue to pray for JP KNIGHTS and we have a special thank you we wanted to share. In the beginning, everyone knew this was an almost impossible journey. However, Beth and Gary believed, had faith and created a massive prayer army to be the foundation of the project. There was a commitment to not get ahead of destiny, but instead to be on our knees as a team asking for insight. Congratulations most goes to the Lord who deserves all the glory. God gets the glory because without His leadership, His provision and His guiding hands, this would have never happened. The final piece of this puzzle is the funding resources needed to make a movie to help change the world. Our film will target 12-17 year olds. We believe this evangelistic effort will be a huge step in the direction of bringing the gospel to the world. Thank you for believing, for praying and for interceding for us during this time. God Bless You, Your Film Team Gary Lambert is taking the most proactive role as a Co-Executive Producer on our film JP KNIGHTS. He has been meeting with City Fathers, Corporations, Small Business Owners and more to share the vision and dream of making this film a reality.
The prayer warrior team has been affirming in our process as one shared the other day, "I believe this movie is going to change many people's lives and it will be funded". When Beth Lambert, author of THE HARVESTER CHRONICLES contacted us, she knew the power of prayer was germane to the success of the movie. Funding the screenplay is becoming more a reality every single day as Pennsylvania was recognized last month on the special 9-11 ceremony where President and First Lady Donald and Melania Trump visited the famous sight from Flight 93. Knowing the movie we are makign is literally beginning in this very location is an even higher motivation for the battle of evil and good to commence. Ben Lambert, Stephanie Musser and Gary worked diligently on putting together the raw stock footage in building the movie trailer scene on the website, while Jim Gromer from Denver put the polishing editing together. Every film is a group effort and Jim has a background in Karate which is another part of the entire story inside a Karate school. The team has been discussing preliminary creative strategies because once the screenplay is funded, this requires 120 days of real creative work to make the screenplay happen. The process begins with the development of a beat outline, followed by a scene by scene overview. Once these two steps are completed, the "flesh" of the dialogue begins to shape the picture into the visual language needed. Beth was inspired to write this book because she would see children in her medical practice who would read HARRY POTTER with great enthusiasm. In the same spirit as THIS PRESENT DARKNESS, an "end of times" battle with young men and women based on the prophecy written in Joel provided the backdrop for this Pennsylvania story to take flight. Preliminary conversations with animators have also begun to discuss the visualizations of the angelic beings, the dark creatures and even more. CGI and special effects will be an integral part in this teenage film sure to capture the imagination of young people. In the last month, our first preliminary meeting with a major studio took place and they are ready to receive the screenplay and give us an amazing entrance into their world of real distribution. When you have the studios interested in what you are doing before you even get the project completed, the process accelerates. Maybe you or your company would like to become a part of JP KNIGHTS, well this is your chance. Contact Gary Lambert or you can write us at this website and we will share with you our digital presentation and discuss the details. We believe this film is destined to make a lasting impact on our culture and we need you to get involved, today. Thank you team and entire crew for getting behind JP KNIGHTS! This is one Pennsylvania story that is sure to be powerful. On Behalf of the Film Team, Dr. Kevin McAfee Founder/Filmmaker GRP FILMS Many people wonder what the greatest need is in making a film of this magnitude when there are so many decisions to be made. A filmmaker who worked at SONY and literally had made 113 films in his life, shared this statement and it has been with our film team for many years.
"There are over one million decisions you will make in creating a full length motion picture." Studio Executive Sony Pictures When you stop to consider the power of statement, how do you prioritize and what is the most important part of the filmmaking process? There are many answers to this priority based question, but there are some key founding principals of business which take place to ensure the bottom line is properly executed, so let's jump in together. The THREE LEGGED STOOL represents the first top three priorities which are, story, capital and distribution. Let's focus on the end in mind first, capitalization. How do you go about capitalizing a feature length film and what are the beginning points? SEED CAPITAL This is the phase we begin the journey and are currently in today. We are seeking $125,000 for the creation and development of the screenplay. This is an essential Limited Liability Corporation that is already established in Johnstown, Pennsylvania with one of the leading legal counsels in the area. Forrest Fordham is the assistant district attorney now for almost two decades and he represents the entire LLC that is putting this fiscal venture together. The leadership needed excellent counsel with the real experience locally. Gary Lambert is one of the Co-Executive Producers along with Forrest who are leading the charge to find EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS. These are individuals who will be the financiers, institutions, lending groups and venture capitalists who will take up the banner and fund the entire journey. We cannot predict the total costs until the finished screenplay is line produced for the actual budget, but we can estimate. Once the screenplay is finished, the film will be line produced by one of the best in the business, Patrick Ingram. Once he completes his thirty day accounting process to accurately come up with the actual budget to make the film, the team will be even more refined to complete the production. There are many exciting elements to the movie and past distributors are already lining up wanting to know "when" will we be ready. The filmmakers desire to use the Johnstown hockey rink, the incline, the steel mills, the large industry and manufacturing venues, the local "haunts", hotels, restaurants and unique elements to the Pennsylvania region for filming. From the FLIGHT 93 location to the river and trains, Johnstown and the surrounding area has the perfect place for filming sights. FILM PRODUCTION COST ESTIMATES It is estimated the motion picture will require a 10-15 million dollar budget because there is animation, special effects and CGI in this fantasy based film that is a cross between HARRY POTTER and THIS PRESENT DARKNESS. The team gathering is ready to begin finally meeting with the investment community in the coming months after having the endorsements of the City Fathers along with the state film office in Harrisburg. Since the creative writing takes 120 days once the SEED CAPITAL is finalized, the film production estimate will only take thirty days after this is completed to know exactly the final film costs. For all those in Johnstown, for the prayer partners who are continuing to remember this journey, thank you for all your support. For Emmanuel Baptist Church who has done so much to support the project and for the local Catholic diocese and others who will be directly involved due to the story, we look forward to working with you closely. HOW LONG WILL THE JOURNEY TAKE Filmmaking is a slow process, so we are prepared for the long haul to move to the next level. Our best estimates are approximately eighteen months once we are funded, we will be ready for box office. The best news we could have is finding the right "local champion" who believes in the journey and is willing to place their name on this wonderful new film being created by the GRP FILM team. www.grpfilms.com Stay connected for future monthly updates and look forward to seeing the film team in Pennsylvania in the coming days again! In Veritas, The JP KNIGHTS Film Team People who are "behind the scenes" are as integral to every movie as the stars who appear on screen. They are a team of professionals, interns and experts who have served as apprentices, production assistants to the GRP veterans in making a motion picture happen. In this month, we want to thank ALL the behind the scenes people.
Let's begin with the finance experts, the accountants, the financial advisors and the investors who believe in this film and are working to make it amazing. We also want to thank the legal groups who are coming alongside of our team. Forrest Fordham from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, James Randolph Smith from Nashville, Tennessee, Tonya Mallean from Beverly Hills, California and Rick Denker our general counsel from Oklahoma City. Without professional advisors to help us make a movie, it never happens. Larry Owsley and Scott Buzzell have been working as Executive Producers and commercial real estate developers have been vital to our process. Jag Gholson our wealth manager and Lynn McAfee our administrator has been key in our Executive Producing team along the way. Stephanie Musser is serving as a Co-Executive Producer and Julie Spencer is the Executive Assistant to Dr. McAfee who is the filmmaker coordinating these activies on the business side of the film's production work. Jim Gromer is teaming up with Dr. McAfee to begin working on the beat outline and scene by scene outline once the funding is completed. Recently, we added to the JP KNIGHTS website the "BEHIND THE SCENES" overview which captures the amazing pictures inside of the Johnstown, area. Recent Penn State graduate Ben Lambert led the journey in capturing these amazing filmed spots. He worked closely alongside Co-Executive Producer Gary Lambert for weeks in filming. They had began working on an extensive location and shot list for the overview. Please make sure and watch this wonderful visualization to learn more. Ben's recent photographic and cinematic accomplishments earned Ben the position of the DP for the first chapter in creating a "BEHIND THE SCENES". Once the motion picture begins, a more comprehensive movie will be made as an "add on" to the Home Entertainment product. Therefore, we take this month's blog to thank all those nameless folk who work tirelessly to create visualizations, music, web development and support. Stephanie Musser worked for weeks on the shot selection and first draft edit prior to having this professional overview of the area, while submitting original music for the overview. Jim Gromer played the vital role as the final editor on the film shots collected and additionally contributed from his own stock library a series of film shots to bring our OVERVIEW to life for all of you. Without these exceptional people to capture the heart of the town, we would not be able to understand the true inspiration behind this film. Movie making is about a film team and this embodies the hard work of many excellent and trained artisans to bring to the attention of the world, a powerful story in JP KNIGHTS. The film and the entire list of musicans involved embody another vital part of who we are. From the music logs of Ms. Musser we have original compositions in our visualizations. We most importantly thank the many "faceless" champions who are also praying for the team each and every day. If you desire to become part of JP KNIGHTS the movie, please contact us and select a day you would want to pray for our journey. The entire management group appreciates the support of Pennsylvanias and film enthusiasts who would like to see a film that is a cross between the highly successful HARRY POTTER series and the successful faith based book, THIS PRESENT DARKNESS. Story begins this journey and Beth Lambert wrote THE HARVESTER CHRONICLES and people still can't put the book down. The screenwriting team will illuminate the story telling elements for the movie being developed when the time launches after the funding is completed. We believe the film is going to be amazing as we continue to seek the right Finance Partners for the development of the much needed screenplay. We are one fifth of the way there, so continue to be in touch with us if you have an interest in participating. Gary Lambert would be honored to speak with you about how you, your business or network can be involved. Thank you BEHIND THE SCENES film team members and we look forward to sharing more about the many groups of amazing people in future blogs and in the manufacturing process of the movie, once we have begun. In Veritas, Your Management Team |
AuthorDr. Beth Lambert is a Pediatrician and Medical Director in Pennsylvania. JP Knights is the first film from her books. Archives
March 2019
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Kevin & Lynn McAfee along with Jim and Rachel Gromer met to begin the script writing process for JP KNIGHTS the movie. Thanks for praying for the entire team!
Dr. McAfee and the team of GRP with Stephanie Musser met with city fathers in Pennsylvania at the Holiday Inn to discuss strategies for shooting in Johnstown.
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