Update 7.26.1 The Kitchen has come a long way since last week when nothing was working. The space is simply not optimal [ noptimal ] for filming. There isn't room to move, let alone hide lights. After hours of trying different blocking and camera positions, we finally found a layout that could work. This meant we could shift our focus to lighting and where we can hide the tools needed to make it look natural. One fun development from the Set Dressing side of things: While the ivies of the Library Desk can sneak in at the edges, the plants inside the Kitchen should be edible. This makes a ton of sense, but it took fiddling with options (and a creative mind) to realize it. While you were watching, did you notice we shot this segment in a completely different aspect ratio? Prayer requests Wisdom and clarity as we consider: - Should we invest in lenses that may help with our space limitations? - What kind of business structure should we set up? Huge thanks to: ...

Update 6.26.1 This video's examples come from our current efforts in Set Dressing, the art of making the background of the set look good. The two major projects are a stained glass window and book covers/dust jackets. But these time-intensive initiatives bump against a very real decision point: What is "good enough" for a project? How much do you invest in making something look good versus getting your product out the door? Because we're not getting anything shot yet. I take a little solace from the Behind the Scenes of projects as diverse as Lord of the Rings and The Muppets. Both spent time doing things that someone outside the filmmaking world would likely consider a complete waste. The challenge, as a Producer, is recognizing what is a waste (a regular problem for Hollywood) and what is essential to making your project play. All this crashes into other aspects of building this Living Library, including questions of staffing and how we want to d...

Update 5.26.1 A little peek at the work that's still going into Luke's costume. Goal one: Comfort. Goal two: Uh ... green? Costuming is an entire industry and art form, and while I have friends who know about making costumes, what I wear is part character and part functional. This isn't a show piece. It's the clothes I'll be in wherever we go and whatever we do on this crazy adventure. We spent weeks kicking around ideas and suggestions before we started paying for pieces to show up to try on. And since my family almost exclusively wears clothes from the thrift store or as Christmas gifts (we appreciate generous grandparents!), the price tags were devastating to me. Kids that go to the mall to buy clothes for fun boggle my mind. They must be doing pretty well babysitting. Speaking of that: Also in this video, an update on a prayer request from the last video. While this is unlikely meet all our financial needs, I have a new weekend-only "b...