John's Blog

Alexa Brianne is here
August 25 - 2007

Well my daughter has finally arrived and I never knew how much love you could have for something you've never seen before. I find myself full of emotional moments where I think about her someday going off to school, or riding a bike, or (and this one always makes me cry) dancing with her on her wedding day (I'm tearing up just writing about it now)

She truly is a joy, and I can't wait for all of you to meet her. There is a short video I made to introduce her to the world on our downloads section... be sure to check that out, and also my photoblog for pictures!

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Nursery Pics
August 12 - 2007

Be sure to check out my other blog for some updated shots of our nursery!

www.coastline-studios.com/photoblog

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Another Blog
July 02 - 2007

For those of you who wished I blogged more often... you're in for a treat. I've recently added a new blog specifically designed to showcase photo and video projects I've recently done, as well as highlight anything related to photography or video/film worthy of comment. I've definately been doing better at keeping that blog up todate with more posts. Check it out!

www.coastline-studios.com/photoblog

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Garage Sale Video
May 27 - 2007

We had a garage sale last weekend along with 8 or so other families on our block. It was nice to clean out the garage, and get some of the junk piled up in our basement out of there. We only made around $140, but had a busy day with fairly consistent traffic throughout the day. We shared our driveway with our neighbors (The Hidalgo's) from 2 doors down.

Anyway in true "John Pottenger" form I did a time laps video of the day. I set up my still digial camera to take a picture every 10 seconds. I then put all 2500 pictures into a video timeline and played each picture for 1/30th of a second. There was a lot more of our stuff down our driveway, but the camera couldn't see it. (I hid the camera inside our home in the dinning room so people wouldn't hear the shutter and freak out) : ) Here's the resulting video.

http://www.pottengerfamily.com/media/garage_sale.html

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I was on the Radio
April 30 - 2007

I thought some of you might enjoy my little radio debut on local stations WCSG and WAYFM for the 24 hour film festival I help run. Check it out. they are both less than 2 minutes each.

http://www.pottengerfamily.com/media/WCSG_Spot.mp3

http://www.pottengerfamily.com/media/Way.FM_Spot.mp3

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Lord of the Rings Day
April 06 - 2007

A few weeks ago I hosted a "Lord of the Rings" day in which we watched all 3 extended editions in order ALL IN ONE DAY! Of course I had to make a documentary film about it... check it out at this link: http://www.coastline-studios.com/tv/LOTRMovieSmall.html

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Office Space?
March 23 - 2007

Today Amy and I accompanied our friend Jen Kroll on a facilities tour of a space we are considering for using as a studio / office space. The tour went really well, and the prices of this particular building are incredible compared to anywhere else in Grand Rapids. We’ve contacted 2 other photographers who would also likely “jump in” with us to help pay rent, and both said yes… so at this point we are praying to see if this is what God wants for us, and we are hoping this is where God wants us to be.

The space we looked at was on the North West side of the 4^th(top) floor. It features freshly sand blasted original wood beams, and hard wood floors as well as brand new energy efficient windows. The top floor also features an extra 2 feet higher ceilings than any other floor and of course is quieter than any of the other floors (hard wood floors = noise when people walk above you). I’m not sure of the exact height of the ceiling, but it had to be in the 20’s… possibly even 30 feet high. In addition the building has a locally owned deli / coffee shop (good food and prices), a shared conference room, free parking and easy access right off 131 (the main highway going north and south through Grand Rapids). It’s about a 10 minute drive from our house… 80% of that is highway.

Our hope (if all moves forward) is to move in sometime in between May 15 and June 30^th. While a decision has not yet been made, we are pretty excited about the space and are optimistic that we will move forward shortly. The biggest thing holding us up at this point is cash flow. Being wedding photographers, all 4 of us are low on cash and will likely get a large boost in that department come late May and on. Both Jen and I have changed our packages significantly since last summer, and are now charging over double what we were charging last summer (at least I am) and we are also requiring a larger deposit on all new weddings. This means for both of us that our projected cash flow a year from now at this same time would look significantly different (both in quantity as well as cash flow). So the decision is not so much of a “can we afford it” question as “when this year can we afford it?”

Also the space we were looking at today will be finished and “lease-able” to the public in a week or two, and so our chance of losing that space we liked is possible if we don’t put a deposit down soon… thus the time crunch. But for now we are going on faith that if God want’s us to have that space that it will happen in His time.

Needless to say your prayers are appreciated as we consider this large decision, and hope that the space remains available should we decide to move in. I’ll be sure to keep you posted as things progress.

Oh and here is a link with some pictures of the building… http://www.delta-space.com/properties/401hall/401hall.asp

John

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Self Employment
January 20 - 2007

Well it's been far too long since I blogged so I thought I'd give it a go again on a sunny but cold January Saturday morning.

Probably the reason I haven't blogged much lately is that being self employed has really changed a lot in my life. Maybe this is a bit of a stretch, but lately I've been thinking that its a lot easier to blog when you are on a salary, and not self employed. This is in no way meant to slam people with a fulltime job, but if I had to guess... it's a lot easier to "find time" on a salaried job than when you are self employed. I say this because when you are self employed every minute of the day seams a little more sacred... at least for me. You're either going to make enough money to pay the bills this month, or slack off and go into debt. Granted I know plenty of "employed" people who don't have the time to blog, or do it in the evenings but it just is different when you have to support your family on your own without a regular paycheck.

Being self employed has definitely been a good thing though for Amy and I. We've gotten into a routine which we both love. Sleep in until 9 or 9:30am every morning... don't really start working until 10 or 10:30am... eat a late lunch and dinner... and work a little in the evening while ending the day relaxing together watching some of our pre-recorded favorite TV programs. Its nice not having to "be anywhere" first thing in the morning... especially on Sunday nights. Monday's aren't the most dreaded day of the week anymore. It's especially nice not having to go dig out the cars and plow first thing in the morning after a big snow storm. Just walk down stairs and get to work. Ahhhh...

Business has been good for me through this "slow" (non-wedding) season with all sorts of random projects. Some of these include teaching a 2 week January-term "Intro to Video" class at Grace Bible College, my upcoming photography class, a January wedding, wrapping up left over projects from 2006 and continuing to work on marketing myself and my work. My latest marketing project has been to revamp my "sales presentation" for meeting with perspective brides. I've also managed to book a number of weddings (about 3 or 4) since December, which not only means I'll have work in the Summer, but also some deposit money to live off of for now.

I've also enjoyed keeping more on top of my communication with my clients and friends. It's very common for my inbox to be empty (a feat I am always striving for) as I do my best to respond to each e-mail as soon as I can. Some would say I'm a little obsessive compulsive about this, but somehow it really helps my stress level stay down. When I was working at Cornerstone, I always felt like I was letting people down or at least not communicating as often as I should/could have because I had CU e-mail to keep up with during the day, and Coastline e-mail to keep up with at night... TOO MUCH E-MAIL! So being self employed has allowed me to raise my own professionalism in this (and other) ways for Coastline. And being an all or nothing kind of guy... this is a huge deal for me.

I also have a few larger scale projects in the works, but I can't share them with you yet... maybe that will be an excuse for a future blog. : )

Hoping to blog more often.... - John

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Some Recent Work
November 13 - 2006

Hey all, thought you might like to see some of my most recent work:

http://www.cornerstone.edu/future_students/webjournals/ - I did both the photography AND the flash programming work on this one. The glow effect, mouse overs etc...

www.coastline-studios.com - if you haven't seen this within the last week... you need to see it again. With 3 brand new sites... you're bound to see some cool new stuff since your last visit.

http://www.coastline-studios.com/tv/Sneak-Peak.html - ok so most of you have probably already seen this... its my most recent wedding video using Hollywood movie making tools.

Enjoy! - John

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The last days of the ITC
September 24 - 2006

Though this is a little late, I thought it might be fitting to say something about the ITC and give it a final farewell - blog style. Being the media kind of guy that I am that of course means pictures and more.

CLICK HERE to see the ITC before and after pictures of my office.

About a week ago I picked up the school paper and the ITC had officially died. It was renamed to CAMS. You can read all about it here (click on the picture).

It’s fitting actually that I was there when the ITC was born, and was unceremoniously laid off at its death. It was summer 1996 and I was an eager young freshman just starting my college journey at Cornerstone. It wasn't more than a week that I was notified of a job up at this new place called the ITC... of course I took the job. It was literally not even set up... wires and boxes everywhere it was a mess. I can still remember my first day on the job with Dave Morneau. Dave just starred at me the whole time (kinda gave me the creeps actually). Of course there wasn't anything else to do since no one really even know the place existed. We had the latest and greatest technology (the one and only CD burner on campus) and no one even knew. So I kept myself busy by exploring, and teaching myself everything there was to play with up there. From audio studios to cool new graphics programs like Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and Media 100 video editing software.

ITC had quite the line up in the way of managers. Starting with Forrest Wakeman (who hired me) to Angelo Ortiz and Heath Good... a new manager for each year I was there... that is until my senior year when Hiedi Hansen and myself took on the management of the ITC as senior students. Immediately after graduating I took the newly created fulltime job of "ITC Manager" and went to work June 1st, 2000. Then there was the long line of assistant managers; Chris Robertson, Elizabeth Chapman (Schmucker), Jay Kroll, Josh Haveman, Elizabeth Frederick, Amanda Houdek and last but certainly not least Greg Ohlman. All serving at various times from June 2000 to August 2006.

ITC saw its fair share of student workers, some of the all stars who come to mind include Murphy Felton, Jon Soper, Matt Chapman, Elizabeth Chapman (Schmucker), Ryan Prins, Emily Ward, Dave Mathewson, Emily Bursch, Steve King, Amanda Houdek, Hope Collins, Brad Porter and Phat B who was ITC's only honorary member. Of course there were others, but these ones stick out in my mind.

Some of my favorite memories of the ITC include; finding and hiding the Star Wars “Luke” Action figure all over the ITC… drinking fake cappuccino made from our cool gas station style espresso machine… having hundreds of chats with my students and staff about life, school, relationships and of course work… getting notes from various staff members for me to find when I came in the next morning… defending my staff from the rude and often immature adult students during evening classes… setting up Studio B with sound proofing foam and trying to disguise the fact that studio B was really an janitor’s closet complete with a sink and running water… as a student, when things were slow - experimenting with my voice using Sonic Solutions and creating some fun little songs and raps… as a student, inviting people (especially girls) up to visit me at the ITC during long and boring evening shifts… moving my office from the janitor’s closet into one of the largest offices on campus complete with a couch!... buying tools for our hall of fame gaffers kit (I’m gonna miss that kit Greg)… so many memories… <eyes tearing up>

So how about you? Did you have any memories of the ITC?

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Murphy's Law
August 11 - 2006

So the last 48 hours have been quite the story. You already know how it started, but day two was full of just as many adventures.

Thursday started out pretty good actually. I interviewed, and today accepted a teaching position as an adjunct at Grace Bible College to teach one class of photography. I was shown around the campus, met the president and learned more about the school. It was when I arrived at Cornerstone that things started going south ... again.... only this time it was Murphy to blame, and not Cornerstone.

I gave my keys to Ryan to start helping me load my stuff from the ITC into my car. He returned, and made many trips for me, all the while leaving my keys on the front counter of the ITC. Somehow they magically disappeared only minutes after a few other people in the ITC informed me that they were still on the counter. No one knows where they went... just poof... gone. I spent the rest of the day packing my office.

Then to get home, I had Greg drive me to the VW Dealership where my other car was waiting to be picked up from a $1284 repair. I paid them, drove home, picked up Amy and then went back to Cornerstone to have Amy drive the fully loaded Explorer home. I had a Compass Alumni Board meeting at 5:45pm, so I had to jet from Cornerstone pretty quick.

Less than 3 miles from Cornerstone a little red light started blinking and beeping. It was the temperature light on the Bug. Literally less than 15 miles and 30 minutes from picking it up at the VW Dealer, it was already having problems. I called the dealership right away, and he said to pull over as a blinking light is bad, and driving it could cause major damage. I went about a mile to the exit, pulled into a parking lot and started making phone calls. Moments later I had managed to find a ride to my meeting and filled Amy in on the exciting news.

My meeting went well, and I returned to my car to wait for a tow truck. I eventually got home around 9:30pm that night. It was a very long and emotional day. I was exhausted.

Today I found out the Water Pump was bad and when removed... came out in pieces. The Dealership assured me that this was not connected to the major work they did the day before... it was just an amazing coincidence. After a little questioning on my part I was satisfied that this was the case. The dealer said the repair would take 5 hours and cost $500. Ouch! He knocked off an hour of work knowing my situation which was nice... but it’s still another $420.

So needless to say when it rains... it pours.

On the Upside... this morning I was able to spend some time with my friend Jon and play around with his new Jib. Check out a small sample of what we did here! Take note that this was just for fun, and there are a few bumps here and there that show our amature skills at this new tool. ALSO NOTE that at the end I was yelling "fight" and not something else. :)

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Moving on to better things
August 09 - 2006

After 10 years at Cornerstone (over 6 as a full time employee) I was laid off today. I'm not sure how much I can say about it yet, so to be safe I'll defer from giving the details here online.

While It was certainly out of the blue and un expected, I had a feeling it was coming. Since my boss was let go with reasons that I didn't understand or agree with, I knew Cornerstone was in a time of cutting back. Fortunately for me, I have a side business that I can put energy and time into. That is not the case for my co-worker Greg Ohlman who also lost his job today only 30 minutes after I did. Greg has 3 kids, and a new home (moving in on Saturday) and he has no side business or regular outside income. So if you feel the need to pray, please pray for Greg and his wife Natasha during this time. This is the 3rd time in less than 3 years that this has happened to him, and my heart really goes out to him. I don't even know the last time he had benefits, let alone a solid steady job.

Finally, I just wanted to say that when things get comfortable.. (6 years in a full-time benefits job) its easy to trust in yourself and not in God. And I welcome this time of trust and faith building. My hope is that I would grow through this in as many way possible. This could be for me the opportunity I've been waiting for to really begin to follow my passion. I don't know what lay ahead, but I'm excited to see how God is going to provide, and how this turn in my life will lead me towards bigger and better things.

James 1:2-4

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New Rubix Cube Record!
July 31 - 2006
So I know none of you really care about this, but today I beat my teacher's record of solving the rubix cube! His record time was 1 min 45 sec.... and today I flew by with a time of 1 min 27 sec!

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Hawaii Reflections
June 23 - 2006

When you think of vacationing in Hawaii you always think and hope it will be a paradise vacation… and this trip lived up to those expectations. Here are some of the high and low points from our trip.

Highlights:
- Jennie and Kyle’s wedding. I’ve been to well over 75 weddings in my lifetime, and none of them come close to the beauty and splendor of this one. It was simply amazing in every way.
- Hanging with my family, and meeting Kyle’s family. This was the first family vacation since I was in elementary school, and to be able to have our wives along for the trip really made it fun and memorable…. And getting to know Kyle, and his family was a blast.
- Snorkeling. I’ve only done this in swimming pools before, and so to be in the ocean and see so many beautiful fish was loads of fun, and quite an experience.
- Helicopter tour of Kauai. Aside from a little motion sickness for the last 3rd of the trip, the views from the air were simply breathtaking. Flying into the volcano (the wettest place on earth) and seeing the Nepali coast with all the water falls were the best part of the tour.
- Relaxing! Just sitting on the beach with nothing to do… or sitting at our condo in Kauai watching the rain come down for 5 minutes and then clear away while sipping coffee in the morning… man you can’t ask for a more stress free picture.
- Seeing the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor. This was a powerful and very important thing for me to see… knowing the tragedy that took place in 1941. Every American needs to see this at least once in their life.
- A boat trip in Kauai to the “forbidden island”. Seeing the Nepali coast from the water is unreal. I’ve never seen anything like it. We also saw lots of dolphins, snorkeled at the forbidden island, and had great food.- A boat trip in Kauai to the “forbidden island”. Seeing the Nepali coast from the water is unreal. I’ve never seen anything like it. We also saw lots of dolphins, snorkeled at the forbidden island, and had great food.
- Luau in Oahu. Having never been to one, it was a lot of fun to see all the ancient Hawaiian traditions, and eat the amazing pork.
- Shopping for a Hawaiian shirt with my brother. Little did I know that Matt is an expert in the art of finding quality Hawaiian shirts. From fabric, feel, breathability, pattern and price, he knew it all. It was a blast shopping just the two of us for a night. :)

Lowlights:
- Amy getting sick. … (Monty python voice) “she got better…”
- The long boat ride back from the forbidden island across a very choppy ocean. Mom filled 3 doggie bags, and our boat snagged a large net halfway to our port of return. The tipping boat in the rough ocean was not fun at all.
- The early mornings. I need lots of sleep, and I think had I slept more, I would have had more energy to see and do more (with Kyle and Jen who never seemed to stop going).
- Leaving Hawaii

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Hawaii Update #1
June 14 - 2006

Greetings from Kauia! I’ve been meaning to write for a very long time and now that I’m over 3000 miles from home, I seem to finally be finding the space to do so. Right now I’m sitting on the porch listening and watching the rain as it comes down. It’s 8:11am and my cup of coffee is close at hand to complete the relaxing portrait that is vacation. It seems rare to actually go on a vacation and relax but the last 2 days have definitely been relaxing. The beauty of this place is simply amazing. Having grown up in the warmer state of California, and seeing palm tree’s every day of my youth you’d think this is just another California…. but its not. The water is blue and turquoise, and actually warm enough that you want to stay in the ocean. The climate is tropical, and the attitude of everyone here is laid back. The only thing that can stress you out here, is yourself.

Yesterday did have its adventures though. The day started off at 3am when Amy started making regular trips to the bathroom for multiple reasons. We still don’t know what it was, but she was not feeling good for most of the night and didn’t stop her bathroom visits until late morning. It was a slow recovery through the rest of the afternoon and evening, but by the end of the day she was wiped out. She slept most of the day yesterday, and is still sleeping now as I write this.

In addition to the sickness, we also had an adventure with some lost rental car keys. We aren’t sure where they were lost (on the beach or in the ocean), but after a thorough 1 hour search up and down a steep path that we took to a hidden beach, we concluded that they were indeed lost. We parked right next to a hotel’s valet lot, and some of the drivers were kind enough to help us look for the keys, and then eventually break into our car with a wire. The kicker was that we have 2 rental cars, but the only set of keys we had to the other rental car were locked inside the car. So once we did break into the car, dad hitch hiked back to our condo to get the other car so we can finally go home.

The highlight of the day for me was snorkeling. A few hours before the lost key investigation, we all (minus Amy) spent a good 2 hours at the beach watching fish swim just a few feet below us. Dad found an eel and we all took turns diving down to see it as it was hiding in a part of the coral. It was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to get back out there to do it again.

Well Amy has awoken, and seems to be feeling better, so I guess I’ll sign off for now and say Aloha.

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The Perretti Weekend
May 04 - 2006

Well the weekend was different than I expected it to be, but it couldn't have been better! Saturday around lunch time I called up Frank on his Cell phone and was saddened to hear that both Frank and Barb were not feeling very well. After their busy last few days here in Grand Rapids, and with the late night before judging the 24 hour film festival, the Perretti's were fighting a little cold and were just plain wore out. But Frank insisted that he wanted to meet with us and talk. So we made plans for dinner at their hotel later that night.

Then Amy had a wonderful idea to make a surprise care package for them to help with their colds and to make them feel a little closer to home... so we (Greg, Amy and I) ran to Walgreens and bought some vitamin C, Zicam, Echinacea, water and some granola bars and ran it over to the hotel. The hotel staff ran it up, and then we left to go get some lunch.

After an afternoon break, we reconvened at “Benthams” restaurant in the Amway Grand Hotel where Frank and Barb were staying. They of course thanked us right away for the care package and they would have hugged us, except that they didn't want to get us sick... so Frank decided to bow to us instead. : )

The dinner was nothing short of fantastic. It started out a little slow with small talk as we tried to figure out what we were going to order, but it wasn't long until we were talking about Frank's new passion... Making movies! …more specifically "Directing ". Of course this struck a chord with me since that’s what I want to do. I was on the verge of recommending a book on directing I was reading last year when Frank said he was just at a 3-day training seminar put on by the author of the same book I was going to recommend! He had read her book, and more recently been to her class and so we instantly started comparing notes and sharing stories about directing. We did talk about other things as well, including Barbs desire to work closely with Frank and possibly be a script supervisor... and much fun was had by all. By the end of the night it was as if we were all longtime friends. Frank even said something along the lines of "Man this is fun! I’m feeling energized just talking about all this". This was a great thing to hear considering he was sick, and it must not have been as exciting a prospect for Frank and Barb to meet and hang with strangers from the Midwest... as it was for us to meet and be with them. The evening was a success and a blast!

We then made plans to attend church without the Perretti's and then meet for lunch afterward. So after an awesome service together with Greg and his wife Natasha we drove to pick up the Perretti's for lunch. We then took them to lunch at a cute East Grand Rapids restaurant called "Rose's". After a wonderful lunch, we then proceeded to Starbucks where Barb treated us all to drinks on her and Frank. With Starbucks in hand, the six of us proceeded to tour around Grand Rapids showing the Perretti’s a few options (prepared for us ahead of time) of places they could stay long term should they decide to come to Grand Rapids for the summer to take a class or make a film.

After about an hour of driving we crashed at the "Pottenger Annex" (our home) to show some of the creative stuff we have done recently. I proceeded to show Frank and Barb my Star Wars film, a wedding highlight video, and a few other small videos I had made. Frank sat at the driver’s seat of my computer as he has been learning Avid (the video editing program I edit with) and was constantly stopping the video to ask Avid questions and how/why questions about my editing. How cool is that! I was actually able to give some editing tips to Frank on how to edit in Avid! Anyway... it was a fun time of show and tell, and relationship building. By this time it was dinner time, but Barb and Frank were getting kinda tired again … and thus our time together had come to an end. : (

Just before we left, I snapped a quick shot in our living room to commemorate the amazing time we had with the Perretti's (see above picture). It was certainly a once in a lifetime experience and hopefully the beginning of a friendship that will continue to grow in the future!

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A quick update or 2
April 26 - 2006

First, a HUGE thank you to Jesse O'Brien from Australia for making me a SWEET animation for my Coastline site. SEE IT HERE: http://www.coastlinephotography.com/weddings/cover_samples.php

Second, I am going to have quite an exciting weekend as the infamous 24 hour film festival screening is Friday night! I was on the Alumni board and so was not able to compete... but I was majorly involved in planning and running the festival, so it's still exciting to me. The big news is that FRANK PERETTI is a judge this year!

On top of that, I've been asked along with my friend Greg Ohlman and both our wives, to show Frank and his wife Barb, the sites of West Michigan this weekend! I have yet to clear it with Frank and Barb, but I thought it would be cool to bring along a video camera, and make a documentary of our weekend adventure together. We'll see if they're up for it. So I'll either have a sweet video to show of our time together, or just a blog about it. Stay tuned!

OH! and I thought I'd ask... if you could ask Frank Peretti a question... what would it be?

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Sweet Light Saber Battle!
April 13 - 2006

Check out this awesome Star Wars Video Hollis sent me.

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/1283/

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Star Wars Day
April 10 - 2006

So on Friday of last week I embarked on a mission that I have been planning for since the first announcement that there were going to be 3 prequels to the Star Wars Movies. A quest to watch all six movies in order from episode I to episode VI in one day. So you could say this has been a plan of mine for over 8 years.

Since this was such a big deal to me I decided to document the day to show how much a nerd I really am. To watch the short (nearly 17 minute) film click on this link: http://films.coastlinephotography.com/Star_Wars_Day.mov

NOTE: You might need to download the latest version of Quicktime from www.apple.com/quicktime to watch the film.

Enjoy!

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Some new pictures
March 24 - 2006

I've been taking pictures of various people and events at Cornerstone University... check out some places below where they have been put to good use:

Admission Counselors: (click on the names of the counselors at the bottom of the page)http://www.cornerstone.edu/future_students/contact/

Music department pictures: http://www.cornerstone.edu/academics/fine_arts

The President's blog and website: http://www.cornerstone.edu/departments/president/

and http://www.cornerstone.edu/about/rexmrogers/

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Almost Normal
March 18 - 2006

Well I had a doctors appointment this past week and things seem almost normal! There's still a bit of inflammation in my neck, but it’s not visibly noticeable (only to the touch). The doctor said he wanted me to stop taking the anti-biotic and see him again in a month. So I think it’s safe to say I'm definitely almost better, and only have about 5% left to heal.

Probably the thing I learned most through this was what is truly important in life. My Aunt Linda said "it gives our lives meaning the depth" and that is so true. In some ways I miss being in that state of fear. On average most of us don't know what its like to live in a state of fear and trembling, and it’s in those moments that God is closest. Now that I'm on the "other side" of this thing, I feel like I miss that dependency on God. We American’s are such a "fix it now" people that you get used to finding ways out. Is your car broken?... call a mechanic. Do you need money?.... use your credit card or get a loan. Do you have a headache?... take an Advil. I think one of the only things that we as human's still can't fix on our own is our health. Sure we have ways of easing pain, or fixing known problems... but what about things like what I had? Or Cancer, or HIV?

All this to say that I was glad for the opportunity to be in a place where I could not fix my problem. Doctors weren't able to help, and in fact they probably made me stress out worse. How wonderful it was to be able to rest in the Creators arms totally. How unfortunate that it takes things like this to bring us back to Him.

I want to say thank you to everyone who prayed, wrote and called me over the last month. The support I felt in this time was unreal. I never knew I had so many friends. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

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Finally Some Good News
March 01 - 2006

I’ve not posted an update in a while mostly because I have not had much news to report. Today however I do have some updates, so here’s the latest…

I had some blood tests done last week on Thursday… everything from HIV to your standard blood count tests. This morning I talked with my doctor and found out all the tests looked normal. No HIV or Cat scratch, and even my white blood cell levels were normal (showing I’m not fighting an infection). This of course wasn’t helpful in diagnosing what my lump could be, but at least I’m “healthy” right? So the doctor asked if I could stop in so he could check me out again. It had been 2 weeks since my last check up with him (and I had the morning open in my schedule) so I stopped by his office.

He then felt around and took some measurements of my lumps. (When I say lumps “plural” I’m talking about the big one that was the most obvious on the side of my neck, a smaller swollen and hardened gland under my jaw bone, and a lymph node at the base of my neck near my shoulder.) After checking them all out he said I was right… all three lumps had gone down since he saw me last.

He then indicated that based on the blood tests and the biopsy, that he felt that my body was most likely fighting some sort of virus or weird inflammatory infection, and that it was not tumorous in nature (either benign or active). This my friends was the first time has said anything close to encouraging since I first started seeing him, and I was very happy to hear this prognosis! Even though he isn’t sure what it is I have exactly, at least he thinks (and has communicated to me) it’s not tumorous or cancerous.

Before the blood tests had come in he had tentatively scheduled a surgery for this Thursday… but after talking and seeing the progress I had made he gave me 2 options. 1) Either wait a week or two to see if the lumps continue to go away, or 2) have a surgical biopsy to take out the lymph node near my shoulder (which is a much safer place to operate on than my neck) to see what is actually in there. He said “I’m on the fence on this one” and then asked what I thought. I told him I knew these were likely going to be my options before I even walked in the Doctor’s office this morning, and that I was leaning towards waiting. He quickly agreed after I said that (which took me a little off guard because only moments ago he was “on the fence”). And so my visit concluded and we set up a follow up appointment for 2 weeks.

So at this point I’m still in a waiting mode… but with some encouraging news and some hope for the future. So once more I will ask for your continued prayers that God will continue to heal my body and that these lumps will go away. If they don’t I’ll likely go through with the surgery to try and investigate the illness further. Thank you all so much for your e-mails and prayers. Looking back on the last 4 weeks I can truly be thankful for so much and I really have grown in many ways. Your prayers are not only helping me physically, but also spiritually. Thank you.

John

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A Late Birthday Story
February 23 - 2006

In a word... I don't deserve my wife. She made me smile all day on my birthday and its a story very worthy of telling... even if happened a week ago.

The day started out with a present next to my cereal bowl with a note on it. The gift was some donut holes, and the note said to share them with my co-workers. Needless to say I excited about the donut holes, but I was a little confused because there was a "#1" written on the note. I figured maybe there was a "#2" present at work, and maybe a "#3" later that night... boy was I wrong.

Amy called me just after I finished breakfast and told me to check at the front desk at Cornerstone for something she left for me. When I got to work, I found a medium sized cardboard box and I immediately took it up to my office and opened it.

Inside I found a note explaining Amy's grand plan for me on my birthday. She basically had purchased and wrapped 28 presents (for my 28th birthday) and instructed me to open each present every 15 minutes throughout the day! Now if you don't know me very well you might not know my love of opening presents. (Side note: I don't just enjoy opening them, I love to watch other people open them too... its not all about me... its about seeing the joy on peoples faces when they open them!). Not only did I get to open presents all day long, but each present came with a note attached. See each present represented something Amy loved about me which was explained on the note. To give an example, she gave me some seeds because she loves how I'm always trying to grow and become a better person... or the board game "Scene it" because I love to entertain, and use multimedia and movies.

So needless to say I was smiling all day long even amidst my fear of what the doctor was going to say from the biopsy. Even my new 50" Plasma TV didn't compare to the wonderful gift(s) idea Amy had. God is so good to me, and I can't sing Amy's praises enough. Thanks hun. I love you.

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Waiting on Faith
February 22 - 2006

Being the media oriented guy that I am, I thought I'd try an "audio blog" to share where I'm at. It's a little under 5 minutes long, and recorded just after this mornings doctor visit. This is my heart, and I hope it ministers to you.

Click Here To Listen - (Windows Media Audio File)

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The Doctors Report...
February 16 - 2006
Well I finally got a call just minutes ago from the doctor (after calling several times), and here’s what he said

They didn’t see any identifiable or positive signs of cancer in the lump, but there are some “unusual” cells in there… and so they can’t confirm that it isn’t cancer for sure either. To say it another way… they still don’t know what it is, but they didn’t see any major red “cancer” flags outside of some “unusual” cells they pulled from the biopsy that they can’t really identify

The doctor then suggested surgery to remove the lymph gland (part of the lump) and started talking about the risks involved in that surgery. Without going into those risks here, I basically was not excited about taking out half of my lymphatic system on a hunch, so I offered him an update on my lump which changed his prognosis a bit

I told him that my wife, friends and co-workers all have been confirming lately that the lump seems to be getting smaller. He asked how much smaller, and I guessed around 30% to 40% smaller. He then said “well… then maybe it will just go away. Why don’t I refill your antibiotic and we’ll set up a check up appointment for mid to late next week”. I said that sounded good… and so that is the current plan

Emotionally both Amy and I are still struggling with this. It’s still a scary thing to go through, and not knowing after all this time is frustrating and stressful to say the least. I called Amy right away to tell her all this and we decided together that waiting a bit longer is the right thing to do. So I guess more faith and trust in the Lord is in order eh

Before I ask for your prayers again, I first want to thank all of you for your encouragement, e-mails, and calls. Amy and I feel so supported and loved by all of you, and the prayers are more than felt in our struggle with this health issue. I’m sure it was because of all of your prayers that the lump is going down, and that we’ve been able to enjoy life together so much since last Friday. Thank you. As I move into another time of waiting, I do ask for your continued prayers that God would use His mighty and powerful work of healing this lump on my neck. Pray also for both Amy and I as we go through this time of faith testing that we would grow and be better representatives of His kingdom to those around us and that God would give us comfort and rest in Him alone

So until next Week Wednesday morning, we will wait and pray together...

John

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An Update on My Neck
February 12 - 2006
This past Friday I thought I might finally be getting somehwere on my neck lump as I was referred to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor who would most likely be able to help get some answers. My appointment was late in the day, and I was really anxious about it for obvious reasons, but also because I was told that they would likely have to do a biopsy on my neck to find out what it was. This of course means sticking needles into my neck and taking out samples of the cells and tissue in the lump… not something I was looking forward to.

After a short inspection the ENT doctor proceeded to shove some sort of scope up into my nose and down my throat to check things out… this was a little weird to say the least, but not really that painful, just uncomfortable. He then took me into another room to do the biopsy which to my surprise was not painful at all outside of the anesthetic shot. Probably the worst part of it all was the nerves I had of not knowing what they were doing, or what they were going to do next. Anyway… the “bad news” is that I won’t find out what the lump is until Wednesday (which of course happens to be my birthday) or possibly even as late as Thursday this week. The doctor didn’t indicate to me anything about what he thought it was, or if he thought it was cancer or not, so I left the office pretty emotional and scared for the future.

Friday night was pretty tough time for me as the entire week had been building up to hopefully getting some answers, and the “not knowing” was getting the worst of my imagination. Thankfully my wife and immediate family came through with their calls, e-mails and prayers. I can’t thank enough those of you who prayed and supported me for your love and support in these recent days! It’s been a wild and testing time for me, but I believe through it I have learned so much about trust, faith, and what things really matter in life. It’s too bad it takes something like this to show you what is truly important in life, but I’m glad I am going through it. Even if it is cancer, I know is in control and that he has a plan for my life.

So in closing, I want to thank you all for your prayers, support and for the love you have shown in different ways without even knowing it. Please continue to pray for me this week as on Wednesday I hope to finally find out what this lump is all about. Obviously we are hoping its just a virus or illness my body is fighting, and that it is not cancerous. And please continue to pray for Amy, who has been my strength and supporter from day one. I know this has been just as tough on her, and I know she’d appreciate your prayers as well.

Thank you all again, and God bless...

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Just me and my Goiter
February 04 - 2006

So it’s been the joke all week... this lump on my neck...

See I had a cold (again) and somehow my gland on the right side of my neck decided it would swell up and get all sore. I figured it was nothing serious since this is common during and after having a cold, so I let it go unchecked for 2 days, but I was starting to lose sleep because it was agitating all the muscles around it all the way down into my shoulders and back. Imagine having half your neck and shoulders all locked up and sore to the touch, and that’s me.

So on Wednesday I thought I'd stop into the health building at Cornerstone to get it check out by a nurse. (Side note: as I was walking over I had to count my blessings, how many people have a place like that where they work … with PA's and doctors and such right at the same place... pretty cool). Anyway I checked in, and the nurse took all my vitals. Apparently everything was fine, blood pressure, heart rate, no spots on my through etc... So they decided to gag me and take a throat culture for strep, and then poke my finger for mono. Both tests were negative. So then the Physicians Assistant walks in and checks it out. She was just as puzzled as everyone else was and decided to prescribe some antibiotics (Amoxicillin) and have me check back in a week.

So about 3 days have gone by, and it's slowly getting better, but barely. My neck is still tight, but the soreness has gone down so sleeping is easier. Of course it’s been the joke though at work to try and throw the word "goiter" into as many sentences as possible. Like "you better get over here or I'll kick you in your goiter" etc... :) I don’t have a goiter though… but I think its such a fun word to say that people wanted an excuse to say it more often… thus the jokes.

So anywhooo... that’s the latest.... and I thought you'd want to know.

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A New Professor Pottenger
January 19 - 2006

So last Wednesday the new division chair of the new Media Studies department walks in and sits me down for a conversation. He proceeds to tell me that there was an error someplace and for some reason this semester there's both an intro and advanced photography class being offered, but that only the advanced class was supposed to be offered, and not the intro class. The Prof who normally teaches both of those classes declined the offer to teach the intro class, mostly on account that there were so many in the class (24 to be precise) and that there was no way that all those students would be able to share one halfway working print enlarger in the dark room. So the division chair was in a pickle... does he cancel the intro class? Does he find a new professor? And what about that darkroom sharing problem?

Well... 2 years ago I had typed up a 2 or 3 page proposal to update the photography classes taught at Cornerstone and bring them away from the dark room and into the digital age. Nothing came of it, and I just moved on assuming nothing would happen. But then...

The Division Chair asked me if I would be interested in teaching the Intro to Photography class and not only teach it, but completely write and create a new digital version of the class! So I not only get to teach what I love, but also choose how and what will be taught! So needless to say I was both excited but also overwhelmed as I had less than 5 days to try and make a syllabus and teach my first lecture. Also one of the bonuses is that Cornerstone was able to buy a few Digital SLR cameras for the students to use, and those cameras are going to me managed and checked out of the ITC where I work... so in essence the ITC gained 4 new high quality Nikon D50 SLR cameras!

My class is every Tuesday night from 6pm to 8:40pm and my first class went fantastic. I actually have 25 students and the room is packed to the brim. It only seats 24, so we had to bring in an extra desk just to fit everybody. Everyone was real excited to be there, and people were asking me all kinds of questions at the end of class which is always a healthy sign of a good class. You don't get that kind of thing in World Civ. : )

Anyway that’s the latest from my neck of the woods. Until next time.... - Peace

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Penguin game
January 10 - 2006

My friend Topher sent me a link to the famous Penguin Game which was popular a few years back. Here's a picture of my high score of 320.9 (mostly to prove I got the score because as of this writing no one has told me they beat it). I'm sure now all of you who read this will try it and beat it. Happy ADD to you all. - Potts

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Chronicals of Narnia Rap
January 03 - 2006
Check out this link that Phat B Sent me: http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=zLElfJ9YCh0

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New Record on the CUBE
December 14 - 2005

I set a personal record yesterday by solving the rubix cube in 2 minutes and 17 seconds!

UPDATE: Later today I solved it in 1 minute 55 seconds! My teacher Ryan Prins has a record of 1 minute and 45 seconds... It's just a matter of time now. : )

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John Louis FISH Pottenger
December 10 - 2005

I've been called a lot of things in my life, but only 2 "official" nick names have stuck. To my Michigan / College friends I am "Potts"... but a little known secret that probably only my family knows about is my childhood summer nickname of "John Louis Fish Pottenger" (always said in full).

You see I love the water, to the point that I'd give my mom concern with my chameleon like skills in making my skin and lips color match that of the blue water. Growing up we didn't have the good fortune of being on the "correct side" of Cottle road like my friend Greg Keeney who had free access to one of the coolest community pools around. And I'm sorry ... but running through the sprinklers just doesn't cut it. You get grass all over you, and you can't dive for cool stuff at the bottom of the pool. However, as I was growing up I was fortunate enough to have a few avenue's to wet my swimming appetite through some close friend’s pools, and later in life a membership to a pool 5 or so miles away.

Calvin and Charlotte Krug could tell stories of our countless games played in their first San Jose home with an above ground pool. Being round it was perfect for making whirl pools, and since it wasn't super deep it never hurt my ears too much to dive for rings and golf balls. Of course Matt and I were always trying to get Charlotte to kiss us, but that’s another story. : ) Calvin also invited us often to his grandparent’s pool which was always a great time. We invented (or at least played) this game where one person stands out of the pool facing away from the water. That person’s goal was to jump into the pool on instinct and try and tag someone swimming from one side of the pool to the other. Just thinking about that game makes to want to go play it right now!

Swimming lessons were started early in my youth so I don't ever remember not liking the water. I've been told that I pushed matt in a pool when he was only 2 years old, but I don't remember that. (Sorry Matt if that’s true). I too had swimming lessons at Santa Teresa High School with Matt and our neighbor friends Alyssa, Stacy and Taryn. We'd often go and get Taco Bell after swim lessons which are where I think I developed my love for Taco Bell. But I digress...

The only thing I don't like about swimming is if there are things in the water that can sting, pitch, bite or cause infections to my body. Yes, the Ocean is not my favorite body of water to be in.... and for that matter lakes with crawdads are also to be avoided in my book.

I also to this day hate looking into the deep of a lake on a bright sunny day. You see the light from the sun going down about 8 to 15 feet and then.... darkness... It just freaks me out. The closest thing I can compare it too is being afraid of heights, being all alone in the middle of no where and the fear of large meat eating fish… all wrapped up in one. It’s not a fear that ever paralyzes me, but its still there if I allow myself to look into the deep water. (This paragraph reminds me of the movie "the Abyss".... see it now if you have not yet seen it)!

So there you have it, my obsession with swimming. I do lean to the safer swimming pools over lakes and oceans, so maybe that’s why my Fish nickname hasn't stuck around. Maybe I don't deserve it anymore... but I guess that’s life. : )

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Jury Duty John
November 23 - 2005

So amidst the busyness of moving I had the pleasure of answering my first Michigan jury duty summons. I had received a few notices when I was in college, but they were for serving in San Jose, and since I was in school in another state, I was able to slide by. This time though I did my civic duty and reported.

The first day I was called in and joined almost 200 people in waiting for 3 hours for my number to be called. The Jury clerk said it was the largest turn out she'd ever seen in her 13 years as a Jury Clerk, so I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not... but I sat nervously and waited. The first group was called pretty early on and nearly half the people disappeared, myself not being one of them. I sat and waited a bit more, and 2 more groups of people were called, again myself not among them. After another 45 minutes of waiting I was dismissed for the day around 11:30am.

The next day I was still expected to report, and so I arrived again only this time 100 or less people showed up. After waiting an hour they called everyone in 2 different courts for Jury selection. I was the 8th person called to the jury stand (a 14 out of 40 chance of being called), and sat down. For the next hour the two attorney’s started asking questions to the jury in hopes of getting an unbiased jury.

The case was about an African American who had resisted arrest and was charged for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. So the questions we were asked as jury members were along the lines of "have you had any bad experiences with police officers". I gave what I thought to be a pretty strong case that I did have a few bad experiences with cops (a really grouchy cop pulled me over once and swore at me for no reason). But of course they asked the follow up question of "can you put that incident behind you and not let that effect your decision making process in this case?". Of course being a Christian I tend to not hold grudges and could easily put that incident behind me, so I said yes, and they kept me on the Jury. They then continued down the line and started asking other jurors similar questions and began dismissing people. As this was happening I was battling internally because part of me wanted to see what this whole Jury thing was all about, but the other part wanted to go home, so I was wrestling with myself to see if I could truly and honestly make judgments without letting my bad experiences with police effect me. I guess my curiosity got the better of me since I didn't say anything and ended up on the Jury.

We were then dismissed for lunch. I had a Quizno's sub and then returned to the courthouse. We assembled in the deliberating room and waiting about 5 minutes until we were called into the court room. We were sworn in, and sat down, but only for a moment. The defense attorney and the defendant were not in the room when we were getting sworn in, and just after sitting down, the defense attorney ran into the court room and asked if he could "approach the bench". The Judge and two attorney’s had a little whispering chat and then the judge told the jury that they needed to recess for a short time to discuss something with the attorney’s.

We then were herded once more into the deliberating room. Of course we were told not to discuss the case until we'd heard all the testimonies and seen all the evidence, so most everyone in the room said nothing to each other. The room was spilt down the middle with all the women on one end of a long oval table, and all the guys on the other end... not sure why... I guess it just happened that way. The women flipped through a few “Oprah” and “Good Housekeeping” magazines and made some small talk for the first few minutes and then the room went silent. We all sat there for about 30 minutes saying nothing. Some closed their eyes and napped, while others looked out the window at the amazing view from the 14th floor looking over Grand Rapids. Finally the door opened and the judge walked in. He said, "how would you all like to go home early this afternoon?". Smiles spread across the room as we waited for more information. He then proceeded to tell us that the defendant changed his plea to guilty, and we were done with our service. He did however point out that our presence and willingness to serve on a Jury might have been all it took to get him to realize he was wrong... and then he thanked us for serving. And that was that.

I've heard so many different perspectives on Jury duty... some hate it, others love it... I guess for me the Jury is still out on that decision. : )

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A day to remember
November 11 - 2005

Well today was a day for the history books. I actually beat the rubix cube all by myself from scratch today! I've been learning the different moves from my good friend Ryan Prins who's current record for solving it is less than 3 minutes! It took me about 20 to 30 minutes, but I did it! I know this sounds dorky, but I've always wanted to be able to beat that thing. I remember my dad had one when I was growing up, and I even remember seeing a book on how to beat it someplace in his bedroom... Dad any comments? : ) Oh and for those kids who were born in the late 1970's, you may get a kick out of this old show that I used to watch about the rubix cube. (Or click here for the theme Song)

And for those who think this is a waste of time... check out this cartoon.

Updates: I can now do it in less than 15 minutes! 11/14/2005

NEW FUN LINKS: Solving the rubix cube blind folded and more!

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iPod - a year in review
November 03 - 2005

I was talking with my friend Topher and he asked me to write about my iPod experience over the last 9 months since I bought it. Like do I still use it? Have I found new ways to use it? How has it affected my life etc... : )

Looking back over the last few months (with moving and all) I've found that I've used it more than ever. I bought some computer speakers just before the big move and set my iPod on the subwoofer and plugged it in. I had my entire music collection sitting on that little speaker and I could play all my favorites thanks to taking the time to rate most of the 5000+ songs in my 20GB unit. It was constantly on during home improvement while sanding, removing wallpaper and general cleaning etc… and it was so easy to move since it was just some speakers and my little iPod.

When I first got it however it did take some time to get used to having music so accessible. I found myself looking for places where I could use it like snow blowing, or mowing the lawn (in the summer), or just walking to my car from work. Of course it was new so I was a little obsessed with using it back then, but over time my use slowed down quite a bit. Throughout the year though it slowly crept back into being used more and more.

Outside of moving I've found it extremely valuable on trips. It's easy to find albums and favorite songs and it's much better than lugging around all my CD's, or limiting myself to just a few favorites. When I went to Vancouver in September there was a lot of traveling time involved and it was great to have it with me when driving, or waiting in the airport. I even had it on me for when we walked through downtown Vancouver and shopped. It's like having a soundtrack to your day. The trick is to keep the volume at the perfect level so that you can have conversations while still enjoying your music. I found people talk to you and think the iPod is off even if the ear buds are still in your ears. Being a movie buff, I found myself turning the music up at times in-between conversations just like a music montage would do in a movie. It was truly a blast to living a music montage in Vancouver.

I think the biggest advantage of any mp3 player is the ability to rate songs. It's one thing to have all your songs on an iPod or some other mp3 player, but if there's no ranking of songs, or pre-organized play lists, then it's harder to get the most of your listening experience. It takes a lot of time to go through and rank over 5000 songs, but if you do it little by little while listening to all your music, the task doesn’t seem as daunting. I'm actually still working on ranking my songs, but anticipate being done before the 1 year mark of ownership.

Finally I think having an iPod or some sort of mp3 player is good stewardship. If you think about it we all have hundreds of CD's in our collection, but how often do we listen to them all? I'd say on average we listen to maybe 10 to 20 of those CD's a year. And 5 to 10 of those are likely new CD's acquired that year. Having play lists and ranked music helps you listen to more of your music collection. If you haven't purchased an iPod or mp3 player yet, I highly recommend getting one.

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Celebrating one year
October 25 - 2005
Well its just over a year since Pottengerfamily went public with the entire family, and boy it's been a fun year. So much has happened in the lives of the Pottengers that it's impossible to recap it all in a short blog. But I'm glad to know that it's all been chronicled in blogs, news posts, and pictures so that in 10+ years from now we can all look back and remember. : ) Thanks to all of you who read and use our website. Its been a blast getting closer to those who posted comments, as well have the ability to share with all of you the joys, sorrows, and random thoughts that have come my way over the last year. Many blessings to you all

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In the paper
October 19 - 2005

Hey check it out... I was in the University's Newspaper!

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Vancouver - Day 2
September 21 - 2005

My life is complete. I shook hands and talked with none other than Gandalf himself today! Sir Ian MeKellen was “Magnito” today on the X-Men 3 set, and between takes he actually came over and talked to our small group twice! I managed to squeeze in the only questions our group asked him which were “How do you prepare as an actor?”… to which his reply was “get a good nights rest”. I also asked him if he changed the lines he speaks very often or if he says pretty much what is written in the script… he said he stays with what is written most of the time. And with that answer… he was called away to act.

Today we were on the set of X-Men 3 all day. We were led onto the set by the head- honcho himself, Ralf Winter, who is the head producer of the film. Ralf produced all the X-Men movies, as well as the Fantastic 4, and the last 4 Star Trek Movies… so his pedigree is rather impressive. What makes Ralf stand out though is his ability to be the best in the business and be a man of integrity at the same time. Ralf is one of the strongest Christians in this business that I have ever met, and truly amazing. Anyway… Ralf walked us onto the set (a forest scene with over 300 mutant extras today) and introduced us to the Director and Assistant Director. After our brief introductions we did our best to stay out of the way and watch the magic that is film making. During a camera change, the First Assistant Director came over and talked with us for more than 30 minutes. One of the best moments of the day by far (after talking with my pal Ian that is).

After lunch we drove a few miles to the sound stages that for X-Men 3 where we walked through the corridor leading to Cerebral, the Oval Office, the Academy “Xavier’s School for the Gifted”, and (if you can believe it) the X-Men Jet! I actually sat in the cockpit where Halley Berry (Storm) pilots the plane! We then saw a huge “green screen” set where a ton of green screen shots will be filmed. And just when I thought that our journey was at an end, we drove to a huge plot of land where I saw some of the outdoor sets that they had made. Unfortunately I can’t tell you about them now, but they were incredible!

We wrapped up our busy day by spending time in a classroom at Regent College where we heard a lecture from a Christian professor on Film History. We watched “City Lights” which is a Charlie Chaplin film. I wasn’t expecting much because it sounded boring compared to the day I had, but it turned out to be very cool as it really helped to connect film making and Christianity in ways I had not thought of before.

There’s so much more I could say, but as I sit here at a coffee shop watching the city night life, I’m compelled to enjoy this wonderful day, and just let it soak in. Wow, wow wow.

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Vancouver - Day 1
September 20 - 2005

September 21, 2005 - Tuesday
Wow, what a day. We started off our day with a tour of Lion’s Gate Studios which is home to numerous TV shows such as “X-Files”, “Smallville”, “Reunion”, and “Stargate SG-1” as well as a number of feature films that I can’t recall at the moment. We were led around the studio by non other than the president of Lion’s Gate himself, and co-escorted by the VP of operations! How incredible is that! I stood on the future apartment of the 2 main Character’s Reunion set (a brand new show) and was able to see a few Reunion actors preparing for their lines and getting makeup touch ups before shooting.

Right after Lion’s Gate we were off to “Post Modern Studios” where many films go to for post production sound work (such as ADR, Foley, and final audio mix downs). They do a TON of major films such as iRobot, Electra & some work for Lord of the Rings, as well as many TV shows like Andromeda, Stargate SG-1 and The L Word. The pictures (which I’ll upload at the end of the week) tell the story of this studio way better than I can say in words.

The next studio we went to was Rainmaker Studios which is one of the largest Post Production houses in the business (next to ILM, and Dreamworks). They were working on so many projects, you could practically name a movie (outside of a Dreamworks film) and they will have done something for it. Their facility was top of the line, and one of the most artistically collaborative set ups I’ve ever seen. They transfer and profess all their own 35mm film to and from digital and HD, and do everything from special effects to green screen compositing and digital color correction.

After Rainmaker we had dinner with a view at a great sea side restaurant, and then went to see the movie “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”. This was by far the scariest movie I had ever seen, and yet one of the most Christian views on demonic forces I’d ever seen. In fact the writer/director is a Christian. It’s not a movie everyone should see, but for those who do, it will move you… It’s not a movie that you can just watch without asking questions like “Is there a God or Devil?” and “Do you believe in a supernatural world”.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun filled day on the set of X-Men 3 and hanging with Ralf Winter the Producer (and a Christian). I’ll do my best to blog about it if I have the energy so stay tuned!

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Doggiebag Trailer
September 05 - 2005

Check out our downloads section for the new "Doggiebag" Trailer! I have some original music on its way so this version will likely change a bit when the new music is ready... but I wanted to get something up there right away ... so I hope you like it.

A quick word on Trailers... A trailer by nature is supposed to suck you in and sometimes even lead you on. The hard part for me was making a trailer that didn't over promise, or reveal too much of the story. After all, this is only a 5 to 7 minute short film... and it's hard to show things without giving away too much of the story. Plus in a 45 second trailer I get to pick some of the favorite shots and moments and put them into the trailer which gives the potential to over promise or mislead someone. Ahh the joys of movie making... Hopefully it will deliver what the trailer promises and not give away too much in the process.

Of course most of you probably know the story already so it's no big deal... but if by chance you are with someone who does not yet know the story, I'd love to get his or her feedback on the trailer to see what they think about the story (like did the trailer make sense, or would they even want to see this movie after watching it?). So if you have someone who doesn't know the story, please have them watch it, and then post comments on this blog posting so I can learn from it. Thanks all and enjoy!

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Doggiebag movie update
September 02 - 2005

I've been getting numerous questions as to the status of the movie I shot in early August, so I thought I should give an update.

After taking the month of August to try and catch up on weddings, as well as everything going on with our house, and family life, I've finally managed to digitize the video footage into my computer. My commitment to myself after the film was shot, was to not start editing until September (because I knew I had to catch up on weddings). FINALLY that day has come. My last scheduled wedding of 2005 is tomorrow, and I plan to take the holiday (Monday) to edit together the trailer. My friend Andy Ferris (who did the music on my last film "Brainstorm") is going to create a music piece just for the trailer this weekend, and I should have it in hand for Monday's edit if all goes well. So be watching our site later in the day on Monday and I should have a trailer up on the site for you all to enjoy.

Next weekend I have scheduled an afternoon of pick up shots that we didn't get during production last time. In addition to next weekend I will probably need another full day of shooting to get all the police shots since I have not yet been able to secure any policemen who are willing to be in my movie. Sometimes I wish I was in San Jose where I know the 2nd in command officer who I know would help me out... oh well... hopefully we will find someone out here. Pray for good weather to match our previous shooting days!

As I reflect on the process I've learned a lot as a director and I've wanted to put it into writing for some time now... so here it is:

1. Protect Your Actors: I surprised myself when on many occasions I found myself asking the crew to not yell out deadlines or "we are behind" updates. I can handle the stress, bit these kinds of announcements stress actors out, and stifles their performances. As the weekend progressed I found myself regularly asking for updates privately from key department heads which I found very effective not only in reducing the louder "we only have 10 minutes to get this shot" announcements, but also helped keep us on time and the shooting to move smoother.

2. PRE-PRODUCTION: There can never be enough planning before shooting a film. Probably the biggest detriment I suffered personally from a lack of planning was time spent blocking "on set" rather than before we started shooting. Because of this I found myself watching the blocking and timing of things more than the performances which I think could have been better with a little bit of direction. But since I was focused on so many other things, I missed a few opportunities to tweak performances and better the acting.

3. Script Review: I didn't take enough time to go through the script and really dig deep into what each line of dialog was asking. Every line should have a motivation behind it, and I didn't take the time to review the script and make notes. This would have helped on a number of occasions where an actor was over acting, or a performance was flat. If I would have had more time before shooting, I would have made a lot of notes in the script to give me ideas on how to get the performances to be real and accurate for each line. I know this probably sounds like a control freak kind of thing to do, but you'd be surprised how many times I know it would have helped. In fact if it weren't for my co-producer Michael Hidalgo's advice on a few occasions I probably would have found myself with some really flat or "over the top" performances.

4. Read "Directing Actors" by Judith Weston: Without this book I would have not been lost. Well maybe not lost, but definitely much more amateur in the way I approach actors and directing them. If you plan on directing any kind of actors for film or otherwise, you have to read this book.

Well that’s at least some of the major things I learned through this process. I hope you found in helpful or entertaining.

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Flip Flops
August 23 - 2005

Sorry ladies, but I just don't get the obsession with flip flops. Shoes I can at least understand because there's a wide variety of uses and such, but honestly why the obsession with flip flops? I've seen way too many girls have a perfectly good day go down the drain all because... "my flip flop just broke!" Guys, am I right? Everything is was going great until DUN DUN DUN.... the 5 cent flip flops your wife found at Old Navy just broke (imagine that... a cheap flip flop that doesn't last for more than a day?). And how many do you really need? If the purpose of a flip flop shoe is to wear on the beach for easy removal, or to possibly show off that fancy pedicure, or maybe to keep your feet cool on a hot summer day when you don't want to wear socks... sure... Maybe a few sandals or flip flops will do ya... but I have yet to find a girl who owns less than 10 pairs of these flip flops that seem to multiply like rabbits. Personally I own one pair of sandals, one pair of a combo shoe/sandal and one pair of flip flops. Anyway… nuff said. : )

(BTW this blog was inspired by someone else's blog about having a bad day involving her broken flip flop... and no it wasn't Amy)

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Observation
August 22 - 2005
Why is it that when there's so much going on in life that you never have time to blog about it... and when you have way to much time to blog, there's nothing to blog about?

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Shooting "Doggie Bag"
August 09 - 2005

There's so much to say it's hard to know what to include in a blog and what to save for the extra features on the DVD. : ) looking back on the weekend it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. All weekend long I kept thinking how amazing it is that I have a cast and crew of nearly 20 people (plus extras) all donate 3 full days of their lives in hard labor just to help me make this film. I've never felt more blessed and supported in my life.

The teamwork and collaboration it takes to get a single 3 or 4 second shot is unreal... and my movie has over 90 shots. I don't think I've made so many decisions in my lifetime as I did in this one weekend. "How’s the lighting John?"..."How should I walk into this shot"..."Do you want to do it again"... "how should I say this line?"... "do you want to try a different location?"... “Do you really need this shot?”… “How about we do it this way?”… endless decisions and constant questions all to get the perfect shots and acting. I can truly say that the result of each and every one of those 90 shots is the sum total of many people's careful execution. I may have conceived and planned all the shots in pre-production, but in execution I have numerous people watching the monitors for so many things. Greg Ohlman watched the lighting and checked for shadows, Jon Ackerman watched the framing and camera movement, Jessica Staples and others watched for continuity, and I watched for performance and story.

FRIDAY:
Friday was probably the easiest and most laid back production day. We shot all the city streets scenes with Anna walking around trying to ditch the suitcase. We started with the scene where Anna meets up with the bum at the dumpster and is surprised. We had planned on a few shots to cover the scene but managed to save about 30 to 40 minutes by just shooting it all in one shot. Rachel Mingerink, who played Anna was outstanding. Her skill became more and more evident as shooting progressed, but even in this first scene it was apparent that Rachel was going to be awesome. In addition, the actor who played the bum was outstanding in his role, and the relationship between Anna and the bum - however brief - was authentic and real. It was a great start to a great weekend to be ahead of schedule and have a great shot in the bag. The rest of the morning went very well and Amy, Dozer and I even had a cameo on the shooting later in the morning. After shooting was over near 1pm, we broke for lunch and then went to the apartment set to prepare for Saturdays shooting. Amy met the crew and I at the apartment set and worked her magic to make it come to life with her design. We decided to shoot one complicated dolly/jib shot late in the day on Friday that was scheduled for Saturday…. which ended up being a good idea because it took us over an hour to get the shot right which would have put us way behind schedule on Saturday.

SATURDAY:
Saturday was the first time we had a full crew as 3 or 4 people had to work on Friday, so the excitement and potential for the day was very high. Things started out slow with people trickling in a little late, but eventually everyone was there and we started to rehearse the first shot. Being a longer dolly shot, it took a number of rehearsals to get it right and so we started off a little behind schedule. Most of the day was “behind schedule” … or so I was told on many occasions. I’m not sure where, but after lunch I recall us being more than 30 minutes behind schedule, and then within 1 or 2 simple shots we were an hour ahead of schedule and done early. I’m sure if it was a miscalculation in my shot estimates, or possibly that we had shot less angles of a scene than planned… but somehow by the end of the day we were way ahead of schedule. This was a little frustrating to me because I’d much rather work in a low pressure environment because it leaves more room for creativity and experimentation. Had I known we were going to finish ahead of schedule I would have taken some liberties to experiment more and possibly tweak some performances, but I guess that’s just they way it goes sometimes. The second part of the day was tough because we had some real emotion driven scenes to shoot, and that is never easy (no matter how good you are at acting). But I was pleased with the results of all the actors and by the end of the day we had lots of great shots of good acting in the can.

SUNDAY:
Sunday morning was both fun and easy. We shot the scene where Anna leaves her apartment, and the stairwell scene where the suitcase falls down the stairs. Greg Ohlman (lighting) had a great idea to look for an alternate location which worked out perfectly considering it was last minute. The head of security was right there on the front steps and she agreed to let us shoot and signed a release form only minutes before we started shooting. The stairwell scene was something to see because we had nearly 15 people packed into a stairwell to set up and watch the shooting. Jon Ackerman (my DP) was not able to be there in the morning, so Ryan Prins filled in as DP and did a great job. The afternoon shoot was a little trickier because I had to block and coordinate all the extras at the hotel scene as well as work with a few new actors. The shots at this scene however turned out fabulous. With 3 dolly shots and one glidecam shot it was an exciting shoot to direct. Our shoot was cut a little short however when a large tour bus pulled up to the rear of the hotel where we were shooting. We only had 5 minutes at that point to try and squeeze in one more shot before a second tour bus would arrive. So with some high pressure near the end of the day we managed to get in our last shot at the hotel in 2 takes. Just after we finished with take 2 the second bus arrived and we had to strike the set. A few of us then moved around the corner to film the reporter giving his report. That took a little while because there was so much dialog, but we eventually got the shots we needed and finished packing up.

When I look back on this weekend I can’t help but feel a rush of excitement and happiness. As cheesy as this might sound, I know I’ll never be the same after going through this process. I got closer to so many people who not only made the process fun, but also worked extra hard to make each shot the best that it could be. Even now, 2 days later, I smile just thinking about it. Thanks to all of you who helped out. It’s a time I will never forget. God’s presence was certainly apparent with a near perfect weather weekend, no injuries, lots of creativity and a great team building and friendship growing experience. Thanks everyone who prayed for us, and a HUGE thanks to all the cast and crew who made this weekend one of the best weekends of my life.

Check out the pictures of this weekend in the pictures section!

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Quick Overview
August 07 - 2005
Well it's late in the day on Sunday and the big shooting weekend was a huge success. I promise a full update and report soon (hopefully on Monday) along with some pictures. The shoot not only yielded some great acting moments and creative shots, but also a fun and collaborative group effort. I know I've made some closer friends because of this, and also learned a lot about directing and producing. A special thanks to all you who participated in this weekends events, as well as to those of you who kept us in your prayers. God was certainly with us this weekend, and I can't wait to begin editing. More to come soon...

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Weather Report!
August 03 - 2005
As of 1 day before shooting:

"Friday will bring cooler and less humid air with highs in the lower 80s and partly sunny skies.

Right now, the weekend looks nearly perfect with plently of sunshine and highs in the lower 80s." - WZZM 13 News

Woo hoo! - John

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Major defeats
August 01 - 2005

Well in the last few days some major defeats have come my way. Both the Police and Fire Department said no to being involved with my film. There's still a chance that I might be able to talk the Police chief into letting me get one shot that doesn't show any logo's or Grand Rapids titles on cars, but thats very much up in the air still.

While this is frustrating, I was reminded by my friend Anthony about my earlier blog about God being one of my producers, and that there's a reason things happened this way. In fact it's very possible that my story will be better because of it... we'll just have to make the best movie we can and see what happens. I've already started thinking of how the story might change (for the better) without involving the PD or FD.

Another technical bug was that I ordered a dolly about 3 weeks ago, and have been in constant communication with the vendor to make sure it arrives on time. I guess the manufacturer custom makes each one and parts won't be in until late this week... so needless to say I now have to try and find a dolly somewhere.

On the positive side, I've been successful in finding someone for makeup and hair, as well as a head Production Assistant. I've also recruited some people for sound, as well as craft services, and some extras... so my cast and crew continues to develop and grow which is encouraging. Also a special thanks to my parents (in-law) for sending the famous suitcase that will be in my movie. Thanks guys!

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Major Production Meeting
July 26 - 2005

Yesterday I had one of my first "major" productions meetings. By this I mean that nearly everyone involved was at one of our locations to scout it out, and talk through all the issues. It was really exciting for me to be there with so many people who not only took the time to be there, but also do it all for free. It's such a blessing to have such great people around me who are as excited about this project as I am.

Yesterday was the first time I had my DP and Gaffer (Lighting) guys there and we were able to go to our 2 main locations and look around, talk through shots and lighting and potential snags. Everyone was taking notes, making to do lists and moving forward. It was really fun for me, and my stress levels were going down while the excitement was going up.

Another major bonus and exciting part of the process was that Amy is now fully involved in the set design. She's not only excited about it, but already way ahead of me with ideas, props and questions about the sets that she will be decorating. I'm very excited to have her helping out, and hopefully this is the beginning of many future collaborations on future movies. : )

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God... The Ultimate Producer
July 21 - 2005

I was thinking the other day how other people's attitudes and kindness plays into making film. My current film involves working with the largest hotel in Grand Rapids, the fire and police department and many hours of people's lives to make this happen on no pay whatsoever. And maybe when you have a budget things are different, but you still have to interact with people and try and get locations and permission no matter what your budget.

This lead me to think that who better to have on your producing team than God. After all He's the one that changes people's hearts, or can cause a potential road block to fall through and open up a door for your production. Talk about power! Not that I'd ask Him to do that, but it never hurts to have the almighty creator on your side you know?

So this morning I was really stressing out about this movie. It's actually been looming for weeks, and every day that we get closer means more stress for me. So this morning I said "you know what, it's not worth it. If making movies is this stressful then why make them". And the first thing I did when I walked into my office was pray. I put the whole thing into His hands and asked Him to comfort me, and take away my stress. I felt a little better after that, but letting go takes time.

So here's where the story gets good... I had 2 auditions today. One was a recall from a previous audition, and another was a brand new actor who couldn't make it to my last audition night. The first actor wasn't very good... but got a little better with some direction, but I could tell it was going to take some major rehearsals and direction to get the performance I was looking for out of her. Then came the 2nd girl.

She was late because... get this... she was trying to find an outfit to wear that she thought Anna (the lead in my story) would wear. She had her fair done up, glasses, the outfit... everything. She then proceeded to ask me all sorts of questions like, "who is Anna talking to in the beginning of the story?" and "What is her attitude here?" and "What kind of relationship does Anna have with Steve and Lisa? (the dog owners). She then asked for 10 minutes to think about my answers and practice with me out of the room. When I came back and heard her audition its was so natural. I was literally watching Anna give the lines, and not an actor playing Anna! She brought depth and realness to the character that I'd never even fathomed before. During her entire audition (when she was acting that is) she was shaking a little like she was nervous and so I asked her after it was all over if she was nervous. Her response was "Well Anna is someone who has a lot of fear. She seems nervous throughout the entire script..." and I thought she was actually nervous to be acting in front of me, but it turns out she was just playing it into her performance! I couldn't even tell and was completely surprised!

Needless to say God answered my prayer and my stress level is back down to normal. If ever any of you make a movie I highly recommend you recruit God on your production team. He's definitely worth the time. You just have to trust Him. : )

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Doggie Bag Updates
July 20 - 2005

Well a lot has happened since I wrote last. I've secured my locations, cast most of my actors and I'm 80% done with getting the Police and Fire Dept involved, but thats looking positive. I've also made a shot list (over 70 shots) and begun storyboarding with the help of Ryan Prins.

Something that I can't say enough is the importance of having quality fellow producers to help out. Michael Hidalgo and Laura Stanberry have doing so much for me on this project its unreal. It's pretty cool to have people volunteer so much time, and care so much about this project for free. They are my right and left hands in this project, and without them this project might not have happened.

Lately I've been thinking that making a movie is a lot like planning a wedding. You spend hours and days and weeks planning for shooting, you have coordinate millions of little things, you have to make it all work within a budget and everything is more stressful than it should be. : )

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The Script
July 12 - 2005

Well here it is... the script is done. Could it be better? Most likely. But at some point you have to move forward with what you have, and I think the story is pretty solid. After all its a short film, and my first one at that, so I'm sure I'll look back on this project in a few years and see how far I've come... at least I hope so. : ) Enjoy the story.

Click Here for the Doggie Bag Script

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Auditions & Updates
July 02 - 2005

Well I survived my first round of auditions. In total we only had roughly 10 people audition, but out of those 10 I was only really looking for 3 main actors. So in spite the low turn out, I'm fairly happy with the results. I haven't made any final decisions yet, but I'm fairly certain I have the 2 supporting roles nearly filled. The lead role is a tough one, and I didn't see enough people to really make a good decision on it yet. So I'm currently planning on doing another round of auditions as well as "call backs" for some of the people I want to see audition again (a little differently this time).

In the meantime, my small no/low budget film has exploded into quite a larger version of the same story. Yep that’s right... just when I thought my script refining was over... BOOM... my friend Rik Swartzwelder goes and shows me where my story is week, and then gives some suggestions for a stronger story. I was both thrilled and depressed at the same time when we had lunch this past week. His ideas were right on, and though I wish the script were locked, I know the story will be better because of his suggestions. Some of his ideas were not completely new to me, but after hearing them expressed within the script I already had it somehow seemed more feasible to do the changes he mentioned. Some of the changes now include a real news cast with an actual Grand Rapids TV news anchor, 5 to 15 Police cruisers, 1 or 2 fire trucks, a swat team or bomb squad, and a whole heck of a lot of extras.

I know I promised a version of the script to be online soon, but since it's still being finalized I feel the time isn't right just yet. I'm hoping within the week to wrap up the script as my time table is growing short to squeeze in all the planning needed to get this off the ground.

I'm finding more and more of my free time is going towards this movie now, and less towards Coastline or Cornerstone. Finding a balance has truly been difficult, but I'm making it through. Amy and I have managed to keep out date nights in tact (however more sporadically), and so far none of my clients has complained.

Please continue to pray for this project. Pray for the many people who might volunteer their time, resources, vehicles (cop cars), & locations ... and most of all for the crew on this project. Pray that this film will ultimately bring people together, and bring people closer to the Lord (even though it's a comedy). And finally pray for me and my producers, Laura and Mike. We have a lot to get done (outside of our normal lives and jobs) to get this movie made in 1 month. Thank sall... More to come soon....

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Me? Act?
June 20 - 2005

So tonight we learned about how to pitch a film to investors. What to do, what not to do, how to do it, and how to prepare for it... but I'd rather talk about something else I learned tonight... actor auditions.

At Compass Film Academy (where I have my classes) there was a well respected and successful young director holding casting auditions for a short film Compass is helping make at the end of this week. I've worked with Rick Swartzwelder before as an editor and a sound man on some of his films, but tonight I was able to experience casting. My class was in session during most of the auditions so I only had a chance during the break to sit in and observe about 2.5 auditions before I had to get back to class. I had lots of questions for him about why he did what he did, but had to get back to class, and so I put my questions on hold...

Well after class was finished I went over to him to ask him my questions, but before I knew what was happening, I found myself in the audition seat in front of Rick and Gabrielle who was assisting him. Since I knew I wasn't free for most of the day they were shooting, I figured I was kinda safe and secretly thought it would be kinda fun to "see how I did" in an acting audition. Having watched a few auditions during my break I knew roughly what he was going to do, but of course he changed it on me... just a little.

He told me that we were going to improvise a scene together... we were both in the "12 items only" line at a grocery store. He (Rick) was in front of me with 15 items, and I was standing behind him. He asked me to be peeved at this, and try and explain to him that he was over the limit. After these short instructions he said "Go!" and we were off.

My heart beat rapidly as I struggled to imagine what I would do in that situation. I constantly told myself, "don't over act!", as I feel my acting tends to lean that way. We had a few bouts back and forth, and then he said... "Good... now I want you to imagine that you are a quiet person... someone who gets annoyed at people easily, but has a hard time saying it... Go!" My heart beating stronger now, I tried to subdue my performance... "Sir could you use the other line please?" I asked in a frustrated manor. We had a few more improvised lines, and then we moved on.

Finally Rick asked me to think about something that really gets me frustrated... deeply annoyed... maybe a pet peeve.... and then... tell him about my favorite Christmas memory in that mindset and tone of voice. WOW. You try doing that... holy crap that’s hard to do. I made an attempt, and then Rick stopped me for a few tips... "Don't act", he said. "Just be upset, and don't focus on the words of your Christmas memory... they are just words... be annoyed". I tried again. He seemed to take it in well, and I wondered how I did. Finally before I was through he asked me to do the entire scene all over again (the shopping line scene) using no words... just looks, using him and the girl next to him as people to interact with. At this point there were 2 or 3 other spectators watching my performance... I proceeded, and our audition was at a close.

Immediately after we were done, he pulled me aside and said, "You sure you aren't free on Thursday?" I was floored, amazed and confused. "You don't actually think I was better than the rest of your auditions do you?" I asked. He proceeded to answer by saying he wanted to keep an open mind, and had some hard thinking to do tonight in picking people for the parts. "Some of the guys who auditioned tonight were ok, but your presence on screen is really good. Your a good 'natural' actor," he said. Since I wasn't free on Thursday morning, or Friday at any time during the day, he asked me if I might be willing (if asked) to act in a smaller supporting role in the afternoon on Thursday. I said yes I think I would... So I guess we'll see what happens. Wow...

The irony of this whole thing is that I am less than 2 weeks away from holding my own casting auditions for Doggie Bag. I can't tell you the wealth of knowledge I gained tonight by going through this experience. It will certainly prove valuable when I'm in the other seat interviewing actors. What an experience....

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Refining the script
June 16 - 2005
Probably my least favorite part of making a movie is writing. If I had my way, I'd hire a writer or just find a pre-written script and then go shoot it. My skills apply more to the production and post-production side of film making. There are SOME elements of pre-production I enjoy... like getting a crew together, finding locations and getting all the little production details ironed out... all of these are pretty fun to do, but refining and writing the script just pulls me into the abyss of unproductiveness, and depression.

However, bad writing = bad movie. So without this EXTREMELY important part of pre-production all movies would become second rate “cable TV” quality garbage, with the occasional cool camera shot or two if you’re lucky. Writing a script involves looking at the story to see if it makes sense. You want to find out if there are any holes, or anything that doesn't add up. You’re looking for flow, pacing and continuity. You're building character traits, habits and flaws. And most importantly, you are looking to see if your script has a good story in it. While this probably sounds like fun to many of you… trust me, its not easy… especially when people keep telling you to “do it this way” or “no this way is better”. Just give me the best story, and let me film it dang it! I want to go make it!

In my producers class they have said that it’s rare to come up with something new or original. You are much better off adapting an older story, or finding some urban legend and making a film out of that. My current project "Doggie Bag" was something of a true story, but told to me 3 or 4 people removed... so I'm not sure how true it actually is. But after hearing the story I heard I was inspired (partially with the help of my wife) to write a script for it.

So for the last 2+ months I've had countless meetings with writers, producers and friends, and have heard nearly 20 to 30 different versions of the original script I wrote! I even had 3 other writers write their own versions of the story for me, all completely different. So after many hours of discussion and debate I've finally ironed out the details to the point that I think I have a solid story that I feel is worth telling. Who would have thought it was so hard to write a simple script for a 5 minute short film. Now that I'm nearing the end of this process, I am grateful for all the work that has gone into "getting it right", and I’m extremely grateful for those who have helped walk me along this journey so far (you know who you are). After all it’s better to work this all out in pre-production than to get on set and have to figure it out then... or worse… start editing it together and find out the story doesn't even make sense.

As soon as I get a "locked" version of the script, I'll post it on the site so you can read it for yourself. So stay tuned!

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How to make a short film
June 15 - 2005

My apologies for those who may have noticed a shortage of blogs in the past few weeks. I've been spending most of my time either working on improvements to this site (coming soon), wrapping up the extra features to the "Brainstorm" DVD (the film I made for the 24 hour film festival), or more recently working on my next short film "Doggie Bag".

Over the next few weeks and months I will be doing my best to journal my process in making a short film. Even though "technically" I've made 2 short films already (Roads, and Brainstorm), this film will constitute my REAL first film in many ways;

- First time with a real crew (including an Assistant Director, Script Supervisor, a Gaffer, a Director of Photography, and other roles I've never had before)
- First time with actor auditions, and a casting "recruitment poster"
- First time spending 2+ months in pre-production
- First time doing rehersals with the actors prior to shooting
- And other things I can't remember right now... : )

In addition to this film, I'll be including things I learn in the "Advanced Producers Course" that I'm taking at Compass Arts Academy this summer. This class walks you through every aspect of making a film from script to screen. Talk about the perfect class for me! So be sure to stop in often. I'll REALLY try and keep posts coming... at least one a week, and hopefully more.

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Star Wars - Episode III
May 23 - 2005

So I've seen "Revenge of the Sith" 2 times now, and I really like it. Amidst any Star Wars film you will find moments of bad acting, but if you can sift away those moments, and just watch the story... you'll find yourself enjoying the film. Overall it was a sad story, but everyone knew that going into it. I personally found enjoyment in all the little things, like Yoda's "force move" on the Emperor's guards, or R2's heroic beginning to the movie. I also enjoyed hearing how they tied up 3PO's memory of the first 3 movies, and also an explanation on Obi-wan's immortality. If you haven't seen it yet, go see it. It's worth getting all the answers, and getting some closure on connecting the new movies with the original ones. A must see for any Star Wars fan out there!

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The Pottenger Addiction
May 05 - 2005

Ok, it's time the world found out about the Pottenger's little addiction to the arcade style game "Snood". If you haven't heard of, or played Snood, there's still a good chance that you've played a game like it. I've seen similar games titled, "frozen bubbles", "fruit", and "balloons" that play in a similar fashion to Snood. The basic idea is you shoot similar pieces (or snoods) from a cannon up into the playing field above, and try to get three or more of a kind to link up and disappear. It's such a simple game, and yet strangely addicting. In fact the addiction runs through my extended family as well (I think we might have even heard of this game from our extended family). Anyway, this game is worth reporting on in my blog since it seems to rival so many other things going on in the Pottenger household.

The Pottenger Snoods Set - By John Pottenger There is a free version that never expires that you can download here. I was inspired to purchase the full version since we play it often enough, and upon exploring I found out you can make your own snoods! So of course I did. So now YOU can download you very own ANIMATED "Pottenger Family" snoods set ... for FREE from our website! Click here to go to our “downloads” section and get the set! Once you download the snood set (a .bmp file), go to the "preferences" menu and choose "Select Snood Graphics Set". Then at the bottom of the screen, check the little box to "import custom graphics set" and then click the button to browse to our Pottenger snood bmp file.

Enjoy, and happy Snooding!

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The Results Are In
April 30 - 2005