Summer, 2006: I gather a bunch of friends and we film a 55-minute version of He Leadeth Me...rushed plot, five characters, interesting logistics. But what a blast!
Fall, 2007: My husband (then-boyfriend) Caleb and I attend church services at Oak Hill Lutheran Church, in Bloomington, MN, where Pastor Nick Mundis serves. During one of the first church services, I knew right away that if I ever did He Leadeth Me again, Nick Mundis would have to be the prodigal's adopted father, Judge Ethan Carter.
Nick Mundis ("Judge Ethan Evan Carter")
Spring, 2010: I graduate from Concordia University in St. Paul with an education degree. My husband Caleb and I know that we are bound for Fergus Falls, MN, and seminary, where Caleb will begin his three-year journey to his Masters of Divinity. We also know that Redeemer's Song Ministries (at the time, only theatre) is the destination of my heart. Knowing we'll be in Fergus Falls for awhile, we make definitive plans to hold auditions for a new He Leadeth Me film project. I have no full script, and only a guess as to how many people might be interested in auditioning (the original script called for five people). But, bodly, we go ahead and plan auditions with A Center for the Arts and their location anyway. Wow...scary commtiment.
Sarah and Caleb, Concordia University, St. Paul Spring 2010
August, 2010: We hold auditions at A Center for the Arts rehearsal space, the Hotel Kaddatz, and audition about 30 people (mostly female, mostly children). Hm. Now what? By this point, I already know that the cast is going to be a lot bigger than I had anticipated, and many of them adult male. But...I am not surprised. Usually, one has to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find those handsome gentlemen that don't ever consider auditioning for anything and yet who are brilliant regardless of their age and experience. Really, the bottom of the barrell is where you find the kind of men that shouldn't be hiding at the bottom of the barrel.
September through December, 2010: These months are filled with casting roles, auditioning actors who hear of the project word-of-mouth, and editing, editing, editing the script. The more I edit, the more the cast list grows. Now, instead of 5...we have 64 roles to fill (including extras). Our costumer, Rebekah Henrickson, raises her eyebrows a little more every time I give her an updated number.
December, 2010 (just days before 2011): We hold our first official cast gettogether, a 1930s Christmas soup dinner, and many of the cast members meet for the first time. A few of them "perform" bits of scenes for the rest of us, to give us a taste of the story of He Leadeth Me...it also makes me feel like summer, and filming, will never come. Tasty soup (provided by cast members), along with devotions on Luke 15 and new fellowship, provide a fresh start to what will be a busy and exciting year!
January to May, 2011: Cast members meet a few more times to discuss character backgrounds, and to learn more about each other. Since film is so different than theatre, many of these cast members will only see each other a few times before the process is over.
We also experience a flurry of activity while we coordinate and secure locations in Dalton, Rollag, Fargo, Fergus Falls, and Barrett. Doors literally open all over the place, and we find ourselves with access to vintage cars (thanks to the Sundbergs of Fergus Falls), horses (thanks to the Olhofts of Barrett), costumes (thanks to Concordia University, St. Paul, Mayville State University, and the Fergus Falls MSCTC), and all of the props we need (thanks to many cast members, and their friends and families). With many visits to Fargo's Bonanzaville, USA, and to Rollag's and Dalton's threshermen's sites, we yearn even more for the summer months when we can begin filming in these fabulous, vintage locations. And many conversations take place between myself and our wonderful costumer about who will wear what and when. What a huge job she has at this point...64 cast members, and many of them in need of more than one costume.
The "Barry Family", beautifully costumed.
(No, "Sara Barry" really isn't pregnant...it's movie magic.)
June, 2011: We have our baby, Kaylen Audrey Larson, on June 7! Talk about throwing her right into ministry. She, too, had a part written just for her.
July, 2011: Finally...we begin to shoot He Leadeth Me, on a hot and sticky day on the Darrell Tungseth farm just outside of Fergus Falls. We begin shooting with very nice equipment from Access Television, but after two days of filming we discover that the footage we're getting isn't right...in fact, what we get from the small handheld camera (used for extras) is actually working far better than the larger camera, and is much easier and cheaper to use. We switch to the small camera, and are left with no choice but to film the entire movie with the onboard mic and no other audio assistance at all. Is it faster? Absolutely? Is it easier? YES. Do we pray for new equipment in the future so that our work will only be enhanced? AMEN.
Joshua Hames, Nathan F. Johnson, and Jerry Covington wait for the word "action".
August, 2011: We continue shooting in all of our locations, and hit some of our most exhausting days yet. Coordinating schedules has been a nightmare, but we continue to praise the Lord for his continued weather mercies. Shooting so much outside can get tricky, if the weather isn't cooperative. We do end up having to re-shoot a handful of scenes not only due to our previous camera issues, but because of wind and outdoor lighting. But, we accomplish every scene and always feel good after a long and hard day's work...and after a shower. We all get especially stinky every day, no matter where we were.
Jerry Covington and Suzi Gard at Bonanzaville.
Often, we'd have anywhere up to 8-hour days of shooting.
September, 2011: We shoot our "final" scenes at Immanuel Lutheran Church outside of Barrett, MN. This is a bittersweet day. We learn that it will be nearly impossible to shoot everything outside (as it was originally written). The wind is terrible that day, and it was very hard not to shake my fist at the sky and say, "Lord...WHAT???" And yet, we were able to manage the changes and everyone was flexible with the new plan and, literally, the hastily revised scene. Even though the entire day was very exciting, I was very anxious. As a director, I always hate the "very last show." I wouldn't let myself hardly think about the fact that the shooting experience was almost over. It was hard to say good-bye to each actor, as they trickled away. Nick Mundis even told me later that he stopped before he drove out of sight and took a picture of the church with his phone. I don't think any of us are ever going to forget this experience.
Jerry Covington provided some much-needed humor even at the most stressful times!
October, 2011: We film the very last "pick-up" scene with Joe and Danae. What a relief! Now the editing can really begin! I also show preview clips in Bloomington, MN at Nick Mundis's church. It was so fun to explain to the congregation Nick's involvement with the process, and even more fun for Nick's kids to see him on the big screen.
September to December, 2011: Editing, editing, editing. Frustration, tears, and editing. Rejoicing, tears, and editing. And....DONE.
January, 2012 (6 years after the first initial "release" of the original He Leadeth Me): The DVD is currently being created for Sommer Robles, who will be creating our entire musical score for the project. The audio, still raw, is being edited by Greg Brady, one of our Lakes Radio personalities here in Fergus Falls. The promotional material is being planned, and the official movie poster printed. We're on the move, folks...in the direction of providing God-honoring film for anyone who chooses to see Christ exhalted in media.
Pray for us! This ain't over yet!
What's in store for the future?
We realize now that this is only the beginning. We are truly inspired by Sherwood Picturs (Courageous, Facing the Giants, etc.) and hope to honor the Lord through film the way they do! We will be auditioning for our next film, The Day the King Arrived, this August, 2012. It's the Gospel story set in the 1600s and will require some significant sets and costuming. Please pray for us as we eagerly look forward to the next adventure!
