NOTE: The following has been edited and updated from a recent prayer update email I sent out.

As you know, we’ve been in pre-production on Precious Treasure since around the end of January; the script has gone through numerous revision sets (and is currently on number eight), we’ve been working on getting together cast, crew, and locations, and you have been supporting this project through prayer. By the end of February, most of my crew had been formed; the only thing lacking was the cast. By the end of March, two ideas for possible cast members had already fallen through.

Having the right people to play the characters is extremely important, as the acting is what will carry the film; cinematography, sound, music, and lighting can be perfect, but if the acting is unconvincing, the film might as well be a failure. The viewers relate to the cast, not to the camera movement (okay, well, if you’re someone like me who can’t watch a film without mentally watching for the technical side of things, maybe that’s not true…). And thus, as I only had only one cast member, I was beginning to wonder if making this film was really the Lord’s will.

For the past month or so, I’ve been seeking the Lord’s will, while continuing to work on the script. In the past several weeks, however, I let go of the whole project completely, save to keep dialogue open between crew members. My Second Assistant Director and I began to talk about possibly shooting a different project during the week of production, so we could at least make something.

Pretty soon, my one and only cast member dropped out due to other events happening, leaving me with a crew of sixteen (including myself) and a cast of nothing. It’s pretty useless to have a crew without having cast members! Thus, this past Monday, I was planning on sending out an email to my crew members, in which I would tell them that the filming of Precious Treasure was highly improbable at this point, and that we would most likely be shooting a different project, as the Lord led. However, I never even got to write the email.

That morning, I received an email with the very first cast application I’ve received, from a young lady applying for the part of the main character; her family saw an ad I had placed in the newsletter of the Association of Peoria Area Christian Home Educators, and it turns out that they are quite interested in video and photography. What’s more is that they share the vision for the purpose of this film (to spread the message of purity), which is one huge thing that I was concerned about in getting the right people to fill the cast.

Perhaps I should pause here and explain this whole event a bit more carefully. My mom, brother, and I visited this family last Saturday, and got to hear their side of the story. It turns out that the mother of this family was going through the APACHE newsletter, copying and pasting things that looked interesting (the newsletter is delivered via email), and actually never even saw my ad in the actual newsletter. She just “happened” to grab my ad with something else. Chance? Hardly.

One of her daughters sent an email through the contact form here, which never made it to my inbox (I think that the Lord was still teaching me some things about waiting on Him then), but then last Wednesday the daughter who will be playing Kelley Greene had a sudden urge to email me about filling the cast role (she was sure that I probably had all the people I needed, though…). And she did.

It’s hard to believe how hectic it’s been as I’ve seen the Lord my God provide and put the pieces of the puzzle in place; in about two days we went from zero cast to a full cast, work on the script has begun again, I’ve begun the process of storyboards and shot sheets, we’ve received more interest in people wanting to help, and we’re closer to getting locations worked out. Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Provider!!! I’m very certain that the Lord is teaching me about relying on Him and waiting on His timing and on His resources.

Soon I’ll be announcing who’s playing the cast, as well as who’s on the crew; I’m still getting a few things worked out with some new crew members, but as soon as things are worked out, I’ll make the announcement.

Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ! He is unmistakably at work here; I’m not about to call it coincidence.

Soli Deo gloria,
–chad