Cloud Ten Pictures » Saving God

Good guys don’t always finish last

Cloud Ten Admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:27:01 +0000

Cloud Ten, Saving God and Left Behind all don the front hood of Clint Thomas' racecar for his R12 Racing Ministry.

I don’t really follow the world of golf on a regular basis, but this year’s Master’s Tournament certainly had something for everyone. It’s generally considered the most significant golf tournament of the year. It marked the return of the game’s biggest name and recent tabloid scandal favorite Tiger Woods.

It also marked the return of Phil Mickelson, one of Tiger’s biggest rivals. But while Tiger had been away from the game hiding from his wife and sponsors because of numerous embarrassing and despicable sexual encounters, Mickelson had been away to be with his wife as she underwent treatment for cancer.

Incredibly, on the final day of the tournament, Mickelson was in the lead and continued to play the game of his life. On the 18th hole, his wife was there to see him win. As he dropped in his final putt they hugged and cried – as I’m sure did many, many others. What a story. And what a great guy to root for!
It’s something in any great story that you absolutely need: someone to identify with and ‘pull’ for.

The character doesn’t have to be perfect or always wonderful or even ‘good’ – but there must be something redeeming to them to make the story worth following. William Munny (Clint Eastwood) in UNFORGIVEN is described as basically the worst of the worst – yet because of his new focus in life, his code of honor, and his honesty, you still want him to ‘win’. In our film SAVING GOD, Ving Rhames plays a murderer with a nasty temper and a back-down-from-no-one attitude. Yet there’s a truthful core to him that still makes you get behind him.

Eric S. Highland of HOSFU, Clint Thomas, and Cloud Ten's Andre van Heerden pose at the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival 2009.

I’ve found that I often get invested into stories and events and teams just because of the personalities involved. I’ve always been a fan of the Miami Dolphins NFL football team yet over the past few years I found myself cheering for the Arizona Cardinals because of quarterback Kurt Warner. His life story is remarkable and by his words and actions he’s certainly a guy to look up to.

And recently I’ve also found myself more and more interested in car racing. This is because of Clint Thomas and his R12 Racing Team. While speeding around the track and posting some incredible results he never loses sight of his real goal which is to spread the Gospel message. One look at his car tells you exactly what he’s all about.

It’s often been said that your greatest ministry is how you live your life. I thank God that there are people who embody that. Everyone loves good guys to root for!

- Blog by Andre van Heerden, Executive Producer/Director at Cloud Ten Pictures

ONE Voice does not represent ALL Voices

Cloud Ten Admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:30:56 +0000

Andre van Heerden on the set of Left Behind: World at War

A journalist for a French publication recently asked for my perspectives on the recent rash of spiritual end-times type films. Below are the questions and answers – many of which I’m sure will make others shake their heads.

Q: What are your views on films like: The Book of Eli, Legion, Solomon Kane, The Reaping, The Road…

A: I think there are two things going on with this sudden rash of ‘end-times’ type films. One is a case of art reflecting life. Much as animals can sense when a storm or earthquake is coming, I think people can sense when big world-shifting events are coming. Whether it be speculation about the Mayan’s predictions about 2012 or the increase in strange weather and earthquakes, or global epidemics and issues in the Middle East, it does seem like something ‘big’ is coming. And once such a bold prediction is entertained more theories and counter-theories and other theories are shared. Which spurs on the artistic community so more books, art and films all reflect the same thing. When we were approaching the year 2000 there was also a big increase in end-times’ interest. That’s when the LEFT BEHIND series of books and films became hugely popular and spurred many sequels. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s END OF DAYS came out in 1999, followed by LOST SOULS (2000) and BLESS THE CHILD (2000) which all dealt with end of the world spiritual themes. Soon it becomes very difficult to tell if the end-times topic was popular and the media focused on it or if the media focused on something which then made it popular. Like with everything though, if there’s an interest somewhere, people are going to build and feed upon that interest.

The second part of this is purely creative. The core of any good story – in any genre – is conflict. “End Times” films naturally have huge conflicts and obstacles for their characters and therefore are ripe for compelling stories. I generally like the fact that Hollywood is recognizing this because I like these dramatic stories. I enjoyed CHILDREN OF MEN and I AM LEGEND and even 28 DAYS LATER. I’m looking forward to seeing THE BOOK OF ELI. Unfortunately I think THE ROAD is too bleak and really without a point and films like LEGION and THE REAPING take too many liberties and stretch the ‘established rules’ or ‘cannons’ too far without gaining anything.

Q: Where do you stand on violence in the cinema?

A: I have been a movie lover for many years. I’ve watched all genres of films and am much more attracted to interesting stories than any particular genre or star of filmmaker. Violence has a place in some films because without it they wouldn’t work. One of my all time favorite films is WITNESS starring Harrison Ford. It has a gritty realistic murder at the opening that is witnessed by a young, Amish boy. That scene was absolutely necessary to the film. In more of a cartoon way the violence of DIE HARD and JAMES BOND are also necessary to the story and entertainment of the film. Even in horror films like THE DESCENT or FROM HELL, the violence and gore are part of the story and effect. I don’t agree however with violence that doesn’t serve the plot or build upon the character. I thought Cronenberg’s THE HISTORY OF VIOLENCE was a very strong film but there were two shots in it that literally took me out of the story and made me think: “what was the point of that?”

Q: Does he think the Hollywood productions I’ve mentioned are too violent to appeal to Christian sensibilities?

A: Despite what some media sources will have you believe, Christians are people just like everyone else. And because we’re regular people we’re all different. Some Christians will enjoy action films. Others will enjoy chick-flicks. Others will like horror films. Some yearn for the old classics. Some will argue that THE LORD OF THE RINGS is a Christian film – because it’s good fighting against evil. Because of this, there are going to be many Christians who don’t mind the violence of these films. And there going to be many who do. One of our most recent films, SAVING GOD starring Ving Rhames, has been both praised for its realism and grit and condemned for it, all from Christian reviewers.

Ving Rhames in a scene from Cloud Ten Pictures' film Saving God

Q: Is it impossible to show the apocalypse or a post-apocalyptic world without showing violence of some sort?

A: Every story is going to have certain elements that you MUST show or tackle to tell it effectively. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST would have been pointless if it didn’t show the suffering of Christ on the cross. That was the point. SCHINDLER’S LIST would have been pointless without showing the cruelty of the holocaust. That was the point. Anyone who is familiar with the Bible knows that it tells many extremely violent and disturbing stories. Scriptures that deal with the “apocalypse” (book of Matthew and Revelation etc.) do describe terrifying events. Depending on the genre and the story being told, it may be necessary to show the horror of the apocalypse to tell the story honestly.

Q: Are the Hollywood horror and thriller genres by their very nature impossible to reconcile with the message of Christianity?

A: The review that I’m most proud of for one of my films, REVELATION, was from the pornographic magazine “Hustler”. In it our film only received 2.5 stars out of 4. However, the very fact that such a magazine noticed our film, classified it as a Thriller / Horror and gave it a decent review, was very significant. It meant that the film (which follows a government agent looking for his missing family in a post apocalyptic world) which has a Christian theme to it, was being watched as a straight-up entertaining thriller. It meant that the film’s theme was being shared through entertainment with people who would never step foot in a church or listen to a sermon. When Jesus told stories they weren’t always rated “G”. The very story of Christ’s crucifixion is definitely rated “R” and it’s the most essential one of all.

Q: What role, if any, do genre films (horror movies, thrillers and action films) play in today’s religion?

A: The old film-making maxim of “the story is King” dictates what genre your film will be in. It may be a horror film. It may be a gritty drama or action. It may also have a theme of redemption and hope. The genre itself does not dictate the theme. Therefore a movie with a Christian theme can be in any genre – just as about any theme could be.

- Blog/interview by Andre van Heerden, Executive Director/Producer at Cloud Ten Pictures

Scared Straight

Cloud Ten Admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:33:34 +0000

Kirk Cameron in LEFT BEHIND: THE MOVIE

I remember a number of years ago watching LEFT BEHIND: THE MOVIE with my in-laws. Afterward my mother in-law said how much she enjoyed it but that she found it quite frightening to think about that tribulation world. I said that hopefully people watching the film would realize that as well and be encouraged to accept Christ today and not wait until it was too late. She said that she thought that people couldn’t be frightened into faith.

Hmmm… I used to wonder about that but a few things now make me think that people CAN and DO find faith through fear.

One: the Bible clearly says that we should FEAR God. “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness.” Joshua 24:14. “For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.” 1 Chronicles 16:25. “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” 1 Peter 2:17 It’s a fear borne out of respect and love but it’s still a healthy fear.

Two: the Bible supports corporeal punishment in raising children. “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” Proverbs 13:24. I know growing up with my brother that my mom’s stern words to behave often fell on deaf ears. The infamous statement of “wait till your father gets home” carried an infinite amount of weight. Because of fear and respect we then did as we were told.

Three: people are all different and because of that people come to faith in many different ways. Some are just brought up in the Christian faith and naturally accept Christ as Savior. Others must hit rock bottom before reaching out for salvation (like in SAVING GOD).

Others need intellectual arguments (like in STARTLING PROOFS or SHADOW GOVERNMENT or GENIUS CLUB).

A chilling scene from Cloud Ten's new suspense thriller, DANGEROUS CALLING

Others need emotional connections (like in THE RIVER WITHIN.) Others need to see someone else come to Christ (like in SMUGGLER’S RANSOM or TREASURE BLIND).

So it makes sense to me that scary movies like our DECEIVED and the brand new DANGEROUS CALLING could reach many as well.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

- Blog by Andre van Heerden, Writer/Director at Cloud Ten Pictures

SAVING GOD Starring Ving Rhames Gets Yet Another Good Nod

Cloud Ten Admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Recently, I’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. I write this as I sit at the DFW airport in Dallas, after a canceled return flight home. Who knows how long I’ll be here, but if you don’t see a blog post on Monday, please someone bring some food and a pillow to gate A34. I would be most appreciative.

While traveling this time around, I got to spend time with some local filmmakers, along with some who were passing through like myself.

Meetings with filmmakers are always quite interesting because we are all our own worst critics. So when you hear a “praise” from a fellow filmmaker who knows his craft, it is always a blessing.

One of the filmmakers that I had a chance to meet with last night had nothing but praise reports about our latest feature film production SAVING GOD, starring Ving Rhames. I’m honestly delighted to receive that sort of information from such a talented filmmaker.

Have you seen our film SAVING GOD? It is my (Eric S. Highland’s) personal favorite of all the Cloud Ten Pictures movies that we’ve made.

Here is a little look at the film:

Interested to see more? You can order the film HERE.

You can also win a copy of SAVING GOD for free by doing two things:

1. Follow this blog (this is a NEW LINK)
2. Be the first to answer the following question by commenting here:

Ving Rhames won a Golden Globe Award in 1998 for “Best Actor” in a television mini series. Who was the person who Ving gave the award to, rather than retaining it for himself?

Golden Globe Award

This is a tougher question, so I might award a couple films if we get enough participation.

(Don’t forget, your comments will not be visible until I publish them on Monday.)

Your friend and blogger… Eric

Results are in! Check out the most voted for films!

Cloud Ten Admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:02:00 +0000

A couple months ago, I asked my blog followers to vote for their favorite Cloud Ten Pictures film. You voted and here are the results! (Note: Our latest addition DANGEROUS CALLING was not on the list at the time the poll was created a few months ago)

To save you a little search time, you can click on any of the underlined links below to learn more!

In first place with 29% of the vote was:

THE RIVER WITHIN

In second place with 21% of the vote was:

LEFT BEHIND

In third place with 14% of the vote was:

SAVING GOD

In fourth place with 8% of the vote was:

LEFT BEHIND III, WORLD AT WAR

In fifth place with 7% of the vote was:

LEFT BEHIND II, TRIBULATION FORCE

All of the above titles are available for purchase HERE

And in case you didn’t know, you can purchase all three LEFT BEHIND FILMS in our boxed set for a significant savings.

Check out the LEFT BEHIND TRILOGY BOXED SET by clicking on:

THIS LINK.

Thank you for voting in this poll! We are blessed to have such great Christian Film fans at Cloud Ten Pictures.

I have posted a new poll on the right side of my blog which asks you who your favorite Cloud Ten Pictures actor is. Please vote and let us know!

God bless! Your friend and blogger… Eric

SONG CONTEST WINNERS!! – ANNOUNCEMENT

Cloud Ten Admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:03:00 +0000

Here it is folks, the moment many of you have been waiting for!

Cloud Ten Pictures / Cloud Ten Entertainment is pleased to announce the winners of our SAVING GOD MUSIC CONTEST!

We had many submissions, narrowed it down to the top 25 songs and then allowed YOU to decide who would be in the top 10.

The top 10 winners will be on a nationally released and publicized CD by Cloud Ten.

Our finalists were selected based solely on “votes,” a vote was considered a combination of votes/ratings, total number of views and comments.

During the process we had over 2700 people involved and over 55,000 views (listens)

You spoke and we listened!

SAVING GOD a Cloud Ten Picture

starring Ving Rhames, Dean McDermott & Ricardo Chavira

So without further ado, in no particular order, here are the winners YOU SELECTED and the songs that will be featured on our CD from the SAVING GOD music contest:

01. Mark Thornton – HE MADE ME ALRIGHT
02. Genesiz – ONE SOUL
03. Steve Mortrude – FREEDOM OVER IRON BARS
04. Sons of Thunder – YOUNG PEOPLE
05. Angelia Robinson – WISHING YOU WERE HERE
06. Minister RMB & David Crowder – WHEN THE STORM COMES
07. Theory Hazit – I JUST WANNA GO HOME
08. Victoria Adexa – TIME TO PRAY
09. Tyler King – I’M TOO FAR GONE
10. Kelley Reid – MAKER OF MY HEART

Congratulations to our ten winners! Well done good and faithful servants!

It will take a few months to master and replicate the CD, we’ll let you know when it is available. And for the 2700 people who registered and participated in the contest, we will have a special offer just for you!

Thank you for being a part of our contest and helping the above artists get their name on our nationally publicized CD due to come out in the near future!

Please click on any of the above underlined links to listen to the songs on our Cloud Ten Entertainment website!

Your friend and blogger… Eric

Ving Rhames – Star Power at Cloud Ten Pictures!

Cloud Ten Admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:08:00 +0000

Cloud Ten Pictures is one of the only independent Christian film production companies in the world to have such a high level of amassed star power in our films. Know of any other?

Sure there are great films out there where stars get discovered, but at the end of the day, statistically it is “star” first followed closely by “story” that initially drives people to the box office.

Star Power is statistically the number 1 factor in what drives people to the box office

We at Cloud Ten Pictures have a brilliant array of stars in our lineup as well as good stories. You’ve probably heard about some of our stars and films but I’m sure you most likely haven’t seen them all.

I can tell you that when you combine these both stars and stories you get a great selection of films to take a look at.

So over yet another series of posts, I’ll feature some of the talent we have been blessed to work with at Cloud Ten Pictures.

Star Power – VING RHAMES

Star: Ving Rhames

Sure, many of you might know the gifted African American actor Ving Rhames, from movies like Mission Impossible 1, 2, 3 and Pulp Fiction. But have you seen him in Cloud Ten Pictures latest production SAVING GOD? Known for playing a tough as nails character, Ving Rhames shines like the star that he is in this challenging role!

Ving Rhames as Reverend Armstrong Cane in Cloud Ten Pictures’ SAVING GOD

Story:

Convicted felon Reverend Armstrong Cane (Rhames) returns back to his neighborhood a changed man looking to take over his father’s old church. The neighborhood is tough and full of drugs and gangs. Through Armstrong’s tough demeanor and strong faith, he tries to make a difference with Norris Johns (Dwain Murphy) a youth on the edge of falling into a lifetime of crime. But through the journey, Armstrong must deal with his own past history of violence and crime and make sure that he, himself doesn’t fall.

Dwain Murphy as Norris Johns an up and coming star already in Cloud Ten’s line up!

Sound interesting? It is!

If you are a fan of good urban dramas that feature the star power of an actor like Ving Rhames then SAVING GOD is for you.

View the trailer, behind the scenes photos, and even purchase the film at this link: SAVING GOD

God bless and be sure to look for my next “Star Power” blog series post.

Your friend and blogger… Eric

How YOUR IDEA Makes it to the BIG SCREEN – Part 2

Cloud Ten Admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:04:00 +0000

Note: Because of the length of this topic, it will be covered over a series of blog entries. This is Part 2 in the series.

In my last blog entry, I gave the nickel version of what it takes to get your movie idea from your head into a script form that producers will be willing to take a look at.

Ok Eric, so now I have my script, I’m $60K in the hole (or I’ve sold one of my kidneys)… what do I do now? What is the next step in getting my idea to the big screen?

LOGLINE, SYNOPSIS and ATTACHMENTS: Most professional production companies will NOT take a look at an unsolicited script. But since we aren’t tracking you down and you have the BEST idea on the entire planet, how do you get your script into our hands for review?

Answer: You send the production company the logline for your script and a 1-2 page synopsis of your script, with attachments.

Now your logline SHOULD have been written before your script was written! I should have mentioned this in Part 1, but I assumed that writers know that they need to know the basic premise of their story before they start writing. Anyway, if you haven’t created your logline by this time, you need to now.

I cannot stress the importance of this step enough! The main problem with many logline and synopsis submissions lies in the fact that many indie filmmakers wouldn’t know a logline if it bit ‘em in the backside, and their synopses don’t contain the information that production companies are looking for.

1. LOGLINE: A logline is a ONE to TWO sentence answer to the question, “What is your script about?” This is the SAME line/s that you will “quick pitch” to studio execs, donors, investors, distributors and basically anyone willing to listen. So ya think ya might want to take some time to understand this step right? Well, you do! Trust me, this is HUGE! So take the time to check out this fantastic article on loglines by my friend and gifted screenwriter/script doctor, Mr. C.J. Powers.

Bottom line on your loglines is to make sure that it tells the story, and sets up the irony of the story concisely, in two sentences or less. 3+ sentence loglines are outside industry parameters. Don’t use them.

2. SYNOPSIS: A synopsis is a 1-2 page document that gives the abbreviated version of your script and contains any attachments that you have to the script.

The synopsis of your script should tell the entire story. Don’t be concerned about giving away the twists or resolution. This is the ONLY document that production companies are going to take the time to look at, before deciding whether or not to request your script.

Please, please, please… did I say please? CHECK YOUR GRAMMAR, SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION! I can’t tell you how many times I see a horribly written synopsis. What makes a writer think that a production company is going to look at a 100-120 page script if 2 cohesive pages can’t be written properly? Note: Do NOT create a 3+ page synopsis. You will immediately lose credibility with the production company.

3. ATTACHMENTS: Attachments are actually part of your 1-2 page synopsis and should be included in that document. Attachments can include a myriad of things.

Do me a favor that will bless you. Think like a producer for a moment. Producers are not only concerned with the overall quality of the production, but the financial feasibility of the production as well! We are concerned with costs, talent, locations, tax incentives, investors, etc.

An attachment can be all of the above and more. Say your film takes place on a golf course and you have a friend who runs a PGA golf course and believes in your film. This person has confirmed in writing that, if you produce your script into a film, he/she will let you film on the course for nothing more than a credit in the film, and the publicity that it will give the course. THIS is an example of an attachment. You think the production company might be interested in knowing that the location for the bulk of the shoot is already attached at no cost? You bet they want to know this information!

When Cloud Ten Pictures was approached with the idea for our latest production SAVING GOD, we found that noted actor Ving Rhames was already “attached” to the script. You think this caught our attention? You bet it did!

Hopefully this practical filmmaking blog series is blessing you.

I’m gonna cut it short for today. “That’s a wrap,” as they say. But look for the next installment in this blog series coming soon.

Please comment and let me know if you are being blessed by this series and if you have any questions at all on this part of the process.

God bless! And thanks again for being faithful followers of the Cloud Ten Pictures blog.

Your friend and blogger… Eric

The last five semi-finalist songs in the music contest. VOTE NOW!

Cloud Ten Admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:35:00 +0000

The voting has officially started for the SAVING GOD MOVIE Song Contest!

This is really important for those that have entered their songs into our contest.

Basically we started with 162 submissions. Those were narrowed down to 25.

And now it is YOUR TURN to make all the difference for these aspiring artists!

YOUR VOTE WILL BE THE SOLE DETERMINING FACTOR ON WHO GETS PUT ON THE ALBUM!!

The top 10 songs that receive the most votes will be put on a nationally released CD.

These are the last 5 songs for consideration.

This is entry five in this series, so here are songs 21-25 of 25.

Once you’ve listened to the songs, simply:

1. Go to CloudTenEntertainment.com
2. Register/Log In
3. Watch the videos and vote by assigning a number of stars to the video.

So here you go, in no particular order, here are the last 5 songs that are among the 25 you can vote on for our contest!

ARTIST: STEVE MORTRUDE / SONG: FREEDOM OVER IRON BARS

ARTIST: GENESIZ / SONG: ONE SOUL

ARTIST: MARK THORNTON / SONG: HE MADE ME ALRIGHT

ARTIST: KENNETH JONES / SONG: WARRIOR ANTHEM

ARTIST: DESIA PRINCESS / I THOUGHT YOU LEFT ME

Hope you have enjoyed this series of blog posts on our semi-finalists!

Please don’t forget to go to CloudTenEntertainment.com and vote.

Your vote truly counts for these artists!

One more final note of the day… today is Paul Lalonde’s birthday! Paul is the owner, chariman.. well basically he is “the man” at Cloud Ten Pictures. He is also my friend, brother and generally just a really cool guy. A HUGE hockey fan who happens to be a filmmaker when he isn’t pounding on plexiglass and growing out his playoff beard.

Paul Lalonde and Michael Richards (in the photo behind him) share the same hairstyle

Paul shares a moment with Janaya Stephens

It has been rumored that Paul has been called a “square”.. don’t believe what you see

You truly cannot handle Paul’s love for hockey or his playoff beard.. so back off.. you can’t handle the beard! It wins games eh!

Paul, from all of us at Cloud Ten Pictures. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! You are truly appreciated and loved.

God bless from Cloud Ten Pictures!

Semi-finalists 16-20 listed today. Check out the songs here!

Cloud Ten Admin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:10:00 +0000

The voting has officially started for the SAVING GOD MOVIE Song Contest!

This is really important for those that have entered their songs into our contest.

Basically we started with 162 submissions. Those were narrowed down to 25.

And now it is YOUR TURN to make all the difference for these aspiring artists!

YOUR VOTE WILL BE THE SOLE DETERMINING FACTOR ON WHO GETS PUT ON THE ALBUM!!

The top 10 songs that receive the most votes will be put on a nationally released CD.

I will be featuring 5 videos a day over this series of blog posts for you to take a look at.

This is entry four, so here are videos 16-20 of 25.

Once you’ve watched the videos, simply:

1. Go to CloudTenEntertainment.com
2. Register/Log In
3. Watch the videos and vote by assigning a number of stars to the video.

So here you go, in no particular order, here are the next 5 videos that are among the 25 you can vote on for our contest!

ARTIST: THEORY HAZIT / SONG: I JUST WANNA GO HOME

ARTIST: MINISTER RMB AND DAVID CROWDER / SONG: WHEN THE STORM COMES

ARTIST: ANGELIA ROBINSON / SONG: WISHING YOU WERE HERE

ARTIST: SONS OF THUNDER / SONG: YOUNG PEOPLE

ARTIST: MAJEXTY / SONG: COME CLOSER

Hope you have enjoyed these songs. Look for five more great songs to preview on my next blog post! Don’t forget to go to CloudTenEntertainment.com and vote.

Your vote truly counts for these artists!

God bless from Cloud Ten Pictures!