We’re packing up and heading off! Spending the next seven weeks as Director PA’s on Acts of God set.
Author Archives: jandjproductions
Movie Giveaway!
The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey has just been released in the new edition with some exciting changes! We have added a new, never-before-seen bonus feature and have also done some redesign work to the DVD.To celebrate these new changes, we are giving away a free DVD (new edition) and an original movie soundtrack CD.All you have to do to be entered into the drawing is, go to the movie Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/forgottenmartyr, ”like” it, share the post announcing the giveaway on your FB wall, and then comment on that post with a simple “I did it.”Only one share per person will be counted, although you can share as many times as you wish. We will select one random winner on Wednesday, May 2.
*And the winner for our DVD and CD giveaway is…. Peter M. Marshall! Congratulations, and thank you all for sharing! |
Press Release: SAICFF Awards
Vision Forum -
“Jerica and Joe Henline, who are eighteen and sixteen years of age respectively, received the ‘Young Filmmaker’s’ Award for Lady Jane Grey. The 15-minute film takes viewers through the final hours of this valiant young woman’s life as she is martyred for her faith, uncovering the truth of her magnificent testimony which has been undermined by many liberal historians. Lady Jane Grey was also named runner-up for ‘Best Short Film’.” Full Press Release Here
Some images from Backstage:
Cast & Crew
The Henline Family
Joe & Jerica Henline
Journey through SAICFF
We are now home from the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and Academy. It has been such an incredible trip, and one that we will never forget!
I will now take you through our journey and highlight a few things that we experienced each day.
It all begins at 5:45am, Saturday morning. Here all along we’ve been saying “see you bright and early!” Well actually it was very dark and early. Emily Meinerding, fellow friend, offish sib, first-time flier, and co-star in Lady Jane Grey, joins in on the experience with us! So we’re off to the airport to begin our day of flying. Ok this is where I grab the controller and push fast forward a bit. Although there are countless wonderful and hilarious stories to tell about our traveling experience, we need to conserve on time. Ok, play. We have arrived in San Antonio, Texas!! You know you’re not at home when the trees start looking different. After grabbing our rental vehicle, we headed off to the local grocery store to stock up on a few items for the week. Following our interesting shopping experience, we drove off to our home for the week and met up with our amazing host Mr. Putz. The day ended with rest for all!
The action-packed week finally began on Monday where we heard from Doug Phillips and Geoff Botkin on a number of relevant topics. We also enjoyed a session from John Fornof about getting a story from your head to the paper, and all of the fundamentals of scrip-writing. Later on that day we listened to a session from Pat Roy about radio dramas, and then John Fornof spoke again about the 3 Power Tools for the writer, Character, Structure, and Subtext. To sum it all up, lots of info, lots of sessions, and lots of brain over-loadage, but everything rich with value to a filmmaker and in some cases, every-day life. To fill you in on the type of days these are, it begins at 8:30 in the morning and goes until 10:00 at night…with a few breaks here and there. During breaks we enjoy networking, meeting new people, and fellowshipping with friends. Although very much enjoyed, Monday was just getting us warmed up for a wonderful week with lots of exciting stuff ahead.
Tuesday was an excellent addition to the week! It all began with a session from Justin Tolley. Justin was a PA on the set of one of ABC’S most popular series, Lost, and also did a lot of work on Courageous, America’s #1 selling DVD right now. The title of his session was “I Once Was Lost, But Now I’m Courageous.” He compared lessons from the average shoot day on Lost vs Courageous. The attitudes on Lost set consisted of pride, stress, and fear of losing one’s job, but on Courageous was humility, prayer, and love. Hollywood seems to “fix” their problems with money while Christians go to God in prayer with their needs. This whole session from Justin was so revealing of secular vs Christian filmmaking in America today. Moving on, we heard from Stephen Kendrick (Producer of Courageous), again from Justin Tolley, and then from Tryg Jacobson. Tryg had a very interesting session on Branding, and how to have a good brand. They also threw a little “surprise” into the day when Erin Bethea, actress in Fireproof showed up for a sit-down talk sharing her experiences in Fireproof as well as a variety of other topics on directing and acting. Tuesday was definitely jammed packed full of amazingness! Personally I enjoyed Tuesday the most of the three days, mainly because of what I heard from Justin and Stephen. The impact of these sessions is hard to put into words. But as many said, “It’s like drinking water from a fire hose!!” Although we were already exhausted and running on little sleep, we did our best to take notes and pictures throughout the day so that we wouldn’t forget what we learned.
Wednesday rolled around quicker than ever! We heard from many great speakers throughout the day and stayed busy even during our breaks networking and chatting with friends. The final speaker of the day was Kirk Cameron, star of Fireproof, and former actor in a series called Growing Pains. He shared his incredible testimony, coached some live actors, and left everyone with a sense of wanting to accomplish Monumental tasks. It was a wonderful addition and re-cap of the Academy! In a way it felt like an extremely long Academy, but in many others it went by way too fast. And that is the conclusion of the 2012 San Antonio Independent Christian Filmmaker’s Academy!
Fortunately Thursday morning proved to catch us up on a tiny bit of sleep. We started off the day with Emily and Jerica visiting the Alamo, while mom and Joe went on a Frappuccino date. Then a bit of shopping, lunch, and off to registration! The festival was like a brand new beginning to the week! We had mixed emotion: sad that the Academy was over, but thrilled to begin the festival and see friends that were just now arriving in San Antonio. The first film we saw was a documentary called Unplanned. This film told the story of Abby Johnson, and how she went from being a Planned Parenthood director to a leading Pro-life supporter. After that we enjoyed a good long break, dinner at the food court, and then opening ceremonies!
The final event of the evening was the showing of Captivated the documentary in the Lila Cockrell Theatre. This film is a MUST SEE for everyone! It talks about our daily consumption of media via our phones, TVs, computers ect. Just fyi, we are not typically “documentary people”, but this one entertained, informed, and convicted like no other! It made you walk away from it seeing areas in your life that could be adjusted without making you feel like a criminal. Amazing film, everyone needs to see it; it can change your life.
Friday began bright and early again with our first stop seeing Stand Strong. Stand Strong had a powerful message about our earthly possessions, and how they don’t add up to anything compared to our time spent with family. Stand Strong also had a few one-liners that we will be quoting for a while. 
After that we were off to the first showing of Lady Jane Grey. It went over extremely well with the audience, and we were thrilled that people enjoyed it! Directly after we caught the last part of our friend’s documentary Rescued. The Hedrick brothers along with the Winton Family made this powerful and well-done documentary about adoption and how it is our duty as Christians to take care of the orphans. We highly recommend this film for your whole family, check out the website at: rescuedthemovie.com. Later on that day we were blessed to see the film Two Hats, another incredibly well-done doc done by a newly met friend of ours Andrew Garcia. We were blessed by this film and left the showing with an overwhelming encouragement to further the Great Commission and pray for our missionaries. After that, we enjoyed spending dinner with fellow young filmmaker semi-finalists, and then some very exciting events at the Lila Cockrell later that evening.
Saturday seemed to creep up on us faster than ever! It was so hard to believe that the week was somehow coming to an end. Little did we know how exciting of an end it would really be! We began in the Young Filmmakers room where our film showed for the second time with another well-received response. Then off to Indoctrination, a documentary about the public schools in America today, and how it is our responsibility to keep our children out of them! Following our picnic lunch we headed off to watch Seasons of Gray. SOG was a modern day version of the story of Joseph with fantastic quality, a great message, and nearly a standing ovation… That was the final movie we saw at the film festival. Now it was time to browse the booths and make some purchases. After meeting up with our great friends, the Burnett family, we headed off to a final dinner at the river walk and anticipated the results of the awards ceremony.
Saturday, February 25th, 7:30pm, Lila Cockrell Theatre, Henry B. Gonzales, San Antonio Texas, USA. The Jubilee Awards and closing ceremonies begin in epic proportions! 2,100 people in all get their seats… We certainly weren’t expecting to come away with anything because there were several other very well-done short films competing with ours. But of course we had a few butterflies here and there, some of us more than others!
We anticipated a long agonizing wait as Doug Phillips is very good about racking up the suspense. But to our surprise, The Young Filmmakers category was one of the first things to be called! I told myself, “Joe, don’t think for one second that you have a chance of winning anything, that way you won’t be disappointed when you don’t.” We were just grateful to be there, and be seated amongst the many other semi-finalists. It was now time. Joshua and Providence Phillips enter the stage with the trophy and envelope in hand. They give their intro, and then the finalist tape is rolled. The finalist tape is a video shown on the big screen highlighting a clip from each of the films that have advanced to the finalist level. We waited anxiously…………”Nope,” I told myself, “we didn’t even make the finalist level.” And then…The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey showed up as the last finalist on the tape!!! Wow, this was an encouragement! Then they started to open the envelope in slow motion….our throats dropped to our stomachs in suspense…………”And the runner up for Best Young Filmmakers is….I Don’t Believe in Guns!” WHOO HOO! We all cheered in excitement! We were so very happy for our friends, the Eashs!! Their film had a clear message, an enjoyable sense of humor, and an incredible display of cinematography, they did an exceptional job on it! The applauding started fading, and then silence. But then I began to wonder which film would be called next, making the final win?..
“And the winner for this year’s Best Young Filmmaker category goes to…” The second envelope is opened in extra slow motion. Then after what felt like a whole 60 seconds of silence “LADY JANE GREY!!” No way! Just no way!! There’s just no way, right? Part of me couldn’t do anything but sit there in shock, while the other part of me forced me to stand up and start the walk towards stage. Heading to the steps, I noticed that all of the attention was focused on us….really scary feeling. First mom, then dad, then Jerica, then Emily, then Josh, I finally allowed myself, and then Jon, walked up the steps to the stage. As we all walked across, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a standing ovation. That’s when everything turned to blur… I just remember dis-belief, and a feeling like “this isn’t happening.” I remember seeing Jerica and mom in tears and embracing in a hug on stage. By the looks of a picture, we all did a group hug, but none of us remember that one. Dad takes the podium, giving thanks to all of the cast and crew, and more importantly to God. I honestly can’t tell you a word he said…
I kind of stood there in my “shocked” face, finally waking myself up to the thought that I don’t want to appear mad in all these pictures, so I urged out a smile still in disbelief. I am so grateful that Emily Meinerding (Supporting Actress), Joshua Hedrick (1st AD), and Jonathan Hedrick (Director of Photography) where all able to join our family on-stage! It was like an LJG reunion (minus a few). Next thing I remember we were exiting the stage. As we walked off in slow motion I suddenly found myself backstage shaking people’s hands. I honestly have no idea who those people were because it was dark and I was still in shock mode. We were then escorted down a staircase. Finally we all erupted in yells of excitement!!! It was at that moment that it really sunk in what had just happened. We all hugged each other, speechless, and then more screams of excitement! Jerica handed me the crystal trophy…but I honestly didn’t care about the trophy, I was just so proud of all of the many people that helped make this project a reality, and mostly thankful to God for allowing us this opportunity. We were then joined by John Moore (Director of Ace Wonder) where he gave us some awareness and advice for our new-founded accomplishment and responsibility. Then we were escorted across back-stage to the opposite side of the auditorium where we finally found our seats. Unlike previously that night, I had just sat down with what felt like 50 pounds being taken off my shoulder…I guess you might call that stress. My only problem is that I never know that I’m stressing, until I’m done stressing. The next category called was the Short Film category. I thought to myself “Wait a minute! I thought all of this suspense was over!!” But no it wasn’t, because we had also made it as a semi-finalist in that category. The finalist reel was shown, and to my utter surprise LJG had made it as a finalist in Short Films too! Of course not expecting it to get any better, I returned to my non-suspense mode. They opened up the envelope for runner up Best Short Film…..LADY JANE GREY! “No! Joe this isn’t happening.” We stood at our seats, because that was the acknowledgement protocol for runner up. I was like “wow!” What a night! My thoughts were? – Completely un-expected, totally not happening, and utterly just happened. The rest of the awards ceremony seemed to go by a lot quicker! We were so thrilled when Courageous won the Best of Festival award which included the $101,000 grand prize. The crowd went crazy with excitement, like a loud roar that will never be forgotten. Stephen Kendrick gave an excellent acceptance speech! I remember him saying “At the Oscars tomorrow, it’ll be awkward if someone gives glory to God. But at this festival, it’s awkward if someone doesn’t!” Very well said, and very well reflecting of the festival. Before we knew it the closing ceremonies had come to a rapid end! It was still hard to grasp the thought of what had just occurred that evening. The San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival was dismissed for the year 2012! The buzz began as people started congratulating others, and saying goodbye to friends that might not be seen for another year. We were required to head back asap for press photos. It was so encouraging to be in the press room with about 10 other winners and getting to meet and talk with each of them. There was a lot that transpired there that evening, too much to go into detail about. But it was certainly an exciting celebration/conclusion for the night!
Well of course it didn’t end there; we continued celebrating, praising God, and spending time with our host Randy Putz. We had a day to relax some and pack up, and then woke up dark and early Monday morning. We missed our flight, because of long security lines, but were able to re-book for five hours later. Yes, it was stressful missing our flight, but it was over all worth it, had the best time with family and Emily Meinerding in our airport games and excursions!!
After a long, but fun wait, we finally made our plane and began our travel home. We came back with a better education about Christian filmmaking from the Academy, an overwhelming encouragement from our experience at the Film Festival, and a closer relationship with each other as the five of us journeyed on this trip together. Not to mention quite a few photos. Well, looks like that’s the end, as I am sure that if you have kept reading this long, you must be getting tired of my writing. Might I add a little commercial for ya though? We have already purchased our tickets to attend next year and if you haven’t done so yet, do it while they are at the early bird rate! It does save a lot of money. Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed these tiny snippets from our journey to San Antonio. Special thanks to mom, dad, Jerica, and Emily for making this trip extra special!
Until Next Time,
Joe Henline
Fun Facts!
Drinks that kept us going: Raspberry Lemonade and Starbucks Coffee
How many pictures did I take: actually only 600, 110 of which will the public ever see.
New Hand Sanitizer philosophy: “In order to make something unclean, you must first add something dirty” –Emily
My favorite moment: umm…is “THE WHOLE TRIP” an acceptable answer?!
DVD – $10
Here is a link to our online store where you can order your copy: http://www.ladyjanegreymovie.com/index.php?option=com
Happy New Year!
We hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday with family, friends, and celebrating the reason for the season. As we approach this last-day-of-the-year we have a lot to be thankful for. We praise God for all that He has done so far with our latest project, “The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey.” If you haven’t seen the film yet you can order your copy at this link today!
So what do you have to look forward to in 2012? A new film project brought to you by J&J Productions! Exciting announcements coming soon. Joe and Jerica, and the rest of the production team would like to wish you a very Happy New Year.
2011
Breaking News
J&J Productions is thrilled to announce that “The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey” has been called complete! The Henline family wrapped up post-production this week and watched it one last time this evening to approve the final version.
We are excited about this short film and can’t wait to share it with everyone. It is the official word that the film will be released October 25th. This leaves us just a couple short weeks to finish up all of the Bonus Features, create the DVD, and send it out to the duplicator to make the copies. Even though we have completed post-production, we still need your prayers that these last couple weeks before release date will go as smoothly as possible. We will be posting some more updates very soon.
Have you seen the latest review of the film from The Dove Foundation? You can check it out at this link: http://www.dove.org/reviewpopup.asp?Unique_ID=8980
Stay Tuned!
Joe & Jerica Henline
Lady Jane Grey Fundraiser
Here is the time where we need your help, and time is running out! We have just released our Kickstarter Fundraising page, and it will run for only 30 days. Please check out the video and make a pledge here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/691148354/the-forgotten-martyr-lady-jane-grey
More info -
“We have set our goal for half of the money we put into the film, making it $3,000.00. The key with Kickstarter is, if we don’t reach or exceed the goal, we don’t get any of the money and you’re off the hook. But, if we go over our goal, we get that money also! We only have a month to reach the $3,000 mark.
Rewards
By pledging any amount of $25.00 or more, you will receive some gifts from us to show our appreciation. By pledging any amount you will have your name listed on our website as a donator.
Share
We can’t do this without everyone’s help! You can greatly aid the progress of reaching our goal by:
1.Donating. One of the biggest ways you can help is by donating so that we reach our goal within the short amount of time we have.
2.Spreading the word. Share the video with all of your friends, neighbors and family. You can spread the word through the use of Facebook, Email, Twitter, your Blog, by word of mouth, or any way you wish.
3.Pray. Please pray with us that we will get enough funders to help cover the costs. With prayer and everyone’s help, we can reach our goal and raise the money.
We cannot deeply express our gratitude enough for any donation given, big or small. Your help is greatly appreciated and we look forward to keeping you updated on our progress. ”
-J&J Productions
Production Update
Hello everyone! It’s been several months since we’ve posted
here and the reason for that is simplified by the word “business.”
Most of you have been keeping up with our latest film “The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey.” It is currently in post-production stages. God has greatly blessed us in this film, and we give him all of the credit for what is taking place. An update from the editor, Joe Henline, describing how close the film is to completion is coming soon! In the meantime, make sure to check out the Behind the Scenes episodes on our Youtube Channel and watch the trailer here.
One of the biggest questions is ”Have you chosen what film to do next?” At this point, we will not be making any announcements. But we can say that we’ve been brainstorming and discussing our next project. Your prayers would be much appreciated as we wrap up post-production on “The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey” and seek the Lord’s will for what he wants us to do next.
Check out the website for the film here: www.ladyjanegreymovie.com
Film Announcement
Fresh, new and like nothing we’ve ever done before, J&J Productions is bringing you a historical epic film about courage, bravery and heroism in “The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey.”This film is not only inspirational and faith fortifying, but is also a film that will bring you dramatic entertainment. A book, a forgotten message, and a heroin’s tale all wrapped up into one short film package. |
