Production Stories
by Lauralee Farrer When we were in Indiana, early one morning before a day of shooting, I texted my friend Keri Tombazian to ask her to pray for me. I realized with horror that I had texted her at a little before 3 a.m. in Los Angeles (or at the…
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By Lauralee Farrer The “found moment” is our shorthand for authentic moments that inspire a film but cost a fortune to orchestrate. Here’s an absurd example (except that it happened in the movie Ray): A common hummingbird flies in your open window and buzzes there, then zips out. Your heart…
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By Lauralee Farrer If you’ve read Matt Webb’s blog on the Kinema Commonwealth, then you understand why I rankle a little at the name “extras.” I don’t need to buy the world a coke and teach it to sing harmony, but extras are human beings, not happy meals. I know…
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By Matt Webb While I was a student at Fuller Theological Seminary I studied theology and film with a focus on trying to integrate my faith and my art. I didn’t want to make films exclusively for Christian audiences, and I wanted to do more than just think theologically about…
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—by Lauralee Farrer When daylight wanes and shadows lengthen, to forgive is to make whole. —None refrain How beautiful this dappled, soft hour of light, and yet heartbreaking. Grey at the temples, the hour of None is melancholy, a time to ponder things we thought would always be with us.…
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By Lori Fox The opportunity to be part of the PTH team came as I was transitioning out of film and into a new city and career path. I was exposed to the concept of praying the hours after Director Lauralee Farrer had shown me a copy of her book…
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Dear Chris, No matter how much I think I’m going to give the attention to our stories that they deserve before we start shooting them, as time runs out I find that I increasingly feel like a mother who has left a child unattended somewhere. As we get closer to…
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by Christopher Min Catherine Keller once asked, “What is theology but an incantation at the edge of uncertainty?” I can’t help but consider that the same might be said of filmmaking—or more specifically, of Praying the Hours. It was a faithless act, really—saying yes to Lauralee. Or, if you prefer,…
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by Producer Tamara Johnston McMahon As we fast approach principal photography for “None”—starring Aaron Ballard and Chris Min—in our production of Praying the Hours, I find that it is just as important to get in touch with the hour of prayer as it is to finalize the numerous last-minute production…
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by Lauralee Farrer The character of the Traveling Man in Praying the Hours is crossing over from this life into the next, and he carries in his pocket a copy of Rainer Maria Rilke’s book of poetry on the divine hours. This is a nod to Dante being guided through…
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