Stories
Fighting Our Way Through
By Lauralee Farrer There’s a popular quote from Ira Glass, host of “This American Life,” that makes much of the idea that our creative work often outstrips our good taste. I admit, even though I am not a beginner, I find it soothing: “Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told…
ReadTweet Dreams
—by Lauralee Farrer For those who follow us on twitter @praythehours, you know that we tweet at the Hour of prayer on which we are currently working. Our “Terce” tweets ended a week or so ago because we’ve finished shooting it and we’re entering a month’s worth of assembly cuts, scriptwriting, perfecting our shooting experience,…
ReadIch Glaube an Alles Noch Nie Gesagte
I am drawn to the things that have never been said. I am determined to release these godly feelings and not hold back what others do not dare to ask. If that’s outrageous, my God, forgive. All I am trying to say is this: My very best offerings are spontaneous, without hesitation or irritation, in…
ReadTERCE: The Light Climbs, the Worker Pauses
I worship You with primal joy, Holy Spirit, Living God. —Terce refrain The light of Terce is bright, a sharp spotlight on our work. We have found the rhythm of a focus that has snapped into place, and the last intuition we have is to stop. And yet. Benedict urged stopping at this hour precisely…
ReadUnorthodox and Personal
The team behind Praying the Hours often comments that by the time we finish all of our shoots we will run like a well-oiled machine. Until then, we learn the lesson of courage required by any art form: keep going. More time, SO MUCH MORE TIME, is spent on logistics, planning, organizing, preparing, reorganizing, paying…
ReadA Producer in Charge of Prayer
By Grace Oh My name is Grace and I am lucky enough to be the producer overseeing prayer for this project. Never heard of this fascinating title? I will go out on a limb and say you’ll be hard pressed to find another producer of prayer for a film. Little credit for this is due…
ReadFilmmaking in Widescreen
by Lauralee Farrer The first time I went to see a 70mm widescreen film at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, I was an adolescent, and I sat with my father on the far right side. I don’t remember what film we saw, but I do remember it being good enough that I wanted to return…
ReadPrayers for a Holy Death
by Lauralee Farrer A strange thing happened on our first day of principal photography for “None.” The script called for a woman to interrupt the main character None (Aaron Paul Ballard) as he is trying to write a song. She urges him to open his frame shop early because of a framing emergency. Because framing…
ReadThe Power of Generosity
By Director Lauralee Farrer One recent morning, before the None shoot, an unexpected expense came up that was very disheartening. That afternoon, in an equally random, unexpected way, someone texted to say she had been praying for us, and thought: I could give some money. I could do that. And a figure came to her…
ReadCalling at a Decent Hour
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 hour of Vigils). Later, at…
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