So much has happened since the last entry! And we’ve been bleary-eyed with all of the activity.
We named the film! "Luminous Journey: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America, 1912." Gayle Morrison helped us in the process, as we had considered 50 or so choices and each of us would have reservations about one until we landed on this one—which Gayle suggested from her own reading!
We secured a domain name for five years (that’s a commitment!) and created a website, then revised the copy. AND, most significantly, we “finished” a version of the trailer that we were happy with—and posted it. So now our trailer is available out there in cyberspace.
A story to share about the creative process: Tim was gloating a bit about directorial decisions and resisting an aesthetic choice I wanted to pursue—yellow rose petals floating down during the opening credits. I had even gone to the studio with film students, set up a black velvet background, and filmed the sequence. But we did not shoot at the highest speed (60 frames per second), which could be slowed down considerably, so the effect was a little jerky. Back to the studio--but again, Tim resisted it. Finally we tried it, and he liked it. But then he tried an effect that I found unsuitable, so we are learning when to assert, when to yield, in our attempt to produce "coral and pearls."
The Association for Baha'i Studies conference was amazing. I was able to present a session on my research and on the film, with great response. . . . And then, the trailer was shown to the conference as part of the Fri. night evening of arts! And wonderment--even more response! So while we have no funds, we have a process and a momentum. May God bless this endeavor!
Today (in 1912), Abdu'l-Bahá arrived at Green Acre--and tomorrow I will be there to celebrate His days there!
