Author: Cyndi

Brandon “Chandler”, a dear friend to many of us and a very important part of the HOLLYWOOD IMPACT STUDIOS family, is fighting stage 4 liver cancer. We ask that you please pray for Chandler and his family. Pray for comfort, healing and control of the pain…both his and ours.

The family is also holding a Film Festival Fundraiser for Chandler on
May 28, 2011 at 5PM at:

Bethlehem Lutheran Church
27265 Luther Dr.
Canyon Country, California

Admission is free, dinner and snacks will be served for a donation. If you’d like to come please RSVP or if you’d like to simply make a donation please, contact the family at: ronola57@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your support of this spiritual giant of a man.

We love you Chandler!

One of the unique aspects of our ministry and mentoring program is that it continues even once
“our guys” (HOLLYWOOD IMPACT STUDIOS Graduates) have served their time and are released. Since our last posting, our guys were very involved in the filming of a 168 Film Festival project.

They worked both behind and in front of the camera. They were terrific crew members and amazing actors as well.

For many this was their first time to work on a real set.

“Potter’s Hand” was a true blessing for everyone involved. Thanks to the entire cast and crew for making it so…

Most of our reports are from inside “the classroom”. We thought it might be interesting to share some of the great news about “our guys” who have graduated and been released.

We now have many graduates who have been out for nearly a year and half. Most are working back in the community, staying plugged into their churches and raising their families. Here’s just a few stories; one of our guys works with the Veteran’s Administration, another works full time as a butcher, another is working in sales, one is working full time at a substance treatment center, two are working full time in the television industry and many others, many are volunteering with HOLLYWOOD IMPACT STUDIOS, giving back.

But it’s not just about working. We’ve also seen at least one marriage saved and many families that have been reconciled. We now have half a dozen of our graduates regularly attending the Tinseltown Bible Study. One young man is back in college getting his degree. Plus many more successes.

God has really changed these men’s lives and we’re seeing what that change means. Please continue to pray for this ministry, our instructors and our graduates.

We have just begun semester #6 at the Pitchess Detention Center. We’ve decided to do somthing a little different, though. Instead of starting with a brand new class and all new students, we decided to do an “advanced” class using our students from semester #5; a kind of “Hollywood Impact Studio 201” class; building on what they learned last semester. We are having to take on some new student/inmates to make up for those who have left Pitchess. We will be starting with 20 students.

This semester is entitled, “Preparing For Broadcast”. Our student/inmates will edit, title and prepare all of our previous ABOVE THE LINE episodes to “air” on the LASD TV channel hopefully sometime in the summer.

As we’ve said in the past, we want HOLLYWOOD IMPACT STUDIOS to act like a real studio, not just a school and this is just another step. Next entry we will share some of what God is doing with our guys after they get out.

Thanks for reading the blog…

We just completed our 5th Semester episode of ABOVE THE LINE with special guests Murray Adler, musical contractor for THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY and AMERICAN DAD, and Christine Day, musical casting director for the hit Fox series, GLEE. Thanks so much to both Murray and Christine as well as our host Nikki D’Amico.

If you’re new to this blog, ABOVE THE LINE is an interview show produced at the end of each semester by Hollywood Impact Graduates. This is where our instructors and students trade places. The students, create the set, run the cameras, and adjust the lights as instructors give them one on one, hands-on guidance. Below, Gaffer Daz Reynolds instructs students on lighting.

We are so blessed to have such great instructors…

Putting on the finishing touches…

Christine, Amy and Nikki share a moment together..

We would like to thank Chick fil A of Santa Clarita for their generous contribution of delicious food. The cast and crew loved it! If you’ve not visited their new location at 24180 Magic Mountain Parkway, please go by to say thank you and enjoy one of their many terrific meals. If you don’t live in our area, find your nearest Chick fil A… It’s great food!! It really is. Thanks you so much!!!

It truly was a great day for everyone involved! Praise God for all He is doing through HOLLYWOOD IMPACT STUDIOS. We’re so happy to be part of it.

We are coming to the end of our fifth semester. We will be shooting our next episode of ABOVE THE LINE on Saturday (1/29/11). It has gone by so fast. Always striving to do a better job, we ask our students at the end of each semester to complete a questionnaire. For all of you who support and work with us, Iwe just wanted to share this note from one of our students…

“I pray that this program will continue to help individuals incarcerated like myself. This program is a true blessing, as well as a life changing experience for me. A father that has gained skills that would cost thousands of dollars, but I receive them for free. I can’t put a price on the knowledge I have gained. I love all of you like brothers and sisters. Thanks again. May God Bless you all.”

Above is a photograph of a tour I gave recently of the Fox Foley Stage. I am often asked, “What is foley and how did it get it’s name?”

Foley is a sound effects technique named after a sound effects editor at Universal Studios, Jack Foley who invented it. Foley Artists, or “Walkers” create live sound effects on a foley stage as the watch the film projected on a screen in front of them. It’s an extremely creative job that takes years to master.

At the end of our screenwriting class, we invited some of our actor friends to come in and read our students scripts.

The actors were amazed how good these short scripts were. Like the professionals they are, they memorized and performed each script beautifully. It brought more than one of our students to tears.

Thank you!

Last week, 33 of our HOLLYWOOD IMPACT STUDIOS family met at 20th Century Fox for our first annual Christmas lunch. It was held in the Shirley Temple Room of the executive dinning room. Lots of great conversation and catching up with friends we’ve not seen recently.

After lunch we enjoyed a tour of the studio, including the set of BONES and New York Street.

The tour also included the scoring stage and the Foley stage (pictured above). We had such a glorious time. Everyone at HOLLYWOOD IMPACT STUDIOS wishes you a very Merry and Blessed Christmas and a Happy 2011!

Derrick Warfel, one of our continuing guest instructors, came in again to teach screenwriting. Derrick is such an incredible teacher. Our students can not stop talking about how much they enjoy and learn in his class. After their first class, he gave them their assignment…”head to the computers to start writing your first script”… Derrick doesn’t just teach them screenwriting though, he also covers how to write magazine articles and short stories.

Once again, Derrick is having them all compete in The Hollywood Impact Studios writing contest. First prize will be awarded. Thanks Derrick.