JOY FROM THE MOUNTAINS!

(A SIDE NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR: I am thankful for many of you who are commenting so thoughtfully on these web videos. I would, however, like to clarify that these little clips ARE NOT THE FILM. They are simply small, personal, playful updates that I capture with my low-quality webcam between the REAL filming/interviews. Fear not, "Treasures of India" will NOT be a shaky, shoddy collection of obnoxious observations. The 18 hours of Full-Quality "big camera" footage that I have shot so far reflect something far more beautiful than what I can post online now. Thank you for your imagination and patience. Now, back to the blog... ;-)

Here is a video moment you might enjoy ;-)


This temporary update lapse is mostly due to the lack of computers where I have been. ;-)

Since I typed you last...

...I have survived 2 top-speed nail-biting races uphill narrow mountain roads, zipping past huge trucks flying downhill, coming within 5 inches if hitting each other. literally. .... every minute.

...I have fallen in love with herds of little mountain children, all of whom I want to adopt.

...I have enjoyed many gallons of AMAZING Indian tea, that somehow all tastes like hot chocolate.

...I have trekked up 4 miles of the most rugged (and vertical) mountain terrain on foot to get to a fellowship to film. Then back down - 4 miles.

...I have come to realize that Indian people like to eat. ALOT. and OFTEN. I'm the tallest person within 100miles, and somehow, their kids can out-eat me.

...AND most importantly, I have realized why I came here...

I was expecting to film many instances of people laying hands on other people and healing them. What I have realized while listening to dozens and DOZENS of testimonies of the people here, is that there is no need, or reason to have a "ceremony" or "special time" when we expect to receive answers, miracles ... or ANYTHING from God.

It is simple.

You believe - it happens.

NOW!

Not at the next "Annual Healers Meeting"
Not at the next "Group Fellowship"
Not at the next "prayer session with a friend"

God answers prayers now.

As you need it. When you need it.

We just gotta' believe for it.

JUST BELIEVE.


....something to think about.

Love always, with miracles now,
Jonathan ;-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM INDIA!

Hello Lovely Friendlies!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Sadly the computers here at the hotel in India won't allow for video uploads to the internet, so my lovely personal Christmas video message to yas wont work out...

...but know that you are loved, and missed, and I look forward to blogging/videouploading/contacting you when I leave the mountains and return to New Delhi/Bains house in a few days.

... And I look forward to hugging you when I return from the many miracles here in India!

I have been filming many amazing lifechanging miracles and I cant wait to show you them!

Love always, with God's miracles everyday,
-Jonathan ;-)

ps: be sure to unwrap and watch your Christmas present from the previous post below! ;-)

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU...

Hello and God bless you all richly!

...with the stark time difference of ~13.5 hours, I have no idea if you'll be seeing this on Christmas Day or not, but know that my heart is there, and on time. ;-)

I was miraculously able to find an internet connection this side of the mountains, and I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you all how much I love you and desire to be both here in India and there with you now. If only cloning were possible... in limited quantities. ;-)

For your online Christmas gift this year, I hope to bring a smile to your face with a completely UNRELATED shortfilm I shot months ago with Landon Martinez, a believer and aspiring young filmmaker from south FL. It's called "Sugar Showdown", and with a running time of 3 minutes, I hope you'll have time to unwrap and watch your online gift sometime between presents and dinner. ;-)

Here is the link if you want to unwrap it now. ;-)




(if the image link doesn't work, just visit www.youtube.com/SacredAgentMan and watch the first big video on the page. ;-)

ALSO, assuming the connection here will cooperate, here is a personal greeting video from me in India:

www.youtube.com/JonReichel

I love you all very much, and I look forward to the many miracles God will continue to show us as we all continue on our adventure with him!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love always,

Jonathan ;-)
ReichelJon@gmail.com

www.youtube.com/LightspeedProductions
www.myspace.com/LightspeedProductions

www.youtube.com/JonReichel
www.myspace.com/JonathanReichel

Jon's India - Special Christmas Song ;-)

Episode 4 - Two Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal, and McDonalds ;-)

Episode 3 - BAINS HOUSE TOUR!

THE FLIGHT - Orlando - England - Delhi

Hello all!


The video you see is the rough and raw documentation of the adventures of my flight from Orlando to England to Delhi. Enjoy at your own risk ;-)

Today was a delightfully exhausting romp through the Taj Mahal. Much was seen, much was filmed, much was $pent and much ... needs sleep. ;-)

It kindof reminds me of a day at Disney, actually - regarding how unexpectadly exhausting the simple act of walking can be ... when repeated for 4 hours. ;-)

Through a slight change of schedule, I will be staying at the Bain's home again tonight, and most of tomorrow instead of spending the night at the home of my wonderful translator, Ashish.

Monday afternoon, I will be travelilng deep into the rural mountain ranges north of Delhi, and I not be able to UPLOAD new videos until I return to internet access.

Tomorrow, I hope to upload some of the footage of my time at the Taj Mahal. Then, when I return from the mountains next week, you'll see more of our adventure in raw-webvideo form.

Love, always and God bless,
-Jonathan
ReichelJon@gmail.com

I HAVE LANDED!

I am very pleased to say that I have indeed landed in New Delhi, India after a 40 hour combined travel time landing and changing airports in England!


I have already shot much footage with my flip video camera of my flights and time in England, and I continue to battle with the.... interesting .... computer systems here to upload some of that video for your enjoyment. ;-)

Tomorrow early morning, I will be traveling to the Taj Mahal for my single purely sightseeing/pretty footage-gathering portion of the trip. The Bains' family has been an ultimate blessing, and continue to show genuine loving hospitality - I already want to take them all home with me. ;-)

I desperately need sleep, and prayers, and hopefully, you will continue to provide me one of those things. ;-)


Love always, and I hope to upload something more graphically interesting soon!

-Jonathan Reichel ;-)
reicheljon@gmail.com

PS I was able to finally put one of the video segments online - enjoy!

FILM TRAILER!!

I am very pleased to present you a FIRST LOOK at a taste of where I am going with this project!

I will be leaving this Wednesday to shoot the other 98% of the film in India, and I appreciate your continued prayers and support that all goes well, and that this film will be completed for the glory of God, and the blessing of all who view it.

Much love to all - and I look forward to updating you from India soon!

-Jonathan ;-)
ReichelJon@gmial.com

A Sound Decision...

Hello all!

Much excitement continues to unfold as my India departure on December 17 rapidly approaches! Just moments ago, I decided upon the equipment that will capture the OTHER half of my film - the microphones.

I was advised my Ted O'malley, a respected professional and friend, to go with the Sennheiser EW100 g2 lavaliere microphone system. After much investigation, comparison, and product review searching, I comitted and went for it.

The happy package is now trucking its way towards me, and will arrive within 3-5 days to allow me ample time to experiment and perfect my usage of it.

For this project, I have a strong desire to record a new level of professional audio - and I think this tool will greatly help me do so.

I will be shooting the last of the 5 Stateside interviews this afternoon, and in my next post I should have a short video trailer to give you an idea of what I have done so far - just to get your excitement juices going for the big stuff to come!


Love, and God bless,

-Joanthan ;-)
ReichelJon@gmail.com

VISAS & CAMERAS...

DA DA DA DAAAAAA!

It is official! As of this week, I have ALL the paperwork I need to travel...

1. Plane ticket
2. Passport and.....
3. VISA!

It arrived recently, and I feel good knowing that it is secure, and that I am set. The final details of preparation include the final choice of cameras/equipment...

(WARNING the following information might be too geeky for some... ;-)

__________

The camera shown in my header image above is a personal favorite of mine - the Panasonic DVX100. It is a versatile, strong camera with nice image quality recorded on inexpensive miniDV tape (and has a 24p shooting mode to make shots look "film-like"). However, it lacks the "high definition" capabilities that I would LIKE to shoot with. Its newer brother, the Panasonic HVX DOES have HD capabilities, but records on a very expensive (like $900 per P2 card = 30 min shoot time) media that would be difficult to work with in the field. (Laptop transfer and all required every 30min.)

.... SO! it comes down to expense VS. practicability. If I had the exorbitant $$ I would invest in an all new HD cam, laptop, recordable media, HUGE external terabyte hard drives, ....and a generator to make it all work in the electricity-less zones of India.... Or I could shoot standard definition with equipment I'm confident with, and that we should be able to afford.

__________

What do you recommend?

Also, I have been VERY blessed with some more of you wonderfully generous donors helping support this project financially.

I have received $6086.00
and I estimated $11,860.00

...so we're just over half way there. (View my complete budget in a previous post) I am completely confident that God will continue to pour out his blessings on this project, and that all will be in place when it is needed.

This is a film about miracles, after all. ;-)

Much more to come - stay tuned!
Love always - and God bless,

-j ;-)
ReichelJon@gmail.com

LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE!!!

IT IS OFFICIAL!

As of this evening, after the transfer of roughly $2,313.44 (USD)

I am the proud owner of a ticket to India!!

I even get to spend a night in London as part of my connection!

Yeah - life is good. ;-)

I recently got my India Travel Visa photo taken. (as seen above) I thought I was smiling, but for some reason, I look like a convict. I guess it's just a "guy-up-against-a-white-background" ...thing. ;-)

Next, I will be focusing on securing the perfect gear, and shooting some opening footage for the preview movie trailer that is due by the end of the semester....

....time to hit "record"!

God bless, more soon......

-j ;-)
ReichelJon@gmail.com

$GIFTS OF GOD$

This week God has abundantly blessed me.

As you know, there will be great costs involved in producing this film, and many of you have been kind enough to donate to help. This week, is a shining example of God's grace and generosity.

While we are still some short of the goal - I am confident that God will continue to work miracles as He is known to do, and as the film will show.

Please continue to pray for the cause. That the right ticket will be secured, the right equipment will be acquired, and that my lens will record exactly what needs to meet the eyes of our viewers.

God will provide. God bless you richly!
Love always,

-j ;-)
ReichelJon@gmail.com

MAKING DECISIONS....

Hooora!

The close of this week will be a big one...

by Sunday, I should have purchased my plane ticket, arranged my vaccinations, established my in-India travel itinerary and decided if I will be going solo or with another one of my accomplished colleagues as crew - we shall see....


ALSO! As a bonus, I have included my recent class submissions, my FILM PRODUCTION BUDGET, and my PRODUCTION SCHEDULE - enjoy!

-j ;-)

PRODUCTION BUDGET

(Based on market prices as of the time of this submission)

Flight
$1,700
Food
$350
Cameras
$5,200
Audio Recording Equipment
$250
Recordable Media
$500
India Travel (train, cab, bus)
$600
Lodging (when not with host family)
$250
Indian Visa
$110
Medical Vaccinations
$150
Translators travel/lodging
$500
Donation to Host family
$1000
Post Production Expenses
$1000

TOTAL ESTIMATION
$11,860

- PRODUCTION SCHEDULE -

Schedules and Budget draft completed and submitted
10/29/2008
Travel and Equipment logistics finalized
11/8/2008
Full Proposal Draft 1 submitted
11/12/2008
All Stateside interview footage shot
11/22/08
Proposal Presentation in Documentary Workshop 1
12/2/2008
Trailer Cut of available footage
12/3/2008
Proposal & Trailer presentation for Doc Workshop 1 Class
12/9/2008
Leave for Shooting in India
12/15/2008
Return from Shooting in India
1/6/2009
Footage Logged and Captured
1/15/2008
First Cut
2/1/2008
Second Cut
2/15/2008
Screener Cut
3/1/2008
Festival Submissions arranged
3/15/2008
Church Distribution active
3/20/2008
Project Completion
3/27/2009

_______________

SOOO Much more to come this next week - but I need sleep. ;-)

God bless,

Jonathan ;-)

ReichelJon@gmail.com

I AM 21!

It is official!

As of October 21st, 2008, 7:30pm-ish....

I AM A LEGAL ADULT! Can you feel the excitement? ;-)

This means, that my film in India will be the first one I have completed as a full "adult".

Makes me feel good.

I will be purchasing my plane ticket and be shoring up gear/logistics/finances this next week. I look forward to sharing with you the inevitable jaw-dropping cost to ship me oversees, in our next checkup!

I continue to appreciate your prayers that this project will succeed for the glory of God, and the benefit and blessing of all who view it.

God bless you richly!

Jonathan ;-)
ReichelJon@gmail.com

The Flight of the Wallet....

Hey all!

I have officially begun shopping online for plane flights, and I have found that I can spend anywhere from....

*drum roll.............

$1,500.00 - $3,500.00

.
.
.
On a SINGLE round trip flight.

Yep.

I'm sure going at a good time....
I'm sure there will be NO other traffic during the pre/post Christmas season. ;-)

Oh well, the Lord will $provide$, and all will be well.

More to come...

God bless you richly,

Jonathan ;-)
www.myspace.com/JonathanReichel

PROJECT TREATMENT! - (what its all about)

Hey all!

After much thought and deliberation, I penned and submitted my second (and most recent) draft of my project treatment to my wonderful Documentary Capstone professor, Dr. Lisa Mills.

Dr. Mills provided many helpful comments and questions for me to consider, and ways to make the project stronger and even more clear.

I would like for you to have a chance to read the good gooshy details of my mentality, and strategy for the project and how I hope to accomplish it. Continue reading below for all the 3-ish pages of goodies! ;-)

God bless,

Jonathan ;-)
ReichelJon@gmail.com

________________



Jonathan Reichel
Documentary Capstone I
Submitted Wednesday, October 01, 2008


Treatment Draft #2- TREASURES OF INDIA – (Working Title)


At the core of our being, humanity searches for purpose. We yearn for some reason to exist. We struggle to find personal answers for what we see in the world. I believe people want to know why they exist. Is humanity an act of random chance? Is humanity the result of Divine Design? Is there life after death, or is this life all we have? If there is a God, how does he interact with humanity, or does He at all? This documentary will delve into this interaction, with a focus upon what has come to be known as the concept of "miracles".


In my journey as a filmmaker, I strive to share with my viewers a hope. A hope of something beautiful, a hope of something grand. I strive to bring my audience closer to a personal understanding of what the idea of God means to them, perhaps even help facilitate a moment where they feel a closeness, a peace, a connection to God. A connection to the miraculous.


My film will attempt to document this interaction between God and mankind by exploring the lives of families and groups who claim to have experienced miracles. The film will ultimately lead to New Delhi, India, to observe a native family of believers who claim that God continually works through them to bring forth remarkable miracles of physical, mental, and spiritual healing to the people of their nation.


This film will deal with my own personal conflict of achieving emotional honesty with my viewers, but my film's main conflict is between those who believe in the reality of their miracles, and a world that continually dismisses these remarkable acts as fantasy. My film's point of view (POV) will be an omnipotent secondary perspective that will provide ongoing narration helping to guide the viewer through the layered events of the film. The subject and POV suggest a style that is observational. Ultimately, I want viewers to reexamine their beliefs on the concept of the miraculous, and indeed, delve deeper into what is true, and real in their life.


As part of my research, I plan to shoot opening portions of the film locally in Central Florida interviewing various ministry groups and specialists who have medical and practical experience with miracles, and have them share their experiences. By introducing the audience to the issue locally, it will help prepare them for the sweeping location change when I take the audience to my travels in India with Minister Sangat Bains and his family in New Delhi, India.


I will travel India for over two weeks collecting stories, imagery, footage, and testimonies of miracles being performed. Upon my return to Florida, I will begin post production and the final crafting and shaping of the film in editing, to establish the specific focus within the presentation's broad arch.


The major difficulties with a project of this subject and magnitude fall into two basic categories: content, and collection. The content of this feature deals with elements that are completely out of my direct control, namely, miracles. A miracle is defined as an event believed to be caused by interposition of divine intervention by a supernatural being in the universe by which the ordinary operation of Nature is overruled, suspended, or modified. This would clearly imply that it is not something that I can plan on, schedule, or suit to fit my needs. My strategy to increase my chances of recording that which I cannot schedule or control, will be to increase the amount of content that I will be able to capture. By extending my stay in India an additional week, and beginning to shoot a third of the introductory portions of the film here locally, I will enhance the total material I have to choose from in editing.


The second aspect of the challenge aforementioned is that of collection. While increasing the amount of total footage will help provide more material to choose from, the footage will be worthless unless I go about collecting the footage in a specific way. The nature of miracles is that they are an answer to very specific and personal needs. If I approach the filming of them in a callous or careless news material gathering mentality, I will be putting people in a place of discomfort. My focus will be to collect these special moments with an air of minimal intrusion, a "fly on the wall" mentality as it were. I feel that an unobtrusive approach to the process will not only capture more realistic interactions, but perhaps even help put people in a place of comfort, knowing that the moment is personal and protected, and readying them to receive whatever miracle might be manifested.


I plan on utilizing my own equipment and editing suits, and anticipate funding for travel and peripherals through a collection of ministry groups domestically operating in support of the Bains' family's efforts. This film will then be promoted through festival circuits, internationally utilizing web-based distribution, with an additional strong focus on distribution directly to churches across America, to serve as inspirational material for their congregations.

My ultimate purpose in this project is to provide audiences a moment to deeply examine their own feelings and ideas regarding miracles, and the things of God, with hopes that they might more firmly establish themselves in a personal understanding of the great, broad, and beautiful things in life.

Rolin', Rolin', Rolin'...

Hey all!

I've been in the midst of moving forward with the big juicy details.....

Flights,

$$,

equipment,

itineraries,

.....,


sleep.

...and such. I look forward to wrapping up more of the logistics as I continue to do research into the fascinating and scintillating topic of how God interacts with man through miracles....

....the adventure continues!


See ya next week!

God bless,
Jonathan Reichel

In the Beginning....

Welcome the Jonathan Reichel's Capstone blog!

This year, I will be directing a documentary focused on the idea of miracles, and this is the blog for you to check often to see the progress!

Let the journey begin....



God bless,
Jonathan Reichel
www.myspace.com/JonathanReichel