Commons: Behind the Scenes
I just got back from Mesa, Arizona, where we filmed the next round of segments for The Commons. Tom Booth's former sound guy, Joe Reynolds, has started a video production business and we've been using them since the beginning of our video feature. It is so weird to see how far we've come. We started in a hotel room in Phoenix with just two cameras back in September 2006. Then we filmed again in a hospitality suite in a hotel at Anaheim, California. At that time we had a full crew: three cameras, assistant director, sound guy, and Joe as the director. But I was totally blown away by what I saw when I went down to Mesa. We had the full crew again, but we now have our own permanent studio. It is so cool! I hope you all like it.
While we there, we filmed songs with Matt Maher, Steve Angrisano, Josh Blakesley, Chris Muglia, and Sarah Hart, and we also interviewed a gentleman who wrote a fresh song called "Gather Us, Lord." Some of the songs will be familiar; some will be new. But they make me so happy. The artists and composers are so rooted in the Lord and in our tradition that their love for the Lord and for the Church just flows out. I can't wait to show you all the first one which, by the way, will be right at the first of the year with Steve Angrisano's
Taste and See. Jackie interviewed him and did a great job. Oh, and speaking of Steve, I interviewed him for an Artist Close-Up where he talks about his ministry and his methods. That's coming up soon.
OK, well, that's this edition of Spirit Spot. The thing I would like to leave you with is the inspiration of the artists. They challenge me to be holier. Their art flows from their love of the Lord. We are all artists. For some of us, our art is simply the way we live. Let's pray that we are so in love with the Lord that our art gives witness to that.