When I tell friends that we’re making The Candy Shop, I always get the same reaction. ‘Wow, you’ve been talking about that film forever.” It’s true, I’ve been talking, dreaming and working on Candy Shop for over two and a half years now. It’s a film that has been my obsession for a very long time, and now on the crest of making it, I can’t help but be completely and utterly amazed at where we are.

The entire process of getting the green light on The Candy Shop was a whirlwind. It was a series of events that seems to have all fallen into place swiftly and abruptly. First the wins at Doorpost, then the additional funding and partnerships. One moment we’re just cruising along working on next years content, the next moment we’re in preproduction for a film we’ve been dreaming of for years.

The good news is that my team has been preparing for this for a very long time. I have nothing but the utmost pride and trust in my crew. Those diligent warriors slave for days and days on end, working their craft and getting very little sleep for this incredible project. I’m proud to serve alongside them. We feel as prepared as we have for any film. I don’t think you ever finish preproduction, you are just forced to begin principal photography.

One of the highlights of preproduction has been the Doorpost mentors. These are professionals both on the east and west coast who have been donating their time and energy to help us make this film the best it can be. They have introduced us to incredible talent we never thought we’d have the chance to work with, as well as pushing me well outside my comfort zone. I’ve been open about them with my weakest areas in filmmaking, and they have pushed me and encouraged me to grow both as a director and a leader.

Another freak out moment occurred when I realized that we were really getting to work with the incredible Doug Jones. Doug is one of those actors that is a master of his craft. I remember a long time ago, as one would often do, we would play the, ‘if you could cast anyone in the role, who would it be’ game. I kid you not, I would always say, “Doug Jones.” Now I’m not only a few weeks from hanging out with Dougie in my own backyard, but I get to direct one of Hollywoods most incredible character actors, as well as someone who has played the lead in a few of my favorite films. Doug is one of the most generous and caring actors I’ve ever met in LA, and I’m humbled by his kindness, his talent, and his willingness to spent two weeks with a bunch of crazies over here in Atlanta.

At the end of it all, I’m just trying to put my head down and not screw this up. I’ve studied, I’ve prepared, and I’ve pleaded with God not to let me crash this thing. I’ve known for a long time that The Candy Shop is so much more than just a film. Yes, as far as Whitestone is concerned it’s our biggest film and will be the best thing we’ve ever made. However this film needs to do more than just win awards, it needs to be the ignition for change. It needs to represent everything Whitestone stands for, which is to become an agent for redemption, a vehicle for restoration. I feel like a lot of my goals for Whitestone can be interpreted as overly ambition and unrealistic, but this one seems within our grasp. This film needs to be great because there is more at stake than just a great movie.

I’ll work on giving an update every week.
Until next week, semper ad meloria.

B

A weekly update from the Whitestone team on preproduction for The Candy Shop.

The Candy Shop is a twenty minute film that Whitestone is now in preproduction for and will release in November. This film is being made for the Doorpost Film Project, and with support from 12Stone® Church and Street Grace.

The film is a Fairytale/Parable about the child sex trafficking epidemic that has overrun our city of Atlanta. We are using the film to raise awareness about this issue taking place in our own back yard.

We hope you enjoy this small taste. Let us know what you think, and check back later for the entire score accompanying the film.

Right click and download them to your computer.

Opening Title

The Alley

The Candy Shop is a twenty minute film that Whitestone is now in preproduction for and will release in November. This film is being made for the Doorpost Film Project, and with support from 12Stone® Church and Street Grace.

The film is a Fairytale/Parable about the child sex trafficking epidemic that has overrun our city of Atlanta. We are using the film to raise awareness about this issue taking place in our own back yard.

Up to 500 underaged girls a month are trafficked for sex here in our city of Atlanta.
It’s the number one city in the country for child sex trafficking..
The 10th in the world.

This plague has gone on for too long, and now we at Whitestone, in cooperation with Doorpost, 12Stone® Church and StreetGrace want to put a stop to it.

This film represents the spearhead of a citywide and possibly a nationwide campaign.
It is not a documentary. It is not a PSA. It is the beginning of a movement.

Watch the below documentary for more information on Whitestone, the film and the cause behind it.
Then visit the Street Grace website to find out more information and get involved directly.

We need the support of our friends and fans now more than ever. Spread the word, follow the process, and when the film comes out share it with everyone you know.

Whitestone has signed over 100% of our right to profit from the film and has donated all merchandizing rights to Street Grace to help stop this issue in our city.

More information about the premiere, the campaign and what you can do to get involved will be coming out in the next few weeks. Check back often for updates, or follow us on Twitter for real time info.
www.twitter.com/whitestonemp

We’re excited to bring this project to life and to share it with all of you, but more importantly, we’re excited to be a part of something so important and special.

Join us as we give our time, our focus and our craft to stop The Candy Shop.

It’s critical that storytellers today look back into the long lineage of the storytellers that came before us to learn from them, get inspiration from them, and even at time emulate them. At Whitestone, we decided we wanted to create an homage to Hitchcock films, so we put together a little short film called ‘Fear Itself’.
One of the challenges was trying to shoot a film as it would have been shot in 1959. To achieve this look, the entire team sat down and watched one of Hitchcock’s masterpieces Psycho. Scene by scene, we discussed what made the film work, and the technical techniques employed at that time.

Principal photography for this film has been completed, and we’re now in post on this project.

What we’ve learned is that even will all the fancy new technology we’re able to employ it comes down to a great story and the way it’s told. Hitchcock was a master at creating cinematic tension. He eloquently communicates the difference between ’suspense’ and ’surprise’ in this AFI interview.

We’re excited to release this short film next month to all of you, Saul Bass credits and all. Stay tuned for some ‘making of’ footage coming in the next few weeks.
And for those of you asking, no this isn’t the BIG film announcement that’s coming.

You’ll know when that hits.
Stay Tuned.

Answer in the comments below.

The Protege Program is Whitestone’s artisan trade initiative where young and upcoming filmmakers, storytellers and dreamers have a chance to learn, create and explore their crafts.

Tools are of course useful. They allow us to put the vision into reality and without them we couldn’t fundamentally be filmmakers. However the more I learn and the further along I go I’m realizing those tools that once held a sacred space in my head now are mere tools of the trade.

We should be spending less time counting pixels and more time talking about what makes stories great. I grow weary of style over story filmmaking. I’m glad you shot your film on the Cannon 5D, now tell me a story.

Trying to find the ‘right’ tools is an elaborate form of resistance and procrastination. If you can put things off until you have everything ‘right’, then you never really have to do anything. Here’s a hint: you won’t have every tool you want or maybe even need. You need to do with what you have. I’ve shot countless short little films on everything from Sony’s first handicam, to the XL1 and finally the CineAlta. A bad film is bad, no matter how pretty the image looks. A good story will resonate with people, even if the container is less than perfect.

The only way to combat that this is to resolve yourself to the fact that you won’t have everything you need. Just go make something. Yes, Movie Magic Screenwriter is great for writing scripts, but Microsoft Word or your composition notebook will do fundamentally the same thing. Yes, the RED camera is fantastic, but that handicam you have access to will make pictures. Don’t wait, just act.

If you find yourself always arguing technical specs and focusing primarily on the tools, I encourage you to think about the ‘what and the why’ of storytelling. A good place to start is Robert Mckee’s ‘Story’, a book that is required reading here at Whitestone. I urge you to spend the time where it counts. Tell great stories, the rest will follow.

From the Beltline Bikeshopwebsite:

The Beltline Bike Shop developed out of the view from our front porch. Living in SW Atlanta, we noticed that violence, drugs, and boredom dominated childhood life in our neighborhood. We began developing community using bikes.

Our main goal is to develop relationships with both kids and their parent[s] and bridge economic and racial gaps. Working one on one with kids, we offer them the opportunity to earn a refurbished bicycle by cleaning up their neighborhood. A child collects 5 bags of trash from the streets and earns a bike. They also learn how to maintain and repair their bikes.

Now the Beltline Bikeshop has a chance to get 25k from the Pepsi Refresh Grant.

Click here to vote now!

Also, be sure to vote more than once, as you can revote every single day. Help these guys get to the next level of the Beltline Bikeshop, and share this with your friends. Be on the lookout for a Whitestone Protege Program film about this great place soon.

Anyone care to translate?