Yesterday we finished the Cast Breakdown for the Casting Director. We’re very fortunate to have found a very talented person with lots of great connections to name actors. It looks like we’ll be able to attach 3 big names and 5 familiar faces to our show based on our new shoot dates of Aug. through Oct. in 2014.

There is only one hitch.

If you’re up on the latest in entertainment news, you’ve no doubt heard about the states that are dropping their tax incentives by the end of the year – Including the federal tax credit program. This will make a 30-33% difference for the investors.

Thankfully, one of our lawyers notified us about a legal loophole that will allow us to keep the incentives and tax breaks for our 2014 shoot. To meet this grandfather clause, we have to shoot one full day of principal photography in 2013. It can’t be second unit work, but actual production work.

The only scenes we can shoot this December will be our winter scenes, which take place on horseback in the snow-covered mountains. To facilitate this one-day shoot, so our investors can receive the 30-33% tax break, I’ll be flying to Spokane, Washington in November. This will give me an opportunity to talk with a family that owns a ranch, where my oldest daughter rode a horse last winter.

My youngest daughter and I also found a ranch in Colorado that might work as a back up site, but they normally close during the winter. The best part of location scouting for horse riding scenes is our ability to test ride the horses and see incredible scenery – One of the perks of filmmaking.

The bad news about shooting principal photography for one day this year is the additional costs incurred to pull the team together. Instead of spending $10-15M per hour as budgeted, we’ll be spending closer to $20-25M per hour. However, we’ll save the investors from paying taxes on $1.8MM or be able to sell those tax incentive credits to another company for $0.80 on the dollar – Making back in cash about 20% of our budget.

Regardless of how we take advantage of the benefits, it makes sense to spend $250M for a day in order to cash in on the Grandfather Clause and return $1.8MM to our bottom line. Oh, the cost of money.

One thing is certain, there will be a lot of production companies shooting for a day or more before this calendar year says goodbye to the tax credits. I’m thankful we have a team of experts looking out for us and giving us the latest concerning the entertainment and film incentive tax laws.

Copyright © 2013 by CJ Powers
All rights Reserved.

Quest is an ensemble feature about three strangers whose circumstances put them on the same plane headed to Israel. Pastor Paul Ryann, who looks more like an athlete than a pastor, is obsessed with finding out if Christ was actually nailed in the hands, wrist or forearm. His fixation separates him from his loving wife of seven years with little hope of reconciliation.

Dr. Elizabeth Stewart is a beautiful and highly regarded life flight trauma specialist. She holds impeccable credentials and a deep seeded need to rescue the wounded. Despite her skills, Elizabeth struggles with the deaths of those she can’t save. She soon finds new vitality in Paul and desires what she can’t have, as they bond through traumatic circumstances.

Professor Van Eaton is an expert in decoding and deciphering ancient manuscripts. Far from a religious man, he’s an obsessed skeptic with a passion to uncover the secrets of ancient times. Sober for two years, he finds that the dusty parchments hold the same tantalizing lure for him as a top shelf bottle.

The interaction between the characters brings about a unique sense of adventure and fascination, a strong feeling of constrained romantic desire, and a jolting revelation that makes the crucifixion personal. Each character is faced with their inner demons and is forced to decide if they will do what feels right or follow the will of God.

Author Don Furr drew realistic encounters from his earlier years in life for the first draft of his book. After realizing that most audiences that read faith-based stories prefer characters that are good people that become better, he softened the interactions between the characters to make the story more acceptable.

When I first chatted with Don, I quickly learned that he had some regret because he didn’t go with the real world experiences that the characters were based on. We talked about the harsh realities of divorce and the incredible healing power that God can pour into a hurting heart. By the end of our discussions about each character’s dreams and vices, we altered the story in keeping with the original vision God gave Don.

The audience will see very real characters in the film, beginning with the street-racing scene. While we’ll be tactful in the presentation of the medevac helicopter and emergency room, those scenes will be very realistic in what actual trauma doctors face.

And, when Paul and Elizabeth start to unintentionally bond, they will be forced to face the same difficult decision that real people have to make. For Paul, he’ll have to decide between taking advantage of the circumstances that’ll lead to an affair or choosing to act according to the scriptures rather than following his feelings, knowing that his wife may never take him back.

The professor is also faced with a unique opportunity that can regenerate his passion from college or send him back to the bottle.

There are two things they all have in common: An inner struggle that consumes them; and, an encounter with the Master. What they do with their choice changes all three once the time portal returns them back to the present.

If you like realistic character driven films with plenty of adventure, Quest will be a great film to watch.

Copyright © 2013 by CJ Powers
All Rights Reserved.