TRYING A NEW MEDIUM: HALLELUJAH TRUTH GIVING BIRTH TO A MOVIE?

ENVISIONING A HALLELUJAH TRUTH ANIMATION, art by Hallelujah Truth

Hallelujah PILGRIMS! As a SPIRITUAL ART PILGRIM, life offers turns in the road, new ideas, and possibilities! To share the JOURNEY with other artists, writers, performers--MAGICIANS--is electrifying! Spencer Moon, author of three books on film, including his memoir, Reel Talk, has walked the creative path with me in Artist Conference Network. Most recently, he has encouraged me to try something REALLY NEW for me....making a movie!


After going to the Pine Lake Art Salon, in Pine Lake, Georgia, to hear Spencer read from Reel Talk, I wrote a blog celebrating the event. In our dynamic exchanges around the Reel Talk blog entry, Spencer asked me: "Have you ever thought about making a movie using your images?" The answer was, "No." But his question started me thinking, "Why not?"


In ongoing communications with Spencer, he encouraged me, "You have a facility with words and images--that's what movies are about. Why not make a movie?" Hallelujah! I am a SPIRITUAL ART PILGRIM on a JOURNEY. My character Hallelujah has been searching for an adventure...could I make an animation?


When I asked Spencer to tell me more of what he had in mind about me making a movie, he had a wonderful surprise for me--the first two lessons of ten about how to begin making a movie! Spencer was volunteering to MENTOR Hallelujah Truth! 


The first two lessons Spencer gave me include becoming familiar with the kind of animation I like and analyzing my reasons for liking it. Spencer had generously named several animations for me to study along with how to locate them on the internet. Then he told me to start identifying computer programs for animation and to start looking for animators to have conversations with.


Am I frightened about who I might be on this new JOURNEY? Can I walk this way and make an animation? A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step! Let's see where this SOJOURN with Spencer, writer, educator, and film-maker will take me.


That's Coffee with Halllelujah. Soul Blog with me and tell me where your JOURNEY is taking you. Hallelujah for the magic of friendship, sojourn, and creativity! Thank you Spencer Moon, Hallelujah Truth Mentor!

UNIVERSE UNFOLDING FROM HALLELUJAH. Brainstorming for an idea about a movie I would like to tell. From a drawing perspective, it would be FUN to begin with a dot, like a small ball of energy, and to have that energy explode into Hallelujah. A creation myth following the path of stars! Now, that is filled with exciting Hallelujah imagery!

SPENCER MOON'S LIFE TOLD IN REFLECTION OF FILM--REEL TALK: A CINEMOIR

MANDALA AND FILM SPOOL. How fitting for the cover of Spencer Moon's  autobiography to brandish both a mandala, a symbol of the self and universal truths, and a wheel of film! By integrating these two images, he has created a new symbol, one that magnificently expresses his life and the content of his newest book. 

Hallelujah for the CREATIVE LIFE and the way the CREATIVE SPARK manifests in an individual's life! At this moment, I am celebrating Spencer Moon, a man I met and worked with in my Artist Conference Network (ACN)group here in Atlanta in 2009. He joined our coaching community for the arts to support the writing of his autobiography, "Reel Talk: A Cinemoir,"  published in 2011. How marvelous is the term "cinemoir"! It succeeds in reflecting Spencer's  40 years  of working in the media (cine) and his individual perceptions and experience with that media (moir). 


Spencer is not new to the writing of books. In 1997, he published "Reel Black Talk: A Sourcebook of 50 American Filmmakers (which can be purchased here). 

REEL BLACK TALK. In this book Spencer documents the historic contributions of African American directors and producers to cinema. 

And before "Reel Black Talk," he co-authored with George Hill, "Blacks in Hollywood: Five Favorable Years 1987-1991."

SADLY OUT OF PRINT...

For me, Hallelujah Truth, as I celebrate Spencer's CREATIVITY and the completion of his autobiography, "Reel Talk," I would like to briefly reflect about what I have appreciated and learned from him as a FELLOW SOUL PILGRIM. First of all, it was such a joy to meet Spencer in the spring of 2009 and share in the creative coaching community with him. He embraced the ACN process with such devotion and commitment, it was inspirational to us all. I believe he had perfect attendance to all the meetings (He will be able to tell me if I am correct about this or not.)!

This past Sunday, March 4, 2012, when I went to the Pine Lake Art Salon to hear Spencer read from his newly published "Reel Talk: A Cinemoir," I was both surprised and pleased that he opened with the "vision" he developed working in ACN:

"I am a fountain of understanding with empathy for discovery who values the diversity of life." 

Our ACN visions--like Spencer's here--are mysterious, and I don't expect you dear pilgrim to fully grasp how we ACNer's use them in propelling us forward in our creative endeavors.  But I know how meaningful and wildly invigorating these words were for Spencer when he gave birth to them in our presence. It means so much to me that this vision is what opens up Spencer's autobiography.

ESTABLISHING BACKGROUND FOR "REEL TALK": At the Pine Lake Art Salon, before Spencer Moon introduced his recently published autobiography, "Reel Talk," he explained his 40 years of producing, interviewing, teaching and writing about the media. In this picture, he is holding the book, "Blacks in Hollywood: Five Favorable Years. 1987-1991."  It is his first book, that he co-authored with George Hill, PhD, in 1992. He and George co-wrote freelance articles together first.

 As a fellow ACNer, one of the things I greatly cherished about Spencer were his poetic "love notes," that he wrote me at the completion of showing work at our meetings. His words of acknowledgments displayed his keen listening abilities, gentle and inquisitive observations about my visual work, and a love of language. Each one seemed like an extended haiku!

If you want to learn more about Spencer, go to his short biography on his website or "like" his book, "Reel Talk--A Cinemoir," on Facebook. 

That's Coffee with Hallelujah dear FELLOW SOUL BLOGGER. Soul blog with me and tell me about what you are doing today to keep your spark of creativity burning.

"REEL TALK" READING AND BOOK SIGNING. On Sunday, March 4, 2012, Spencer Moon read at the Pine Lake Art Salon, in Pine Lake, Georgia. Here, I happily hold my own signed copy of "Reel Talk". Spencer, in his quiet but firm way, has told me he would really appreciate my writing him once I have finished reading "Reel Talk" and telling him honestly what I think. He is being true to his vision. He really listens with understanding and empathy and truly appreciates the diversity of life! Hallelujah!