Thursday, March 27, 2008

Test Footage

Hey folks! Ok so here is some test footage I put together with our new camera. Youtube does not do it justice at all, but from what I've taken this camera shoots beautifully, I love it!! this camera rocks! Enjoy,

Monday, March 24, 2008

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

The DVX100B came today and it is SUH-WHEEEET! Here's some photos for your viewing pleasure:
The first Look:
Micah: Main Camera Man
And Me:

Well thats it for tonight. Micah has taken the camera back up to Chico to get further acquainted with our new addition. He is going to post test footage as soon as he can so stay tuned!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

New Partners!

We have had many people express interest in helping out in any way that they can. More than we could have ever expected. It is quite overwhelming in a fantastic way. Micah and I would like to take a moment to personally thank a few organizations who have decided to give tangibly to the project.

The first is the company that I work for, Eyecandy Marketing. Eyecandy has offered to build the projects companion website which will be used to distribute the film on a global scale. Eyecandy is also providing us with some of the equipment that we will need during production.

The second is Crescent Lake Christian Center in Missouri. After much prayerful consideration, they have decided to give a monetary donation to the project. We are planning to use their gift to purchase the 35mm lens adapter that was mentioned in the previous post.

We are blessed beyond words. Thank you.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Update

We bought our primary camera this morning!!!!!!!!!!

Its a Panasonic AG-DVX100B and it ROCKS!!!! If you are interested in more details on the camera itself then click on this link: www.bhphotovideo.com

It has already been used to film some very notable documentaries. One being the highly acclaimed "Iraq In Fragments." www.iraqinfragments.com

The camera should be here within the next 5 to 7 days and we cant wait to get our hands on it. After we get the camera, our next big purchase will be a 35mm lens adapter which will take the film to an even greater level of professionalism! We will begin posting test footage as soon as we can.

We also would like to give a huge THANKS to everyone who is supporting us through prayer as well as financially.

May God bless each and every one of you.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Q & A

I have received a few common questions lately in regards to our upcoming adventure so I figured I would address them on the blog:

Q: When are we going?
A: Some time around the end of July. That is the best time for Agape to have us come. We are currently researching the best fares and should have our tickets in hand soon.

Q: How long are you going to be there?
A: Two weeks. We are going to be filming machines!

Q: Is it dangerous?
A: There is some danger but we will be working with people who are familiar with the area so it will be minimal.

Q: How can we help?
A: PRAYER!!!!! If you feel led to help out in a specific way then go for it. God knows our needs more than we do and we trust Him completely.

Q: Are you sure you know what you are getting into?
A: Not in the slightest, but thats where the fun begins!

Hope those help! I will post official dates when our flights are purchased.

Cambodias Recent History (The Roots of Child Sex Slavery)

On April 17th, 1975, the Khmer Rouge, a communist party in Cambodia led by a man named Pol Pot, captured Phnom Penh and took control of the entire country. Pol Pot brought with him a reign of terror that would last for the next 4 years. Pol Pot immediately ordered the detention and execution of all people in the country that were considered to be enemies of the party. These "enemies" included Buddhist monks, Western-educated intellectuals (apart from themselves), educated people in general, people who had contact with Western countries or with Vietnam, people who appeared to be intellectuals (for example, individuals with glasses), the crippled and lame, as well as ethnic minorities like ethnic Chinese, Laotians and Vietnamese. The only people who were not considered to be enemies of the party were the uneducated peasants.

The new regime led to the death of roughly one third of the countries entire population (estimated between 1.2 to 3 million people) through either starvation, overwork, disease, or murder. Many were tortured to death. The most notable place of torture was a camp simply known as S-21. An estimated 17,000 people were tortured to death at this camp by a variety of means including removing toenails with pliers, suffocating a prisoner repeatedly, and skinning a person while alive. Only 12 people out of the 17,000 are known to have survived this camp.

To keep the urban population from reverting to capitalistic mindsets, Pol Pot ordered the evacuation of every town into the country side. The goal of the Khmer Rouge in this was to effectively drive the country back to a completely agrarian society. Pol Pot believed and announced that only one to two million people were needed to form a new agrarian utopia. All other people were considered a liability and more than expendable.

The urban evacuees, known as "depositees," as well as many others, were marked for death by the new government. They were placed on starvation rations, forced to dig their own mass graves, and then, because "bullets were not to be wasted," were either beat to death with iron bars and hoes or buried alive. These mass graves have come to be known as the "killing fields."

Conflict with Vietnam grew and eventually led to Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1979. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were forced to flee and the regime lost control of the country. Phnom Penh was a ghost city when the Vietnamese found it. Money, which had been made completely useless by the Khmer Rouge under the new "utopia" littered the streets. The entire country was dying of starvation. Due to a very complex political climate, Western governments drug their feet in sending aid due to the very complex international political climate surrounding Cambodia. The only nation making any real attempt at providing aid was that of Vietnam but its resources were limited. Hundreds of thousands continued to perish.

Rebel forces kept the country in a constant state of turmoil through the 80's and into the 90's. In March of 1992, the United Nations engaged in its second largest peace keeping mission to date with nearly 17,000 troops and 5,000 civilians. The region finally began to stabilize in 1993 with two of the three main rebel factions putting down their arms to become actively engaged in the political process. In the midst of this shift towards normalcy and peace a new humanitarian crisis was quietly growing. It was at this time that a small number of western peace keepers began to pay the locals to have sex with their children and the seeds of child sex slavery were born. This may not have spelled disaster for many other countries, but Cambodia's economical, social, and ethical climate made it particularly susceptible to this new cancer.

The children who grew up during Pol Pots reign of terror, and after, knew nothing but starvation, disease, torture and murder.. They grew up in a system that was worse than immoral, it was amoral. The only virtue that they knew was that of surviving by any means necessary. It did not matter what happened to other people as long as "you" survived. It is these same children who now comprise the majority of the countries current day fathers and mothers. It is no wonder that they lack even the slightest concept of remorse for selling their daughters (and sons at times) into the sex trade. The average annual income is less than $350. A family can receive up words of $500 for their daughters virginity from a westerner. Many families give their children to the brothels and share the profits on the continual rape of their child. Young children are subjected to torture day and night and the downward spiral of violence continues to evolve in Cambodia.

To truly bring positive change to this country will take more than increased raids, prosecution, or political pressure on the Cambodian government. The entire country needs a social and ethical enema to put things lightly. How can you tell a mother and father that they can no longer make the best money they have ever seen by selling their child into slavery while not, in turn, offering them the opportunity to support themselves just as well through ethical means? How can you convince a mother (or father) who grew up in an environment saturated in murder and torture to care if it happens to somebody else, even if it is her (or his) child? That is the battle that Agape is fighting every day. That is the battle that Agape is slowly, but steadily winning.