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Hollywood At Blue Ridge: Gideon Media Arts Conference

by Kay Mortimer  
8/01/2008 / Events

A long way from Hollywood, nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, sits Ridgecrest Conference Center, home of the 1st Annual Gideon Media Arts Conference & Film Festival (MACAFF), held in April 2008. Of the 60 attendees to this premiere conference, none left disappointed. Hopes soared to higher heights. Great relationships formed. Skills honed. Dreams ignited.
Some of the Christian Media Arts' industry movers and shakers converged on the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to offer hope and help to dreamers from all over the world. Many came from outlying states, and some flew in from other countries, such as Australia and India. All came with a dream, and left with an even bigger dream and blazing hope for future fulfillment.
Instructors and students lauded the conference as one of the best media arts events they had ever attended:
Dr. Linda Seger, Author & Hollywood Script Consultant: "Well-runfaculty is international and has so many different things to offernon-competitive atmosphereacceptance of where people are comfortable, yet (it was) challengingI plan to returnI had a great time."
Kathy Mackel, Author and Screenwriting Instructor: "This is the best conference I've ever been toTop-level instructors and studentsArray of classes is staggeringAwesome."
Dr. Ted Baehr, Founder & Publisher of Movieguide: "the people are wonderful(conference was) great."
Rodney Marett, Co-Director of the Gideon: "Happyvery pleasedbeyond my wildest dreams"
Doug Peterson, Freelance Writer for Veggie Tales: "One of the best and most practical writing conferences I've ever been to in my lifeI absolutely encourage everyone to comeit's life-changing."
Rusty Whitener, 1st-Place Winner of Gideon's Scriptwriting Contest: "I loved itgreat faculty and incredible student-faculty ratioI encourage everyone to come and bring your work."
Brad Whittington, 2nd-Place Winner of Gideon Scriptwriting Contest: "I came to meet people and find directionI will come back and recommend that others come."
Cecil Stokes, Producer: "It was more than I imaginedI felt called to be here and made lifelong friendsIt's amazingEveryone I meet, I'm going to encourage them to come."
Simon Dooley, Australian student: "It was a great opportunity to connect with people from all over the worldtop-quality people hereencourage others to come."
Beverly Varnado, 3rd-Place Co-winner of Gideon Scriptwriting Contest: "beyond what I dreamed or imagined"
Wes Folsom, 3rd-Place Co-winner of Gideon Scriptwriting Contest: "Incredibly informative, with a vast wealth of knowledge and (they are) willing to share itOpen door to learn your craft and see the possibilities of reaching your dreamencourage others to come."
Other faculty included such industry greats as Paul McCusker (from Adventures in Odyssey), Phil Vischer (creator of Veggie Tales), Rev. & Mrs. Michael Catt, (Sherwood Pictures, Producer of Facing the Giants), Ken Wales (Exec. Producer of Christy, & Producer of the movie Amazing Grace), Michael & Wynn Albanese (Authors & Actor/Actress), Vonda Skelton (Author & Co-Director of Gideon Intern program), Sarah Anne Sumpolec (Author, Screenwriter, & Co-Director of Gideon Intern program), Steven James (Author & Scriptwriter), Dallas Jenkins (Novelist & President of Jenkins Entertainment, formed with his father Jerry Jenkins), Cindy Kenney (Author & Editor for Veggie Tales) and Torry Martin (Actor, Comedian, & Author for Adventures in Odyssey).
The low student-teacher ratio allowed all students to have significant time and interaction with various faculty members. This facilitated deepening knowledge of particular areas of ministry, honing writing and acting skills, and networking with others in the industry.
A scriptwriting contest produced fantastic entries. The top four winners received awards and recognition at the Gideon banquet. Information on Scriptwriting and other exciting new Contests for the 2009 conference can be found at www.gideonfilmfestival.com. Don't miss this opportunity to enter your script, adaptation, or short film. You might be among the 2009 Gideon winners.
For teens, the Gideon conference offered a Gideon Intern program, directed by Vonda Skelton and Sarah Anne Sumpolec. Five students participated this year, and all delighted in the individual time, attention, and training they received. Seventeen-year-old intern, Nicholas Sailer, raved: "(It was) phenomenal meeting people like Phil Vischer and Ken Wales, and to eat meals with them. They are such geniuses and it's amazing. I'm very glad I came and plan to come next year. Definitely, I encourage anyone to come and learnI encourage others to join the Gideon Intern program." Another intern raved, "This has been the greatest experience of my entire life."
Gideon Intern Co-Director Vonda Skelton said, "How many opportunities would a sixteen-year-old have to sit at a table with world-known producers and talk to them? All the interns left with business cards and connections with producers." Co-Director Sarah Anne Sumpolec said, "The arts exist to bring glory to God." Interns left encouraged to seek God's direction for using their gift for His glory. Information on the 2009 Gideon Intern program is available at www.gideonfilmfestival.com and all sixteen to eighteen-year-old teens interested in Christian media arts are encouraged to attend.
A film festival was held in conjunction with the conference, and attendees viewed the premiere of several Christian films. The reviews of these were positive and encouraging, as it is refreshing to see new Christian films coming to the screen.
The Gideon conference also offered an Honored Authors program, directed by Yvonne Lehman and Ann Tatlock, which allowed select renowned authors to come as students and receive advanced training. Some of this training included classes, such as "Adapting Your Novel to Film" and "Pitching to Producers".
Another valuable tool was the Actor/Writer Scene Workshop. Writers submitted a scene for critique prior to the conference. These scenes were then read aloud during a conference session, with well-known script consultant Dr. Linda Seger giving immediate critique and feedback. This greatly benefited not only the writers of those scenes, but also all other students in attendance.
2009's Gideon conference promises to be even better. Many of this year's faculty are expected to return, such as Dr. Linda Seger, Cecil Stokes, Vonda Skelton, Sarah Anne Sumpolec, Kathy Mackel, Ann Tatlock, Yvonne Lehman, Bonnie Johnson, Cindy Kenney, and Dr. Lorene Wales, who represents Regent University in Virginia Beach. Expected enhancements for 2009 include using the newly-constructed Ridgecrest Convention Center seating 900 in its auditorium, faculty member Matt Stockman giving hands-on training in radio broadcasting at a nearby radio station, and possibly offering a Sound and Audio track for interested participants.
You don't want to miss the 2009 Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival to be held May 31-June 4, 2009 in Ridgecrest NC. Register early (by August 31, 2008) and receive a $25 discount on the conference fee. If you are involved in Christian media arts, this is definitely the place to be! Check out all the details and updates by visiting www.gideonfilmfestival.com.
See what God is doing with up-and-coming screenwriters, actors, musicians, and authors as they venture into the media arts scene for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Spend some of your springtime in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Your life may never be the same again. See what dreams God might ignite for you.

Kay Mortimer lives in Aiken, SC, with her husband. She writes Biblical, inspirational, and devotional materials, including screenplays, meditations, and articles. She attends River of Life Church in Aiken, and volunteers in the community in various ways.

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