Call for Community of Variety

Please join us on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th, to see our films and talk about the next steps in developing the Film Gallery Cafe.

     True community is made of a variety of people, each possessing capabilities needed by the others, who desire to be part of a phenomenon larger than any one of them.   

     The grand vision of the Film Gallery Cafe is taking another step in forming such a community on St. Patrick's Day, the green color of life day, Saturday, March 17th.  On that day we will tell you exciting developments in the vision, show the prototype films and discuss the next steps.

The Upward Bound Community 

     We are imagining a community where each of us has a personal hold on the common vision and receives fellowship and spiritual growth through creating together. This community will make and exhibit tangible vehicles of art and film which elevate the makers and their audience toward the highest, intangible values of God.

     At our St. Patrick's Day gathering we will be looking for varieties of people who are ready to 

lead (boards of directors and advisors), 

create content (filmmakers, visual artists, writers, musician/composers, performing artists),

exhibit (curators, presenters, crew), 

do business (marketing, bookings, accounting, legal), 

develop (funding campaigns, grant writing),
and

care for the teams (coordinate, recruit, train, celebrate). 

     All who are interested are invited to attend regardless of how involved they can be. If you are unable to travel to San Diego, we will try to connect you with the meeting via Skype.

     Please RSVP so we can let you know time and place. Mark's e-mail markarturner (at) gmail.com.  

Film: "A Prayer for Beauty" Gives First Preview

Donna Turner presents our newest film to the St. Paul's Cathedral Women Together.

     The third film in our Film Gallery collection was previewed for the first time February 2nd at the Women Together program of St. Paul's Cathedral, San Diego.
     Entitled "A Prayer for Beauty", Mark began production in 2005 based on his poem"Beautify Oh". He had produced a limited edition book of digital illustrations which he began animating with motion graphics. 
     This was the first attempt in the genre which combines visual arts, motion graphics, spoken word, music and sound effects. It is the only film, so far, in which he weaves the text of the poem into the visuals. 

Mark Turner modeled his film score after masters such as Maurice Ravel and Bela Bartok.

A Rich and Complex Sound Track

     The sound track also became the most complex of all three films. Mark scored the music based on models of masters Maurice Ravel, Bela Bartok, Samuel Barber and Gustav Holst. Donna joined her voice with his in both choral singing and verse choir. Even a nightingale, a flycatcher and a blue jay sang along with the wind and waterfall. 

Project Resurrected

     In 2005 other projects forced this to the back burner until last September Donna was invited to present our ministry to the Women Together and we needed a third film sooner than one started from scratch.  Production recommenced full time for five months leading up to the first DVD burn the day before the event.

Well Received 

     Audience reception was very enthusiastic as Donna led a full demonstration of the Film Gallery Cafe including the films, tangible art used to make them and table conversations after each film. Participants commented that they could have spent the whole evening discussing just the one new film. One person said full discussion would require a book to be written. The room was buzzing with intense conversations after each film. 

Composition 12 from the film "A Prayer for Beauty"

Next Stage in Development 

     Work is commencing immediately on the DVD of the film complete with menus of the poem text, stills of the artwork, and conversation cards. The next preview of the new film will be at our Artist Support Group meeting, February 19th. Artists and arts supporters are invited to join us.

Six Ways to Be Co-creators

1. Contribute to the Arts - Click "Donate" PayPal button in the right column of this blog to safely send a secure donation supporting our on-going ministry through the arts. (No PayPal account necessary) Pledges of monthly support are greatly needed to overcome the current deficit in our daily operations. Please e-mail info@horizongate.org to inform us of your pledge.
 2. Host an Event - Bring people together to enjoy our dramatic reading of a thoughtful short story, or our short art films. Call Donna 760-445-9470, or e-mail donna@horizongate.org

3. Refer Artists and Filmmakers to Us - We want to encourage the beauty to multiply through collaboration and sharing of experience.  

4. Recommend our Free Newsletter to Other Arts Supporters -  Find the box in the right column to subscribe to our newsletter and forward your copy to others.  

5. Purchase and Give Our Art -

Find our DVD's on the "products" page of our website

http://horizongate.org/products 

Find Mark's eBooks at

http://bit.ly/markrtbooks

6. Change brands to the Turners' personal 

Shaklee business - 

Clean water, green cleaners that save money too, food supplements, skin care and weight management products from the nation's number one all natural company. Also a potential income source for you.

Richard Turner meets with old comrades

Old Lamb's Players meet with Richard Turner and the screenwriter of the biopic about him.  Note Richard practicing his one-handed cut as is his habit during every conversation.  Back Row, l to r: Robert Smyth, Mark Turner, Chris Turner; Front Row, l to r: Kerry Meads, Cary Prescott, Nancy Prescott, Richard, Donna Turner, screenwriter Sandy Marshall.  More under "Turner Personal News" in left column.

     We had a fun stroll down memory lane with some old Lamb's Players in January. Richard Turner's remarkable biography is coming out in print and the screen-play is now in the works.

     Richard brought screenwriter Alexander Sandy Marshall out from New York to meet his old LP family and hear our stories of those days when Richard was a scrawny ex-drug dealer transforming into a world class phenomenon.
     As the world's top card mechanic he was recently featured cheating Brad Pitt at Black Jack in the movie"Tree of Life" and performs around the world.
     He says, "There must be a God, 'cause people pay me to play with 52 pieces of cardboard."
     Google "Richard Turner the cheat" for some fun videos of his unbelievable skills.

Publishing Launched by Performing "Future Seed"

The cover for the new ebook version of a
heartwarming short story.

     With the performance of our two-person reader's theater piece, "Future Seed", we announce the beginning of our e-publishing venture.

     You can now get your own copy of "Future Seed" the short story at http://bit.ly/futureseed . 

     See Mark's profile page

at http://bit.ly/markrtbooks 

where the list of publications is growing.
Adaptation Process Starts

      Now that publishing and world wide distribution costs next to nothing on the Internet, ebook purchases are growing faster than traditional print books.  Mark is systematically adapting his key plays, screenplays, poetry and instructional material to make them available as ebooks. 

Scripts to Books

      Plays and screenplays will be taking the form of short stories and novellas. If there is interest in the script versions, either production arrangements will be made, or they could be made available for e-reading. 

Poetry

     Volumes of poetry could appear under various themes such as aspects of nature, inspirations from scripture, or comments on society. Mark may even include visual arts in a poetry volume. 

Non-Fiction

     How-to ebooks could include texts on our "Word Show" methodology and the plan for the Film Gallery Café. 

Pick Your Favorite

     If you remember a favorite script, story, or seminar we have presented in the past and would like to read it, e-mail your request to bump it up in priority for epublishing. e-mail mark (at) horizongate.org

Next Short Art Film In Production

Frame #1

Frame #2

Frame #3
The sky and flowered landscape around a Minnesota lake peel back in a transition to deep space in the film "A Prayer for Beauty" by Mark Turner.

     The third in our collection of short art films, entitled "A Prayer for Beauty", is in production with a release date at the first of February, 2012.  

5 Year Hibernation

     This film started as an illustrated poem printed in 2006. The photographic illustrations were then used as a slide show in art exhibits and this motivated Mark to begin animating elements of the illustrations. The motion graphics project was set aside and re-activated five years later to provide a third film in our next demonstration of the Film Gallery Café concept.

New Techniques

     Mark sees a growth in his skills and ideas since first working on the film. For instance, he had been stumped as to what kind of sound track would be appropriate, but now has a rich sound design based on knowledge he has gained in music, spoken word and recording technique. New visual techniques are also enhancing the film.

Christmas Is Real

     Many are upset by some calling the Christmas story "myth" or even "fairy tale", but our faith is not based on material possibilities.  

     Truth is not limited to the scientific method. Is it possible that God moves heaven and earth to save humanity? Oh, yes. Does God overcome murderous opposition in the process? Oh, yes. Can we understand all this?

     God has given us wondrous signs in the natural world and our ability to tell about them, to pass on the witness that God is, indeed, saving us. It is taking a long time by our reckoning, but in God's Love it is all accomplished.  

     Praise God for the privilege of walking through the drama with our fellow players, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the magi, people not so different from us in previous episodes. God is still walking us through even as we celebrate what He did back then; new circumstances, the same incomprehensible Truth.

     It's our turn to hear God in dreams, accept hard missions like bearing children, registering for taxation, or fleeing from genocide; our turn to seek the new king, to give our wealth and allegiance to the kingdom of heaven.

     Future episodes may refer to us too as fairy tales.