10 Out Of 39 Scenes Left!

Progress has been going great on the Special Edition of Spirit Blade! I only have 10 scenes left to mix before I go back and add the new scoring to each scene.

Yesterday I found myself with an unusually large amount of time for mixing and completed 3 or 4 scenes in one day! (It felt really good.)

Given what happens to Raan at the end of Act 2, he suddenly takes a lot more work to mix into scenes in act 3. The original mix already had some cybernetic sound effects, but in order to match what we hear in Dark Ritual, I'm adding a few more layers and completely replacing his footsteps as well.

I have this crazy fantasy of getting the core mix done before I go on my out of town trip next weekend, but I kinda doubt that will happen.

The podcast may be late this weekend, posting Saturday night instead of tonight. My sister is watching our son while my wife and I enjoy a "24-hour date".

Have a great weekend!

-Paeter Frandsen

Batman: Under The Red Hood (DVD Review)

For those unfamiliar with the comic book story this animated movie is based on, this is about the death of Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd, and the mysterious character and events that serve as a follow up to this event years later. I'll try not to give out any spoilers, despite the fact that most of the audience for this DVD movie has already read the original story.

The adaptation is very well done, handled by Judd Winick, who wrote the original story and campaigned to make this movie happen. All the key elements remain and the complex DC Universe continuity elements have been streamlined and made self-contained for the movie.

The animation looks great and blends cell and CGI styles effectively. Action is dynamic and explosive and a fight scene between Batman and the Red Hood near the end is one of the most well choreographed sequences I've seen even in live action movies. I spent a lot of time grinning while I watched the action in this movie.

Batman's dialogue isn't always the best, but Nightwing is written pretty well. The best material seems to be given to the Joker, played by John DiMaggio, who delivers it wonderfully. But I did miss not having the higher pitch and brighter timbre I prefer in the voice of the Joker, however. This interpretation seemed slightly influenced by Heath Ledger's version, which I do not consider an overall step in the right direction.

The rest of the voice acting is very strong. Bruce Greenwood is a natural voice for Batman and Neil Patrick Harris continues to surprise me with how different he can make his voice sound with just a few subtle changes.

Once again, this movie is pretty short. A little under 80 minutes. But the pacing of the story still makes you feel as though you've seen a complete film.

The obvious philosophical theme of this movie is: Do the ends justify the means? Generally, we all recognize that we are not the ultimate judge of other human beings. And so our default response is (and likely should be) "no". However, something else inside of us recognizes the injustices in the world and silently screams out for someone to step in and dish out justice. This film has potential to springboard into conversation about justice and the role of God in ultimately bringing it about. But the way the subject is explored (vigilantes and psychotic killers) is a bit far removed from the average person's experience, making worthwhile conversation something you will have to steer purposefully toward, rather than naturally arrive at.

The additional features make the DVD (and especially the Blu-ray, which has an extra documentary) worth buying, as they go into the history of Jason Todd's death in the comics and the origins of Robin as a character. The 10 minute Jonah Hex short is fine for a single viewing and certainly much better than the recent live-action movie. But it isn't very memorable and seems to be chosen only to coincide with the live action movie. I would have preferred an Aquaman or Martian Manhunter short.

Rated PG-13 for violent content and some drug references.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 7.0/10

23 of 39!

The remix continues to go well. I'm currently mixing the Atlantis attack on Ebony's apartment. One thing I notice as I remix is that I didn't have a good sense of how to "block" scenes in Spirit Blade. Too often, I would try to keep an entire scene locked into one frame of reference, giving a different percentage of panning to each character to represent where they were in the room. But when you have 4 or 5 people in a room and want to have them all in definitively different places, you wind up with some people panned 80% to the left or right, resulting in a very uneven overall sound.

I've been taking the opportunity to "re-block" some scenes and "re-pace" some others. In this scene it's a bit of both.

The extra action and sound cues have slowed down the process a bit for scene 23, but I'm very happy with how it's turning out and I'm also pretty happy with the time I'm keeping on this project.

Speaking of which, better get back to it!

-Paeter Frandsen

In Search Of Truth, Romans 1:2-7

In verse one, Paul explained that he had been set apart by God for the "gospel"(God's "rescue plan" for humanity). Paul then explains that this plan was promised many years before by God's prophets in the Holy Scriptures(referring to the Jewish Scriptures a.k.a. Old Testament). The Greek word for "prophets" here does not limit this to the "prophetic" books of the Old Testament. Jesus was very inclusive when he referred to the Old Testament scriptures that spoke about him.(Luke 24:27,44)(v.2)

Paul says that the scriptures concerned God's "Son". The Greek word "Huios"(used here for "Son") does not simply mean offspring. It refers to someone who has the same characteristics as their father. So a "Huios of God" was a highly significant idea.

Despite his divine nature, the scriptures indicated he would be a physical("according to the flesh") descendant of King David. (Jeremiah 23:5-6, Matthew 1)(v.3)

Paul says that the Son was declared the Son of God because of his resurrection from the dead, which was accomplished by the "Spirit of holiness", a name commonly used by Jews to refer to the Holy Spirit. Paul identifies this "Son" as Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The resurrection of Jesus is vital to the teaching of Jesus, because it proved that Jesus really was the "Huios" of God and was capable of saving us. The resurrection validated the divine identity claims of Jesus. Without the resurrection, Jesus would just be a remarkable man at best and a liar or insane man at worst. And we would all still be doomed for our arrogant rejection of God.(1 Cor. 15:13-17)

Paul also acknowledges the place of Jesus in his life. If Jesus is the Huios of God, than he is able to save us from the punishment our sin deserves. But it logically follows that if Jesus is the Huios of God, he is also deserving of our submission and service. He is our "Lord". Or as we might say today, "Jesus is our boss."(v.4)

It was common in letter writing of this time to use plural pronouns when referring to oneself. Paul does this many times in his letters and Romans is no exception. Paul explains that it was through Jesus that he received undeserved favor from God and the role of an Apostle, which both empowered him to bring about faith-driven obedience among all the Gentiles(non-Jews, though may be better translated "nations" here) for the sake of Jesus' name.

In the original Greek, to do something in Jesus' name means to do something in conformity with his will. When we do something for the sake of Jesus' name, we do it in service to his will. When we tag "in Jesus name" at the end of our prayers, our desire should be in line with his will, not the other way around. (v.5)

Paul was writing to the church in Rome, and he identifies them as also having been called by Jesus Christ. His letter was addressed to those who were loved by God and called as "saints"(set apart from natural living for God's purposes). Combining common Greek and Jewish greetings, Paul prayed in his greeting that God would give the Roman Christians undeserved favor and a sense of calm that comes from being on good terms with God the Father and "the boss", Jesus Christ.(v.7)

Next Week- The Impact of Visible Faith and Christian Relationships


Coffee House Question- How do you think we as Christians can better go about praying "in Jesus' name"?

Officially Halfway!

Thanks in part to the new audio leveling software I'm using, I am officially halfway finished with the core mix of the Spirit Blade Special Edition!

When the "core mix" is finished, I will go through and decide what music to use or buy for each scene (buying all at the same time saves me money). Once I've done that, I'll mix the music into every scene, making adjustments to dialogue and effects along the way. This process should only take a couple of weeks. Then factor in another week or two of test listening and about two or three more for CD printing.

As I like to try and say, "it will be done when it's done", but you're welcome to take all of that information and speculate!

As a reminder, the podcast is coming later this week because of ComiCon. I plan to release it sometime between Sunday and Wednesday.

Have a great weekend!

Mega-Mad Props To The "Jesus Geek"!

You may have noticed that I forgot to post on the blogs yesterday. Part of the reason is that I'm a doof and just forgot. The other reason is because of a new bit of software I've been introduced to that totally sidetracked my day out of excitement and drastically changes one aspect of mixing audio drama that has always been a pain and taken a very long time. For more information on this necessary evil, check out the new behind the scenes video released this week at:

http://www.spiritblade.net/freestuff

Before I even had the chance to announce the release of this video, John Wilkerson of the Jesus Geek Podcast watched it and e-mailed me with a suggestion for a free bit of "underground" (but totally legal) software that I immediately checked out. It's amazing! And it will significantly cut down on my overall production time. (By as much as 10% or more!)

So I have to give out huge Mega-Mad Props to the Jesus Geek and suggest that you all go check out his podcast at http://jesusgeek.info !

Woohoo! Thank you John, for using your powers for good and not for evil!

-Paeter Frandsen

In Search Of Truth, Romans- Introduction and verse 1

The book of Romans is a very complex book with an incredible amount of detail to explore. This could be said of any book in the Bible, but it is especially true of Romans. So I want to acknowledge up front that there will be a number of things I don't cover exhaustively. But please feel free to comment on these posts or continue discussion of them at www.spiritblade.net/forums. I'm happy to keep the dialog going to see what we can learn from each other about this book.

Our pace will likely end up slowing down in terms of the verses covered per week as we look at Romans, simply because of the large amount of information that is so densely packed into each chapter. At times we may slow down just to remind ourselves of definitions of words that are commonly used in Christianity and the Bible, but that we tend to gloss over and forget the meaning of.

I would highly recommend reading through the entire chapter of the verses we look at each week, so that you can have a better sense of context for those times when we look closely at a couple of phrases or words.

I'd also recommend visiting www.spiritblade.net/biblegeek to look at the notes of my friend and study mentor, Dave Lindstrom. Or as I like to call him, the Hebrew-Greek Bible Geek. His notes will serve as a nice compliment to mine (or at least hopefully vice-versa!) and will be a helpful aid to anyone interested in looking at Romans more deeply.

The book of Romans was written by Paul, soon after writing First and Second Corinthians. It was probably written either from Corinth, or after having been there to collect the financial support for the Jerusalem churches being given by all of the Macedonian churches.

The letter is written to the church in Rome, which was composed mostly of Gentiles (non-Jews). The Roman church had not received any teaching from an Apostle yet, so part of Paul's aim with this letter was to present the fundamental truths of the Gospel. In other words, the basic need for and plan of salvation for humanity through Jesus. Paul also talks about the role of The Law and The Spirit in the life of the believer.

As Paul introduces himself, we get a glimpse of how he views himself and his role. He calls himself "Doulos". A slave whose will is permanently and completely consumed in obeying the will of another. In this case, "Christ" Jesus.

"Christ" was a prophetic title that means "anointed". It was a term applied to those anointed for the high priesthood or for those who would serve as a redeemer in some sense. In the case of Jesus, it applies to both redeemer(as we'll see in Romans) and High Priest(as explained in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4).

Paul was "called"(by God) to be an Apostle. This word means "ambassador" or "one sent" in the Greek and also implies authority. Paul's life was "set apart" from its normal course and from the course of those around him, to be dedicated solely to spreading an understanding and acceptance of the gospel.(v.1)

"Gospel" means "good news" and refers specifically to the good news about the Kingdom of God and salvation through Jesus, the Anointed High Priest and Redeemer. In Paul's writing, "the gospel" refers to the basic facts of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and of the interpretation of these facts.

So Paul was chosen to speak on behalf of Jesus Christ, which is why his words in this and any other letter he wrote are so important to our understanding of the truth. The words of this book will not appear in red letters in your Bible, but they are equally important as those that do.

Yay! We got through verse 1! (Don't worry, one verse will not be the average.)


Next Week- The ancient plan of salvation for us!

Coffee House Question-  What "churchy word" can you think of that you hear used a lot but don't often consider the meaning of?

Inception (Movie Review)

Inception is the latest film from writer Director Chris Nolan, now well known for re-launching the Batman franchise with great success. The story features Leonardo DiCaprio as the leader of a team who infiltrates people’s dreams in order to secure their deepest secrets.

Comparisons have already been made to The Matrix, though viewers should not go to theaters expecting remotely the same experience. Inception is much more an action/sci-fi/drama than a straight up action/sci-fi flick.

The story is fascinating and only leaves you in the dark for the first 20 minutes or so. (Possibly just a little too long.) Performances are solid, though no one stands out. Still, the movie finds a way to make you care about even incidental characters.

Though DiCaprio is the lead, the story follows an ensemble cast of interesting characters, and by the end of the movie’s two and a half hour run-time, you feel as though you’ve experienced an epic story with a lot of things happening.

Those interested in concept driven sci-fi will find plenty to think about as the “rules” of the dream world are unraveled and depended on for the story’s progression and moments of tension. As unlikely as this story is, the framework provided for it gives it a sense of realism. But this is no brainy, sterile, cerebral sci-fi affair. There is plenty of intensity and action to keep the average viewer involved.

One scene in the movie has an antagonist (of sorts) ask DiCaprio what he is feeling as a way to determine what is real. It is interesting that the perceptive viewer can pick up from the script that “feeling” is not a determiner of what is real. The stronger theme is about dealing with reality, rather than allowing yourself to be ruled by your emotions. This theme isn’t dealt with in a way that provokes conversation, but it’s certainly there.

I should point out that although the trailers for this movie are filled with special effects shots, the movie itself has a much smaller percentage of them. The realistic feel of the film may actually be a letdown to geeks looking for a more mind-bending movie. But this is a great film that many will enjoy, including the geek.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 7.0/10

Last Chance For "Randy/Vincent" Questions!

As of today I'm working on Scene 13 out of 39 in the Spirit Blade: Special Edition! Despite NEVER making progress fast enough to please me, I'm feeling fairly good about my pace.

The new sound effects and music in these scenes are creating an entirely new experience that I'm really excited for you all to hear!

This coming Tuesday, Randy Hesson, the voice of Vincent Craft, will be coming over and hanging out with me to sign some copies of Spirit Blade and catch up. Part of our time together I plan to record an interview and include questions submitted by you! So this is the last call to send your questions for Randy my way, be they silly or serious.

Well, I'm WAAY behind in putting together the podcast because I just barely crammed in a review for "Inception", so have a great weekend! Bye!

-Paeter Frandsen

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Movie Review)

The early trailers for this movie grabbed my attention with the spectacular magic effects and semi-serious tone. But the PG rating and youthful protagonist made me fear that we had just another run of the mill fantasy movie for kids. Thankfully, this was not the case.

Nicolas Cage plays Balthazar, an immortal sorcerer who studied under Merlin. Morgana LeFey, Merlin’s ancient nemesis, is about to be unleashed on the world by an evil sorcerer(played by Alfred Molina), and Balthazar is in search of the stereo typical chosen one who alone has the power to defeat her.

Enter college student and science geek, Dave. The “Prime Merlinian”. (AKA, Chosen One) By a twist of fate, his life intersected with Balthazar and before long he is studying under him to prepare for the battle to come.

Yes, it’s a very simple plot. But the performances by the cast keep things engaging. Cage and Molina are especially fun to watch in their roles. Cage is not what you would expect from an immortal sorcerer and his odd characteristics serve the part well. Molina is unchallenged by this role but has great instincts and fits his character like a glove.

Although the film is rated PG, the tone, when it comes to magical dueling, is serious and often potentially deadly. The visual design also keeps things dark enough to suit a geek who didn’t come just to show his kids this movie.

There are a ton of cool effects in this movie. Giant monsters, animated objects and plenty of “magical energy” being thrown around. The latter was my favorite part, as it is seen so rarely ever since Peter Jackson decided it wasn’t cool. The other effects still look like CGI, but they serve the movie well.

About half of the jokes(usually those of the protagonist) are attempted with too much force, but there are many other moments that are genuinely funny when they aren’t trying so hard. Likewise, the movie successfully pulled me in to real emotional involvement near the very end, only to screw it up by having the protagonist talk too much.

As for philosophical relevance, there isn’t much. We briefly hear the familiar pop-spirituality mantra of “believe in yourself”, but it’s not a theme of the movie. “Do what feels right” is also found once in the script, but spoken by a bad guy for a change.

Real world sorcery may come up, especially given that Abagail Williams, of the Salem Witch Trials, is a character in this movie. Unlike Merlin, her ties to historical witchcraft connect the film more readily to reality, suggesting by implication that sorcery is real and this movie describes its true nature. But I think saying this movie promotes real-world sorcery would be looking for a fight.

While a few performance elements are hit or miss, the movie as a whole is very cool and fantasy fans shouldn’t miss seeing this one. And while there is a chance that you might find yourself discussing the Salem witch trials and the existence or nature of magic, it's a pretty small one.

Rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 6.5/10

Questions For Randy and Tully! (Vincent and Raan!)

In anticipation of the release of the Special Edition of Spirit Blade, I've asked Randy Hesson (Vincent Craft) and Michael Tully (Raan Galvaanik) to sign some copies of the original Spirit Blade to be made available as part of a Collector's Set.

I decided that, while I'm reconnecting with these guys, it would be a great opportunity to catch up and ask any questions that you might have for them. I'll be recording our conversation and will later produce it as a special feature for the website, so I'm currently collecting questions to ask these guys and would love to get one from you!

Questions can be serious or crazy. They can be connected to Spirit Blade Productions or completely unrelated. You can ask their opinion on something, find out their favorite "fill in the blank" or confirm those rumors about a third nipple. Whatever's on your mind!

Post your questions here or call and leave a message I can use in the feature- 206-350-1226

I'll be connecting with these guys in just a week or two, so don't delay!

-Paeter Frandsen

My First Time Watching "Scanners"!

Growing up in a solid Christian home, my parents kept us away from anything with an R rating. But now, as a discerning adult, I go back now and then to check out the classics that I missed in childhood.

One movie that I finally got around to watching for the first time yesterday, is Scanners. A sci-fi horror classic that had already become known to me by word of mouth for it's..."explosive" elements.

Even for the time in which it was made (1980), the acting was pretty bad. And unusually bad was the lead actor (who I don't think I've seen in anything since).

But the story was interesting and it had enough random weirdness now and then to make me think the odd acting was a stylistic choice at times.

The movie built suspense well with the high-pitched "scanning" sound effect building to a crescendo. And with the potential power of scanning shockingly established near the beginning of the movie, the suspense thereafter was only heightened by the fear of what might happen.

Some of the effects were bad. In one seen, it was pretty clear that a man was being shot WITH blood, rather than using blood-filled squibs to simulate gunshot wounds. But other effects were great and stood the test of time well, particularly one scene in which a person's head explodes and another near the end where veins begin pushing up below the skin and then erupting. Visceral, chilling stuff.

And you just have to love Michael Ironside. That's all there is to it.

A wiki indicates that a remake is in the works, which I would love to see. But if you're a sci-fi horror fan and haven't checked out this classic, see if you can find a copy to rent or borrow. It's a little slow for about 20 minutes in the middle and the acting by the lead can be pretty bad. But I think you'll want to be able to say you've seen this one.

In Search Of Truth, 2 Corinthians 13:7-14

Paul’s ultimate concern is not his reputation, but the
spiritual growth of the Corinthian Christians. (v. 7) In fact, Paul had
resigned himself to doing only what served truth(v.8), knowing that this
commitment would cause him to look bad to some people some of the time. 

 

But Paul thrived on those times when the Corinthians were
living their faith well, even if he himself appeared incapable. In fact he
prayed for the Corinthians to become “complete”(restored or perfected) in the
way they lived their faith.(v.9)

 

Believe it or not, perfection is the intended goal of all
Christians. (Matthew 5:48) Although it is not achievable in our mortal bodies,
it is still the bar set in front of us. And the tireless forgiveness of God is
the wind at our back as we grow amidst repeated failure.

 

With the “completion” of the Corinthians as his goal, Paul
aims to have the Corinthians correct their thinking and behavior before he
comes to visit them, so that he will not need to be severe in his discipline
when he sees them in person. The primary purpose of the authority Christ gave
Paul over the Corinthians was to build them up, not discourage and beat them
down. But sometimes severe discipline is required in order to build someone up.
And Paul reluctantly carried out discipline in the church when necessary.(v.10)

 

But even in the context of discipline, Paul still recognized
that the Corinthians were his equals in importance to God. Paul’s brothers and
sisters. His desire was for them to become complete (“katartizo” can also mean
perfected or restored), to “come along side” and comfort each other
(“parakaleo”), to be on the “same page” with each other, and to live without
conflict.

 

Striving for perfection while living in united,
compassionate community with others is a huge aspiration. And speaking from
personal experience, this can be especially difficult for the Geek, who may
already feel like an outsider in the mainstream Christian community. But Paul
reminds the Corinthians, and us, that the God who personifies love and
personifies peace, the being from whom both concepts come, will be present in
the striving.(v.11)

 

Scripture often directs us in ways that are not at all
intuitive. Our tendency is to either put too much emphasis on religious rules,
or to take a “who cares, I’m forgiven” attitude toward how we live. Scripture
commands both in one sense and neither in another. We are commanded to be
perfect, but “there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus”.(Romans 8:1)

 

Knowing we will fail can often keep us from trying. But God
already knows we will fail! He is never surprised by our failure. And he has
provided the solution through Christ, so that we can endeavor to be more and
more like him without being discouraged by our repeated failures along the way.

 

As Paul has already emphasized, community is a vital part of
that journey. He directs the Corinthians to “greet one another with a holy
kiss”, which in Paul’s time was a greeting reserved for family and close
friends. Obviously, the results of doing this in modern America would create
some problems. But we can obey the intention of this command by aiming to “say
hi” to others with the same interest and attention we reserve for family and
close friends, stepping out of our comfort zones to make others feel welcome
and of interest to us.(v.12)

 

Paul also adds that the community of believers with him send
greeting to the Corinthian church.(v.13)

 

As a reminder, it should be noted that the Greek word for
"saints" in verse 13 refers to those who are "sanctified"
(set apart) for the purposes of God. This term can refer to believers in
general, not only a select few "Super Christians".

 

Paul ends with a written blessing, expressing his desires
for what may be true about the Corinthians. Paul’s prayer is that Jesus Christ
will give them favor, even though they don’t deserve it (grace). He also prays
that God’s “agape” will be with them. Agape is a kind of love that brings about
what is best for someone else, even though it might not be what that person
desires in the moment. Lastly, Paul prays for the fellowship, or the
participation of the Holy Spirit with the Corinthians and with what they are
doing.

 

 

Next Week- Romans!

 

Coffee House Question- Can you think of a time when God’s
“Agape” brought about something in your life that you maybe didn’t enjoy but
that was ultimately of benefit to you?

Predators (Movie Review)

I love monster movies. And I don't mean that in the sense of old cheesy black and white flicks with guys in foam suits. I mean well done, seriously scary, modern creature features from the 1980's forward. The Alien movies, John Carpenter's The Thing, The Terminator, Jeepers Creepers and of course... Predator.

I love the first film, dig the second film and also really enjoyed the first "Alien Vs. Predator". (The less said about the second AVP, the better.)

Predator is a modern movie monster that has been long overdue for a third installment of his own. So "Predators" was a welcome presence in my local theater, and it should be in yours too.

This is a great movie. Monster movies often fail to have interesting characters supporting the creature featured. This sometimes works fine on the creature's first outing into film, though not well afterward. And the best creature movies also have interesting characters running down all those darkened hallways.

Although there was nothing especially unique about any of the actor performances, the characters in this movie kept me interested until the very end, feeding me bite size bits of information about them throughout the movie until near the very end some crucial details are revealed. The script did a great job of keeping me guessing over who would make it through the movie and who wouldn't.

The title creatures look better than ever and modern special effects give a fresh coat of paint to the familiar cloaking devices and energy weapons of the deadly hunters.

The movie also gives us a deeper look into the culture of the Predators. The plot features a group of humans who have been abducted by the Predators to be hunted on a game preserve world. Laurence Fishburne plays a man who has been surviving for quite awhile on the planet, and he provides some interesting exposition about how the Predators hunt.

If I have to be critical (and it's a review, so I do) I'd say that the movie falls short of a higher quality score because of some CGI creatures that still look like CGI and a slightly underwhelming performance by the Predators.

In previous Predator appearances, we've seen more cool gadgets and hunting techniques than in this movie. Only one new gadget is revealed in this movie (that I can recall) and it serves as a strategic aid rather than an actual weapon. And several of the weapons in previous movies are absent here. Pretty much all you'll see for predator weapons are the gauntlet blades and energy weapons, plus the cloaking device. And although the story and atmosphere are great, you see less of the title creatures than you might be expecting to, given that there are more than one of them.

In terms of worthwhile philosophical discussion you'll need to work really hard to start something up after this one. It's just a fun creature feature with an interesting story.

Enjoy!

Rated R for strong creature violence and gore and pervasive language.

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 5.0/10

www.spiritblade.net/paeter
www.spiritblade.net/podcast

Almost 1/4th Finished!

Despite a few setbacks this week, I'm currently mixing scene 9 out of 39 of the Spirit Blade: Special Edition. I completed 1-8 out of order over the last two weeks and I'm VERY excited to be hearing these scenes come alive in the way I've wanted them to for the last two years!

Along the way, I'm also re-recording a few of my lines and had my wife re-record a few of Ebony's. It's been a very unique challenge to record new lines and match them next to old ones. My approach to everything was so different the first time, more than four years ago. I'm adjusting EQs to make the new lines fit next to the old ones. I'm also performing the role of Merikk much like I did the first time, with a little more naive energy and spark than he has in Dark Ritual.

Well, that's all I can think of to write, so it must mean I should get back to mixing!

-Paeter Frandsen

In Search Of Truth, 2 Corinthians 13:1-6

Paul makes his authority clear in this chapter as he
indicates that he will judge the Corinthians’ sin when he comes to visit them
again. He references the need for two or three witnesses required by Jewish law
(Deuteronomy 17:6). The sin in the Corinthian church was serious and Paul was
going to handle it with the formal gravity it required.(v.1)

 

The Corinthians have been calling Paul’s authority into
question, and so he is responding by preparing to judge with the authority of
Christ, adding that he “will not spare anyone”.(v.2)

 

Paul was being accused of being weak and inconsistent in his
teaching. God is often accused of being unable or uncaring when it comes to the
sin and injustice in the world. But these accusations should not be voiced
without careful consideration. Just like Paul’s third visit, God has appointed
a time to judge all evil and injustice. If we wish to criticize God for not
wiping out evil, we should ask ourselves if we’re prepared for him to begin at
our doorstep. The Corinthians did not ask this question of themselves and were
in danger of judgment as a result.(v.3)

 

Paul compared his weak appearance to Christ, who appeared
very weak in his death, but demonstrated his true power in his
resurrection.(v.4) Looking at Paul’s life, we can see that following Christ is
not a glamorous journey. But in the final analysis it is what we were genuinely
made for and where we will find ultimate fulfillment. A life for Christ is
lived in a kind of weakness that results in eternal security and strength.

 

Paul asks those in the Corinthian church to examine
themselves to see if they are “in the faith”.(v.5) In other words, did they
really believe in the message of the Gospel and were they living their lives in
response and conformity to that truth?

 

Christ is in those who genuinely believe and are letting
their lives be transformed in response to the truth. Paul wanted the
Corinthians to correct their harmful thinking and behavior before he came, and
to see that Christ was genuinely in him and his teaching. (v.5-6)

 

Paul did not want to have to discipline anyone. So he
pleaded with them to evaluate themselves. In the same way, we should regularly
evaluate our ideas, priorities and actions so that we can correct our course
and avoid the discipline that God does not want to have to give.

 

Next Week- Finishing Up 2nd Corinthians!

 

Coffee House Question- What qualities have you seen in Paul
in this letter that you have admired?

 

 

New Behind The Scenes Feature and Forum Launch!

Busy week! I've remixed Merikk's encounter with the mysterious Messenger as well as his plummet onto a random family's hover-cruiser! Forgot how funny Joy Currie is in that scene! I was crackin' up now that I can actually enjoy how the rest of it sounds!

But there are two new things for YOU to enjoy this week, too!

The first is a 30 minute audio special feature called "Behind The Songs Of Spirit Blade". I take you through every song in Spirit Blade, showcasing a bunch of old audio clips (featuring never before heard audio including clips from the live show!) to demonstrate how far these songs have come since they were first conceived. It's a strange and often embarrassing look at my creative ideas, but if you've been enjoying the new Spirit Blade Song Bundle I'm sure you'll find it very interesting!

You can download it now for free on The Media Page! 

The second exciting bit of news is the launch of The Spirit Blade Underground Forums!

This is a brand new community for fans of Spirit Blade Productions and Christian Geeks everywhere to hang out, talk and explore ideas together! Be sure to stop by and say hi!

I'll see you there!

-Paeter Frandsen