Tips for Mastering Film Gear Organization

Nothing is worse than attempting to pack for one of our Circle 3 Productions projects and looking for something like an SD card in a mound of production equipment. We have tried hard to find ways to manage our gear so we always know where things are. As documentarians, we are constantly on run-and-gun projects and need to have our gear easily accessible. If you have unorganized chaos, it creates the potential for lots of slip-ups. Nuts and bolts, lens caps, and SD cards, all have their places… but only if you choose those places. Typically the best solution is creating organized systems that use containers, cases, bags, and more. Having such systems in place for your gear is imperative. This process should help you turn your unorganized chaos into organized bliss and have you on your way to fewer sleepless nights and more successful days on set.

STEP #1: ASK YOURSELF INSIGHTFUL QUESTIONS & RID YOURSELF OF CLUTTER

It is important to understand what your needs are. The easiest way to start organizing is to assess these needs - see what has to be organized, understand your inventory, be aware of how much space it takes up, and then break the process into sections.

For example, if you have a lot of tripods, understand how many you have, brainstorm the best way to store them, and ask yourself questions like, “How often do I use these? Is there one I use more than the others? Do I want this readily available?” Figuring out usage can not only help you prioritize where things should go but also if you even need each of those pieces of equipment in your life.

Sometimes, the best answer to organizing is to first just get rid of the stuff you don’t need. We may not be asking “Does this spark joy in our life,” like Marie Kondo, but we definitely want to ask ourselves those questions of “Do we actually use this on our production sets still? Does this gear **spark joy** in our creative process?” Take each piece of equipment one by one, answer these questions, and then chart your course from there.

STEP #2: CREATE AN INVENTORY LIST WITH AN APP OR ANOTHER PLATFORM

Now that you know what you want to keep, you need a space to see everything that you have listed out. Being able to create a system in this way is the best way to get started. It can seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but just remember to stay calm and confident throughout the process. Break your tasks down into smaller parts. We suggest taking inventory to start you off. There is an app that we use here at C3P that has been very helpful while organizing called MyGearVault. This app allows you to take inventory of all of your gear, break it down into categories, enter the worth of your gear, and also create “kits” that you can use as checklists for future projects (travel interview kit, music video kit, documentary kit, etc). The best part - it’s FREE!

Inventory is so important. It helps you not only to remember what you have but to keep track of every piece of gear you have from cords to cameras. Inventory allows you to have prices of your gear in case of theft, loss, or damage for insurance. It helps you know what you may need to purchase in the future, how long your warranties are, when you purchased the equipment, what gear you have rented/loaned, and most importantly, if you left something on set. So many reasons to inventory. Spend a couple of days doing this, then start organizing. Soon your gear will be out of your head and into a neatly organized spreadsheet.  

Our gear rack!

STEP #3: SPREAD GEAR OUT ON A FLAT SURFACE & FIND YOUR GROUPS

After you inventory everything, it’s best to take all of it and lay it out where you can see each item. When spread out, it’s easier to gauge the size of the equipment and have an immediate view of what there is to organize. During this time, you want to decide where you want to place your gear and in what groups. Move individual items into groups. When groups become bigger and individual items become less, you’re going in the right direction.

For example, here at C3P, we have a large metal shelving unit (see images above), and each individual shelf is positioned to fit what we need for the categories we have. This includes a specified area to display our cameras, a storage bin with lighting accessories, our pelican case for audio, and even a pegboard next to the shelf to display and organize other items. Not all of this organizing process has to be about storing things away, it can also be about finding the perfect place to display your favorite gear - as we do with our cameras! Have fun with it!

When you decide where you would like to place items/categories, create labels. To do this, find something like a label maker or even tape pieces of paper in easy-to-see areas to specify categories. For our shelf, we used label holders (specific to our shelving unit) that clip onto our shelf with paper labels that you can slip into the clips. You will be amazed at what labeling categories will do for your sanity, creating even more space for artistic thoughts to thrive. This is all in preparation for the next step: collecting the small things.

STEP #4: START WITH THE SMALL THINGS

We file these little pouches away in larger bins. It is magic for whenever we need to pack for our next trip.

Are you holding on?

Let’s dive in deeper. So deep, in fact, that we’re at that part of your gear bags and backpacks where all the little things roam wild and free. If you are anything like us, you have a million cords, batteries, adapters, cage accessories, etc. We call this, the “spider’s nest.” We’ve all have had one at some point in time.

Not anymore!

This step is fun because you can use what you have (like Ziploc bags) or go and buy a few items that will make your job so much easier. Either online or at a store, you will want to purchase specific pouches, bags, cases, bins, tubs, and whatever style of container to hold your items. (The bins, tubs, and containers you will use for the next step). You may now see the reason we spread everything out. Here at C3P, we use packing cubes like these for our small stuff.

Alternately, Amazon offers some great budget-friendly mesh packing cube bags that we also may use for travel as well. Bags like these are helpful for organizing your larger category bins later on because they allow you to “file away” your various pieces of gear. Systems like these produce better usability without having to dig around for something small. Everything has its place.

For example, take small items like monitor cords and put them in one pouch. Label that pouch “Monitor Cords.” Then, take something else small like a camera cage and put those in another pouch with a label on it. Continue this for each mini-category of gear. Once you have items in pouches with labels, then you can put those in a larger bin. You can separate the pouches into alphabetical order or you can separate them by job, color, or camera category… get creative with it! There’s no wrong way to do this if you do it with the purpose and intention of making your system effective.

Be relentless - organizing inside of the organization can be extremely rewarding in the long run, saving you from many headaches on set. We start with the small so when we move to the big, everything is already good to go!

(BONUS TIP: we use velcro cord wraps on every one of our cords and they make our cable management pouch a dream to open up now.)

STEP #5: EVERY POUCH HAS ITS PLACE. FIND LARGER BINS FOR EVERY CATEGORY.

Our full audio case.

The trick to navigating all of this mess when it comes to organizing containers, tubs, and cases is to have a strategy. One strategy we had in mind was to organize the gear in a way that every piece of gear has a home, and any person handling our gear can easily find that home. Being that we typically work on projects with small teams, we usually need all hands on deck, which can sometimes mean even the documentary subjects handle our gear as well.

We wanted to create a system that was grab-and-go so we instantly can visually tell if we have all we need. For example, we have three hard cases of different sizes…

1) Small apache case // for our drone that fits the drone, three batteries, ND filters, and the remote and charger.

2) Large apache case // for our audio equipment that holds our recorder, headphones, LAV mics, cords, batteries, etc.

3) Large pelican rolling case // for our essentials that we take on set wherever we go.

A top down view of our audio case organization.

Within each of these drone, audio, or essentials cases, we have a system to organize all the necessary gear for that category. Here is an example. Years ago, our audio equipment was in multiple places, the batteries were in one place, the recorder was in another, the headphones, the LAVs, etc. everything was somewhere (really anywhere we could fit it in our bags) and it took a while to gather everything before we would go to set. We would spend hours just making sure every little item was somewhere amongst all our equipment… and that’s just for the sound gear!

The pouch insert fits neatly into the lid of our case.

Then, we purchased a larger case that would conveniently fit our “studio” of sound equipment inside! The case came with two layers of pull-apart foam inside, which made it perfect for making cutouts of our items. Spending the time to strategically find the right spot for the items inside inventory of our sound gear just a simple glance into the case for any empty holes in the foam. Not to mention, it also provided a secure and accident-safe environment for each item. There is also a pouch insert that we purchased for that case as well to hold batteries, mics, and cords.

A look at our essentials case. You can even see some of our pouches tucked away on the left hand side.

Gear protection and safety is of utmost importance for on-the-go documentarians like ourselves. From the wilderness of Kenya to the mountains of Peru, these cases can put up with pretty much anything. These cases help us a lot, though it isn’t totally necessary if you do more local or at-home projects. For projects that don’t require such heavy-duty cases, you can find cheap bins at places like Lowe’s, Harbor Freight, or even Walmart to suit your needs.

BONUS TIP: We found our Pelican-style cases (Apache) at Harbor Freight for a fraction of the price. They behave almost identically as the more expensive versions and have held up really well.

Inside our “essentials pelican case,” there is a sized cutout with zipper pouches that hold items in the lid. Inside the main part of the case, there are padded velcro dividers similar to what you often see in camera bags. This allows us to carry so many helpful tools that we always keep inside this case. 

This has been such a time saver on set.

(BONUS TIP: One of our favorite organizational “inventions” is this retractable key holder with a flathead screwdriver on it and a baseplate screwdriver as well. (See image.) Whenever anyone is asking you for a quarter/screwdriver to attach that baseplate, you know right where to send them.)

TIP #6: NESTING IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

Now, you’ve created space on the shelves for all categories, organized your pouches, and labeled bins/larger cases. It’s finally time to start placing items in their homes. This is where you get to reap the rewards of all your hard work and watch how pleasing it is to see everything fall into place… literally!

When you finish, take a step back, look at all the work you have done, then maybe come back to it the next day with fresh eyes. You may want to make some minor adjustments… and that’s fine! This is the time to do it. It’s about making a system that works for you to know where everything is at and make your life easier. Iterate. Iterate. Iterate until your process is perfect and your gear organization feels like you can’t imagine it any other way.

Just a shout out to those who may be a little more crammed for space, too, because their production company is starting out of their college apartment (like we were once upon a time!) - that’s okay! Creating a system even in your closet, garage, or living room works. It just depends on your situation and the space you have. It’s about improving while using what you have. Start now, and your gear (and your brain) will forever thank you later.

Now that you hopefully have all the tools you need, you should have your wheels turning and your creative juices flowing. Some people just need an organized workspace to feel motivated (like us!) and we think that’s great! We wish you luck on your journey to creating working systems that bring productivity, ease of mind, and inspiration to your work. 

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about our gear organization! And please let us know if you have any additional tips you think we should add!

- Carter

Just a disclaimer, too - we are not organization experts. We are just a group of creatives that wants to share what we’ve learned to hopefully help us all create better art!

The INTERVIEW of a Lifetime!

Many of you have followed Circle 3 Productions for long enough to remember her. She was the woman who inspired the documentaries, the travel, my journey as an artist - everything.

She was my grandma. And she was a star. Quite literally, Starr was her name. Since the first time I heard her story, she was the one I wanted to see walk the red carpets.

My grandma was a Moroccan Jew who immigrated to the U.S. at the tail end of WWII. She left her family forever (as a 16-year-old girl) in an attempt to create a better life for herself (and them) here in the States. As fate would have it, she never got that chance for her family to join her. Once arriving in the States, her connection with them was severed for nearly 60 years. And in that 60 years, her story began to hide behind the tears of her last goodbyes, behind her fears of the war she left, and behind the chilling fact that her family may no longer be there if she returned.

60 years was also long enough for something else to develop that was lying just beneath the surface for my grandmother - dementia. It wasn’t until she was in her 80s that we were able to reestablish a connection with my grandmother’s 109 family members (now living in Israel). As her story began to unfold though, her grasp on that story also began to fray at the edges. (You may remember some of those clips from a blog I wrote a few years back.)

I spent most of my childhood with her filming any short piece of content I could to try to pick up those scraps. To try to piece together a puzzle of a life… of a story that was worth telling.

And I am so glad I did.

As you can learn from that same blog post, my grandmother passed away sooner than we expected. Every year since, it has been those same videos that have kept her story, her voice, and her passion alive. Anytime I find my eyes welling up with memories of her, I turn on grandma’s documentary and it is as if she were right back in the room with me.

The older I get, the more my desire for coming alongside other people to tell their stories, and to work through their same legacy grows. Because a story untold is a story unheard. Despite how much we love our relatives and the journeys they are on… those journeys will have nowhere to live if we are not the ones to make sure they do.

Stories like my grandmother’s in the war... or your Uncle Rob’s opening up that first bakery in your town… or even your own personal battle through the ups and downs of this life.

The greatest gift I ever gave myself was taking the time to pick up my camera and sit with my grandmother in her own journey.

It inspired me then, and it inspires me now… to make sure that any and everyone who wants to be able to have that same experience with their loved one can.

So, Friend, if this story of my grandma’s feels anything like you or your loved one’s… feel free to reach out to us. More info at the link below!

Blessings,

Luke

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE

I don’t prefer to be the one telling this story.

In fact, there are very few stories that I prefer to be the one telling.

In my recent filmmaking, you may have noticed a shift. A desire to be even more true to story… yet also more true to respecting humanity… to building connections… and to engaging communities where my films are made.

It all stemmed from a belief that, as a filmmaker (and especially a documentarian), I should be striving to work with communities rather than just in them to tell their stories.

When the chance to create a documentary with UCLA Women’s Basketball regarding the unique basketball journey of a friend of mine, Natalie Chou, I knew it was time to test the methods of filmmaking I had developed over the years.

We all know that a narrative is a singular chosen story/perspective of the one who holds the control - or camera. My idea was to shift that control. To let go of that narrative - my narrative.

I wanted to engage Natalie and her family in the film *AND* in the making of the film.

So, I pitched the idea to Natalie. I hoped that, in the end, her story as an Asian-American playing D1 basketball would find a way to our screens as being simply that - hers.

Natalie and I on our first weekend filming on a rooftop in DTLA.

“I was really nervous and hesitant at first. I didn’t think my life experiences were special enough to tell on screen.

However, when Luke and I dug deeper and came up with ideas for the film, I realized this was going to be special, especially for my family.

This film is a reflection of who I am.

From playing on the outdoor court in Plano, Texas to Pauley Pavilion to LA. From the recreational league to Division 1 college basketball. From representing USA to putting on my UCLA jersey.

The parallels of my life are evident throughout the whole film.”

— Natalie Chou

On the plane to visit Natalie’s home in Texas.

It began as every film does, in…

Pre - Production

Our preproduction was different in a variety of ways (not to mention finishing a film merely days before the pandemic would hit American soil). From day one, Natalie and her mother worked through our Trello mood board with me. We developed a story structure. We shared our families’ histories and recorded the audio from our time - a sort of natural way of “pre-interviewing.”

We even learned quite a bit of Chinese history from Natalie’s mom (who at this point we know could have a whole film on her own, too).

Natalie’s mom’s homemade dumplings are not to be missed out on.

After our initial, informal audio interviews, we sat down together and developed a rough “script outline.”

What points of their story did we want to focus on?

Before we ever brought a camera into the room we were able to discuss which parts were sensitive, which needed emphasis, and which needed guidance.

I specifically remember talks about maintaining family honor and how big of a topic that was. It was a transformative experience as a filmmaker to be able to get so raw and honest with people but to not have to “take” from their story. Instead, we chose to work together to present raw parts in ways that felt honoring, felt true to Natalie.

Discussing story with Natalie’s mom - Quanli.

At this point in a documentary filmmaker’s process, one has to address the “cost.” If the questions/story we are pursuing are exclusively for our own narrative’s benefit, we must let go.

If those questions/story are truly essential, there is only one option - communication. When a filmmaker cannot communicate their direction in a way that the subject is able to receive/able to stand by, should that creator really be the one bringing forward a story or holding that control?

The answer is no.

Communication can and must happen when working with people and communities in a film. If we are unable to do so… just as it is not our story, it is not our storyline to green light.

Production

Quanli (Natalie’s mom) on her couch during our final interview.

We were on our last day of production… in the middle of Texas… in the middle of our final interview with Natalie’s mom. By this time, the three of us had worked through the story to the point where it seemed, well, seamless.

Halfway through a question regarding Natalie’s mother’s history and life in China, Natalie’s sister, TingTing, walked through the door…

”Mom. Are we sure this is what we are wanting to say? We definitely want to be mindful of every audience watching this, both here and in China.”

In the following moments (with the cameras still rolling), Natalie’s family and I sat and discussed changing the story. Typically this might be seen as a catastrophe on the last day of shooting.

However, since we were ALL on the same page, the adjustments took no more than a few minutes. Instead of feeling “sold” as a director on a certain idea… it was refreshing to be able to sit in that moment and let Natalie’s family decide not only what they were going to say but how that would affect the rest of their film’s narrative.

Since they had been a part of creating the structure, they could help change it.

Post - Production

Typically, post-production is my least favorite part of my process.

ALL FOR ONE - Trailer

Hours and hours of isolation are required in an editing bay. At the same time those editing hours all demand our utmost creativity from within those chambers.

This film flipped that on its head.

Bringing Natalie and her mother into not only the editing room (virtually due to COVID 19), but also the pitching discussions and video promotions changed everything. Natalie actually single-handedly wrote the script for our trailer. Her mother did the entirety of the translations with a friend of hers. Natalie led the pitch to ESPN and other outlets (including getting herself featured on a sports article in China). And every step of the way, the pair sent revisions and notes, discussing better ways of presenting b-roll so a more accurate picture of their life would emerge.

I will never forget the moment I showed it to them for the first time.

“This feels like our life.”

— Quanli Li // Natalie's Mom

I don’t believe there is a greater honor a documentarian can receive than for the people in the story to agree that what they saw in their film… was themselves.

Natalie and her mom at UCLA.

“My mom and I watched the film together for the first time during the pandemic back home in Texas. It was one of those moments that I knew we would never forget. For me, the film felt like all of my unspoken words that I never said to her.

The gratitude I have for her and everything she has done for me.

The pride I feel from just knowing her and how far she’s come.

The admiration I have for her strength and hard-work to get where she is today.

And also the feeling of contentment - looking back and seeing how far we have both come. All of those unspoken words in 11 minutes and 43 seconds.

This film represents my mom and I’s life. Everything we have done together up until now. Without basketball, we wouldn’t be where we are today. It truly captured all of the dynamics of our relationship: mother-daughter, coach-player, teacher-student, mentor-mentee, fan-fan.”

— Natalie Chou

In the end, the truth is, yes, I would prefer to not be the one telling Natalie’s story. I equally as much don’t want to tell someone else’s story… or even your story.

I would rather they be told by you. By them. By Natalie.

But that isn’t possible when the entire world isn’t a filmmaker.

So, if I am to be involved beyond just simply a fan cheering these stories on from the sideline… let it be alongside you, with you, as we work through your experience to create something worth watching, worth remembering, worth believing.

In my filmmaking, I’ve found that the narrative may need to change. I have also found how much more powerful it is if we decided to make those changes… together.

Please enjoy, All For One - The Story of Natalie Chou.

Blessings,

Luke

Our online film poster.

Natalie and her mother at our filming session during one of her workouts.

After finishing our final interview in Texas.

FORGIVABLE LOAN OPTIONS FOR FREELANCERS // COVID-19

Hey C3Pros!

So here we are. It’s 2020 and if you’re anything like me, you may be wondering when, or even if, you will get another job in the next few months.

To make matters worse, news about financial relief seems to change almost as much as I wash my hands, which we all know, right now, is A LOT. As an artist, who wants to be thinking about finance when you already are feeling out of the game.

This is my way of trying to help your process.

I’m not a financial advisor, but I grew up in a family of CPAs, with a lot of financial advisors amongst them, and these are the recommendations they came up with.

Here are two great options for your next steps -

1) THE DISASTER LOAN APPLICATION (<— click link to access) - RIGHT NOW! (and in only like 5 minutes) - you can apply for a $10,000 relief loan (more like grant) through the U.S. Small Business Administration. This loan is 100% forgivable and meant to be an immediate response to the epidemic for small businesses/sole proprietors/homeowners trying to stay afloat. Don’t believe it? This is the overview provided directly on their site.

2) PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM (<— click link to access) - STARTING APRIL 10TH, you will be able to apply for a small business loan (yes, YOU, sole proprietors) through your bank! These loans are forgivable if you can prove that you used them in the recommended fashion.

We all need a little help navigating these tricky waters as freelancers/sole proprietors/small business owners. Take this with a grain of salt as news is always changing. But hopefully, at least now, it can give you a sense of direction.

Feel free to share with others who may benefit from the information as well! And please, if you have any additional info you think would be beneficial to include in this post, feel free to comment it below and I’ll make sure to add it!

Blessings,

Luke

P.S. Shameless plug, my family’s farm is selling shirts to raise money for my local food bank here in our farm town. Feel free to check out all our farm merch by heading over to The Farmer’s Field.

I MAY NEVER GO BACK

Siroki Brijeg, Bosnia & Herzegovina //

It was 4:30 in the morning. One of my students, a mentor, and I had just set up the gear on a hillside just outside of town to capture what would be a sunrise time-lapse for our documentary.

The moment we pressed record, rocks seemed to scatter just a few hundred feet below.

I looked down to see where they may have landed, but before I could do so, out of the near pitch black two giant orange eyes grabbed my attention. 

Something was staring straight at us… and that something was moving slowly up the hill in our direction. 

Whatever it was, it’s gaze did not waver… however, my legs did. 

You know, I’ve seen and been around a lot of wildlife in my time as a native to Washington State… but nothing can prepare you for coming across two glowing eyeballs moving towards you when it is pitch black out at 5 am (especially after pulling an all-nighter editing, running on Coca-Cola and Milka chocolate) 

The only thought that crossed my mind was about a conversation I had just one day earlier with some of my students. 

—

“Do you have mountain lions here?” 

“Yeah. That and wolves. But we don’t really ever see them.” 

— 

My instincts kicked in… “TURN ON SOME MUSIC! Grab some rocks and start banging them together.” 

Before I could even think I was throwing dodgeball sized rocks down the hillside at… 

“Wait, where did it go?”

“Omg, it’s over there!”

It was as if its eyes knew of no where else to look except at the lanky white American giraffe-looking-man throwing (attempting to throw) small rocks in his direction. One of these things was a terrifying sight. 

Whatever it was continued to look straight at me as it bolted up the entire hill, darting around the side of us, in an incredible (what should be a world record) 1.5 seconds. 

The animal found its place on a rock about 150 feet away but it’s eyes would not turn another direction for another 2 (going-on-eternity) minutes. 

Finally, it vanished. 

And I may never be going back to Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

// 

I already thought I might never make it back to that country. 

Let me explain. 

You know, last year I travelled with a non-profit called Outside the Lens to Eastern Europe for my first time to help lead a group of high school students through the narrative filmmaking process. We were to conceptualize, shoot, edit, and screen a film at the Mediterranean film festival all in the matter of 2 weeks. 

Filmmaking typically is madness, but MFF School (the program we teach) is a whole other level. 

Very little time means very little sleep means very little room for error… all while teaching a bunch of high schoolers how to use equipment some of them have never even heard of. It was quite the challenge in 2018, and I was just along for the ride then. You can see the whole blog here. 

Regardless, my purpose for going last year was to be an emergency last-minute replacement for MFF school’s editing educator. So naturally, my initial feelings when 2019 came around would be that I wouldn’t be asked to come back.

I couldn’t be more wrong. 

When I got the call to make the journey across the pond again, I would learned that Outside the Lens wasn’t asking me to fill any position similar to the one I had previously occupied. No, they had that filled with the educator they had always used. 

To my surprise, this year they were requesting me to add on a whole additional documentary portion to MFF School, which traditionally centers itself around the students creating one single narrative film. 

That’s right. This year we didn’t make just 1 film in 2 weeks. WE MADE TWO. As if we weren’t mad enough already. 2 films that would screen at the end of the week for everyone from the students parents, to the US Ambassador to Bosnia & Herzegovina, to film producers from all over the world. 

My intrigue reached an all-time high. 

Narrative was one thing… it is scripted, planned out. Documentary is, well, documentary is completely unknown in both time and subject matter until it’s being shot. Which meant the room for error was pretty significant. 

Yet, my documentary mind couldn’t help but say yes to the opportunity. 

The doc crew would consist of about 6 students and 2 mentors. Our goal was to capture the essence of all that MFF is, but to also not lose the heart and life-changing influence this program has on these kids. 

Let me tell you a little secret about when you put camera into the hands of people from a community where you are shooting… 

- Getting heart into a project is the least of your worries. -

When you see the eyes of a community through the eyes of someone who is from there, suddenly transformation is happening not just in front of the camera, but behind it, beside it, and all around it. 

Watching these kids run about their community this past week… we no doubt had some setbacks learning equipment/dropping equipment/running away from equipment ;-)… yet the turnover on the back end once everyone understood and was able to really take ownership of their role was more worth it than even our final doc could capture. 

A film for students, by students. 

By the end of the week, we felt like a well-greased machine. I nearly didn’t even need to go out on set, and the story was falling into place like clockwork. I became so proud watching as these kids fell in love with an aspect of film that is so dear to my heart, all while capturing their own stories. 

Don’t get me wrong… we had some major setbacks - 

• A student accidentally stepped on our Ronin Camera Stabilizer and broke part of it on about day 4.

• Another student dropped our camera on day 5. **Side Note - In all of my filmmaking, this has been the 1st time I/we have ever broken a piece of equipment. Needless to say, crazy that two things broke within a day of each other!** (Praise God for really good insurance).

• The narrative film rushed to finish everything in the two week amount of time… but however rushed they were, doc felt even worse. Imagine trying to find time to interview people who are creating a film from sunup to sundown. Undeniably, there were tense moments where the doc crew had to cut corners to get in some interviews in time.

• I mean, you remember me talking about the wild animal, yeah?

I’m not going to tell you that documentary filmmaking is the hardest thing in the world (although, **Side note again** getting doc equipment through International TSA may very well be). But what I will say is documentary is really hard. Trusting that a story is coming, that something is going to all fall into place somehow (in a matter of two weeks) is hard. And doing that whole process with 6 high school students is hard.

Taking on this role as an educator grew me as a filmmaker for sure. 

But in the end nothing, and I mean nothing in the entire world will be as hard as explaining to my mother why she should trust me to travel half way across the world again. 

And that’s the real reason why I might never (get to) go back to Bosnia & Herzegovina… despite how much I want to 🙌🏼

Shoutout to all you moms in the world. Keep sneaking pepper spray into your kids bags… because one day they might be peeing their pants on the side of a hill in the middle of the “old country” and really, really wish they had it. 

Blessings,

Luke

OUR WEBBY!

This may come as a bit of a surprise, but this past week was actually really hard on me.

Offical Webby Headshot from Photoshoot.

The Webby Awards.

It is strange how something so distant, just another website on a computer screen, can quickly turn into something involving itself in every aspect of my life.

Last week, the Webby’s got involved in my family, in my art, and in my personal well-being. It took me for a loop into a world that I had never really desired to enter, but soon found myself completely wrapped up in.

The film industry.

Cipriani Wall Street (Interior) before the show.

As I looked around at the hundreds of influential artists filling the banquet hall, I couldn’t help but be filled with two feelings at the exact same time.

Bewilderment - that someone like me, that a family like mine, was about to partake in an event as immaculate as The Webby Awards. An event that would take my farmer of a father and put him on a red carpet. An event that would allow my mother, who always dreamed of becoming an actress, a chance to finally dress the part. An event that would bring my elder sister and I to a city we only dreamed about coming to as children.

Cipriani Wall Street (Exterior) with Holly Starr.

Well, we didn’t have to just dream about it anymore. No, in fact, we were standing in the Cipriani Wall Street - a building whose pillars stretched almost as far to the sky as those dreams we had as children.

I couldn’t believe it was all happening to us. I couldn’t believe it was all happening to me.

Confusion - It was all happening to me. This was never the reason I got into filmmaking. In fact, red carpets and premieres were never in the cards for this humanitarian documentary filmmaker. My goal was always to work with communities around the globe, not find myself back in the States walking between star-studded cocktail hours and after parties.

Red Carpet press shoot before the show.

Standing there, amidst the plethora of fancy cutlery (which I could not figure out the use of) and mountains of booze, I found myself feeling very distant, very foreign. Some may call it the “imposter syndrome” but I don’t think that quite identifies what I was feeling.

I wasn’t feeling as though the work I had done was insufficiently deserving of this award. No, I was suddenly worried that the message of my work was being confused for something that I didn’t want it to be - my work, my voice.

I started this company so that those who we might not otherwise hear could find a platform from which to project their voice.

In a sense, I would say we accomplished that goal this past week. We were able to get Migwani, Kenya in front of the eyes of thousands. In front of the eyes of leaders of companies in the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and more. And isn’t that something worth celebrating?

Yes.

Being interviewed by the Webby’s podcast.

But it isn’t something I want to celebrate at an event with a bunch of people who either won an award or paid upwards of $500 to attend.

No, I want to celebrate with Migwani. I want to celebrate with Ngonza, with Mutei, with Eunice, Naomi, Irene, Jane, Janet, Muvana, Loise, Nah, Annah, Nzambi, Muthili, Makaa, Muli, Mwende, Nzyuko, Kanlinga, Kasiva, Kalunda, Mutei.

But the reality of the situation this past week was that I couldn’t. I had to represent a community of which I am not a part. I had to walk a red carpet that I did not deserve on my own.

I want to be honest in this post when I say that I am growing as a creative.

I am growing as a humanitarian filmmaker.

We are growing as a company.

And that means we are still figuring things out with what all this entails.

Last week was one of the greatest of my career as a filmmaker. But I don’t want to stop with this award, with this accomplishment and say, “Look, we did it. We figured it out.”

Our poster for “Our Children - Twana Twitu” on the big screen at the Webby’s.

No, what I do want this award to say, if it must say something about the work we are doing here at Circle3Productions, is “Look! We struck a chord! We scratched the surface of a type of filmmaking that people need to see - a new way of documenting communities around the world. But we are just getting started. We have so much learning to do. Here is the direction, now let’s run with it.”

There are many things the Webby's did for me this past Monday. Many firsts that I will remember for the rest of my life. But what it really boils down to for me is that this event helped me to clarify even more so my vision for this company, for the communities with which we work.

I can assure you that one day, very soon, I will look back on this post and think, “Wow. You had so much to learn.”

And I am excited for that moment.

I am excited to one day be able to fully celebrate both at an award show and with a community.

May this Webby push me to continue learning, continue growing, continue reaching out.

May it help us as a company to continue researching, continue connecting, and continuing making content WITH rather than just IN communities.

This past week was hard on me. Yet I am okay with that.

It was refining me. It was refining Circle3Productions.

Blessings,

Luke

MY FIVE 🖐🏼

Photo by Holly Starr

That’s right. The most prestigious achievement of my filmmaking career thus far and I am only allowed 5 words to commemorate it with.

5 words.

I could spend days writing out all the reasons I didn’t choose other options; but following the theme of being concise, I think I will stick to just telling you my reasons for these five.

“I’m from an onion farm.”

I know, I know - “That’s what you chose for your big speech?”

And the answer is, proudly, yes. Let me tell you why.

For my entire career, my goal with filmmaking has been to create a platform from where other people's voices could be heard - people from marginalized communities, from rural communities, from low-income areas.

Photo by Holly Starr

It is common to see the lifestyles of those from communities like mine be represented on such stages by other people - celebrity hosts, news broadcasters, giant foundations; my goal is to change that representation... to let it come from the source. 

This is why, after many hours of trying to decide what I could say that would encompass all of that, I feel like the best option I have is to go back to my roots, to my story - the story I don't frequently hear coming across stages such as The Webby Awards.

These five words define so much for me and for those who would/could be watching...

- Growing up on a farm, now a filmmaker, already hints at the incredible journey I have had to take to get where I am. Filmmakers can come from the most unexpected of places - even from farms. 

- In the workforce, especially in this industry, it is easy for people from communities such as mine to feel as though they were dealt a more difficult pathway to their dreams... that there are a greater amount of obstacles they might have to overcome to achieve those dreams as compared to someone who grew up in an area where film opportunities were more readily available. 

Photo by Holly Starr

As a child in my community, I remember wondering why areas like mine didn’t have the same access to art as a big city. I remember the incredible amount of hope and joy it brought me when something as simple as the Missoula’s Children’s Theatre would take the time to swing our town’s direction to teach us about the magical world that is the stage.

And the fact is that I know I am not the only one.

My hope is that with these 5 words I could bring a little more inspiration to those people, those students, those children who also dream bigger than what their communities can provide - because I was one of them at one point. That my 5 words would say, "Yes, it may appear that you have been dealt the more difficult hand... But that difficult hand is going to grow you as an artist, and one day you will realize that whatever that "farm" is that you grew up on/in/around/next to, whatever that situation was... that is YOUR story. You own it. And it can take you further than you could possibly imagine if you learn to embrace it.

My name is Luke Grigg. 

I started a production company in 2017 named after a plot of land next to my childhood home.

Photo by Katie Ruther

Because my roots are important. And yours are too.

I'm from an onion farm… on the outskirts of a tiny town called Quincy.

So tell me, from where are you?

Blessings,

Luke Grigg

TO THE BOY THAT DREAMED

To the 1 year old boy that dreamed,

You came into this world in the great upper left of a country whose lands are as diverse as its people. In a part of that country some would say was the last to be discovered on this planet - the great unknown.

But we know that couldn’t be true.

No. For there were others that graced these farmlands long before ‘ole Lewis & Clark ever made the journey out West.

Alas, you were born. And you were born to the hands of a farmer and a CPA. And you were born in the land of apples, (although onions would be the only smell that you called home). You were born to a town of migrants… people from lands you would only hope to one day discover. People who would teach you such beautiful tales of humanity, of difference, and of bravery.

Consider yourself Lucky, Lukey. (Your grandmother will never remember which is your real name).

One day you will realize that this ground - these fields where your life was planted - means something. And it means a great deal. For it is these very neighbors (or lack there of), these very dirt roads, and yes, even these very star-studded skies that you were born under that make up who you are… and that will bear forth a life and a story worth telling.

Take advantage of every second. Even the millions you will be spending on that bumpy tractor. That “normal” life, one day under a very different, distant lens… will become one of the most extraordinary experiences you will ever have.

You were born on a farm. That is a gift. Not a hindrance.

To the 16 year old kid that dreamed,

I know you must be incredibly frustrated. Frustrated that you are stuck in a town that seems to only know just within the barriers of its own limits, cornered by signs reading “Opportunities Unlimited.” If I had one thing I could tell you, it would be…

Believe it.

Believe that what you have there is all you need to have to get… here, there, anywhere.

It must have been only a few days ago that your parents told you that they didn’t think you should go on that exchange to another country in your 16th year of life - you had too many responsibilities to finish up with.

I know that might feel like a dead end… but trust me when I say that dead end is the first of many realizations that your timing, however honest, is usually not the best timing for you.

Keep discovering. Keep feeling. Keep trying. One day those borders are going to swing wide open.

It isn’t today.

But today prepares you for tomorrow. And you have much preparing to do.

To the 19 year old traveller that dreamed,

It is true. You have completely fallen for a country you never before had called home (and you FINALLY, by some miracle, were able to become an exchange student.) All your life you spent wondering what it would be like to live the reality of someone outside of your farm, your town, your country. What a crazy ride it has been.

It is also true the feelings you are having about non-profits. No, not every non-profit you are finding is doing sustainable good in Perú. In fact, you are going to grow a lot more disappointed as time passes… but with the disappointment will come vision. And with the vision comes dreams… and the dreams will lead you to realize that maybe film & photography - something so foreign to you at the time - might be an idea worth pursuing.

That maybe, just maybe there is a way to influence these organizations, these philanthropists.

You may not know how to get there, but if you trust those initial gut feelings that this is a space you are meant to speak into… it is going to take you on a wild ride.

But before going on that ride, drink another Inka Cola, give your host mom another hug, and relish in your final days living in your favorite country on earth.

They will end soon… but your passion for that land, that people never will.

To the 26 year old filmmaker that dreams,

I don’t think you ever thought you would be this old.

It’s a miracle that you are even alive after all that has gone on. Peru. Israel. Wisconsin. Los Angeles. UCLA. And finally, Circle3Productions.

Remember this moment.

Take a breath.

Remember all the breaths you took to get here and with whom you shared each of those spaces.

It’s been quite a long time since you spent your nights living under those starry skies back in “God’s country,” as grandpa calls it - 8 years to be exact.

You feel strange when you look at the parts of you that are no longer so soft around the edges. The parts that a city has roughened up. You look out a window into this “city of angels” as you edit the very films you shot around the world, and you wonder how this could be your life.

When did you become someone who lived in a city?

You spent the last 6 years of your life running down a road that you were unsure of where it would lead.

You had an idea in your head to help people, to run back the very stories of those rural desert dwellers you had learned of so many years ago. So you took up documentary filmmaking.

Somehow, in a strange way… you were able to use film to turn your love for people into a vocation, into a passion, into a way of life.

And I am so proud of you for that. (I don’t think you say this to yourself often enough.)

This month you found out one of your films was nominated for an award. That has never happened before. And oddly enough, it has caused you to rethink all those steps that got you to this point.

Each. Individual. Person.

But more importantly, the God that directed those steps before even that farmer and CPA welcomed you into their home and called you son.

Stick to your roots, son. In your roots lies your story, your power, your voice.

But as you grow, open up. Continue finding ways of connecting with those people whose realities are oh so different from yours… because they might not be as different as you would think.

This is still yet the beginning of the journey, and you have still yet so much to learn.

Happy reading, happy living, happy breathing, my friend.

To the old man that will dream,

You must have the most intricate stories of humanity to tell, and please, do tell.

Tell your children. Tell the world.

I hope you are still proud of the time you spent with a camera in your hand. I know your good posture might be running on empty, but surely your heart is full.

So here is to your first nomination for an award - The Webby Awards. Maybe there were many more, or maybe this was the only one.

Either way, I am proud of you, wherever you are. And you should be too.

Blessings,

The soul you have known your whole life. Inside that body. Inside that mind.

Luke

SHE SAID "YES!"

It was 2 years ago that my family gathered around the bedside of the woman who had moved across land and sea to bring us a life in the U.S. From the beaches of Casablanca, Morocco to Peshastin, Washington and the apple capitol of the world - her life was one of war, separation, and despair. But it was also a story of courage, belief, and love.

Watching Etoile Hazan (Starr Bitterman) our grandmother’s story unfold has been the inspiration behind much of the art that I create, and a very large portion of the reason Circle3Productions even came into existence.

You can see more of her actual story in a blog/tribute video we made for her.

So when my sister, Holly Starr, approached me about creating this project together, and said she knew of “No one better in the whole world to shoot it…” I normally would have shook my head and disagreed… but in all honesty, this project felt like one of those which I had waited my whole life to put together.

Here’s the premise…

“ONE FOR YOU. ONE FOR A WIDOW.”

— Holly Starr

In the time after my grandfather’s passing, the years often felt like decades as we watched my grandmother struggle under the weight of grief as heavy as losing a life partner. I remember the moment she asked us to take her to the cemetery to lay on my grandfather’s grave and cry. I remember how she would stare out the car window for hours before whispering how good my grandfather was to her. I remember how until the day she passed, his coats still hung on her coat rack.

For a time there, grief in my family wasn’t a feeling… it wasn’t a teardrop…

Grief was my grandmother.

It was her waking up at every hour of the night crying. It was her fear of staying in a house alone. It was her signing every birthday card with her and his names.

And most of the time I felt stuck. Helpless to being able to extend more than an arm to hold, or a prayer to uplift for her as she pounded on death’s doors.

I remember when my sister made her first yes necklace for my grandmother. I was in Los Angeles and my mom called down and showed me a replica version my sister had also given her.

It was about standing with our grandmother. Saying yes to God, to his process, to His will, despite how much it hurt.

It was trusting.

It was believing that grandma still had bright days ahead.

And you know, Grandma began to believe that. I began to believe that.

I also do not remember a time that she took that necklace off. Even in her final breath, its clasps were still around her neck.

And that would have been it. And we would have been satisfied. And life would have gone on. And grandma’s legacy still would have been a story to tell.

But then Holly saw something beyond our situation, beyond any of our own personal grief.

She saw you.

She saw your grandmother. Great aunt. Elderly citizen at church. That neighbor down the road.

And so she decided that this ministry could not stop with Etoile Hazan, it merely could only begin there.

That is The Yes Necklace.

And that is the story we will be telling for years to come. I hope you enjoy.

You can order your own necklace, or get more information at www.theyesnecklace.com

Blessings,

Luke Grigg

“BUY ONE. GIVE ONE.”

— HOLLY STARR

THIS ONE'S FOR THE GIRLS...

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“Orphaned by HIV/AIDS, these children of Mwingi, Kenya were forsaken, refused homes and turned away. A local group of women, however, stood their ground, opened their hearts, and held out their hands. Watch as a community once segregated by such stigma learns to redefine what it means to be family.”

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An open letter to the women of Migwani, Kenya,

To all the women that so graciously let me walk in to their their town, their work, their homes, their lives, with a camera and a mighty sweaty forehead…

This film is for you.

I used to dream about days like these when I was a kid. Days when I would get the opportunity to help people from places like Migwani tell their stories on platforms where they might not otherwise find themselves.

People who are living a life, fighting fights, and passing through battles that I will never fully know or have to experience.

A life where one’s language has never been heard on a big screen before. Where one has to fight to find food… even on a good day. Where one battles to make it through the heat… to find water in places that many would not dare to drink from.

— Yes, this film is for you. —

I listened over the weeks and months the stories you have told me. I witnessed tears in your eyes, and you witnessed tears in mine.

——

Eunice,

You called me your African son… but when you said it… and then you said it again… and again… I heard it. I felt it.

I won’t ever forget the moment you invited me into the shack where your daughter was cutting hair, to offer me that wonderful soup you had prepared. I don’t know what was in it. And you laughed when I said I liked it… you told me that, or cornmeal, is what you eat every day. And you were proud of that.

I felt proud of you as you stood, beaming, over your grandchildren.

You were content - even though you have to wake up a 4 am every morning to go fetch water 3 miles away.

You told me how much this borehole was going to change your livelihood. And I stood there as tears came to my eyes.

——

Mutei,

My time with you and John, the grandson you adopted, transformed my thinking about rural Kenya altogether.

For starters, your family was the first farmers I have had the opportunity to shake hands with in Kenya. And that is something special, considering my farm town roots.

But you and John and your family don’t just do the hard work of farming.

When we took John for his medical check-up, my heart sank. Hearing how difficult food has been to cultivate because of the drought, how a couple mangoes a day have made up your diet for the past few months really put things into perspective for me.

John may have been the skinniest child I have ever hugged… and yet he may also be one of the children with the biggest smiles I have ever seen.

And your love for him has made that so. You are a warrior. And you remind me again, yes, true happiness doesn’t come from having money, and neither does true strength.

——

Ngonza,

Before I left your humble home you grabbed my hand, and then told me you were so ashamed you didn’t have something more to give the “kind, white American boy,” who came to help your community. You looked away… almost embarrassed, that at your 100+ years of age, you couldn’t prepare a meal for me.

But I hope that you knew that I left your home that day with more than you could have possibly imagined.

You gave me perspective.

You gave me your heart.

You gave me a blessing.

(And don’t forget about the delicious mango you had your great granddaughter fetch me as I left your home ;-)

There are not a lot of souls who have lived as long as you in this world… and even fewer in your own community. Standing in your home, hearing you still dream about one day riding an airplane, joke about becoming a super star in Hollywood because of this film, and even try to set me up with one of your great grandchildren…

It brought me back to the lessons my own grandmother taught me in her final days… that you get to choose joy, choose happiness, and choose your perspective in this world.

Whether you can’t even afford tomorrow’s mangoes… or you are buying Lamborghini’s in Beverly hills… in the end…

YES. Some people face a great deal more adversity in their life.

YES. Some people will know very little adversity throughout their days.

But your adversity does not define you. And neither does your wealth. Who you are, and the way you react to those circumstances does.

Ngonza, you are a beacon of light, in a world that could use a lot more of your perspective, your hope. It was an honor to sit and hear the stories of such an inspiring soul. It is those stories, that courage, and that strength that I take with me from your home. Arguably more valuable than anything else you could have given me.

——

So, this one’s for the girls… for Ngonza, for Mutei, for Eunice, Naomi, Irene, Jane, Janet, Muvana, Loise, Nah, Annah, Nzambi, Muthili, Makaa, Muli, Mwende, Nzyuko, Kanlinga, Kasiva, Kalunda, Mutei, and so many more.

For the brave women who would not be defined by their situations. Who would not let society tell them how they should react. Who stood up, and rightly so were the change they wished to see in their community. Their world.

We can learn a lot from them. We can grow from their stories.

This film is for them, yet may it’s message be for us.

Blessings,

Luke

MOJA SUCUT - MY CONDOLENCES

It was 3 a.m. in the morning. I hadn’t slept the entire last two days… and yet for some reason I had more energy in my bones than I would have had on any other day. 

Tell me 1 month ago that I would be in the middle of Eastern Europe, surrounded by a classroom filled with Croatian-speaking high schoolers, and I would have never believed you. And yet, through a friend of a friend, a last minute door swung open to work alongside Outside the Lens and the Mediterranean Film Festival to bring a film workshop to the kids of Hercegovina. 

26 hours traveling to Croatia. 2 hours drive from Croatia to Hercegovina. The moment I showed up after my journey - literally didn’t even have the time to put my bags in my room - I was thrown on the first panel of the week to judge pitches that the students were giving to see what film we were going to develop over the following 8 days. 

Yes, that’s right. In 8 days we had to take a film from concept, to being premiered on the main stage at the Mediterranean film festival. Needless to say, it was a whirlwind.

After pitches, the first day was spent writing, location scouting, prepping actors and project files… and most importantly for me, interviewing and selecting 2 teen editors who would help bring this project to a reality. 

Although many of the kids were passionate about learning to edit, almost none of them had experience editing or using the software we would be cutting the film on. Needless to say, my role over the first two days was training these 2 kids - Colin and Patrick - everything they would need to know about an editing workflow. They learned software such as…

1. Plural Eyes

2. Premiere Pro

3. After Effects

4. Prelude

5. Photoshop

And man was I blown away at the speed with which these kids learned. Below you can see a couple test videos from our practice with these mediums. We tried to utilize our offload/export time by learning some clever techniques that we could use in the real film such a masking, transitions, and even some special effects. 

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As the footage started pouring in… the scope of our work was really taking shape… and in all honestly, was a mound that seemed like we would never reach the summit of. Editing a film in general is hard in 2 weeks. Typically one would have about that much time for a rough cut of a 12 minute film. 

Then add on to that the fact that I would be directing kids on how to edit a film in a language that I didn’t even speak. It would require a new level of attention to story and detail on my part… It really pushed me to not only trust the kids in their process, but to force myself to engage in every conversation so I could make sure I knew what was going on in the story. 

Patrick, our Hercegovinian native took it upon himself to just smash through all of our dialogue scenes, while Colin took over more of the montage sequences and finding other assets for us: music, SFX, graphics…. etc. 

It was such a blessing to see these two really begin to take the edit into their own hands over the next few days. Even late into the night, they were both dedicated to creating something bigger than themselves, with the help of about 20 other students who were equally as sleep deprived trying to get this story out. 

I definitely have never allowed myself to get as tired as I was in some of those late night sessions. What can I say, having multiple all-nighters in a row is not natural for the human body… However, when I was in the thick of it… I hardly noticed because I truly felt like I was in my element, fulfilling a part of me that has always been a passion of mine - helping kids to find, use, and raise their voice. You can imagine how special this week was for me. I’ve never wanted to be an educator… but I do strive to help people find empowerment through art… and I think in a lot of ways, we were able to open that doorway a bit for these kids this week. 

You know, when I was younger, growing up in a farm town, opportunities for artistic expression were rare, if they even existed. I remember participating in things like the Missoula’s children’s theatre, or watching motivational speakers stop in our town for an assembly or two... and I always wondered what it would have been like to grow up in the big city from where these people often came - I wondered what it would be like to be able to learn the art forms that they displayed for us so brilliantly.

But I have never been one to ask for a pity-party... I don't believe you should define yourself by your situation. Define yourself by your opportunity. 

That is why I think giving the opportunity, leaving a door open for kids to see into a world... to experience a reality... To find the next step in furthering their education on a topic - on art... That is worth it. That is empowering. That is why this week was such a blessing for me to be a part of. 

In our final days, we were able to pull together the entire film by some incredible feat.We screened the film in front of thousands at the Mediterranean Film Festival; and in the end we left Bosnia with quite a few more friends. With quite a few more filmmakers. 

Listening to the kids talk about their own growth throughout the week on my last day reminded me that I need to continue fighting for these times.

Times when aid trumps ego.

When process trumps outcome. 

I'm looking forward to showing you the film. It should be out soon.
 

Blessings,

Luke Grigg

OUR FIRST VIDEO FOR A FESTIVAL MAINSTAGE!

Have you ever been bullied? 

It's been a long process of healing through the wounds of my childhood and the words that were spoken over, or rather yelled at me. 

I cannot begin to imagine what bullying has turned into with the addition of social media in children's lives today. 

That is why it was such a privilege to be able to come alongside DIGNITY REVOLUTION these past few weeks and create something that would help kids and parents to see past those voices, and to form a game plan of how they can protect their own. 

These are the projects I love to work on. They hit so close to home, and more so, they allow me to open my world up to another family, another child... to share my story, and see how they have walked those very same paths in theirs. 

That moment came when I met Liam and his Father. Immediately when I approached these two non-actors if they would consider joining this movement and being on camera, Liam's father Sean's face beamed with excitement as he jumped to say, "absolutely." I have never heard someone who has never met me grab on to my vision so passionately, so fast... and to think it was all through FaceTime! 

Nevertheless, I spent my 4th of July shooting these two in their home, with Liam's Mom emotionally standing by, to provide ideas, hugs, and even some amazing Filipino food. It didn't take but 5 minutes to realize that both Liam and his father were a natural on camera... and the rest is history. The day became less about the actual filmmaking, and more about teaching Liam how a camera works, talking to his dad about how bullying has affected their own family, and collectively just getting more and more excited to get this project out the door, and on to the screens of those who need to see it. 

The project premiered at Lifest in Wisconsin this past month, and it was a hugely emotional moment for me. I was able to fly out to Wisconsin to do a little more filming for Lifest, and knowing that this short piece was going to be on the big screen on main stage, in front of the thousands, made it all worth the quick turn-around. 

And by quick I mean THIS THING HAD TO BE CONCEIVED, SHOT, AND EDITED ALL IN 3 DAYS! Definitely the quickest turnaround I have had with a non-profit up to this point, but the subject matter made it that much easier to push through in those late nights! 

It is voices like this, like Dignity Revolution that need to be held on a platform. And we can be a part of that. By emphasizing the good they are doing. By choosing to stand with them. And by even using our own voices, and sharing our own stories. There is hope for the future, my friends... there is hope, indeed. 

More to come, as I have 2 other videos I am editing for this incredible non-profit!

Blessings,

Luke 

#ASKGARYVEE

A book I really think you should read. If you are interested in social media marketing, learning more about becoming an entrepreneur, or just plain leadership. 

This book has already redefined so many ways that I think about social media, which is awesome considering I run all of the social media for the women's basketball team at UCLA.
 

The future is looking bright. Not because of this book, and not because I am going to the NAB show this coming week, but because I am feeling the urge and passion to really branch out and go for it with this company. 

Not sure what that means, or what that will look like; but, the other day I met with Russ Pillar, the President of the LA Marathon, millionaire, and just all around super successful LA resident, and he told me that the greatest thing I have going for me, besides the hard work that I do... is passion.

I was taken back by that when he told me. I had never thought that my passion would be looked at as something of value in the business world. I guess I have always thought that direction was more important that passion.

But the older I am getting (23 btw), I am realizing that long term direction is actually the last thing that I need. If I look long term, I get overwhelmed. 

I need to look at the here and now, to put my head down, to get in the trenches, and to run with it. 

It is really exciting. I am so encouraged by these thoughts and would only hope that some of you would jump on board with me and we can get this creative process going! 

Either way, I'm pushing forward from here on out. For tonight, that means writing these blogs. For tomorrow, hopefully the same, as well as finishing this website. 

One step at a time. 

I want to help better the lives of those who surround me through the artwork that I create. I want to help better the lives of those who surround me through the artwork that I create. I want to help better the lives of those who surround me through the artwork that I create. 

I would say that is plenty of direction for the moment. 

Blessings,

Luke Grigg

LITTLE BY LITTLE (POCO A POCO)

When I was an exchange student in Lima, Peru, I constantly found myself frustrated by the fact that my Spanish language skills were never where I wanted them to be. In the same breath, my host mom would look across me at the table and say, "Lucas, poco a poco." (Luke, little by little).

That simple little phrase took me through the daily battle, to whereas one day I looked up and could understand and be understood perfectly. 

That lesson has carried me through the last few years. Through moving to Israel, then to UCLA, and now in to freelance filmmaking. 

I have been a freelancer for almost a year now, and it has been hard to see if any growth was happening at all. That was, until this past week, when we released our trailer for our newest film, "Our Children - Twana Twitu." 

A year ago, I released a trailer for a similar film in Kenya (A Drop of Life), with the same non-profit, and was ecstatic to look down and see that 8 people had shared it and over 1,000 people had viewed the trailer on Facebook. It was one of my first ventures into the non-profit realm, and getting that many people to view something that I hoped was going to bring on so much good in this world, pushed me to really fight for those jobs that would bring similar value to a viewers life.

And fight I did. I turned down so many opportunities this year in order to keep creating content that I thought would motivate and inspire people to go out and heal some of this world's biggest wounds. 

But when you are carving a new path in the middle of a jungle of media, it can easily feel like you are going at it alone. You begin to wonder if the decisions you are making, the growth you are discovering, is actually being seen, or even going to be useful elsewhere. 

I never doubted the fact that what I was doing for a good cause, but I did begin to doubt if it was going to be sustainable - if enough people would be interested in my work, enough to share and help me be able to create more similar content.

"Little by little, Luke."

THEN THIS YEAR HAPPENED. 

I'm writing this post because of how supported I felt by you all this last week on launch. Views do not equate to anything, (and neither does social media in general in my book...) but I have to acknowledge that it does at least give me a point of reference in some ways. 

This year the trailer has already been viewed over 14,000 times in one week, including 40 people who shared it. At the same time, instead of us being a platform of only 200 people, like last year, we are now breaching 1,200! 

I am so excited to continue using this platform as a space where people like the women in this trailer can use their voice. I hope that by listening to their voice, it will in turn inspire your own... and that as a community connected by the content here, we can go back out into the world and be masters in our service and our aid to those in need, little by little. 

I hope you enjoy "Our Children - Twana Twitu." The full film is coming July 8th! You can buy tickets on www.ourchildren2018.eventbrite.com! 

Blessings,

Luke Grigg

OUR CHILDREN - TWANA TWITU // FILM POSTER

I am excited to release the poster to this years' collaboration with the With My Own Two Hands Foundation. This is a film that has become so near and dear to my heart, and I cannot wait to show it to you all! Mark your calendars for July 8th, because I can already feel this one is going to be a film you won't want to miss. 

I spent about 2 weeks in a town called Mwingi in Northeastern Kenya, capturing a story of bravery unlike any other I had seen before. Check back in later today as we release the trailer, and first glimpse into who these children are, and why they are so special to this story! 

#lovelife

THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE GOING ON...

I may have grown 10 years older from this weekend. And I am okay with that. 

To all my friends and family, I pray that your Thanksgivings were full of the utmost joy, and that you made memories with your family members that will last a lifetime. 

This week I learned about God’s grace... and it was the best lesson I have ever learned, in the hardest possible way. 

If you have not heard, my Grandma Starr Bitterman passed away this past weekend in Wenatchee, Washington. Her funeral was this Saturday in my mother’s hometown of Cashmere, Washington. For the service, I created a short video from the many many hours of footage I had with Grandma Starr over the years (you can see it below). I pray that it is able to comfort those who were not able to make it this weekend. 

Grandma’s passing has taken me to an entirely new depth of emotion that I have never known. And for someone who already was pretty emotional, this roller coaster has been quite the experience. Needless to say, I am so thankful to all those who have taken the moment to share in my family’s grief, to reach out a caring hand, and to teach me how to navigate through these emotions. I feel it is partially my duty to share exactly what happened with those who loved grandma. 

Cause of Death: Grandma had broken her hip and was unable to be operated on. I didn’t even know that an elderly person could die from the repercussions of a broken hip. Since the doctors could not operate and the pain was too great she would have to be kept partially sedated to help ease the pain. Being a woman with an already deteriorating health condition, this was not good news. Morphine does nothing good to organs that are already wanting to slow down. What began as a two week life expectancy soon became a 2 day life expectancy. Grandma passed away 1 day after breaking her hip, valiantly holding on to say goodbye to her kids and grandkids. 

Your prayers, thoughts, and hugs during that time were needed so much more than you could possibly imagine. And that is what I am here to talk about. The Grace of God, poured out through His people, in a time when they didn’t even realize how much their support was needed. 

The wife of one of our old pastors said it perfectly, “This moment in time isn’t about death... it is about my family’s journey together as we rely on the Lord.” 

And that couldn’t be any more true. 

To put it brief, the journey my family took this weekend was much more than just emotional after my grandmother’s death, but spiritual and physical as well: 

-The day I received news of my grandmother’s fall, my brother happened to be in Los Angeles. For those that know me, I DO NOT DO WELL even for an afternoon alone on a normal day. I love being around people. I feel the Lord most present in moments when I can be near my loved ones. Hearing the news and being states away was the hardest moment of my life. Shaking on the couch, alone in my apartment... I was comforted knowing that I had a loving brother near, and my best friend, Gemalene Sunga, willing to come and sit with me as I processed what was going on. I will never forget God’s grace through these two during that moment. He surrounded me with the support I needed. 

-I work for UCLA Women’s Basketball. Last weekend we had two games. Within moments of getting ahold of my bosses, Cori Close and Debbie Haliday, I had confirmation that I could fly out to Washington the next morning. My coworkers, Caren Nicdao and Maggie Galle, took on the work without hesitation, despite their incredibly busy schedules. God’s grace came through the instant support of these people who don’t even know Grandma. 

-Arriving to Washington, the day of my grandmother’s death, hardly any of my family was in the area... and by area, I mean within 100 miles. Spread out between California, Colorado, Tennessee, and Seattle... this family journey didn’t start with the emotional, but the physical. All of my relatives were able to get flights back, including myself. Holly’s (my sister's) story was particularly incredible. I will explain in further detail after I say how gracious the Lord was for allowing us to make it back. 

-Once I got to the hospital, my grandmother was moments away from being put on her morphine drip, a Pic Line. This meant that she would soon be sedated, to the point where she would be able to hear you, but would not be able to respond. I grabbed her hand immediately. I held it there as I prayed she would wake up one last time... And even despite the pain, grandma opened up her Moroccan eyes as I whispered, “I love you, Grandma” into her ear. She clenched my hand, and then fell asleep. That was the last time I would look into my grandmother’s eyes, 10 minutes after I arrived from Los Angeles. GRACE. GOD’S SWEET GRACE. 

-The doctor’s told my family that she still had between 2 days and 2 weeks to live by the time evening rolled around. My sister holly, by that time, was just boarding her flight to Seattle from Nashville, Tennessee. There was no reason to think she wouldn’t make it home to see grandma. My dad and I were told to go home and get some rest. My mom was going to spend the night with grandma. My cousins would be arriving around 11 PM from Colorado and Seattle to see her, and we would be back in the morning. However, as soon as my dad and I had driven an hour back home, my mom called saying that grandma’s situation was getting worse. The nurse informed us that the end was coming and much sooner than anyone had anticipated. We rushed back to the hospital and were able to be by her bedside, alongside my cousins, aunts and uncles. The next few hours spent with my grandmother, I will never forget... Telling funny stories of her as I gripped her soft hand for what would be the last time, alongside all my loved ones. God’s grace filled the room as we were able to comfort each other, even up until the end. 

-AND FOR THE BIGGEST MIRACLE OF MY LIFE.... Holly was not going to make it. She landed in Seattle when my Dad and I were on our way to the hospital the second time. Seattle is 3 hours drive from where we were. Grandma’s lungs were already filling up. She was hardly breathing at all, and the doctor’s wouldn’t even turn my grandma over in her bed because in doing so she might actually pass away. PRAYER IS POWERFUL, people. I Face-timed Holly and with the hardest words I have ever said told her that she might need to tell grandma goodbye. She was still 1 1/2 hours away. “I love you grandma, and I am going to tell the world your story and how strong you were.” I will never ever forget those words. Holly loved my grandma as deeply as I did. My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t make it from Los Angeles. But knowing that she might not make it was just as bad. She had spent countless hours taking care of this woman in her final years. Not to mention Holly had been in Nashville, recording a song ABOUT GRANDMA’S STORY! Yet somehow, Grandma held on. Holly got to the hospital. As she got to the front door, I texted her to run as fast as she possibly could. Grandma was heaving, and it seemed as though holly was going to arrive only moments too late. As my family screamed down the hallway for Holly to run, I just kept whispering to grandma that Holly was almost there. “Holly’s just about here, grandma... You’re doing so well. Just hold on a second longer.” Grandma took a deep breath right before Holly entered the room and it appeared as if she had passed. My mom let out the first of her built up sadness, feeling as though we had just missed the moment. Holly threw herself on top of grandma and told her over and over how much she loved her. That moment is ingrained into my mind because of what happened next. Grandma took another giant breath. She had held on for holly. And then she took another, and another... only minutes later signing off to the world, as her family surrounded her, grieving, but also completely astounded at the Grace of God in that moment. It can’t be expressed, but I felt God in that room that night. I felt him in my tears. In my grandmother’s heavy breathing. In the wails of my mother. In the coldness of my grandmother’s hand. He was there. He was watching. And He held me up as I lived the saddest day of my life. He did not have to let us have that time with grandma at the end, and yet He did. And it was beautiful. 

-My dad became the physical manifestation of the Lord’s arms for me as he held me for what seemed hours, grieving the loss of one of the most inspirational people in my entire life. I gave grandma a kiss on the forehead, and with one final je t’aime (I love you), dad supported me as he guided my weak steps out of that hospital. I cried myself to sleep that night, and woke up crying the next morning... but God’s grace was there to hold me up. He gave me my dad. And I won’t ever be able to thank the Lord enough for that moment. 

The rest of the week was filled with what I am coming to know as the grieving process. It is much more difficult than I could have imagined; and yet, I also am feeling so much more support from friends and family than I could possibly explain. So so so much grace.

And yet there are still 2 occurrences that almost no one in my life knows about that took place this weekend. And it was God that carried me through in those moments. 

-The night my grandma passed away, my mom also received news from a mammogram she had recently done that the doctors had found a lump in her chest. Having already been through thyroid cancer, this was a dagger to her heart, as well as ours. You can only imagine the mixture of grief going on in my grandmother’s hospital room when we found out. Yet, this was a journey God was taking us on. We would claim that... and Mom, being the strong woman she was decided to put it out of her mind for the night. I tried to do the same, but had a much more difficult time. Why would God have me fathom the idea of my mom getting ill, when her mother was passing. Little did I know the lessons on grace that I would learn that weekend. My mother was scheduled for a biopsy two days later. After the procedure, my family waited... and waited. God kept me busy (making the video, moving my grandmother out of her house, ect) to whereas the waiting period went by quickly. My mom received news the day before Thanksgiving that the lump was not cancerous! but contained atypical cells (likely leading to cancer). Although it still requires surgery to be removed, God’s grace swooped down one more time to remind us that He was in control. I learned so much from Him in those few days... and I learned so much about myself... but that wasn’t all. 

-My other grandmother is diabetic, and has low blood pressure. The evening we received the news about my mother’s results, we received news that my grandpa had to rush my grandmother to the hospital. She had accidentally taken too much medication and her blood pressure was dropping. The doctors needed to monitor her. She was already pretty unstable from the medication she was on, and this could have be just a big enough wrench thrown in the equation to shut the whole thing down. Thankfully God held her in His hand, and the doctor’s were impressed with how her body reacted to the excessive amounts of medication. After her time in the hospital, they were able to release her for Thanksgiving to be with our family. God’s grace. God’s grace. God’s grace. 

It can’t be fully described. But this weekend grew me in the hardest, but best way. I am sad to feel 10 years older, but happy to feel 10 years wiser in the Lord. Although I have much more learning to do, Grandma’s passing, and a few other events have taught me so much about life’s journey. That they are in this with me, I am in it with them... no matter what. And yet, it doesn’t stop there... I am on a journey with all of you as well. The ones that supported me so well through these last days... And as Grandma taught me, we can choose to love life, or we can choose to fear it. 

Grandma’s funeral was the deepest, darkest, saddest day of my life. My heart was and is broken in so many ways. Yet because of God’s grace, my family, and friends sticking to my side during the difficult part of this journey, my heart is a lot less broken than it might be otherwise. 

I am so thankful for life. I will choose to love this part of it no matter how much it hurts me in this very moment. I will forever mourn the loss of this beautiful woman. And yet, if there were ever a time that I believed that Jesus redeems... that time is now. In what should have been the worst weekend of my life, God taught me the most important lessons I have ever learned. Though my initial reaction is to want to withhold the love I have for people now in order to mitigate the hurt of losing them, God is making me see a stronger, deeper purpose for relationships through this all. I want to be there for people on their journeys in the ways that they were for me on mine. Though no one can live forever... I want to make sure that for every moment you are alive, you feel supported to feel those emotions. To not back down from the fear of grief, fear of failure, fear of death. I want to hold your hand in the same ways I held Grandma Starr’s. 

I love you all!!

“I will not fear, for YOU are with me...” -Psalm 23

#lovelife, and love living it with others.

THANK YOU JESUS, for your incredible GRACE. Je t'aime, Etoile.

Blessings,

Luke Grigg

THE END OF AN ERA...

Life is moving fast, too fast, actually. A life of travel, of time so far away from the arms that God had cradle you in your infancy. It seems as if only a moment ago I was laughing at the idea of my grandparents ever getting old. I was sitting at my grandmother's table stating my goals of creating pills that would allow her to never grow old, for us to never grow old. 

When I look at pictures like this, I realize that those ambitions were a little too... ambitious. Nothing will stop the wrinkles. Nothing will stop my legs from growing just one more inch. And nothing, will bring back the memories that have fallen just off the edges of my grandmother's mind, off the edges of her tongue.

Rapid fire.

At any moment she might not be able to finish her... se...sen...senten...? Sentences seem to be a thought of the past at this point, and all I hope for now is the acknowledging grasp of her hand in mine... that even though Grandpa Orney has passed, that even though her house has grown quiet... she is still here. And so am I. 

My love for her does not change. It will never. I hold on to the hope that even when the day comes that she forgets my name... That she forgets that she saved my life when I was a baby. Even when she cannot express her favorite phrase Je t'aime (I love you)... I will still be able to grasp that hand in mine. I will still be able to say I love you. And she will still be able to understand. 

Losing grasp of your physical grandparents is hard enough; but, losing grasp of their mental side seems to be even harder. 

I think that is the hard thing about being a creative - a filmmaker - a photographer. You always have physical markers on your past... of what you have done. 

If you out there... if you are one of those people. Do not forget to hold on to the present even more tightly than you hold on to the past. 

There are very few moments nowadays that I get to hold my grandmother's hand. Living thousands of miles away makes it pretty difficult. With each phone call I feel as though I lose a part of her - while she loses part of her memories. 

It's a long, drawn out goodbye... that I am wishing would be even longer, slower, sweeter. God doesn't give us the choice of going back, but he does give us a choice to cherish every second that I have left, to love so much that it tears us up inside. 

Je t'aime, Etoile. I wish things weren't the way they are... but I love you for never ever giving up. 

-Luke Grigg

NO LONGER JUST AN IDEA!

Hello World. 

What a strange way to begin. The start of something I have only dreamed of for years and years. 

Creating content, creating connections, creating opportunities... for love, joy, friendship, and Jesus to abound. 

I'm not going to lie, even putting words down on a blog again is starting to make me emotional. If you've never seen my previous blog that I kept as I lived 1 year in Lima, Peru, 1 year in Jerusalem, Israel, until my first years of college at UCLA, then you should check it our... here.

I have so missed being able to write. Being able to express exactly what is going on in this big head of mine. The last few years have been the most challenging of my life. I must admit, they were not the most enjoyable, but the reward of knowledge that I have received from them has made it worth it. I have been so confused for so many nights, that writing to other people out there in the world felt like the last thing I needed, despite how much I may have wanted to.  But all the stories will come. All will be told in time. 

I write not because I feel I need to. I write because this is how I process. And sometimes (pretty much always), I find that some of you out there process a lot more quickly than I do, which is why I find it beneficial to ask help of others who have lived even more life than I have. 

A few things you should know right off the bat. 

1) Circle3Productions ---> came from Circle3Records (my sister's unofficial label name that we created years ago). It comes from a combination of the Biblical Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), as well as the fact that...

2) I come from a farm. An onion farm to be exact. I am probably the last person the big city needed to welcome in. I laugh loud in the movie theatre, I drive a big car (toyota 4runner), I feel as though the entire world should be friends, and to top it off, I didn't know that recycling was actually a thing until very late in life. 

Anyways, being from a farm, every "sprinkler" that waters the crops is actually more commonly known as a circle... because it goes in a circle. Since our farm has multiple circles... we numbered them. So yes, Circle3Productions is actually named after a location on the Grigg & Sons farm - circle 3. 

But there will be plenty of time to learn about me. 

If there's anything I can tell you at the end of today, it is this... create, and never stop. But don't create for creating sake. You have a voice. You have a story. Use them. When words are not enough, that is where I believe God gave us art. So that we can express things that our tongues will never be able to pronounce, our ears will never be able to hear. For me, art/music truly is a way of communicating that has no equal, with God, and with people. 

That is what Circle3Productions is really about. Though it may be a curation of my artwork, I would hope it would inspire you to begin your own. That you would share that here, there, anywhere. That this would be a place where love, peace, and joy are free to roam. 

God created you because his voice was love. He chose spend His time on you. What will you spend your time on? 

-Luke