Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Long Since Past: The Future

It has been far too long since I last wrote on here. Usually my entries are more on the creative side. However, this entry is going to be more of an unveiling of what my plans are and the direction I am going to take with Sonlitdark.

My original plan was (and ultimately still is) to create several Acquire The Fire like experiences that aim more at those that would never go to a Christian event and then take those experiences across the country. These events would be composed of elements from each corner of the media world. Here is a layout of what Sonlitdark will look like on paper.

-HQ
  • The Thinkers
  • The Doers
  • The Storytellers
-Printed Media/Advertising

-Merchandise

-Live Music/Production w/ Full Camera Crew
  • Writing (for Theatrics)
  • Sound Crew
  • Lighting Crew
  • Camera Crew
  • Acting Talent
  • Pyrotechnics
  • Props/ Set Design
  • Musical Talent: Two bands will be chosen to tour with each individual event.
-A/V Production
  • Writing (for the videos)
  • Sound Crew
  • Lighting Crew
  • Camera Crew
  • Acting Talent
  • Pyrotechnics/ Firearms
  • Props/ Set Design
  • Editing
  • 2D/3D Animation
Now, as you can see this is a lot of stuff to try and just throw together. Recently I realized that I haven't taken the time to figure out the steps I am going to take to get to my ultimate goal. So here is the plan:
  1. Due to the fact that I currently have to maintain a job and can't yet make Sonlitdark my full time focus, I have decided to start off the organization strictly as a low budget video production company that works exclusively for itself. The idea is to do shorts that are written, directed, and produced by the company for the company... or at least for it's cause. All of the "staff" will be volunteers so I wanted to give myself plenty of time for each project. So, I plan to start off doing seasonal projects: A summer project and a winter project for each year. That is step one.
  2. I want step one to continue on as Sonlitdark progresses. If things go as planned, the projects will have made an impression online and hopefully caught the eyes of those that would be willing to contribute financially to the organization. By the end of the second season of the Sonlitdark Project I hope to have established a professional studio fit for professional quality audio and video recording with editing equipment. That (the studio) is step two.
  3. Not too long after getting comfortable with the new studio I would like to start doing mini-events in a cooperative manner with local ministries. The events will be aimed at youth and not be held in churches. They will not be heavily evangelical until the final 10 minutes of each one. The events will tell fictional stories with heavy points and scenarios that connect everyday objects and happenings to the reality of what Christ did and to our eternal destinations. The idea is to ask questions with the events and leave people hungry for answers. That (the mini-events) is step three.
  4. Just like with the Sonlitdark Projects, I want the mini-events to still continue. Youth ministries could contact us to have us do an event specifically for there ministry. Now, this is the last step. The kicker that puts Sonlitdark in it's entirety on the map. For the final step in the maturing process of the organization, I want to do a full on Sonlitdark Event put on by the organization. The thing that would really make this a dream come true is if I could get the people that put on the Sonshine Music Fest to let me do it as an additional day at Sonshine. It is a stretch but hopefully by this time I will have a few connections. That is it.
So that is the plan. It took a lot for me to put this out for people to see. This is the metamorphosis of my dream and what I hope to be my future. Anyone interested in getting involved with the Sonlitdark Project, please contact me at:

sam@sonlitdark.com