A Story to Tell

from Thursday, January 8, 2009

A short film created for Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona. The goal was to create a modern version of an aspect of the Christmas story. Hence, the backpacker-shepherds. A little cheesy, but hey, it's in HD! :D

HD Version HERE: http://vimeo.com/2754811

Credits:

Tim Allen - Camera, After Effects
Mark Miller - Production Manager, Additional After Effects
Jonathan Roberts - Writer
Directed by Jonathan Roberts and Tim Allen
Shot on location at South Mountain Park.

Script:

Tonight we watch the Western star in the wild sky
And we tread a broke-down path beaten by massive-
monsoon-winds and the clouded desert sun.

We pant, we trod, we take six thousand bold steps
and brace our strength for this last and great ascent.

We are shepherds and we have come to touch this wild sky
With our hands raised high and our knees bent low.
On this peak we stand as the guards and wide-eyed prayer-
warriors of the heavy-hearted, hemmed-in people we love.

We lay down sweat-soaked shoulder packs and walking sticks
And we bend our knees to keep our people at peace and rest.

We feel the slingshot rocks of this barren face tremble and
vibrate like a swollen beehive under our bare-skinned knees.

“Hush! Wait! Don’t speak!
Rise! Run! And tell this Joy”

Hemmed-in by mountains of sin, we can see the glory
Of our Lord fall like the light of seven thousand dancing stars
Filling the sunken valley below with hope in the distance.

The sky erupts in torrent and fury of sound and silence
And the chorus of high angels lights up the city in color,
With kited small circled-spheres of night and half-light,
rising and spinning through refracted red heat storm hazes.

Our faces are all alight with good news and great joy,
We rush and stumble back down the desert mountain
Like little kids on an early Christmas morning because
We are the swift and blessed ones…
and we have a story to tell.