How Do You Properly Observe Pioneer Day...Watch "Trek: The Movie," Of Course!

Last month I attended a screenwriting class and one of the presenters co-wrote and co-directed, Trek: the Movie. The presenter, David Howard, talked about his most recent film and he hoped people would support it. I knew he was going to attend the writing conference for some time and I wanted to see Trek while it was in theaters.

I didn't make it.

But that's not unusual. I haven't seen a film in a theater since back in December. We just don't see movies on the big screen. So when I saw the DVD of Trek at the local bookstore, I thought back to David and Blake's class, because in that class I wished I had seen the movie so I could say I supported it.

Trek is a film about the Mormon tradition of coercing teenage church members into leaving their families, their homes, their electronics, their video games, and as many modern technologies as possible, and push a handcart over long distances. When I was around fourteen-years old, I participated in a trek. Those who wrote and made this film got so many things right about the experience. Even though it's been a long time, I still remember dreaming about, talking about, fantasizing about one thing...

Food!

We were so hungry--all the time--we were hungry.

The film has it's highs and lows, like every film. The beginning was a little slow as not only the characters are introduced but this unique experience that is "trek" is explained and showcased. The best part of the show for me was the main character's (Tom) journey from rebellion to redemption. We learn why Tom is turning from his childhood religion and has to be bribed to even go on the trek. I also found the situation the kids find themselves at the end of the second act believable and relatable.

In short, there were things in Trek I thought I'd see--and I did--but there were surprises, too. I'm glad I picked up the film. I'm glad it was made. And I'm glad that decades ago I decided to go on a trek myself. I've thought about that experience a lot since then. And watching this movie reminded me of it all over again. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Well done, Dave! You and everyone involved made a film that not only lets us know what going on a trek is like, but also allowing us to re-live what we did, with other kids, while pulling/pushing a handcart.

Enter The Fringe...A VERY Cool Short Film

When you know a lot of creative people, you may run into a problem. There's just not enough time to watch, to read, to listen to all the amazing things they create. I've got a stack of novels to read and that's just from the authors I know personally.

Even though writing a book is not easy and it takes time, a person can think of the story, plot it out, write it, and publish it themselves. I suppose someone can do the same with a film, but if they want more than two people in the movie, they'll need help.

A friend of mine, Nathan Riddle wrote a story called Enter the Fringe, and it's been made it into a short film. Today I finally watched it (it's on Amazon Prime...) and it was great--so many good things in their short ten minute production. Plus, the driver of the very cool Mustang is Jared Morgan, an actor with which I've been fortunate enough to share the stage--good guy.

The gritty feel of the dystopian world comes through in the arid cinematography. The lighting in the seedy backroom office creates the proper tone, and the scene where the haggard man takes matters literally into his own hands was as gruesome as it was wonderfully crafted. It gave the creeps.

Yes--there's lot crammed into the film, even the special effects, though used sparingly, were beautiful and convincing.

Though it's been over ten years, I worked on a short film, a story I helped write. I was there for the filming and saw how much hard work it takes to get even a few seconds of action. The trick is to not let the audience see any of that--they only need to see and experience the story, what happens. Enter the Fringe gives us a glimpse of a terrifying world, a world I wouldn't want to live in, but a world I'd love to see more of. Hopefully, one day, we all will.