The Chronicles of Prydain Film, Potential Audience; Fans of the Books (Part 2 of 4)

(Source: jkunzart.com)

In part 1 of this series, I detailed how Disney would need to sell well over 70 Million tickets in order for the first Chronicles of Prydain film to be financially successful. I also broke the potential audience into three categories:

1.     Fans of the Prydain books

2.     Fans of the Disney animated movie The Black Cauldron

3.     Non-fans (people who have neither read the book nor seen the movie or are impartial to, or dislike them)

In this post, I am going to look in depth at the first of these three audiences, fans of the Prydain books. 

First, let me state that of the three audiences, this is my favorite. It is the one that I am a part of. It is also the one that I got to know the best while I was making the Lloyd Alexander documentary.  While it is certainly not the largest of the three groups, and will not even come close to accounting for the 70 Million ticket sales that Disney needs, I am going to explain why it is so crucial to the financial success of the film that Disney satisfy this group.

           

In order to take a closer look at the fans of the books, allow me to share some statistics that reflect on this group. 

These statistics give an overall sense of the size and geographical location of the fanbase. As I made the “Lloyd Alexander” documentary, I was amazed at the positive response I received from Alexander’s fans. I was contacted by people from all the four corners of the earth who in one way or another had been influenced by Lloyd Alexander’s books.  This graphic shows each of the countries from which a fan of Lloyd Alexander has reached out to me via e-mail, phone, or other social media sites.

(The countries in red represent the locations from which I have been contacted by Lloyd Alexander fans)

It is also interesting to me, how many people have been influenced by the Prydain books, and have gone on to become authors, artists, or other people of great influence themselves. This list includes, but is not limited to:

• Neil Gaiman (Author)
• Reid Garrett Hoffman (Entrepreneur)
• Jennifer Holm (Author)
• Shannon Hale (Author)
• Justin Kunz (Artist) 
• Clare Dunkle (Author)

Based on the statistics that I’ve shared, it’s obvious that this group will not single-handedly account for the 70 Million tickets that would need to be sold. As a matter of fact, they probably won’t even come close.  So why should Disney care about satisfying the fans of the books? This is the group, that more than any other, that if they are pleased with the film, will want to come back and see it again. Many of them will see it 6 or 7 times if it meets their hopes and expectations. This group will get their friends and families to go with them. This group already loves these stories, and they are already passionate about them. This group will blog about the movie, tweet about the movie, talk about the movie and share their opinions regardless of what they think about the film. This is an important group for Disney to satisfy. 

Now that we’ve examined why Disney needs to satisfy the fans of the books, let me give my opinion on what exactly needs to be done to do that. My answer is a simple one: make the stories as true to the books as possible. Now, I recognize that there are changes that would need to be made while translating the stories from book to the big screen. However, the feel of the world needs to remain consistent, and the characters need to be true to the characters in the book. If this happens the majority of these fans will be pleased with the end result.

I would also argue that the most likely way for the films to capture the magic of the books, is for them to be made by people who are already fans of the books. Not everyone involved needs to be a fan of the books, however, as much as possible, finding a talented director, producer, writer and artists who are passionate about these stories is going to be crucial. This will help ensure the films have the same magic that has captivated generations of readers across the world.

Quote on Prydain's Beginnings

I wanted to release a Lloyd Alexander quote that is lesser known. This quote is found in "Lloyd Alexander: A Critical Biography" by James S. Jacobs. This quote was referencing the time period when he first came up with the concept for the Prydain series. 

The Chronicles of Prydain Film, Potential Audience (Part 1 of 4)

(Source: jkunzart.com)

As a deeply devoted fan of Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain, I have been thinking a lot about the announcement that Disney has acquired the rights to these stories. As was written by Yahoo Movies, Disney is revisiting a property, which was the basis for one of their least successful animated films of all time.

(Source: Wikipedia)

One might ask, “Why revisit the material which led to such an unsuccessful project in the past?” Due to the impact that these books have had on my life, I am obviously biased toward this series. However, I do feel strongly that the reason they would want another shot at developing a film based in the land of Prydain, is the same reason they made an animated film in the first place. The source material is just that good. Disney is sitting on a potential gold mine. And as a fan of the books, I am really hoping that this ends up as a series of 5 films (one for each of the books in the series). 

What does Disney need to do to avoid another financial disaster, and to build a series of blockbuster films? I offer the following thoughts, well aware that Disney is completely qualified and able to answer this question without me. However, with the countless hours of research that I have done on Lloyd Alexander and on these books, perhaps I can offer a unique and valuable perspective.

First, allow me to state the obvious. In order for a film to be financially successful, you need people to come and see it; a lot of people, and a lot of times.  How much money does a film like this need to make to be deemed “successful”? It depends. It depends on what the production and marketing costs are, as well as the studios expectations for the film. For comparison’s sake, let’s look at the Chronicles of Narnia (which are in some ways comparable to the Prydain books).

(Source: imdb.com)

In the early 2000’s Disney partnered with Walden Media to produce films based on the popular series by C.S. Lewis. The first Narnia film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was produced with a $180 Million budget. It brought in a worldwide gross of $745 Million. It was successful enough that Disney agreed to partner with Walden to produce a second film in the series, Prince Caspian.

Due to the success of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the studios decided to spend more money on Prince Caspian. The production budget for the second film was $225 Million. With the raised budget, the expectations and hopes were also raised. It brought in a worldwide gross of $419.7 Million, and ultimately when Walden approached them about doing the third film in the project, Disney decided to pass. The second film had not been successful enough.

Turning back to the Prydain books. There are 5 books in the series, providing potential for a series of films. If Disney were to spend around $200 Million on the first Prydain movie, in order for it to be successful enough for them to want to make other movies in the series, they would likely hope to bring in a gross of around $600 Million (this is my own estimate, and has in no way been confirmed by Disney).

With a goal of $600 Million dollars and an average ticket price of $8.50, they would need to sell well over 70 Million tickets. Where will those 70 million ticket sells come from? I’ve broken the potential audience into three groups:

1.     Fans of the Prydain books

2.     Fans of the Disney animated movie The Black Cauldron

3.     Non-fans (people who have neither read the books nor seen the movie, or are impartial to, or dislike them).

I recognize that categories 1 & 2 are not mutually exclusive, however there seems to be large percentages of those groups which don't fit into the other, so the purposes of my writing, I am treating them as exclusive groups.

In my next three blog posts, I will look at each of these three audiences, and give my thoughts on what would need to happen in order to capitalize on each audience to maximize ticket sales.

(Narnia financial information and average ticket price courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com)

Lloyd Alexander Quote

Over the next few months, I hope to release a series of Lloyd Alexander photos and quotes that are unfamiliar to most. I thought I would start it off, however, with a photo and quote that are a little more recognizable by his fans. Stay tuned for some new material. And let me know what you think of this.

Prydain Pronunciation Guide

As there has been more talk of Prydain recently, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, I thought it would be a good time to put together this pronunciation guide.

These pronunciations come from The Prydain Companion: A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles by Michael O. Tunnell. In The Prydain Companion, Mr. Tunnell writes:

The pronunciation aids were provided by Lloyd Alexander, who advises us that they are not necessarily true to the Welsh tongue. Many sounds in the Welsh language are simply not available in English. Alexander (1985b) does not want the Welsh words to be a stumbling block for readers of the Prydain Chronicles and has therefore made the pronunciations as simple as possible.

While putting together this visual, I have worked closely with Mr. Tunnell to decide which names to include and which names to leave off. I didn't want this graphic to be a comprehensive list, whereas The Prydain Companion already serves as such. However, hopefully this will be helpful to anyone who enters the land of Prydain and is having a hard time with some of the Welsh names. As you come across names that are not on this list, please refer to The Prydain Companion for a complete pronunciation guide.

Ann Durell Speaks About Prydain

I realize that the vast majority of people that visit my blog are fans of Lloyd Alexander, and have already seen this video. However, I wanted to post this video that I made a few years ago that gives a hint of what the Prydain books are like.

In this video, Ann Durell McCrory, who is the editor of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain talks a little about how the books originally came about.

I originally created this video as a "sneak peek" to help advertise for the documentary while it was still being made. However, I'm reposting it now in light of the recent announcement that Disney is developing the Prydain books into a film, this may give a little more insight into what Prydain is all about.

I hope you enjoy this short video. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments, here, or on the YouTube page.

Disney to Adapt Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain into Live Action Film

No books have influenced my life as greatly as Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. When I first purchased the mass market paperbacks from my middle school book fair, little did I know the impact they would have in my future life.

As I read the report by Variety this week announcing Disney was planning on adapting the books into film, I was full of mixed emotions. As most fans of the books can relate, I was excited, however nervous that the films would be a repeat of Disney's previous attempt at adapting the books.

However, I also thought back to my teenage years when I first read these stories. When I first read these books the words were jumping off the page at me. The skillful writing by Mr. Alexander enabled me to envision these books with such clarity and imagery, that I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters and the mythical land of Prydain. I wanted nothing more than to see these books turned into masterful and rich live action films.

This desire was only deepened when I saw Peter Jackson's adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings". As I sat through those movies, and fell in love with Tolkien's work in a new way, I couldn't help but think of what was possible to do with Prydain. I wanted to experience Prydain in the same way that Peter Jackson had helped me, and millions of others, to experience Middle-Earth. Ultimately, I wanted millions of more readers exposed and led to the source material by Lloyd Alexander.

These dreams have helped to shape my life to this point. A few years ago I made a decision to make a documentary film about Lloyd Alexander. The countless hours that I spent researching, and getting to know everything that I could about Lloyd Alexander and his books, was invaluable to me. I was able to gain unique insights into this wonderful man and beloved author. I also gained a deeper love for all of his works, but especially the Chronicles of Prydain.

As Disney embarks on this journey of adapting the Prydain world from text to screen, I am deeply excited to see what they do. I also am encouraged by the technology that is available in today's world to adapt these the right way. I hope that it is adapted in a way that will pay homage to the books, and inspire a new generation to follow their passions the way the books have inspired me. In the immortal words of Lloyd Alexander, "For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are." (The Castle of Llyr, p.4)

What do you think of the news? Let me know in the comments!

Full Lloyd Alexander Documentary Posted on YouTube

Great news! I have just posted the full Lloyd Alexander documentary on YouTube. It is now free for the public to view as much as they want. The DVD's are still available to purchase for $10.00 but it is also on YouTube and will be forever more.

Here it is in all it's viewing glory. I hope you enjoy it, and it inspires individuals to read his books.

-Jared Crossley

Happy 91st Birthday, Lloyd Alexander

It seems to be a yearly tradition for me to write a blog post on here, I'm sorry that it doesn't happen more. Each year on January 30 (Lloyd Alexander's Birthday), it gives me a chance to reflect on the man who has become my favorite author, and the impact he has made on my life. It would be no exaggeration to say that the goals I have, and the direction my life is headed would definitely not be the same without Lloyd Alexander.

Today to celebrate and commemorate Lloyd on his 91st birthday, I have decided to share a list of interesting facts about Lloyd that I have learned that others may not know. I hope this list is interesting to those who read it.

• Lloyd's full name was Lloyd Chudley Alexander (but in high school, he decided to drop his middle name)
• The Chronicles of Prydain was originally planned as a trilogy and was to be titled "The Sons of Llyr" the 3 books in the series were to be:

1. The Battle of the Trees
2. The Lion with the Steady Hand
3. Little Gwion

• When "The Battle of the Trees" was edited out of the first book, Lloyd wanted to rename it "The Assistant Pig-Keeper" but was convinced by someone at the publishing house to name it "The Book of Three"
• Lloyd Alexander loved classical music, especially Mozart
• He thoroughly enjoyed watching the TV show "Xena: Warrior Princess"
• Even though his last book was published in 2007, Lloyd did all of his writing on a typewriter up to the end.
• Lloyd had Agoraphobia: Fear of leaving his house (although, not sure if it was actual fear, or just liked the comforts of home, either way he didn't travel much).
• He was a master of crossword puzzles.
• He truly appreciated his fans. He made it a goal to always personally write back every fan that sent him a letter (I'm unsure if he was 100% in that goal, but I know he was close).

Lloyd Alexander was a very special and unique human being. The talent that he had for writing enabled him to write in such a way that his stories and characters stick with you in a way that I have never quite experienced elsewhere. 

If you have never read any of the books by Lloyd Alexander, I suggest that you do so. If you are like me and have read his books many times, then I urge you to share them with someone else. His creativity and imagination is contagious, and if this world had more people like Lloyd Alexander, it certainly would be a better place.

Happy 90th Birthday Lloyd Alexander!

Lloyd Alexander was born on January 30, 1924. That makes today his 90th birthday. This being the case, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect and share my thoughts on Lloyd Alexander, and who he is to me.



It has now been a little over a year since I finished making the documentary titled "Lloyd Alexander".  In this film I attempted to pay tribute to, in my opinion, one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time. My biggest hope in making the film was to create more awareness of him and his writings. I am pleased to say that I have had countless people who have told me that they read his books for the first time because of the film. As I reflect on the experience of making this documentary there are a few thoughts that I want to share.



First, as I became consumed by learning all that I could about Lloyd Alexander, I came to love both him and his wife, Janine, almost as if they were Grandparents that I never knew.  I never had the opportunity to meet the Alexanders, but through reading about them, talking with their friends and family, and visiting the places they called home (with the exception of going to France, where Janine is from), I feel as though I was able to get a glimpse into what life would have been like had I known them. And that is a happy thought.



Second, as I went through the process of making the film, I met many people whose lives have been changed by the influence of Lloyd Alexander. Some of these people were friends or colleagues of his. I met some who loved him so dearly that they were nervous of my project. And many of the people that I met had their lives changed by reading his books. This is the category that I fall into. Lloyd Alexander had such a way with words that he was able to do more than entertain. He somehow found a way to connect with individuals, and inspire each of us that read his words to become more than we were, to reach after our dreams, and to take pride in our work even if we are assistant pig-keepers.



Finally, I am very glad that I had the opportunity to make this film. It truly made me a better human being. It helped me learn more about the human condition. It introduced me to many wonderful people. It taught me that no matter how big or far away our dreams may seem, nothing is impossible if we work hard and persevere. I hope that as people are exposed to this film for generations to come, they can have part of the same learning experience that I had making it. I hope that many others can come to know and love Lloyd Alexander, just as I have been able to.



Today, for his 90th birthday, we are permanently dropping the price of the DVD's down to $10.00. Also, I am releasing 5 different clips from the documentary throughout the day. They will be available on the Lloyd Alexander YouTube channel here.  We will eventually have the full film available on this YouTube channel, although I am not sure when exactly that will be.



Here is the first of the clips. This clip is 4 minutes from the beginning of the documentary. I hope you enjoy.

Lloyd Alexander DVDs Now for Sale!

The DVD's of "Lloyd Alexander" are now on sale. They are available exclusively on this blog.  You can purchase your copy using the button in the upper-right hand corner of the blog.  The $20 charge includes all shipping and handling costs. $20 is what it says, $20 is what you pay. There are no hidden fees or charges. Ships in 5-7 business days.

If you have any questions regarding purchasing the film, please send them to Jared Crossley via lloydalexanderfilm@gmail.com.

In the meantime, enjoy the official trailer to the film.

Lloyd Alexander Day 2013

Happy 89th Birthday to Lloyd Alexander!

Over the past couple of years it has been my privilege to research the life and writings of a man by the name of Lloyd Alexander. I have never personally met Mr. Alexander, nor have I met his wife Janine. They both passed away in 2007, a few years before I started my research. However, over the period of reading about him, speaking to some of the people who knew him so very well, and walking the paths that he walked (visiting the places from his life such as his homes in Drexel Hill, his High School, the Drexel Hill Post Office, and even the pizza places where he was a regular), I feel as if I have gotten to know Lloyd and Janine in a unique way. As I mentioned to a friend, "I feel as if they are grandparents of mine that I never met". 

My research culminated in 2 documentary films about Lloyd Alexander and his writings. Over the process of making the films, I sadly had to cut out many of the books and aspects of his life that I found so endearing. However, I feel as if I was able to tell the story that will give viewers of the films a new appreciation and understanding of this beloved American author. 

Today marks 89 years since his birth in West Philadelphia. Every year on this date, I hope to remember Mr. Alexander by reading one of his books (at least part of a book), and inviting others to do the same. Next year will be his 90th birthday, and we are planning quite a celebration in Provo, UT (more details to come later). However, as for this year, I wanted to take a few minutes and reflect on my feelings of Lloyd Alexander (see above), and give an update on the status of the documentaries. 

We are working out the final details in order to produce the films onto DVD. The DVD's will be sent to  those who purchased one by supporting the film on Kickstarter. There will also be other DVD's available for purchase at a future date (hopefully soon). 

Today, I wanted to release the cover art for the DVDs. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Another Upcoming Screening in Northern Utah

So there is another screening this next month of "Lloyd Alexander". This one will be held in Logan, UT at the Logan Library. I realize that not many of the people that read this blog are in that area, but I thought I would post the information for those that are able to make it.

What: Free showing of Lloyd Alexander, the new biographical documentary by Utah filmmaker Jared Crossley

Where: The Logan Library's Jim Bridger Room

When: Thursday, February 21 at 7:00 PM

Sponsored by the Adult Nonfiction and Children's divisions at the Logan Library.

Lloyd Alexander Soundtrack

The entire soundtrack for "Lloyd Alexander" is now available online. The music was written by Stephen R. Voorhees, and is magnificent. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Here it is: Lloyd Alexander Soundtrack

Lloyd Alexander QA & Banquet

This last Thursday, October 18, 2012, we had the first of the Lloyd Alexander events in conjunction with the film.  That day at 11:00 a.m. MDT we had the showing of the mini-doc, Lloyd Alexander: America's High King of Fantasy. Following the film we had a QA session with Dr. James Jacobs (author of the dissertation, "Lloyd Alexander: A Critical Biography"), Dr. Michael Tunnell (Author of "The Prydain Companion") Rachel Wadham (Education and Juvenile Collections Librarian, and Curator of the Lloyd Alexander Collection at BYU), and Jared Crossley (Director of the Lloyd Alexander films).  Here are a couple of pictures from the event:

That evening, we had the "Lloyd Alexander Banquet" with a keynote address by Dr. James Jacobs. What a wonderful event. It was great to listen to a man who knows about the life of Lloyd Alexander as well as anyone. 

In the process of making the film, I searched high and low for those who knew Lloyd the best. I realize there are some who knew him very well that I was not able to locate, or get in contact with, however, I was able to interview many of his closest friends and associates. In all of my research, and speaking with these significant people in Lloyd's life, I found one theme, no one knew more than Dr. James Jacobs about the early years of the life of Lloyd Alexander. 

That evening, at the banquet, we were privileged to hear a life sketch of Lloyd Alexander. What a unique experience. We recorded the speech, and hope to make it available to the public on the Lloyd Alexander Documentary YouTube channel. But for now, enjoy these photos from the night:

Stay tuned for the next post about last nights premiere of the Lloyd Alexander documentary.

Press Release

Here is a press release from Provo, UT about the Lloyd Alexander events this week. Check it out:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Roger Layton
801-422-6687
roger_layton@byu.edu

Rachel Wadham
(801) 422-6780
Rachel_Wadham@byu.edu

October 15, 2012

LLOYD ALEXANDER DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES AT HAROLD B. LEE LIBRARY

PROVO—The Harold B. Lee Library will be hosting the premiere of the student-made documentary,
Lloyd Alexander. The library’s Lloyd Alexander Collection contains the majority of Alexander’s original manuscripts, as well as a replica of his office. Jared Crossley, the creator of the documentary, was able to use this replica to film essential scenes.

“We are so lucky to have the Lloyd Alexander Collection,” said Rachel Wadham, the curator of the
collection. “Lloyd Alexander was such a phenomenal author and it has been a pleasure to use our
resources to help Jared make this documentary.”

The documentary will premiere on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. and is an invitation only event. A public
screening of the documentary will be held on Wednesday Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium. A shorter documentary entitled Lloyd Alexander: America’s High King of Fantasy will be shown on Thursday Oct. 18 at 11 a.m. Tours of Lloyd Alexander’s office replica will be available after each showing. The L. Tom Perry Special Collections will be hosting a small exhibit to accompany the documentary. The exhibit features books from The Chronicles of Prydain, pages from original manuscripts, original artwork, calligraphy, and letters sent to Lloyd Alexander by fans, as well as one of Lloyd Alexander’s typewriters. The exhibit will be on display for two weeks.

The Harold B. Lee Library is named in honor of the former President of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and is the main academic library of Brigham Young University. It is the largest religious library and second-largest private university library in the United States. The library currently has approximately 98 miles of shelving for the more than 6 million items in its various collections, as well as a seating capacity for 4,600 people. The Harold B. Lee Library has been consistently ranked in the nation's Top Ten University Libraries by the Princeton Review.

###

Ticketing Closed

Ticketing for the Lloyd Alexander Banquet is now closed. However, see the previous post for a list of other events that are still open to the public.

Lloyd Alexander Extravaganza

The countdown is on, and the time we've been waiting for is almost here. The documentary film, "Lloyd Alexander" is in the final stages, and we are making preparations for next month's premiere.

I am pleased to announce the schedule of events surrounding the premiere of the film. Here is a schedule for the Lloyd Alexander Extravaganza:

Thursday, October 18th

Lloyd Alexander Mini-Doc and Q&A
When: 11:05 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Where: Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: A 10 minute mini-doc highlighting the work and writings of Lloyd Alexander will be shown at 11:05 that morning. The film will be followed by a question and answer session with a panel of Lloyd Alexander experts.
Tickets: Free. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Lloyd Alexander Banquet
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Skyroom at the Wilkinson Student Center on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: The Lloyd Alexander Banquet will feature a keynote address by Dr. James S. Jacobs, author of the dissertation, "Lloyd Alexander: A Critical Biography"
Tickets: $20.00

To purchase tickets to the "Lloyd Alexander Banquet" please use the PayPal link on the right side of this blog. (Please note, there is limited seating available at the banquet, so once the tickets sell-out the link will be removed.)

Friday, October 19th

"Lloyd Alexander" Premiere
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: The world premiere of "Lloyd Alexander", the documentary film about the life and writings of beloved children's author, Lloyd Alexander. The film is a little over an hour long. The official run-time is TBA. 
Tickets: Invitation Only. There are limited tickets available for free to the general public. If you would like to attend, please e-mail your request for tickets to lloydalexanderfilm@gmail.com. Please include your name, and how many tickets you would like. (Note: Sending an e-mail does not guarantee you tickets to the premiere as seating is limited).

Wednesday, October 24th

Public Screening of "Lloyd Alexander"
When: 4:00 p.m.
Where: Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium on BYU campus in Provo, UT
What: A screening of the full-length documentary open to the public.
Tickets: Free. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Here is a map of the BYU campus, including parking information.

I am very excited for these upcoming events. If you have any questions please direct them to me (Jared Crossley) at lloydalexanderfilm@gmail.com. I am very busy, but will try to respond as promptly as possible.

Thank you for your support of this project. I look forward to celebrating the wonderful accomplishments of Lloyd Alexander with you in October.

Official Trailer for "Lloyd Alexander"

It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything. I've been pretty busy making a movie. Anyway, here is the official trailer for "Lloyd Alexander" which will premiere next month on October 19th in Provo, UT.  Check it out, and let me know what you think.

Moving Right Along

It's been awhile since I've last posted, and so I thought it was about time. Since my last blog post, here are some of the notable things we've accomplished on the Lloyd Alexander documentary:

• We finished filming interviews, wrapping up with Mike Tunnell's interview on August 6th.
• Finished writing the script and narration.
• Recorded the narration with Rick Macy.
• Started the editing (using Premiere Pro CS6)
• Finished the final cuts
• Got the final cuts to the music composer, Stephen Voorhees.
• Did a spotting session for the music with Stephen Voorhees.
• Started audio clean-up, color corrections, and other visual touch-ups.
• And I happened to make a cameo appearance in NBC's Rock Center special about Mormons.

Needless to say, it's been a busy time. However, I am very excited about the progress that we are making. We are right on schedule to meet our October 18th deadline for the premiere. We are currently planning and scheduling various events in conjunction with the film premiere, so stay tuned.

Oh, I also wanted to post one of my favorite pictures of Lloyd that, sadly, did not make it into the film. Here's a photo of a young Lloyd Alexander tickling the ivories. Enjoy!