A significant amount of the scenes were exteriors shot throughout New York City. Sometimes the only consolation for the crew and the actors on a cold, rainy or snowy day was the extreme slices of pizza in the pizzeria on Broadway and 110th st., sometimes it
was MacDonald's out of the bag inside the subway station at 5th Ave. and 42nd Street. Either way, few if any, complained. Sometimes you do not have the time when you are "in the work" to fully acknowledge your gratefulness, although it is realized in moments of clarity within the whirlwind of deadlines, of people
who believe in the story and each other. The inspiring thing, looking back on the project now, is the devotion of people who were not paid, or paid very little, to get the story made.

We had 12 SAG actors involved with the project, some of whom had been on the New York theater and film scene a long time. I learned volumes from them, from their professional demeanors and work habits. The actors banded together, they would call on fellow actors to come to the set in the middle of the night, in the cold and snow to play a bit part where we may not even see their faces, and those actors would show up happy and optimistic without batting an eyelash.

Stephen Brian Jones blew in like a tornado on the first audition. He seemed mad at first… he was late, disheveled... then I saw him compose himself and as he did the scenes and I looked behind the video camera viewfinder, my frustrations were eased... from that point I knew I would be alright, because I had Marcus.
I had another couple actors out of the 150 that I auditioned that were considered, both very good and very different. I showed members of my class, got feedback, but none were as appropriate and inspiring as Stephen being Marcus. Emi and Steve were a great and most valuable team bringing together many of the actors and breathing their spirits into the piece,
with complete devotion to each other and the film.

During all phases of production, my crew was also inspired. Whether it was Cris Morris unpacking the truck with me on an off-day when no one could show up, or Teruyo Hirose and Ben Schwartz diligently at work on the enormous amount of film loading and equipment every day, or Vanessa Cantu coming on board and meeting at all hours of the night when she got off her
day job to plan the next day's schedule. Or Marieve Amy taking on the burden of producer when Josie dropped out of the picture… And there were many other incidents of hard work not seen by every body. These are the things and the people who made the film a great experience.

In the post-production phase, the faculty, such as Campbell Dalglish, Andrzej Krakowski, Herman Lew, Dave Davidson, and Jerry Carlson were all helpful in giving feedback. Darren Ryan, a first year grad student took on a huge amount of work and would put in on top of his school workload, 4-5 days a week logging and
editing. Having him on board was a great ease on my mind as well.

My father and Mark Henry were always there to give help and feedback and believed in the project throughout. And then, of course, is the one who the movie is dedicated to, Antonella, who has inspired me and believed in my devotion and craft from the
beginning and she is my most treasured gift.

It was a rich experience and every time I look at the film I know it has real value. My hope is that others will see the value in the work…in the story and the characters and the meaning of faith. Amen.