12 Movies That Leave You Inspired

There is nothing like seeing a movie that speaks volumes to your heart and leaves you inspired. It’s the movie you watch that gives your body chills and makes your heart ache a bit.  You’ll be watching it and suddenly realize that it’s YOUR story….

Scattered Brain

I haven’t written in a while as far as my blog goes. I wanted to let you all know that I’ve been creating and writing screenplays. No I haven’t made it, no, I haven’t won any contests or optioned anything. I’m just focusing on my dreams and career. Now I’m trying to get an actress to commit to a role for a short without money or a crew. All this has taken me into an emotional drive even if down at the moment.

I want my dreams to come true, but I have to keep working on it no matter my mind. If I think about ending it all, I just need to write about it. I know this is not a job for the ones who want to make and think they are a pro. I know I’m not, nor am I going to quit I will get there in time, but if course I wish, it was now. I’m hoping to win some contests or at least get an honorable mention. I hope that I can get an actress to commit, I hope to hope things happen. I want my thoughts no matter how deranged they are seen by others. Not in my action, but by the visions that are placed on the screen. I want for you all to keep rooting me on. I think I will make it. This year is my goal. I have written a few shorts and working on now four features. I know I need to get one done, but my mind is scattered. Either way I’m moving forward.

Check out my shorts Stage32.com

CyanogenMod Nearly Killed Me

When it came to my Nexus 7 2013, I wanted to have a functioning tablet. I decided since everyone was talking about CyanogenMod and me thinking I’m a tech geek. I wanted to try it out. After rooting my wife’s tablet which she was having a hard time with once Lollipop 5.0.2 updated. After rooting it. It started to work a bit better just her wifi seems a bit glichy.

I wanted to do something different, but I didn’t know it was going to take me a day and become my worst nightmare. CyanogenMod has an app you install on your tablet then a windows software to make it less of a headache to install. Well, I found out that the self-installing program didn’t work. This I should have taken as a sign not to do it and just root mine. Well, I did have to root before I installed because it stated I had the wrong firmware. And yes, I know I’m not supposed to break something that didn’t need fixing.

I used Nexus Root Toolkit v2.0.4 to root my Nexus before I put on CyanogenMod. At this point, I should have stopped. I then used the Cyanogenmod app and desktop software, and it didn’t want to install. Next I then used the Root Toolkit to kind of side load the CyanogenMod ROM well, it didn’t have Google’s services, so I had to install that separately. By this time, I’m like crap it told me to save, save, save. I didn’t save anything.

I then proceeded to boot it up well, the Google services kept coming up with an error, and I couldn’t use the Google Keyboard to type. I had to reboot and format and refresh to manufactory settings. Not the original manufactory settings those I had removed when I didn’t save anything. So, it reset CyanogenMod. After 10 hours of anger cussing and thinking my tablet was a total loss it started to work.

CyanogenMod has a nightly update well I know now that I should never install these updates because every time I do I have to do a manufacture reset. Oh and when you try to login into CyanogenMod account while booting into the system the first time it doesn’t work and gives an error then you have to reset again to get it off the screen.

This was my hell and still is 3 days later as I had all my apps installed and had to reset two times because of the nightly release that didn’t install correctly. I should be writing and not working on this, but my tablet is my writing tool since it allows me to work on my scripts as I rock in my rocking chair.

Bayless Interview

Bayless a band that creates great music with a message.

I have your last album Within Your Reach. It has a Gothic Metal tone. Sounding like Evanescence. Unlike Evanescence you state on your Kickstarter page that you are a “ministry first and a band second.” Do you preach within your lyrics?
Our music exists to offer hope, but to not shy away from real issues and real feelings. We write about other people’s stories, anything from addiction, to the loss of a loved one, to questioning who God is. These are all real issues many go through in this life, but we offer a way of hope when in those dark times. We aren’t guaranteed a perfect life if we follow God, but we are given hope for what’s to come and a promise that God has something on the other side of the darkness for us. We can either keep going deeper into the unknown abyss, or we can walk towards the light illuminating our path in this life.

Would you allow one of your songs to be put in a movie that is not faith based?
We would be open to that as long as the message of the movie didn’t contradict what our music talks of or something we couldn’t feel good endorsing. But, if it’s something that could have a big impact in even intriguing one person to check us out and in turn, helps them? Sure, we’d be open to that. Our music isn’t for Christians exclusively, it’s targeted for everyone. We want to say something in our music regardless of the walk of life the listener is in.

Now being a believer and they always say that “if a door closes another opens.” What would you do if your Kickstarter is not fully funded?
We also addressed this on our Kickstarter homepage, but if we do not raise our goal, we would still find a way to fund this. We feel strongly about this opportunity and we feel we have an awesome support system and fan base who would help us figure out a way to fund it. We know God opened a big door for us and so we’ll walk through it regardless of what’s on the other side. But, so far our Kickstarter is ahead of schedule by a long ways and we are ahead of schedule to make our goal. Let’s hope it continues in that trend!

Your Facebook page states that you’ve toured with Thousand Foot Krutch, and Disciple. How was the atmosphere when touring with them? Did you have a great time? Would you tour with them again?

Actually, we did not go on tour with them, we’ve just done some shows with them. We’d LOVE to be able to tour with either of those bands. Who knows? Maybe down the road that could work out somehow. They are both a group of humble, considerate, and talented musicians who we look up to. We hope to work with them again in the future.

Your website state’s Jared never wrote, played, or even sang until 19. How many hours a day did you spend practicing once you sold your PlayStation 2 and got your first guitar?
Jared: You’ve done your homework on me! (Which is flattering! Haha!) That’s correct. I actually sold my PS2 at the time to learn Metallica songs. I had this passion like never before to play. Had a friend come over and teach me like the first 30 seconds of about 4 of their songs. After that, it was too complex to learn. At the time I thought 30 seconds made me an expert.  I soon went off to college, met people way more talented than me, and they just invited me to come play guitar with them in their dorm rooms, practices, etc. It was brutal for them to probably listen to me chunk the chords, drop my pick in my acoustic guitar hole, and stare at their fingers in confusion like a Lady Gaga song. But, not long after I prayed a simple prayer to myself during a dorm devo “God, if I do this music I’ll do it for you and no one else.” And then, I just took off. My skills improved dramatically, I had people who forced me to sing, lead some chapel services, get over my fear of playing in front of people, and then suddenly the writing started. Music is an addiction for me now. I love arranging and writing. It’s my therapy, my escape, and my return back to God for His faithfulness to me.

You attended Nebraska Christian College. Do you feel that attending college helped your current path or was it just a rock in the way of your true calling?
Jared: My time at NCC was one of the greatest times of my life. I met lifelong friends who I still talk to today. People, professors, and acquaintances from my time there that I still call on for prayer or advice or just to chat. I even got to do an internship in the music department after I had graduated, even though I didn’t get a degree in music (I got it in Family Counseling). It was far from a rock in the way, quite the opposite. It woke me up, gave me a faith of my own, let me be around other strong believers who were just like me, struggled like me, came alongside me when I needed them and vice versa. It was where I saw that it was ok to truly be a Christian and it didn’t make you a nerd or an outcast or socially awkward. It was where I developed my leadership, grew my talents, and learned how to communicate with passion. If I had not gone there, I would never have been the man I am today.

Do you listen to other bands music secular or Christian? If so which ones and why those particular ones?
Absolutely. Demon Hunter, Project 86, Metallica, Evanescence, Skillet, Florence + The Machine, Thousand Foot Krutch, Breaking Benjamin, Flyleaf, Red, Adele… there are just so many talented artists out there. How could we not listen to them? We strongly believe in supporting our fellow musicians as well, so when we come across an artist we feel strongly about, we purchase their music and promote them. It’s the same we’d want someone to do for us.

Where did you and the band meet?
Jared: I originally started out on my own under my own name “Jared Bayless”, but after Vanessa and I got married and began writing songs together and the power in her vocals that added a different dynamic to the band, we dropped my first name and just became “Bayless”. I’ve been so blessed to play with so many amazingly talented musicians over the years, including Rod & Christian currently. We started out in Omaha, NE and continued to grow and flourish in our time in Wichita, KS. We’re continuing to build upon that out here in the Colorado area now.

Where do you see your music and band in the next five years?
We hope to continue our ministry regardless of our popularity or status. It’s not about fame. It’s about changing lives. With that said, of course we’d like to take our music to a larger platform and reach more people. But if we’ve ceased to open people’s hearts, and change lives, then it’s all been for naught.

Have you had to overcome major obstacles during your music career?
I don’t know about major, but every band/musician goes through the same thing. It’s a TON of work to do music and to continue to do it and be successful at it and maintain that. Bands come and go, interchangeable parts, internal conflicts, chemistry between band-mates, having the right song with the right sound, etc. On top of that, you have to balance your work, which supports the music and your family as it unfolds for each person. Our biggest obstacle has probably just been what every band strives for – credibility. You work so hard to have people give your music a chance, and decipher through what is constructive criticism and what is actually going to just be discouragement from outside opinion. Music is all about opinion and is a war no one will ever win. Some people will love your music, some will hate it, and some will only like it if their friends like it or if it’s on the radio. Just continuing to not give up on what God was putting on our hearts so many years ago and striving to be different than what was out there, but not so different that you alienate yourself from progress. Add all that up and try to balance it, you can see why it’s such a tough industry, but also so rewarding on every level.

Are you trying to mimic anyone musically or set yourself apart from others?
We have our influences in the way we write, sure, but we are trying to be our own. Every band, (except cover bands), wants to be different and have their own sound. We feel our sound is unique in our arrangements, our dual male/female vocal leads, and hopefully we keep the same message of hope running through them that people can easily pick out. We just want people to be encouraged/challenged/inspired by our music more than anything. The message is more important than the style, ultimately.

If you were out eating would you stop and give any fans that want an autograph one?
Well, sure! Hopefully, we’d be able to offer more then just a lousy autograph haha! One of the biggest highlights of our shows is getting to talk to people afterwards. We LOVE this part of our ministry. And this is what it’s all about. Loving on each other, regardless of who you are or where you come from, praying with and encouraging one another, and giving each other hope, helping them realize that their stories -their struggles matter to us.

Would you preach to anyone you meet or just let your music and lyrics do that for you?
It seems the age of the “door to door evangelism” or just walking up to a stranger to talk about Jesus is dead in terms of being truly effective. I’m not even sure how effective it was when it was more prominent in culture. The word, ‘preach’, has become more stereotypical and almost seen as a negative term outside of a church service. We do all this so that we can have a chance to talk to fans after the shows and listen to them, not so they will come talk to us and tell us what they think of us. When we started asking our fans their stories, that’s when the true blessings came. That’s when our writing changed and we wanted to tell our fans’ stories. We’ve met some amazing people, heard some amazing stories. Some have been heartbreaking, and some joyful. But we just want to be real with people. We don’t want to be “rock stars”. We just want to be real people who want people to find the message of hope in our music, in the way we live our lives, and know that we aren’t perfect and will never claim to be, but we have a hope that only Christ can provide. We want to be a source of strength for people who are hurting, a source of encouragement for those who need a pick-me-up. Ultimately, who we are as people in our daily lives comes out in our music and writing. We will never jam God down anyone’s throat, but we won’t shy away from sharing where we’ve found strength, comfort, and assurance in this broken world. And if the music brings about those questions, we’d be happy to talk with someone about it, but if not, we’re super happy just to get to meet new people and make new friends.

What is one word that describes you and your music in whole?
I can’t think of just one word. We would hope that “A light in the darkness” would be closest to describing our vision for this ministry.

What are any other hobbies you have other then your music?
Jared: I love doing video work on the side and have done some work for churches and organizations doing promos etc. I also love watching movies, playing sports, hiking, and writing. Vanessa: I’ve been a nurse for 7 years now and love it! But in my spare time (besides doing music of course), I love being active, baking, gardening, or just chilling at home with Jared. I’m also passionate about medical missions and traveling. So many things to do, so little time.

Check out Bayless’ Kickstarter to help them fund there next EP.

The Band includes:

Jared Bayless – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keys

Vanessa Bayless – Lead Vocals, Keys

Rod Nance – Keys, Synth

Christian Lee – Drums

Originally posted on June 23, 2013 on:

Read more at http://guardianlv.com/2013/06/bayless-interview/#pbhIVvjrkJUUbhRu.99

Celtx or Final Draft Neither

Celtx Software

For screenwriters, many books have tips on writing a script. All have what is thought to be the correct way and format. Well with the ever-changing SPEC way, what is the right way? That I’m still trying to figure out, but if you want to write with the visually correct way, there are different kinds of software to help you out.

Celtx Online

You may think of the free Celtx or Final Draft. Who wants to pay 100 to 200 dollars for something you can get for free? Celtx may sound like a good choice, but since they went fully online (no software only if you search for it), it’s more distracting than helpful. I saw a question from someone via LinkedIn asking about this issue.

Celtx Mobile

Celtx Mobile

I’ve used Celtx since they have a mobile app, and I’ve used it for screen writing and for comic book writing. I like it because of a semi standard way of writing comic scripts. I’ve used Final Draft but didn’t like it much. While searching for software I came upon a few free ones and others that cost way to much. However, I wanted to write on the fly and on my phone or tablet, what I found was FadeIn.

FadeIn Desktop Software

With Celtx, you can save your work to their cloud, but FadeIn you save to Dropbox. While Final Draft is more for Apple products where Celtx and FadeIn can be used on Windows and Linux machines. I also like FadeIn because the creator took some suggestions and implemented them into the mobile app. I need to suggest a comic book format option.

FadeIn Mobile

 

FadeIn Mobile

We all want to be flawless in our format and there are those who want you to use Final Draft. Well fade in can import from Final Draft and Celtx and you can export to Final Draft with FadeIn this is perfect for mentors or others who need to edit your work or edit with those you are collaborating with that use the not liked Final Draft.

If you’re looking for a Final Draft alternative the $50 plus $5 for the android app. You will have what you seek. I know this is short and not that wordy review most do. Check it out and try the demo of the desktop software and try out the free version of FadeIn mobile. They have free updates without having to purchase them in the future.

http://www.fadeinpro.com/index.html