Here we go again...

After nearly a decade hiatus, the creators of the award-winning film Jackson's Run are back at it once again.

The Process Begins

Ten years is a loooong time, but the cliche, "time flies," proves right and true to the very core once again. As the tenth anniversary of the release of our first feature film, Jackson's Run, quickly approaches, I find myself looking back and wondering where all that time went. But hey... We all get busy with family, work, friends, and everyday life, and typically what we "right-brained" folks sacrifice as a result is creativity. For those that may not know me, my name is Daniel Lennox and I am the Director and Co-writer of Jackson's Run.

I've dabbled in a few projects over the years since Jackson's Run, and I've done some writing work here and there, but for the most part, I have found myself mostly bankrupt in the creative department. This is something that has bothered me for some time, but finally… It appears the winds of change are once again favoring the creative process which is something I’ve been hoping for, for a long time.

The Outlands project started when I had an opportunity to come down to Southern Indiana to spend a day with Chris. Although it had been many years, our routine had never changed and like old times, we headed to Coffee Crossing (our Jackson’s Run headquarters and all-around favorite local coffee shop), ordered our sugar-free polar bear drinks, and spent several hours reminiscing about all the good and sometimes challenging times we had during the making of Jackson’s Run. As the conversation lulled, leave it to Chris to say just the right thing at just the right time. “So….," he said, "You working on anything interesting?” I remember feeling a smile cross my face, as I immediately replied, “as a matter of fact...,” and it all started from there. Minutes turned to hours, and before I knew it, the evening was well underway, and it was time to wrap it up and make the two-hour drive back to my home in Indianapolis. During my visit, we exchanged some great ideas, and in the process, we got to play one of our favorite story development games... The “What If?" game. We agreed to meet again after the Christmas holiday, shook hands, said our goodbyes, and went our separate ways.

Our Second Meeting

I was excited to get back to New Albany to meet with Chris and expand on the story idea we discussed at the previous meeting. I got an early start that morning picked up Chris, and we headed back to Coffee Crossing. With our sugar-free polar bears in hand, I opened up the notes I had taken from our previous meeting, and we went to work. It was different this time as I felt an energy that I hadn't felt since we had written Jackson's Run. And, I could tell Chris felt it, too! The ideas flowed faster than I could write them down, and the story, our story, began to have a bit more focus and take some form. My favorite part of this process was watching Chris get excited about what we were discussing because we both knew we had something solid here to go on.

“Wait a second….” I remember saying, “are we doing another film?” We hadn't even discussed the possibility of doing another project, but yet here we were talking story like I remember so many years ago. I waited for Chris’ response which didn’t come immediately like I was hoping, but he eventually managed to get it out. “I think so,” he said as he slurped the last of his polar bear drink through his straw. I finished my drink and asked again, “you sure about this?” then I awaited his reply. It’s no secret for those who have collaborated or worked with me on or around a film set know that I can be a bit bull-headed now and then regarding the creative process. Chris and I had many creative disagreements while developing the story for Jackson's Run. But as Chris had always told me... "The cream always rises to the top," and he was right! Despite our creative differences and sometimes little... Okay... Big arguments that came with the collaborative process, we ended up with an award-winning film that has changed lives and has been seen more than a million times worldwide. Before I could complete my thought, Chris let me have it with both barrels... “Let’s do this!”

Moving Forward

I promised myself long ago that if I ever made another feature film, I’d be sure to carry the lessons from the many mistakes we made during the production process from Jackson’s Run. For The Outlands project, Chris and I promised each other that we’d keep things as small and as simple as possible (and that's exactly what we intend to do!). We also agreed to take things slow and easy in order to bring in the right people at the right time to ensure we assemble a rock-solid production team. I’m happy to announce that Chris and I have teamed up with the very talented Joel Jackson, an award-winning musician and independent filmmaker from New Albany, Indiana. Joel was part of the original Jackson’s Run team and was responsible for writing and recording several original songs and the entire soundtrack for Jackson’s Run. Since then, he's recorded several albums and written, directed, and starred in his own Christian feature film, "Rock for Jesus - The Ultimate Comback," You can check it out HERE. I’m excited to work with Joel again as he brings creative energy to anything and everything he does to the likes that I’ve never seen. More on this in another post.

For the time being, Chris, Joel, and I are in story development mode as we continue our busy lives. Although the story still resembles the shape of a dyslexic amoeba at this point, I know it'll come together in time... Not in our time but in God’s time, and this excites me!

I’ve decided to include these blog posts on the official film website as it’s an excellent way for the three of us to document the project as it develops, as well as give our fans an inside look at the story development and filmmaking process from the incipient stage through the post-production stage and beyond.

If you’re reading this, thank you for joining us on yet another creative journey that we hope will result in another impactful, award-winning film that delivers a powerful message while giving all the glory to God.

Until next time…. God Bless – Dan