FILMMAKERS ROUNDTABLE

After the patriotic film release of LAST OUNCE OF COURAGE opened in 1400 screens with the endorsement of film legend Chuck Norris placing his “brand” on our film, the film company was inundated with requests from all over the world.   Writers Guild of America (WGA) screenwriters prepared their stories for the production company. 

The influence of the film starring Marshall Teague brought in content and having Mr. Norris and his brand placed in the movie worked.  These new creative submissions inspired the leadership to develop the “Filmmakers Roundtable”, which was needed providing an important filter for greenlighting the picture.  There would be many strategic advantages into a formidable process of review, analysis, adjudication, and a list of positive critique providing a basis to improve every story.

Content creators needed feedback to enhance their own creative journeys.  So collecting the skills from veteran filmmakers, a proprietary diagnostic platform and review team was assembled.  Next, the “table” would have refined creative boundaries and parameters upon a judging filter custom made for Oceania.  Engaging professionals in women, men, minorities and educated veterans, the organization was recruited and assembled.

Dr. McAfee serves as Chairman of the Board for Maisha and he works with Beatrice Williams from Kenya where they currently feed over 2500 children today from the slums around her childhood village.
Kevin and Lynn McAfee are working closely to create the MAISHA BEA story of how a refugee from Kenya survived and fled the nation of Kenya only to return with a purpose in helping others that has fed over two and one half million children. This new documentary film came through the Filmmakers Roundtable.
Wendy, Joe and their daughter India Holden all three share in the SUPERNATURAL STORY OF FREDRICK FULLER down in Shreveport, Louisiana. This award winning documentary was birthed from the Filmmakers Roundtable and is in film festivals in 2024-2025.

Being on the founding board of starting the film school for graduate students at Lipscomb University which has grown rapidly, was synchronizing higher education with credentials and training.  Gifted writers, directors, producers along with actors were looking for tangible evaluations of their intellectual properties and it helped to launch the “table”.

Hundreds of cinematic reviews have since followed this content course from professional adjudication via directors, film festival coordinators and union executives.

Today, the “table” serves as the “green light” filter for Oceania Studios. Plus there are several mini-major studios regarding this analysis.  With the combination of data analytics and proprietary models of review, the “table” has worked for not only content creators, but distribution studios in Hollywood, New York and beyond

Additionally, training is the key to help each and every artist grow. Partnerships with the “table” include excellent schools for actors/artists in the field of cinema with the Nashville Studio of Acting led by Tina Gallo. Organizations like these are part of the “table” and assets to enhance the entity.  

Oceania Studios continues to be a growing virtual company located in Columbia, Tennessee with meetings held at Worldwide Stages in Springhill, Tennessee. 

Pastor Johnny Merrell, John and Deani Merrell with the movie poster from JOY IN THE MORNING were honored at the Will Rogers Film Festival in Claremore, Oklahoma.

If there is an interest in having this method of services performed by the “table”, please contact lynn@oceaniastudios.com. As a direct result of this organization’s excellent work, there are six award winning films now currently being sold today online in the new ecommerce site for the OCEAN.CLUB.  www.filmmakersroundtable.com. 

MARK JOHNSON – COMPOSER

From the filmmaker’s chair, one of the first decisions I make when a story is found relates to my first love, music. I became a music theory and composition major completing my under graduate degree. There was no doubt in mind, music would play a huge role in a tapestry of creative journeys, where each main character would carry a thematic approach, just like we did in BEYOND THE GATES OF SPLENDOR (FOX).

In college, I met many amazing musicians at the University of Oklahoma, University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma City University and beyond.  These men and women would shape musically who I was, in addition to Tim Miner when we created the Miner McAfee band earlier. Being around great artists like Sherman Andrus, David Gates, Roger Miller and powerful songwriters shaped so many of us.

One of the leading musicians, conductors and personal friends from Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City was composer, musician and performer Mark Johnson.  Mark came up through Putnam City Baptist church as a specialist in everything “music”.  His arrangements, expertise in symphony and grand master of many musical instruments is why he was always at the top of his rung.  He served across the Southwest and worked personally with me on music for Falls Creek Baptist Assembly on the theme song, “Sing The Glory Of Your Name” and was later recruited by Miley Cyrus as he directed the symphony on the Hannah Montana movie.

When we premiered the movie a few years earlier with BEYOND THE GATES OF SPLENDOR, he was living in Tennessee, and I invited him to the Franklin Theater where Steven Curtis Chapman and I were debuting our film. Mark expressed a real desire to do more in film with his music and I was hoping the film would inspire him too.  At the time, Mark was head of Symphonic Music for the Southern Baptist Convention. At the premiere, we had many musical artists and friends in the music industry from recording labels with Warner Brothers and EMI, plus the unions sent people from ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and EMI.

These moments reignited a lifelong friendship with Mark.  We stayed in touch because of a film I was asked to direct, LAST OUNCE OF COURAGE where I immediately asked for his assistance, along with Grammy award winning musician, artist and songwriter, Michael Omartian.  Michael produced Christopher Cross’s RIDE LIKE THE WIND and SAILING. He was Amy Grant’s pianists and conducter for the Gospel Music Association Dove Awards for many years. He and Mark worked hand in glove to ensure the soundtrack was amazing.

Then, we connected again when I was in Dallas and I had just begun discussing sharing the story of THE SAMARITAN.  At this point, I asked Mark if he would study everything he could about the nation of Romania since he had personally met Mr. Roush.  From cadence, chordal structures, motifs, popular anthems, and orchestrations in that part of the world.

 

Mark Johnson and Dr. McAfee worked on music beginning at Falls Creek, as both musicians, they co-wrote the theme song after an inspirational experience where they connected both with the story and the theme for THE SAMARITAN.

He immediately began meticulously studying Romania’s music. He wanted to know about their unique style, creative approach to structure, chordal framework in folk music and musical signatures from the gypsies.  Mark invested time, finances, resources for travel and pursued this opportunity and we both believed there was a reason for him being there.

Studying the music from the national anthem in the communist controlled government and more time would be spent was the sign for our team, the Maestro of music listening, study of structure, chordal and contrapuntal elements, which were specific and germane to the success for all the musical objectives would birth original compositions laced in Romanian nuances.

His analysis from the turn of the century up until the late nineteen eighties when the story ended was spectacular where he knew Romanian local and national artists, bought hundreds of songs, dozens of music CD’s in preparing for this monumental task.  He became proficient in areas of understanding all music from that part of the world, but he had a bigger challenge.  As the film’s director, we needed original compositions for the film and stems would be required to have custom designs by the minutes, seconds and even frames.  However, we had not even began the filming yet.

Personally, I have not been writing a lot of music, like I did during my collegiate and artist career. This time was going to be different in creating a new original piece of music. The inspiration came from being really moved by the power of the story, the sacrifice of this lawyer and the faith surrounding it’s ethos.

One evening around midnight when I was living in Texas, a musical idea began to form based on what I knew about the story.  There was no doubt the inspiration of this miraculous story soon would become manifested in this small motif as the theme song entitled, “The Samaritan”.  The melody was sad and forlorn, but it was also hopeful and leaned toward an inspirational feel.

 

When Mark was back in town in Texas, I could not wait to perform this musical idea in the first sixteen bars for a potential theme song.  However, my original idea needed the expertise of a co-writer in Mark who would work to fine tune a beautiful composition for orchestra he had arranged.

What I have learned about music, is that you must create music that people can remember and even sing back to you.  John Williams, the award-winning composer for motion pictures proved this musical position over and over in scoring for his films. From Indiana Jones to Superman, his gift always enchanted me. The dynamic of a memorable melody would have to be mandated for this amazing story.  Mark was the perfect combination who’d take this piece to the nest level.

Maestro Johnson connected with the melody I performed for him on a small electric piano.  He heard its cadence and felt this piece connected to the story.  Because it began as a simple creative journey, I asked him to join me in the journey and as always, he never disappointed. He heard additional elements that accented the simple structure and heard the symphonic approach beautifully. Strings and piano would be the foundation. 

I felt so blessed to be working with such a great composer, musician and friend again on the project.  Everything in our lives had come full circle as classmates in college, to when we wrote music for the choir and orchestra for the kids at Falls Creek Baptist Convention Center in Oklahoma near the Arbuckle Mountains.

What was even more impressive was the precision of Mark defined in originally writing the entire score for THE SAMARITAN. His attention to detail working with the film team was spotless.  He found wonderful orchestral musicians in Oklahoma City for the soundtrack and the hauntingly beautiful original compositions are woven together like a tapestry.

Today, Mark owns Bricktown Films LLC, a film studio in Oklahoma City where he continues to be involved in music, film, composing, arranging, and writing.  His instincts even in his own girls are extended in their talents and skills.  You will also see Mark Johnson continuing to teach on all levels as he has been a professor at OBU, at a private charter school and in public education at every level.

 

THE SAMARITAN

In the early nineties in Colorado Springs, Colorado with Bill Anderson, the leader of the CBA with Matt Seward and I first heard the story of the famous defection of Paul Firica.  The lawyer from Texas who risked his life to help him reunite with his family and defect was writing a book about one of the most dramatic stories taking place during the Romanian revolution.

Almost two decades later, our film team traveled to Texas meeting with Edward Roush, in one of the most dramatic retellings of the story that went around the world. Soon, this film would take our film team around the world.

The cinematic journey followed the travelers of Mr. Roush to find Paul Firica’s family who still lived in Romania. Espionage and trickery through the dangers were encountered by the Dallas lawyer.  Having worked some of the largest cases in history, Mr. Roush would risk his life to connect with Paul’s family after he defected.

In the Good Book, there is a story written about a Samaritan and what he did to help a person who was in need.  This was  to all the mythical question asks all of us, “How far would you go to help a stranger?”

Feeling prompted to delve further into the story, the film team traveled to the nation’s capital where we would meet with two United States Congressman, Christopher Smith from New Jersey, formerly serving in Virginia, Frank Wolfe and Mike Hall from Ohio. 

In Congress, these three brave political leaders from the Democrat and Republican party were the bi-partisan delegates who dared to stand up against the communist government for the evil dictator’s persecution to Christians.

This story would lead us to the House of Lords in England filming into the chambers of the Jubilee Room meeting Lord David Alton from Liverpool.  Mr. Roush had identified Lord Alton as a champion for persecuted rights from the British Parliament and flew with him to Nepal visiting persecuted Christians as a prelude for his dangerous mission to Bucharest.   Traveling into a communist nation was a prelude of peril following his controversial life.

Carrying this story of Paul’s defection from the Houston harbor when Paul jumped ship, ended up on the desk of President Ronald Reagan when it was then passed down to Lt. Colonel Oliver North.  This patriot contributed to this amazing story that rivals the BRIDGE OF SPIES. One of the most awarded film festival wins globally, this film now is a mere prelude to what is going on in the Ukraine. 

Director
Kevin McAfee