One of the amazing gifts of a DVD recording is that it captures you in time and space in that moment! The images, scenes, and words are forever frozen in time.
Along with your hair style. And hair color. And wardrobe. And make up. Or lack there of.
Here are 5 Behind the Scenes Secrets that you may not know from The Organic God DVD series:
1. This was the first DVD series I ever recorded.
Since The Organic God series released, I’ve recorded nearly 50 weeks of teaching and hosting Bible studies. But this was the first. That translates to being utterly unprepared for the challenges of filming in every way. These challenges were only compounded by filming in Alaska—with shifting weather patterns, noisy planes flying overhead, equipment that stopped working and much more.
2. The North Face fleece jackets I wore in almost every scene weren’t mine.
When the crew arrived and asked what I was going to wear, they quickly deemed anything appropriate for speaking inappropriate for filming in Alaska. So a sweet woman on the team loaded me different colored North Face fleece jackets to record the sessions.
3. The filming was some of the most exhausting and rewarding days of my life.
Some of the take-away scenes feature us walking on rocky terrain near a glacier with our dog Hershey in tow. To arrive on the scene, we needed transport kayaks to the edge of the lake around the glacier in order to kayak a mile to the other side. Followed by walking several miles while carrying equipment. Then we recorded for way too many hours before making the long trek back. We slept great every night.
4. Did I mention that sitting on ice is cold?
Filming outside in Alaska is naturally cold. But filming next to a glacier or body of water—with the cold wind–is freezing. I remember getting so cold I couldn’t control my teeth from chattering. At night, I’d have to take long hot bath to warm up my body’s core temperature.
5. We lived in the place where we filmed for two years.
We lived in Juneau, Alaska, where The Organic God was filmed for two years and Sitka, Alaska for nearly three. The land of Alaska is remarkable with its rugged beauty. The wildlife was amazing. Seeing a bear on the way to Blockbuster wasn’t uncommon. Hershey had to be kept on a short leash or else the eagles would carry him away.
If you ever have the chance to go to Alaska, by all means don’t wait!
