Movie Adventure in Mount Dora
Christian Book Series will Make Lake County Temporary Hollywood with filming this Summer.
Written by Blair Townley; Photos Provided
They were only stories to help his daughters fall asleep, stories depicting a fantasy world where children went on an adventure and learned a spiritual lesson in the process.
Yet Orlando author Eric Reinhold never dreamed his bedtime stories would become a popular Christian children’s book series or that he would be part of a major movie production of the series’ first book.
Eric, along with the residents of Mount Dora, will remember Summer 2010 as the year of “Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword” was filmed in and around the lakeside city.
The hope in regards to the book series’ and film’s successes is that children age six to 14 have a unique outlet to learn more about the Christian faith and the Bible.
“I try to bring strong moral values into the storyline so you are not preaching but teaching kids that things can be resolved in a positive way,” Eric says.
A Story of Faith and Armor
Ryann Watters is a young boy who is awaken by the angel Gabriel one night and told he is to find the King’s Sword with tools provided by Gabriel. While on this mission, Ryann faces adversaries of all kind as he and his friends seek to find the sword hidden in another world, Aeliana.
A blend of action-adventure and fantasy, “Ryann Watters” is based on the Bible’s Ephesians 6 that describes the different aspects of the armor of God.
“In his [Eric’s] heart he felt the story was based around Ephesians in the Bible, where you are to put on the armor of God,” says Kerry Fink, whose production company TYG Studios is helming the filming schedule.
Mike Germaine, who has previously worked on big-name Christian films like “Fireproof” and “Letters to God,” will be directing the film and brought up the idea for a film of the book series to Kerry and his wife/company partner Tammy Fink.
As word of the film’s production passed around the Christian film industry, several recognized names asked to be involved in the film including “Fireproof” actress Erin Bethea who will appear in a cameo.
“We have people of this caliber interested [in being part of the cast or crew] who say this is worthwhile and we need to help with this film for the kids,” Kerry says.
Working with a mini-budget, as is a common occurrence with several Christian films, also allows for local volunteers to help with the movie whether behind or in front of the camera.
“It’s a mini-budget film and we tell people it’s like fishes and loaves – we have a little bit to get started but we are going to believe that God is going to come in and multiply [with volunteers and services] to where the film will have the impact that we want to see it have,” Kerry concludes.
“Even if it is as simple as praying for us to be successful, we really encourage it.”
Story Come to Life
Also making a regular appearance on the different sets of “Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword” will also be Eric Reinhold himself, providing advice and insight to the story he created for his three daughters.
“I like the way they [TYG Studios] have this passion for the project and the way a lot of the production has felt, similar to how other Christian-oriented films are made,” he states.
Eric was encouraged by one of his daughters to turn his regular night time tale into a book, which led him to start writing “Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword” in 2000 but didn’t publish until 2008.
“I started writing the first book right after the first Harry Potter books started coming out. That’s what got me thinking about the book and the big possibility [for success] with the fantasy, science fiction and C.S. Lewis influences in the story,” he recalls.
“Then I was trying to get my regular business running and health issues came up so the book was shelved for a while.”
A meeting with a client in publishing at his job as a financial planner allowed Eric to finally publish his book, participate in a traveling book tour and continue his series with the release of “Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith.”
Eric is currently at work on the third book, “Ryann Watters and the Belt of Truth,” and awaits the release of the first film in Summer 2011, all with hope that the spiritual story will reach more children in the nation and world.
“The biggest reward for me of the book is the positive feedback that I have gotten from parents through e-mail, such as one e-mail from a father who said his daughter enjoyed the books so much that it made her want to read her Bible more,” he says.
Those affiliated with the film’s production are also working towards the goal of being more than just another enjoyable book series for kids.
“The vision behind this project is it is not about creating a movie; it’s about creating something that is going to have a generational impact,” Kerry states.
To learn more about how you can be part of the Mount Dora filming schedule for “Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword,” visit the film’s Web site at www.KingsSword.com or the book’s Web site at www.RyannWatters.com.
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