east valley productions - wedding films

i have been thinking about posting this for some time now. this is a big departure from my normal low word count video goodness postings . . . so please feel free to scroll through my soap box session here. this is merely something i need to get off my chest and a great lesson in how to not do business.

as many of you are very well aware i shot my first documentary last year and it was a career/life changing experience. i put my heart and soul into the project and it paid back in dividends - of the non monetary kind. i now have two momentos, for lack of better terms, from the experience that i wouldn't sell for any amount of money. number one obviously being the documentary itself. i'm still amazed at the number of emails we receive from people who have either been affected by the art and or the experience of creating the art via the doc. number two is the purpose for this email.

on christmas eve of 2007 we were inching very close to our deadline of january 17th for completing the reflections of Christ project for the arizona temple visitors center. i was on my way out the door with the family loaded and ready to go enjoy a much needed family dinner to celebrate christmas. i received a call from my good friend mark mabry, director of the project. he said he had a gift for me and wanted to meet with me before i left for my dinner. we met at a gas station just off the 60 - where oddly enough - mark presented me with a gift that as stated above, i will keep in the family for as long as the ink on the canvas will survive. i'm not sure what print # it was - it doesn't really matter. truth be told i think it was a test print. what does matter is that i received one of the first original prints from the reflections of Christ project that represented many many many hours of shooting - emailing - phone calls - interviews - sacrifices - and most importantly spiritual experiences that i continue to draw on and plan on drawing on to carry me through life. a simple treasure to say the least.

that canvas sat atop the highest shelf in my closet for over 11 months until my amazing wife decided it would be a great idea to surprise me for christmas by getting it framed. from what little i know she spent several weeks digging through frame shops - big box corporate stores - and the like - searching for the right frame. she very much understood my tastes and my own personal vision of how it should be displayed. surprisingly enough she finally landed on a winner at joann's. its an amazing frame. rechelle experienced all of the ups and downs of the project with me (sometimes more than i did). she has seen this project go nothing short of global in a matter of a year. this was something she wanted to get right for the both of us.

a week before christmas rechelle receives a call from joann's. the print is ready. she walks in the store - rips of the paper covering - and sees the beautiful frame. it looks amazing. it's original. and believe it or not somwhere during the framing process the canvas itself was scratched. rechelle did not remember any imperfections in the print at all when dropping it off. and not only has the print been damaged but it also appears that someone has honestly thought it prudent to correct the scatch by touching it up with a pen or some sort of paint. i am trying to stay calm as i write this.

so i ask anyone who even cares enough to have read this epistle of mine - what price do you throw on a piece of art that cannot be replaced? first they destroy the print. then they decide to try and hide it with their own artwork. then they present the framed art without disclosing the disaster. then after a nice little war on words - several phone calls - joann's decides the print is valued at a low $xxx?

so i ask the question. what price do you put to art?

needless to say its been a frustrating experience that now is a part of my blog.

and yes that scratched image still hangs in my home. getting a new print defeats the purpose and meaning of my original canvas . . . .

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