In 2008, Tracy J. Trost shot his first movie Find Me in nine days on a shoestring budget. It was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Since then, Trost Moving Pictures produced A Christmas Snow, which was based on a novel by Jim Stovall and became a hit stage production in Branson last holiday season (it’s coming again this year, too.) Through the process Tracy became friends with Stovall and learned that Stovall wanted to turn his novel The Lamp into a movie, too.
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Watch the movie trailer online!
Destiny Image releases feature film THE LAMP
The Lamp Movie: Lighting Up With Possibilities
Q&A with Jim Stovall, author of The Lamp: A Novel
“Jim is an enigma,” Tracy says. “There is no one you can compare him to because he stands out all by himself. He is a man with the highest integrity, and he is a very deep thinker. I was drawn to his book’s concept that whatever you are focusing on in life, that’s what your life eventually becomes. We need to realize that our lives today are a direct result of our belief system and formed by the choices and decisions we’ve made up until this point. If we want our lives to be different we need to retrain our brains and our thinking. The Lamp has this message at its core.”
When asked how his faith affects his films, Tracy is quick to say it would be extremely difficult for him to write or produce something that didn’t have some sort of spiritual basis. “It’s not just what I believe,” he says. “It’s who I am. My faith in God has made me the person I am today, and it would be impossible for me to share a truth that isn’t based on that. Jesus sat at the gate of the city telling parables. This is how He got his message out to the people. He would present a Kingdom principle through storytelling.
“The biggest influence on our society today is media. If we want to reach the world, TV and movies are two of the best ways to do that. Movies impact people’s lives because they are stories. With The Lamp’s story, we share that you can do anything you want in life if you first believe you can.”
In the film, Stanley and Lisa (played by Jason London and Meredith Salenger) are a devastated couple who’ve tragically lost their only son. Their marriage is strained, and guilt-ridden Jason has withdrawn from all those who love him. But then a mysterious messenger gives the couple an ancient oil lamp and asks the question, “If you could have anything, what would you wish for?”
Actress Sarah Brown, who plays Lisa’s best friend, says, “The whole point of the film is showing people there is light at the end of the tunnel and that you’ve gotta keep on living with the people who are living and remember what you’ve lost.”
Jason London echoes her sentiments: “I think this movie would be great therapy and a healing help for anyone who’s gone through personal tragedy.”
Filmed in Tracy’s home state of Oklahoma, the entire cast and crew had nothing but praise for his skills as a director. Cameron Ten Napel, who plays a foster child in The Lamp says, “Working with Tracy is so fun! I love Tracy. He’s like my big teddy bear. He’s awesome.” Louis Gossett Jr. calls him “a welcome addition to our industry” and Jason London says, “Tracy is an inspirational guy. He’s one of those people who’s proof that if you have a dream and you have a vision, with willpower and intelligence you can make anything happen.”