1. When and where was your company Testimony Pictures founded?
Originally it was Testimony Video Productions in 1998. I
changed it to Testimony Pictures when we produced our first feature film.
2. Do you offer a web page where people might find out more about your
company?
Yes, www.testimonypictures.com.
It probably needs updating, but I've been retooling and will be creating
a new company shortly.
3. You have mainly dealt with Christian projects, correct?
Yes, I started out providing video productions for churches and
ministries at the time. About the same time DV formats were
getting grounded, so it was a great time to enter the industry.
What really assisted me in learning to be a storyteller was producing
short vignettes for Pastors. I was only given 4 minutes to reach
the heart of the congregation. One of my talents is the ability to
make you cry in just a few minutes - not an easy task. Some of my
older Christian media can be found here: www.youtube.com/overflow2u
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4. Yet do you see any reason why these films should be of interest to
nonchristians or to the secular world as well?
Most of my projects have been for the Christian industry.
As far as films go, I think the greatest problem I've seen is Christian
filmmakers attempting to peddle their films to a secular market when
their films were really designed for the Christian market. Know
thy audience market. Nevertheless, I do believe films can have a
Christian overtone and be entertaining to all audiences, that's where I
want to go.
5. Didn't you also enter into some kind of commercial contest for
Klondike Bars a while ago?
I actually entered several contests as I've been seeking to
broaden my scope of work beyond the Christian market. However, I
soon learned the goal of these online video contests. The Klondike
contest was for $100,000. I didn't win. Nevertheless, we
give Klondike - or any sponsor - permission to use our work, even if we
don't win. Over 1,000 videos were produced in this contest.
I just don't like the idea of my hard work being used without ANY
compensation, so I think I'm done with online video contests.
Nevertheless, it did allow me to showcase the kind of high quality work
I can do. These ads can be seen at www.youtube.com/globalbyus
6. You have come quite a ways since then?
I've learned a great deal since then. I've learned the
importance of marketing. A video promo is just a tool - like a
hammer. In the hands of a craftsmen, it's a very valuable tool, in
the hands of a child, it's fairly ineffective. So I have dived
headlong into an entirely different aspect of the industry -
marketing.
7. The Calling was your first big project, correct?
For me it was big, but it was only a $160,000 project - our own
money. We had 44 locations, a cast of 150 people, mostly
volunteers and local talent, in 32 days. I wore far too many hats.
But it was a test to see if I could construct and tell a story of this
magnitude - it's a two hour film and I think I did a good job
considering the conditions. I also wanted to produce a film that
non-Christians could watch and be entertained and not feel like they
were being preached at. A huge mistake with most Christian
filmmakers.
8. You have other projects in varied stages of production and
preparation also?
I do. Since The Calling in 2002, I have moved to
producing more commercially viable films for ALL audiences. I
firmly believe the art is still in the storytelling. Nevertheless,
for high production values, these kinds of films need a budget of 5 to
20 million nowadays - and that's considered the low end of film budgets.
9. You both direct and produce most of your own projects?
I edit them as well. Having worn ALL the hats over the
last 10 years has been a boon, as I have the ability to oversee the
entire project and help ensure the finished product represents the
script closely. There are so many places in the course of
production where the ball can be dropped - which is why feature film
work is such a high risk investment. Because I've been involved in
EVERY phase of production, I am able to minimize that risk and ensure we
end up with a great film.
10. Where did you study film or did you just jump into the industry as
some indie producers have done and learn as you went along?
I jumped in and learned as I went. My first editing job
was in linear fashion in 1997 for my wedding, and I got hooked.
The editing process is where it all comes together. It's like
creating a painting, with all the right colors so you end up with a
masterpiece. But there was a great deal of trial and error, lots
of reading, researching and studying to get where I am today - and I'm
still not done. Technology requires a constant upgrade of
knowledge.
11. Do you use nonchristian as well as Christian staff and actors in
your projects, as it seems unlikely in bigger productions, you could
depend entirely on church-goers to get something done?
My tennis partner is not a Christian, one of the best guys I
know! I don't differentiate when it comes to casting, I have no
litmus test for working with talent. Sherwood Church can get away
with using all church-goers to volunteer, but that's not the
direction I'm going in nor want to go in.
12. I assume you are dying to give your conversion story, as mosty
Christians I know are? Here is the chance if you desire to do so. Go.
Sorry. Not me. I only share as I am led to share.
However, I am not the man I used to be - thank God. But I'm not
done yet either, I have a long way to go. My work in progress joke
is this, "I only drive like a Christian in the church parking
lot." I will add, I am far from a righteous man still, I'm
sure there are many more non-Christians in the world that would be
deemed a better man than I. Which is why I carry a get-out-of-jail-free-card with Jesus' name on it.
13. Not wanting to put you on the spot where it looks like you are
playing favorites, but are there any actresses and actors out there you
have used, who have been ignored in the mainstream, but really come
through for you?
Oh sure! There's a huge body of underused talent out
there, not just Christian either. But in the film industry, name
brand talent still carry some weight when it comes to distribution more
than drawing an audience. It's not that they are not talented,
it's that they have not developed a name for themselves. To do
that, you really need to live in L.A. That's where most of the
jobs are.
14. What do you look for in an actress or actor?
Well... I'm very good at type casting and rely on a casting
director to select several talented actors and then I pick out the one
who also exemplifies the character I'm looking for and takes direction
well.
15. What to you, makes a good script, especially in your area of
production?
Well, a script is a script. I am big on character
development, character metamorphesis and twists and turns. I like
to surround my main character with insurmountable odds and watch how he
climbs out. My main forte however, is producing joy in the
audience. This is why My Big Fat Greek Wedding did so well.
It produced joy. Audiences can't get enough of that.
Producing fear is easy, which is why they make so many horror films.
Producing joy however, is one of the toughtest emotions. Another
group that majors on producing joy so effectively is PIXAR, every one of
their films do this very effectively.
16. Aside from films, what are your personal interests?
My family is #1. In fact, my next film is based on a
situation I saw myself in while editing The Calling. I could have
been editing 18 hours a day, I was so caught up. But I had a wife
and two kids who needed me. So I had to daily push myself away
from the edit station and devote myself to them. Priorities in
life are very important for balance. But I'm an outdoor person.
I love Harley's, tennis, hiking and camping.
17. Has the Chrsitian community been very supportive of your works? I
say this because I know some Christians who run a local book store and
it seems like the church people are not as supprtive of their own as
they might be.
Not really. In fact, many Christian filmmakers slammed my
film The Calling because I dared to make the bad guy in my film a
Christian. However, that is the real world. Self-righteous
believers do exist! In this way, secular people appreciated the
honesty. Christians are NOT superpeople, but are frought with many
of the same failures as anyone else (that's why we need a Savior).
Worst thing Christians can do is think they are better than they
really are - the Pharisees had that same problem, remember them? They
were the ones who executed Jesus.
Also, it's important to note, of the majority of those who
attend church, only 13% ever frequent a Christian bookstore, tithe, or
become interested in Christian television, radio or internet. So
catering to the Christian market is VERY difficult. Most church
going people are entirely connected to the secular market. And of
those 13% that are actively engaged, they are the ones that are most
likely to be critical of any Christian film that does not line up with
their doctrine. Which is one of the reaons Christian film has
never really taken off. Again, know thy market.
Since beginning in 1998, the Christian market has become
somewhat self-sufficient in video production using amateurs to fulfill
the churches needs, both in churches and ministries. So I've been
attempting to move into corporate work and commercials, which I really
enjoy doing. I can't eat a burger without seeing a commercial in
there somewhere. But with little background in this arena, it's
not an easy industry to break into.
18. Any interesting behind the scenes stories or humorous incidents
during filming varied projects you might want to share with us?
Well, I can share my most successful accident.
I am the writer, director and producer of Dear Mr.Obama, the #1 viral
video of the 2008 Presidential election. It is the first GOP viral
video. When we went to film, my soldier who lost a leg in Iraq
nailed the first take, which he thought was just a walk-through.
It ended up being the best take - he didn't think the camera was
recording. I came home that night, edited it and uploaded it to
the internet here: www.youtube.com/weneedmccain
I called my soldier the next morning and told him we may re-shoot, as I
was working the teleprompter and wasn't able to "pull focus"
adjust focus as he walked away - so there was some blurring in the
image. But before I could re-schedule, this thing started taking
off. To date, it has over 13 Million views worldwide and Iraq has
been the second largest nation of hits to date. When the BBC
announced it as the #1 video, FOX NEWS, CNN, MSNBC all ran stories on it
and interviewed my soldier about it, as well as some articles in
national papers. This has caused me to be pulled into politics.
Until now, my greatest political activity consisted of putting yard
signs in my yard. I don't know how long this will last. But
after this last election, I think it's time we come together as
Americans. President-elect Obama has his hands full and deserves
the support of all Americans. So I hope I can help produce healing
between liberals and conservatives and be a bridge to constructive,
civil, and respectful dialogue.
19. Anything else you would like to touch on that we may have missed?
Well, for someone who is not a Christian, I hope my take on life
is a bit refreshing for you. I realize the overall impression made
by believers nowadays reflects a smaller segment that are nevertheless
given greater exposure. So I guess this was my chance to reflect a
different view of Christians, and I hope I reflected it appropriately.
20. Closing comments.
Well, I want to thank you Dale for your interest in my work.
I try to pour my heart and soul into every production, which makes my
work distinctfully me. Not an easy task to birth baby after baby
not knowing what the end result will be. It certainly requires one
to be thick skinned and have a passion for this kind of work.
Nevertheless, when it reaches a heart, when it touches someone's life in
a profound way, there is nothing under heaven that is as immensely
rewarding to me. Everyday, all of us, leave impressions on
everyone we meet. Either negative or positive, either to a small
degree or a large degree. It is my calling, my mission so to
speak, to make a positive difference in the life of everyone I meet, and
it is my hope that my work reflects that same ideal. I love what I
do and will never retire. I told my wife, "My wake will be my
retirement party." And I mean that.
Thanks for the interview!
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