Jesus People Nashville!

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that JESUS PEOPLE did a premiere in Nashville last week during Gospel Music Association (GMA) week. We wanted the chance to present the film to a Christian audience and couldn’t think of a better time to do it than this annual convention of Christian artists, radio stations, managers, publicists, labels, and media.

We wanted somewhere cool and kitschy and found the perfect venue in the Belcourt Theater in Hillsboro Village. Specializing in indie films and centrally located in an artsy part of town, the Belcourt was a perfect location for us! Our theater had about 350 seats available.

Though we had all worked tirelessly on inviting people, working our connections in town and the industry, and doing everything but begging people to come out (I may have begged a little…), we felt good about our expected crowd, but these things are always uncertain. Our RSVP’s indicated we would have a solid showing, but we still didn’t know exactly how many people to expect (Would artists follow through on their RSVP? Would people show up who had seen the Belcourt’s ad on their website? Would everyone decide to go to a random showcase at the last minute?).

The screening was planned for 7:30 p.m. sharp, with doors opening at 7:00. When we arrived on site at about 6:20, there were already people lined up outside the doors! … Okay, so it was, like, three people, but it was still a line! Artists were also showing up early, though many of them decided to hang out at a restaurant down the street until doors opened (can’t blame them for that!).

Speaking of artists, it was really encouraging to see friends like Scott Dente, Greg Long of Avalon, and Ben Cordonero of Salvador come out to support me and the project. Other artists included Aaron Shust, Cindy Morgan, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Steve Taylor, Margaret Becker, Tammy Trent, and many others! (I’m sure Dan and Jason can add more to the list!) We also had a really nice turn-out of label reps and publicists.

All in all, there were somewhere between 250-300 people in the audience…not too bad! The theater felt really full and you could feel the energy in the crowd from the first moment.

We all went into the screening knowing that the potential for offense was present. Obviously, the film is not made with the intention of being offensive, but you never know how people will react when jokes hit really close to home. Maybe they’ll be the rock stars who count “This Is Spinal Tap” among their favorite films or maybe they’ll be Scientologists who cry cease-and-desist on the creators of SouthPark. You just never know.

For this particular screening, it seemed like the jokes were well appreciated. People laughed from beginning to end – and not just chuckled here and there, but literally howled with laughter at some lines and situations. Granted, there were also a few audible gasps and a few moments of uncertainty (“You’re a big boy for an AIDS baby!”), but overall, I think people had the exact reaction we were hoping for – they thought it was funny and it made them think.

All in all, I felt really great about the whole evening. Who knows what will “come of it” in a business sense (Was there anyone in the audience who could distribute the film? Will we all become household names over the next few weeks? How many of those in attendance would actually buy a DVD?), but the night was a success and it was my pleasure to be part of it.

On a personal note, this may be the end of the JESUS PEOPLE road for me until something happens with distribution. At this point, I’d have to pass on any major travel (getting pregnanter by the day and all…), so unless we do another screening in the South (ahem, Charlotte, ahem!), this may have been my last opportunity to see the film with a large audience (again…until the awesomely major distribution deal comes through, of course!). Working on the movie, meeting and making friends with the people involved, and having the opportunity to see it through to completion has been one of the highlights of my life. I feel so honored to have been so randomly included and can’t imagine a better “first film” experience.

So, thanks. Thanks to all of those who attended not just the Nashville screening, but the others we’ve done as well. And thanks especially to Dan, Rajeev, Jason, Damon, Edi, Lindsay, Rich, Joel, Karen, Chris, Kevin K., Sambrells, Katie, Jim, Garrett, Kevin C., Mandy, Ryan, and Pete. You guys were and are awesome.

Peace. Out.

Satire

I’m working on getting publicity and building buzz for JESUS PEOPLE in both the mainstream and Christian press. I’m starting to wonder if people (particularly Christians in this case) really understand the use of satire. I feel like I keep having to explain it to people: “We’re not making fun of Christians. We’re portraying extreme versions of them (or sometimes not so extreme versions if we’re honest) in order to address some of the issues and perceptions of the Christian subculture.”

Is it that they can’t look at their own subculture objectively to see the problems (or the humor)? Is it that they’re overly conservative about making jokes or seeming to make jokes at the expense of the Bride of Christ? If it’s the latter, I’m definitely not knocking that. I myself walk a pretty tight line as far as making fun of Christians or speaking too strongly against them or their practices. After all, I believe that a person’s relationship and experience with God, while part of a larger Story, is unique. I’m not really one to jump in and say someone else’s choices within that relationship are wrong.

However, if it’s the former – if Christians really do have a hard time looking at their own subculture objectively – I do take issue with that. Though we serve a perfect God, we are not perfect. I think it can only help our mission to spread the Gospel if we look at how we are perceived as a group. If there are things that are hindering that process of forming relationships with people, then those need to be addressed. And I think satire is a good way to point out the things that are just over-the-top.

Our pitch for the film is “It’s like SPINAL TAP set in the world of Christian pop music.” The makers of SPINAL TAP did not hate rock stars. And the rock music industry did not get all hot-and-bothered about the details of the movie. They could recognize those things as true (at least a little bit) and say, “Yeah, you know what, we are kind of like that sometimes and it is completely ridiculous…and FUNNY.”

I obviously have a lot of personal ties to this particular film (JESUS PEOPLE not SPINAL TAP), but even when I didn’t, I was really excited about the project. I hope people will eventually see it (no matter what their religious affiliation) and be open to starting up discussions about some of the portrayals and topics the film addresses.

Peace. Out.

Jesus People in the news…

Check it out.

Peace. Out.

Online today…

- If you’ve ever wondered what’s going through the mind of a big-shot television writer, here’s your chance to find out. Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) puts a “vanity card” at the end of each episode of his current shows. He’s been doing this for years and some of them are pretty funny.

- Taylor Swift is my hero. Other than the slightly creepy feeling I got when Joe Elliot looked right at her and sang “You’re all I want/My fantasy,” this performance is pretty envy-inducing! On a side note, what’s up with Joe’s hair? Eek!

- Two Clint Eastwood movies coming up! Changeling, which he directed, and Gran Torino, in which he stars and directs. I think Clint Eastwood is one of the finest directors of our time and it makes me so excited to get two movies from him this season.

- Wow! At over six minutes, this French “Thriller” video may set some sort of record for impressively lengthy tracking shots. I’m impressed at the planning and blocking this must have taken!

Peace. Out.

City of Angels, Recap 1

Paul arrived in LA just a few days ago, but we’ve done so much in just a little bit of time. Tuesday evening, we went to a taping of The Big Bang Theory – Paul’s favorite sitcom. It was SO fun! I don’t know that I’ve ever sat in the audience of a show I wasn’t working on, so it was a really unique experience. Plus, I’ve never worked on a sitcom, so that was really interesting. The episode they were recording was hilarious (as they all are, really…). The writers were making slight changes on the fly, depending on the audience’s reaction to the jokes, and Paul and I whole-heartedly supported most of those changes. It will be really neat to watch the show as it airs in a few weeks and see what choices they’ll make in editing.

We slept in Wednesday morning, then made our way into Hollywood. I asked a local friend for a Thai restaurant suggestion, and he pointed us toward Toi on Sunset Blvd. We arrived just as they were opening and the people could not have been nicer. The place is decorated with tons of rock’n'roll memorabilia and really random art. It’s very LA-vibey. And the food was delicious! We eat a fair amount of Thai food and Toi was right up there with the good ol’ Thai Cafe in Athens. So good.

After Toi, we headed up…and up…and up to the Griffith Observatory. Griffith J. Griffith (real name!) gave the money to build the Observatory so that the everday person could be an astronomer. He left enough money and provisions in his will to keep the park open and free for many generations to come. To this day, you can stand in line to point the HUGE telescope toward whatever piece of sky you’d like to peek at and take a quick look-see. Yeah, you. Not just professional astronomers and scientists, but anyone. We weren’t around late enough in the evening to do that, but we enjoyed the panoramic views of the city and the other exhibits on display.

I was really anxious for Paul to meet the guys I’ve been working with out here, so Wednesday night, we hung out at (producer/writer) Dan and (director) Jason’s house. Rajeev (producer/writer) also joined us. Dan made these amazing pear and avocado paninis and we had a really nice time just hanging out and talking.

Today, we saw the Hollywood sights. We started the day with a tour of the Kodak Theater, home of the Academy Awards. I have to be honest and admit that I got a little tear in my eye when we walked into that huge auditorium. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE movies and I love the Oscars. Even though it’s all a huge spectacle and the show goes too long and the awards are often given based on politics rather than merit, I still love them. And to walk into that theater that’s both a representation of this industry I love AND the actual place where the awards take place was just breath-taking. We didn’t get to sit down front, but we did see (from a few rows back) the ACTUAL SEATS where The Clooney and Jack Nicholson sat at this year’s ceremony. Fun!

This afternoon was spent bumming around the Santa Monica oceanside and 3rd Street Promenade. We ate at Father’s Office in downtown Santa Monica (burgers with spinach, caramelized onions, and bleu cheese…mmm!) and are now settled in our temporary NoHo home, headed to bed after a LOT of walking and sunshine.

Peace. Out.