THE 3:16  EXPERIENCE

3:16, like the event it alludes to, was an experience of God’s grace.  If having rain pour down everywhere except the block on which we were shooting isn’t a miracle, then we don’t know anything.  But we do know and profess that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son, and that He died to heal the world from the virus of sin.  In our parable about a young boy who gives up his life to save the planet from a deadly airborne pandemic, we explore the emotions of a parent faced with the decision to give up her son so that the world might live.

As we developed the screenplay, it was important to us that we respect our audience’s intelligence and free will by inviting them into the experience rather than preaching at them.  While remaining dedicated to our faith-based message, we wanted to use the visual art on its own merits by staying away from extraneous dialogue.

We began our company with the amount of money it took to register with the state, so our pocketbook was a little thin.  However, friends and family who believed in our dream pitched in, and together we raised the entire $25,000 budget in a matter of months—a gift from above.  Even so, we had to keep equipment to a minimum.  Our cinematographer knew his way around the Panasonic 24p DVX100A camera well enough to be able to use minimal lighting and still make it look good.  In addition to working on a tight budget, we had an array of problems to deal with.  Cue sob story:

The grip truck broke down on the first day of shooting.  The set crew pulled an all-nighter to build the triage unit, and then the set designer didn’t like the “religion” in the movie and went home mid-shoot.  Our soundman was still new and forgot to flip the one switch that would have prevented us from having to replace ALL of the dialogue in post (yes, every bit is ADR’d).  One of our actors got sick…repeatedly.  We could continue, but we can’t forget the miracles, either.  Miracles such as locating props at just the right times, the rain holding off until the truck was loaded, and the sheer power of a scene that left even the PA’s in tears.

One miracle was just the amount of help we had.  Over 170 people worked on this little movie, from stunt performers storming a hallway to production assistants stepping in to play National Guardsmen.  Everyone put in so much effort that typing up the credits brought me to tears!

Postproduction sound was executed at Columbia College Chicago.  In Satan’s last attempt to sabotage our project, the music composer's soundboard got fried four days before completion deadline.  But God’s Will triumphed, and we now deliver to you a visual parable that we know will continue to help carve the path for Christian filmmakers in the industry.

As our director/editor remarked after pulling a 63-hour straight editing blitz on the picture lock, “We were born to do this.”

We were indeed born to do this.  God has called artists to His plan of salvation just as much as pastors and missionaries.  We also consider ourselves missionaries, and we hope you enjoy watching our first venture into the mission field.

~Unveiled Pictures