Episode 112
Testimony Series - Collaboration and Divine Guidance
Episode 112 - Testimony Series - Collaboration and Divine Guidance
This episode is a part of our December Testimony series. A series of short testimonies of times that God showed up upon set or in ways related to the film-industry.
In this episode, Christopher Sean Shaw discusses the challenges and divine guidance encountered during the making of his short film 'Skip Listening' for the 168 Film Project. Despite losing key locations including their initial filming location (after they showed up to film on the first day of the shoot), God provided even better options. CSS believes these experiences were guided by divine intervention resulting in a successful film, and lasting professional relationships including continued collaboration with Thor Ramsey, eventually leading to their feature film 'Church People.'
Bio:
Christopher Shawn Shaw is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and owner of Anchor Productions. He helmed the comedy film, CHURCH PEOPLE—which made the Movieguide® top ten faith-based comedies list—starring Thor Ramsey and Erin Cahill, featuring Stephen Baldwin, Donald Faison, William Baldwin, Chynna Phillips, Joey Fatone, and Michael Monks. Christopher also produced, directed, and edited the comedy cooking show, Something Smells Funny™, hosted by Comedian Scott Wood, featuring special guests Victoria Jackson, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Jimmy Brogan, and Bobby Collins. His most recent award-winning project is a faith-based musical comedy... with singing zombies.
Christopher's Website https://christophershawnshaw.com/
Church People Film Website https://churchpeoplefilm.com/
Christopher on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/youarecaredfor
Christopher on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/directorcss/
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Transcript
This thing on.
Speaker:We lost our first choice of the radio station location and we lost our first shoot location on the first day of filming on my very first professional looking short film called Skip Listening.
Speaker:So this is one project where I believe the Lord intervened.
Speaker:and helped us out greatly.
Speaker:My name is Christopher Sean Shaw.
Speaker:I'm a director, creative producer, assemble the team producer, and creative consultant.
Speaker:Have you ever heard of the 168 film project?
Speaker:168film.
Speaker:com.
Speaker:No, I'm not a spokesperson for it.
Speaker:They're not paying me to say this.
Speaker:It's just a phenomenal.
Speaker:learning experience when you, uh, start filming, even for experienced filmmakers.
Speaker:It's a phenomenal, uh, experience when you're surrounded by the right people.
Speaker:So in 2010, it was my second go at doing a 168 film project where we had 168 hours, which is seven days to shoot, edit, turn in a finished short film.
Speaker:So I did my very first 168 short film.
Speaker:in 2008.
Speaker:And I wore way too many hats.
Speaker:I was the producer, I was the writer, I was the director, I was the lead actor, I was the editor, editor, editor.
Speaker:I did craft services.
Speaker:I was a camera operator in some of the shots.
Speaker:Way too many hats.
Speaker:So I wanted to amp it up quite a bit, production value wise.
Speaker:On the second go at it, I wanted to shoot on RED1 cameras.
Speaker:I wanted to not wear as many hats.
Speaker:It started with just, uh, a good friend for many years, Josh Jacobs, my producing partner at the time, and me.
Speaker:And we didn't have the equipment, we didn't have the writing skills, we didn't, we didn't have the things, um, one would need to make a quality movie.
Speaker:professional looking short film.
Speaker:And so, uh, Josh knew somebody named Colleen Bennett, who worked as a line producer on independent projects.
Speaker:He reached out to her.
Speaker:Thankfully, she was available to come on board, and it snowballed from there.
Speaker:She brought on Dominic Bartolone, Jr., who was the director of photography, cinematographer, DP.
Speaker:This short film could have cost easily 50, 000 to produce, but because of his connections, he was able to get Uh, package.
Speaker:We got red one cameras.
Speaker:We got a two camera shoot for three and a half days with video village, the cameras, the accessories, the gear for 600 in 2010.
Speaker:Yay.
Speaker:Go team left and right.
Speaker:And I believe God was putting this team together leading up to shooting.
Speaker:Skip listening.
Speaker:I had this sense.
Speaker:that the Lord was going to do something with this short film that transcends, goes beyond the 168 film project.
Speaker:We weren't just doing a short film for a speed filmmaking competition.
Speaker:It was going to somehow surpass just those parameters and little did I know it did.
Speaker:It was during the preparations of the shoot.
Speaker:That Thor Ramsey told me about a script that he had called Youth Group that he wanted to get made.
Speaker:And part of the reason he came on the team was because he knew that he would have to network with filmmakers if he wanted to get his movie made.
Speaker:And at the time, he wanted to star in and direct Youth Group.
Speaker:During filming, um, I think we're in between takes or something, and we're just having a side conversation, and he says something to the effect of You know, I don't think I want to direct Youth Group anymore.
Speaker:And I'm like, well, who do you want to direct it?
Speaker:Hoping he would say I could direct it.
Speaker:And he was like, you could direct it.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:And that's originally how I got the gig for directing Youth Group, which the title later changed to Church People.
Speaker:So things are coming together for this short film.
Speaker:Thor Ramsey's not only starring in it, he's writing the script for it.
Speaker:The team's coming together.
Speaker:We have consummate professionals that we're surrounded by.
Speaker:Joth Riggs is our first AD, just like him up on IMDb.
Speaker:Yay, go team!
Speaker:Phenomenal team, phenomenal cast.
Speaker:So here we are on our first shoot location.
Speaker:So this is day one and our very first location is at this park location that we think we have permission to shoot at.
Speaker:So I'm hoping to be inconspicuous and not like.
Speaker:announced to the world, Hey, we're filming a short film at this park.
Speaker:And all of a sudden the crew starts rolling in and they're different vehicles pulling out equipment, throwing it on the lawn of the park.
Speaker:And I'm like looking around like, Oh, uh, I think we're going to get some attention.
Speaker:Somebody rolls up on a golf cart and was like, uh, do you have, permission to shoot here.
Speaker:Somebody else on the team went and talked to the person and turns out there was a miscommunication and a misunderstanding.
Speaker:And we didn't actually have permission to shoot there, I guess.
Speaker:I don't, I still don't know the whole story to this, to this day, but we got kicked off our first location.
Speaker:I have an actor in the wings waiting.
Speaker:I have Thor Ramsey rehearsing the scene.
Speaker:I'm surrounded by professional crew people and here I am, this relatively newbie director, and we're about to get booted from our first location.
Speaker:It'll work, we'll figure something out.
Speaker:I mentioned earlier, uh, that we lost our first choice for the radio station.
Speaker:Well, that got filled in by a place in Burbank, which was an even better scenario than what we would have had with the actual radio station.
Speaker:Because come to find out, our shoot would have taken so long that we would not have been able to do it within the time parameters we would have had at the original location.
Speaker:location that I thought I wanted.
Speaker:And quite frankly, I think the short film looks better in the place that we got.
Speaker:So our second choice location became our only location for the radio station.
Speaker:And who knew?
Speaker:Better than our first choice.
Speaker:And then when it comes to the place we got kicked out of for this shot where Thor's walking along a building and it explodes, Um, of course the explosion was, uh, done in post production by our editor Matthew Reitmeyer.
Speaker:But it turns out that one of our other locations was a church building, and behind the church building structure was a great place for that shot of him walking and the building, uh, blowing up.
Speaker:Fun fact!
Speaker:The top portion of that building.
Speaker:is fake, and of course the explosion's fake and everything, but those were two specific instances where I believe God intervened and made it a better production at that, because our first choices ended up not being the best choices.
Speaker:Go figure.
Speaker:And then of course, so many things came out of that short film.
Speaker:It had numerous nominations, um, it was a runner up and.
Speaker:like three categories at the festival, but it did, in a manner of speaking, transcend the 168.
Speaker:It did go into other festivals, and also that project was instrumental in forming lifelong collaborations.
Speaker:I've been collaborating with Thor Ramsey ever since.
Speaker:We did the feature length film Church People Together, which was both of our first narrative feature length film.
Speaker:So I attribute that.
Speaker:to God.
Speaker:I believe God intervened.
Speaker:I believe He made it all work out.
Speaker:Thank you for listening, and God bless you.
Speaker:I hope this thing is on.
Speaker:One more thing.
Speaker:You know, when you're asked to do a video for the Faith and Family Film Podcast, it might be a good idea to not watch the superior production value of Matt Chastain's video before you do yours.
Speaker:Just saying.
Speaker:I'll get you, Matt Chastain.
Speaker:One of these days, I'll get you.
