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Interview with Chris Copeland - Artist
1) When people you meet
find out that you are a Christian, how do they react? How do you react to their response?
Generally, my experiences with that is rarely do people
find out on our initial or following five meetings that I am a Christian. Generally I get the response “this guy is
cool, this guy’s nice, I like him, let’s hang out, etc.” And then comes the “why do you do… why do you
act… why are you this way… why do you care, etc.” That’s when it comes out that
I am a Christian and this is something that I am passionate about. I have had a few of my friends or people that
I associate with that are atheists or agnostic or whatever and typically their
response is to engage in the format of “why this and not that.” My response to that is usually to stay in
that conversation for a very short amount of time. As I have gotten older and matured more,
those kinds of conversations seem to be with people who don’t care. My response is I am who I am and I believe
what I believe and they believe what they believe. I just believe it with conviction and let it
dictate the rhythms of my life. That’s
it. After that the relationship takes another step where they wonder what they
believe themselves it is a constant side comments or commentaries. So, I am used to the questioning, debating
and the doubting and that seems to be they way most people respond to me being
a Christian. My response is either I am
too tired to deal with the constant nagging or I find that the “let me prove me
wrong format” rarely works but just being friendly it best.
2) How do you seek to
honor Christ in your profession?
That’s one of those questions that I feel applies to every
element of my life and fathering and being a husband and being a friend. Even back in Chicago when I was running
around doing graffiti on buildings I would think how does God see it, how does
God use it, and what was my involvement in that? It changes really like year to year there is
this different goal of mine.
Communicating Christ through a piece that I do or communicating Christ
through a script I am helping someone write.
There's always that kind of simple ideology that I want to communicate
the values of the Bible in this thing I am doing directly. Then there’s the under lying bigger life
thing which is how do we continue to be authentic with our faith and how to do
we allow it to dictate everything that we do?
I feel like that’s the bigger question for me. I find that everything I do needs to have
some sort of reflection or fragrance of Christ.
As far as the “how’” I don't know.
Being a nice guy only goes so far. It’s one of those things that I am
constantly trying to figure out. I try
to force it sometimes and then restrain and just let Him do whatever He is
going to do with it and I’ll just make the deadlines. 3) What are the strongest temptations to not continuing work in entertainment? How do you overcome these temptations and keep yourself motivated?
I think for me in particular I grew up poor, extremely poor, and obviously there is very good money in animation especially if you have something that people like, there’s just a lot money. For me there is a temptation to pursue the money and to take on as many gigs as I can, which I haven’t since I am still so fresh and new to it, but I have seen it take place and I have seen people do it that way. But, I do have goals; I have very pragmatic goals like buying a house for my family. Things that have developed out of the experiences that I had growing up start to inch there way to the forefront but then the passion I have for the project I am working on becomes “I need to make this deadline” so I can get the check so I can save up so I can have this or that. You know the very material kind of things. Thank God for me is that for me the bigger temptations are time management and staying committed to the relationships I have. I can get tunnel vision where I get into a sequence that I am doing and it takes time away from family and friends, the things that really give me energy.
Honestly the
best way I deal with it is that I have a quick conversation with God. “God, I haven’t seen this person in a long
time or around people in general and I cannot help but talk about a sequence I
am doing or a deadline that I have.”
Usually God clears it up really quick and I go and spend the time needed
out among people.
I deal with it
by engaging right to the problem. I need
to get away from it.
4) We have a lot of
freedom in our country, but I have been surprised that Christians in the
entertainment industry do not feel completely comfortable sharing their faith.
What would your advice be to a Christian in a business that does not accept
Christian values or sharing their faith?
I feel like there are so many answers that are very “Christiany,”
or ideal. Like, “just listen to God and
He will give you the timing.” But at the
same time I believe that the opportunities will arise. A lot of times, it’s going to be fight of
self, not with the other person.
I suggest
keeping in mind social taboos. I think
what happens is we will allow our passion to dictate the conversation. Like, “I am so excited about this, I want to
get in there and throw it at them.”
That’s just not going to work with anything. You could be talking about bank accounts or
sports. If you dive into a conversation without any consideration, it’s not
going to go over well, especially when you are talking about God or something
that does have a bit of a social crutch.
Just keep in mind in the reality of the conversation that there is more
that just you involved. Allow yourself
to realize that this is a conversation and we all have our freedoms to believe
what we wont. I think (A) God will present
a time and (B) just keeping in mind other people. At the same time, not holding back or
compromising what you believe but allowing the social conversation to take
place. This really should be a
conversation we have with other people.
From what I found, other people are willing to engage in that
conversation if you are authentic and care about them, not just spouting
something at them.
People. I just love people. I love meeting people. I love getting to know people. God has brought us around other people and I
love being challenged by others and their ideas and expressing my ideas with
them.
I get excited about the everyday interaction. I honestly feel like relationships with other
people are one of the greatest gifts that God has given us and really does
bring me to life. Being in a room with
people who are “living” and vibrant, I can’t get enough of it. Let alone my wife and kids I have people who
are around me all the time they probably get sick of me bothering them but I do
get really excited about people and their interaction.
The adventure of relationships really does get me going.
6) What has been your
favorite project and why?
There’s a pastor Erwin McMantis, I think what he said was
“My successes are for God and my failures are for people.” My failures are something people can learn
from and I believe in that quote so much.
For that reason I think it would be easy to say “Transformers” because I
grew up watching Transformers but I think that my time at Warner Brothers
because of what it taught me. I was laid
off after five months because I was a good artist but terrible at
storyboards. I had no idea what the
world of animation was about. I was
fresh out of Chicago, but after 5 months they laid me off. I learned so much about myself, about God,
the industry and the people that were there and around me. Plus I got to draw Superman who is my
favorite character. That project had the
full package. Not that it the projects I
work on don’t have the full package but that one being the first resonates deep
in my brain in heart.
Rarely do I prepare for speaking engagements of any kind. I don’t think I would write anything, because I do think from your heart you will express your most authentic thanksgiving. This whole journey, getting into animation and establishing a career in animation has been so unbelievably in His hands. We moved out here with $300.00 and no job. My life has been one of His provision. I am pretty sure it would be the initial Jesus statement because I just can’t help it. Everything that I know, I know exactly why I have gone through it and I know Who is controlling it. So I am pretty sure He will fit in there nicely at the beginning.
8) If you could do
something different, what would that be and why?
Speaking,
public speaking. I absolutely love
it. And it goes again back to the
interaction thing. I remember being in
the classroom and being able to tell a student in the inner city who is 17
years old has 3 kids, on welfare has no idea about the world around her or him
and believes that the small boxes their in is their means for their existence
and being about tell them there is more.
9) If there is one thing
that others could learn from your experience, what would that be and why?
If I had a
quote, it would say, “he was loving as Jesus, but crazy as hell.” Everything is did was driven and motivated by
Christ. Even the crazy adventures I try
to embark on. Everything was driven by
love. Everything was driven by God. His
love for me and my love for people and sometime it was crazy and out of the
box, but again, the love of God. I feel
like it is in the adventure, the risk, and the challenge and in the dark that
we see God. I feel like getting people
to understand that idea can be a life-changing thing. I stepped out and I did things and made the
worst decisions trying to pursue the best but the idea that life is adventure
is just so close to my heart and I think that’s why I love animation. My legacy would be one of adventure, risk and
love. But in the end we’ll see.
10) How can we pray for
you?
I think for me
since I am such a guy who jokes
Focus. I am actually privileged and blessed and God has been
showing that to me in the last week or so.
I have been having experiences walking in restaurants or grocery stores,
jobs that I have had before. I saw two
different people who were just beaten up and other who are excited by bagging
groceries. I am still trying to work out
what God is showing me in that but I need to be thankful, nonetheless, that I
have been given an amazing opportunity.
When I was back in Chicago working tow jobs, going to school and looking
for freelance art, and now I have art opportunities, I just want to continue to
be thankful. I never want to become
stagnant in my thankfulness. I think
prayer for me for that would be great.
To always remain thankful.
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Interview with Phil Cooke - Producer / Director / Writer - Cooke Pictures:
1) When people you meet
find out that you are a Christian, how do they react? How do you react to their response?
I’ve discovered
that if you are really talented at what you do most people don’t have an
issue. I found that especially in
Hollywood, if you lead with being a Christian it’s problematic, but if you lead
with being exceptional at your skill, whether you are a writer, producer,
director or whatever, people listen to anything you have to say. They respect who you are and respect
your ability, and that opens a powerful door. I always tell younger people in the industry don’t lead with
being a Christian, lead with being as good as you can be in your area. Truthfully, being a Christian in
Hollywood is not that weird. There are people in this town who hug rocks and
worship trees, so being a Christian is not as strange as people think. I never
had much push back at all.
2) How do you seek to
honor Christ in your profession?
I think that
best way to honor Christ is to be extraordinary at what you do. Because it draws people to you and
gives you an opportunity to share your story. What I find is that Christians who just get by or do really
shoddy, or poor quality work, that’s not any kind of testimony that helps the
Kingdom of God. So I think, number
one, that we need to be excellent.
Paul said be ready in season and out, always be ready to share your
testimony. I have one friend who
is a director of a weekly television series who said, “I never talk about my
Christian faith on the set, but it’s interesting that whenever somebody is
struggling with alcohol or going through a divorce or having some other
challenge they always seem to seek me out.” So the Holy Spirit does work in a way that we don’t even
realize. If we are true to who we
are and do the kind of work that generates respect, I think God will draw
people to us.
3) What are the strongest
temptations to not continuing work in entertainment? How do you overcome these
temptations and keep yourself motivated?
It’s a struggle,
but to be honest there’s nothing else I can do. (He laughs.) I actually completed my Ph.D. thinking
that one of these days I’d like to teach, but that’s in the future. I’m a big believer in crawling out on a
limb and sawing it off behind you. Remember the classic story about Spanish
explorer Cortez unloading all of his troops on shore when he arrived in the New
World. Once everyone was on shore,
he set fire to all of his ships so his troops couldn’t go back. I believe that if you create an escape
route you’ll use it. So when
Kathleen and I moved out here from Tulsa in 1991 we pretty much packed up
everything. I didn’t come out for
a visit, or come out to rent an apartment for a while, we committed. So, as a result, it’s do or die. I thought about going into other things
from time to time, but kept moving forward in the industry. It’s not “either /
or” for me. I am still working in
the entertainment business with our clients, but I write books, I speak at
conferences, I do other things so I just try to add on rather then leave my
original calling.
4) We have a lot of
freedom in our country, but I have been surprised that Christians in the
entertainment industry do not feel completely comfortable sharing their faith.
What would your advice be to a Christian in a business that does not accept
Christian values or sharing their faith?
I can only
speak for myself, but I know the realization and the fear and struggle. I don’t believe that people in
Hollywood necessarily are out to destroy Christians. I think very often we Christians shoot ourselves in the foot
by the way we present ourselves to the public. A lot of ministries have tried to boycott Hollywood and
criticize Hollywood and do things that make it difficult for those of us who
are inside the industry trying to make change happen from the inside. I know industry Republicans have a
group called the “Friends of Abe.”
It’s kind of an under the radar group in Hollywood because it’s such a
difficult thing to come out as a conservative. Maybe we should start a group like that for Christians. (He
laughs.) I think the key is just
being sensitive. For instance,
Karen Covell at the Hollywood Prayer Network has never had anybody object to
her praying for them. Everybody
wants to be prayed for. It’s
funny; they might not even be remotely Christian but who is going to turn down
the opportunity to have somebody pray for them? She said that in 20 some years of working in the industry
she has never had anyone say no.
The other thing
is to be incredibly sensitive for the right moment. People are under enormous pressure in this industry and very
often the moment you decide to blurt out your faith is the worst possible
moment because they are freaking out over their job, or in the middle of a
project and trying to hit a deadline.
So I think the key thing is to be extraordinary sensitive. What happens
very often is people will come up and ask me about it. When they take the
initiative to ask, then that’s a great moment.
5) What excites you when
you get up in the morning?
My career has
changed over the years. When I was young I thought that I would be a feature
film director, and while that door is not completely closed, I’m getting up
there in years in a world where the hot thing in Hollywood is the 25 year old
wunderkind director. But I
continue writing, directing and producing programming through our production
company, Cooke Pictures, in Los Angeles.
At the same time I’m finding that writing books is extraordinarily
exhilarating to me. I love writing
and I also really like speaking. I
am speaking at a church tonight at a market place ministry event for business
people. We just got back from Moldova in Eastern Europe shooting a documentary
on sex trafficking and I am still thrilled for really unique clients that we
have who are trying to change the world.
A big part of our work is helping them tell their stories more
effectively through the media.
What drives me is when we find an organization out there that has a
passion to do something significant and important. I have a burning passion to help them get that story
told. That’s a lot of what drives
us here at Cooke Pictures and certainly drives me personally.
6) What has been your
favorite project and why?
That’s hard to
nail it down to a single project.
What’s interesting in looking back over my career is those things that
you thought were horrible experiences are very often the things you remember
the most. Passion overcomes
circumstances every time. I will
never forget I was filming a project in Italy and I was on this hillside in a
driving rainstorm at 3AM, freezing cold, shooting this scene, and the thought
occurred to me that I was having the time of my life. There is no viable reason why I should be happy or thrilled,
but I was doing what I love doing, which was filming a scene. So I think sometimes the things to look
for in your career are not the things that seem outwardly miserable or
terrible, but is this project giving me the chance to do what I was put on this
earth to do? My next book is
coming out in July 2012. It’s called One
Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born To Do. I am so frustrated that people in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and
70’s go through their entire adult life never figuring out what they were put
in the earth to accomplish. So I
have written a book that will really help people answer that question. What is the one big thing that you were
put on this earth to accomplish? I
think if you can figure that out, it will make a dramatic difference.
7) Do you have a prepared
acceptance speech for an award like an Oscar, and where does God fit?
Honestly, I
doubt I’d mention that at all. Here’s what drives me crazy: People that do the
trite, cheesy things because they feel like they’re supposed to. Because when you do the expected or
trite thing, it loses significance.
I just don’t think by someone saying “I want to thank Jesus Christ for
all that He has done in my life” at a podium with an award is really reaching
anybody with the Gospel. Does it
really get anybody saved? I doubt
it. I think so often in our
witness to the culture what we think these cheesy, trite moments are making a
dramatic difference. I really
don’t think that they do at all.
People don’t hear you say “thank you God for winning this Oscar” and
then fall on their knees and except Christ. It doesn’t happen that way - at least in my experience. I think we need to be more thoughtful,
reflective and probably original in how we share our faith these days
particularly in the kind of culture we live in.
8) If you could do
something different, what would that be and why?
I would be an
explorer – no question. I would
loved to have lived in the 19th century in the Victorian era during the age of
great British exploration. I secretly
at heart am somebody who wants to be wherever I’m not at the moment. I live for finding out what’s on the
other side of that hill or what’s at the end of that river, and I would have
loved to have been an explorer or adventurer. Growing up as a kid we lived
right at the edge of town in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I would go into the
woods right after breakfast with my dog and would not return until after
dark. I just loved it. I like going to where people haven’t
been before. It’s
interesting that now, having produced programming in more than 40 countries
throughout the world and spending my life figuring out what’s next with
technology and culture, I’m still doing that. What I like about my books and my speaking is going out
there to find out what’s next, what’s around the corner, what we should be
looking for, and I come back and report it. I think the DNA of being an explorer really fits me quite
perfectly. If I weren’t involved
in media, Hollywood or entertainment, I would probably be on a glacier
somewhere or deep in the rainforest trying to discover something new.
9) If there is one thing
that others could learn from your experience, what would that be and why?
What’s the one
big thing I would like to leave behind?
Probably the idea that Phil Cooke played a roll in changing the way
Christians engage the culture – particularly when it comes to media. I think that my work for the last 30
years has been how we as Christians share our story with today’s disrupted and
cluttered, media-driven culture.
In America at least it’s been a particularly challenging time. When I was a kid we were just
considered a Christian country. My
father was a pastor, and even the people who never darkened the door of a
church still respected my father and honored God, even if they weren’t
interested. It was just
assumed. But in our lifetime,
things have dramatically changed.
Part of the problem is that we have done a poor job in sharing our
witness to the culture. Ever since I was a little kid, I had a burden to help
Christians figure out how to engage the culture more effectively. So maybe that’s the way I’d like to be
remembered - that in some way the voice of Christianity was not snuffed out in
this century and not completely kicked to the curb or tossed aside because some
of us played a small part in keeping that conversation going in the national
media and teaching other people how to engage more effectively.
10) How can we pray for
you?
The greatest need we have in our company is finding
clients that want to change the paradigm in media. I’m looking for Christian organizations, churches,
ministries and non-profit organizations that really want to engage the media to
tell their story. So many people
see “Christian” television and think, “Man, that is not what we’re about.” But
just because some people do it badly, doesn’t mean we couldn’t be doing it
better. Many people are
doing the web and social media well today but I think that there is so much
more we could do in television, radio and some of the more traditional media,
which are not going away. People
are still watching TV in massive numbers.
It’s the last great cultural campfire. How can we use television more effectively to share our
faith with the culture? So I am
always looking for clients and potential funding sources who want to make that
happen. It’s a challenge because
it’s expensive, quite frankly. A
lot of organizations don’t have the money for media but God has been really
good to us and we always seem to find churches or leaders or ministries of some
kind that want to use television to tell their story, so we’ve been in business
a long time. It’s always a
challenge find the next project or the finances to make it happen. How can we keep that flame alive in
people’s hearts that really want to do something? That’s my prayer.
Learn more about Phil Cooke and Cooke Pictures at:
http://cookepictures.com/
http://philcooke.com/
http://philcooke.com/
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Interview with Rick Garside - Producer / Director / Writer - Side By Side Films:
1) How did you get started doing Christian
entertainment?
I
didn’t know there was a Christian market - didn’t even know it existed. I
graduated from Cal Arts in Valencia and I met a couple that was Christian and
they cut my negative for one of my student films. They are the ones that
introduced me to the fact that there is actually a Christian market. In those
days it involved making 16 mm films for churches to use Sunday nights. I never
even heard of that. So I got excited and thought, “this is kind if cool”
- you can make a film, openly talk about God and hopefully make your money
back. So I started learning more about it and met other film producers
and found that they had film libraries. I would go there and view films
and then contact the producers I really liked and pick their brain on how they
made it.
I
learned quickly that the Christian market was very different from the studio
system. In the studio system you write a great script and take it in to a
studio and they buy it or don’t. If they buy it and produce it maybe you
can stay attached to it. In the Christian film world, the system is
different. If you wanted to make a movie there was no studio.
Anyone that wanted to make films in “that world” were raising their own money
for their own stuff. The producers weren’t looking for the next great
script, they were trying to get their own made. I learned that if I
wanted to make films in this “world” then I was going to have to figure out how
to raise money.
So
a friend and I started our own company and wrote an animated / live action
film. Since I went to Cal Arts and had a lot of friends who were
animators, we wrote a story about a kid that becomes an animated character
inside a game board and teaches Proverbs. We encountered a company that
told us that they would raise 70% of all the money we needed. We were
thrilled! It still meant that we needed to raise 30% but at that time we
started thinking “well, if my parents put in a little money…my cousin?
Maybe we can raise that 30%.” So we started down the path of trying to
raise the money, and we did.
The
problem is that the company that was going to raise the 70% hadn’t raised
anything. We said, “hey, you’re the experts in this - help us out.”
But we had other leads so we kept following them and ended up raising 70% of
the money. At that same time the ‘experts’ had raised nothing. We
said OK, look, 70% was enough for the production (30% was for prints and ads),
so decided to go ahead and start the film.
As
a Christian I would not start a film if I did not have all the money to make
it, but I was willing to start without all the marketing money because I
figured once finished it would be easier to sell. We didn’t want to delay
the production. So we started filming and during the 8 months it took, we
ended up raising the last 30% of the money. Our expert fund raisers ended
up raising nothing. We decided if we couldn’t trust them to do what they
said, we don’t want them to distribute, so went with a different distributer.
So we had the money for the film and the marketing and that launched me into
the world of Christian film.
But
I’m glad to have worked with that company that failed to deliver. Even though I
was very frustrated at the time, if they didn’t make me believe that they were
going to raise the money, I never would have tried. I wouldn’t have taken
the first step needed to make that first film. So even though it was kind of a
frustrating experience, in the end I am very thankful that they did that
because it got me moving.
2) When people you meet find out that you are
a Christian, how do they react? How do you react to their response?
In
general, as someone who has been saved by the blood of Christ and believes that
God has a Heaven and a Hell and people are going to end up in one place or the
other, I feel very called to tell people about that. I think that it’s
important. At the same time, I don’t slap people in the face with my
faith. So usually I try to be very tactful and let other people tell me a
little about what they believe until I get a sense. But I try to bring up
a topic that might let that become a natural part of our conversation.
Everybody’s different. Some people immediately clam up; they don’t want
to talk about it. Other people don’t really care one way or the other.
Some people aren’t interested. So, not only in life in general but even
within the work place and the world, there’s people who are hostile, people who
are indifferent, people who are really interested. Life slices down the
marrow and bone. People fall on one side or the other depending on their
interest or background. I’ve had all kind of different reactions from
people.
3) What are the strongest temptations to not
continuing work in entertainment? How do you overcome these temptations and
keep yourself motivated?
Well
the temptation to give up is when you have no income, haven’t had any job for
months and six kids that need to be cared for and a mortgage due. With no
prospects for work and no sales of my existing films, then it’s very tempting
to consider trying to get some “normal” job. There have been a couple
times when I looked into it. But I also discovered that in the eyes of
many employers I am not good for any “normal” job because all my vocation has
been spent making films, producing, directing and writing.
I
found that most places that are hiring want somebody who is an expert in their
field. Even though I have a lot of experience in managing people,
(because I have produced or line produced a fair amount of projects), what
little experience I had in trying to cross over was that there’s not a
whole lot of interest in hiring a film guy.
But
then suddenly something comes along. There’s nothing that’s going to
build your faith or encourage you to go on like past experiences in trusting
God and seeing His provision. Even though I had some points over the
years where it seemed nothing was working, there’s no job prospect, and I was
beginning to feel hopeless, I would get a job from out of nowhere. The
funny thing is it didn’t come from all of the phone calls I placed or emailing
of resumes I sent out to drum up work. It didn’t come from any of my own
efforts. It comes from some phone call out of the blue. From a source I
didn’t even know.
Its
like God saying, “see, I just keep reminding you that I will take care of you.”
It helps me when things look really bleak. Like right now I have no
prospects of anything. This past year it’s been semi consistent. I
would have a job come up and before that ended I would have somebody call me or
do something else in sales. But right now I’m looking at nothing.
The reality is though; it’s the time when God can work. I’ve seen Him do it
month in and month out. I have been married 20+ years and have six kids, and
not once have I had a “normal” job or had a regular salary from a company.
At the same time somehow I managed to pay my bills. There are times when
it’s really tight, but it always seems to flow. So I look at the history
of God providing and that’s what encourages me to keep going.
The
other thing that keeps me going is that I am convinced and have no doubt in my
heart, that what I am doing is more worth my time than any “normal” job.
Especially for films that I work on that are faith based and Christ centered.
These are films that can point people towards Christ. When working on a faith
based movie, you can actually be blatant about it.
I
want to do stuff that has eternal value. Life is short, films are hard
and if I am going to spend all that work and effort on something I want it to
matter.
4) What has been your favorite project and
why?
That’s
a good question. I’ll tell you about some favorite moments because
different projects mean different things to me for different reasons. I
remember one I really had a lot of fun working on was called “The Climb,” which
is a Billy Graham film. I was the second unit director. I directed
all the stunts, the action and all the scenes that a lot of people really
wouldn’t be interested in doing because it involved hauling our 35 mm cameras
up a lot of cliffs. We had to ski or hike everywhere we went with all our
gear. But I love that kind of stuff and I was having a great time.
I loved doing that film. They wanted us to stay near the first unit,
which was staying at a ski area in Utah. I would have picked bigger
mountains where I could have gone to get better dramatic footage. But we
still had a really great time.
Another
great moment was on a film I directed called “Faith Happens.” One of the story
lines in that movie is about a guy who comes from Africa to America. His
country had a civil war. There were rebels fighting, the town was overrun
and he lived in a refugee camp. Well, I went to shoot that portion of the
film in Africa because when I did the numbers, the cost of shooting in Africa
in a real refugee camp came to be about the same as shooting in Los Angeles
trying to make it look like a refugee camp.
I
knew that even if I did find some areas in LA, like out in the wilderness
somewhere, and had a great production designer who could build a refugee camp,
it would cost me a lot of money. And the extras in LA don’t exactly look
like people who are starving in a refugee camp. So even it would have
been cheaper to shoot in LA, it would not have been as authentic. So I
went to this camp that was one of the largest refugee camps on the Sudan
boarder.
I
remember we had our cameras set up and we needed a big scene of this guy
arriving at this camp with all these people coming in and milling around.
We found an abandoned water truck and put our camera on top to get the vista -
our whole wide shot, and I remember looking out and thinking, “all these
hundreds of people are coming to be in this film and we are recreating this
whole moment.” It was thrilling. It’s all captured on film and looks
really good. I thought, “Wow, this was just an idea in my head while
writing the script. And here I am in this refugee camp with hundreds of
people doing this scene.” That was cool.
5) Do you have a prepared acceptance speech
for an award like an Oscar, and where does God fit?
Well,
I don’t have a prepared speech, but in my life, I am very thankful to God for
everything. Anything I do is for the Lord, anything I make is because He
enabled me to make it or gave me a skill set that had value to someone.
If I make a film and it touches a life, it’s because of His inspiration giving
me that idea. So I don’t know what my speech would look like. So
many people you watch at awards shows say, “I want to thank Jesus Christ who
made it possible.” It’s to the point where it sounds trite.
Now,
you like to see people at least acknowledge Jesus, especially if they use the
word “Jesus.” People will say “thank God,” but there’s something funny
about the word “God” and the word “Jesus.” “Jesus” usually is the word
that divides. Interestingly in one of my films people asked me, “can you
take this reference to Jesus out?” I was like, “No, it’s not coming out.”
Rebecca Manley Pippert, a wonderful speaker and author, wrote a book called “Out
of the Salt Shaker and Into the Fire.” She said that something that I
never forgot about evangelism. “Christians and non-Christians have
something in common: we’re both uptight about evangelism.” The point being that
if you are Christian you feel uncertain because you don’t know how your
audience is going to react, and then the non-Christian is uptight because they
often don’t like to talk about it. It can get awkward.
Our
job is, if we are going to love others the way Christ did, is to try and figure
out how we can talk about Him in a way that doesn’t feel awkward and at the
same time isn’t a turn off. We want to draw people like Christ drew the
women at the well to Him. He didn’t condemn her, but got HER to ask him about
how to have eternal life.
I
aspire to learn how to draw people as well as Christ did. He is the Master and He
gave us this great example how to do that. So any speech that I would
have, I would like to think that I would honor the Lord and not be embarrassed
or ashamed or afraid to acknowledge His part in my life and whatever success I
might have. So I guess I need to pray now, that should that time ever
come, He will give me the words.
6) If there is one thing that others could
learn from your experience, what would that be and why?
Don’t
waste you life on stuff that doesn’t matter. I know a lot of people that,
for various reasons…well, let’s say that someone always wished that they got
into animation, but it wasn’t practical, so they took “whatever” job or career
path that was not what they loved and they regret that the rest if their lives.
Or
someone that is so afraid to talk about God that they never do. You think
about eternity, whatever amount of years we are given; those are the years God
gave us to spend here, so spend them wisely. Eternity matters and what I
do in this life matters for eternity, so I would urge people to look to Christ
and serve Him. What I have learned along the way and have come to believe
along the way is that I am thankful that I did not waste 30 years and then
finally make a decision. I did things that hopefully were good for people
or helped bring people to Christ.
Don’t
spend your life wishing; don’t spend your life thinking that “someday” will
happen. Wherever you are in life, don’t waste your time wishing to make
an impact. Just make one.
7) How can we pray for you?
On
the broader side, it would be that the Lord would continue to enable me to
serve Him. That I would always stay true to Christ no matter what.
Because if the Lord answers that prayer, the rest will follow. That’s the
single most important thing because it affects everything else that I do.
On
a specific side, I currently have a lot of balls in the air. There’s this
possibility or that possibility. I am trying to finalize the marketing
for this new film called “Faith Happens,” and trying to make wise decisions on
who to partner with and how to launch that in a way that is big. Pray the
“Faith Happens” has a huge impact because I think it can. In my own
efforts I don’t have the means or the ways but I’m not the One in charge
anyway.
Also,
I can use prayers for my family. I am a husband and have six kids, which
brings it’s own set of challenges.
Learn more about Rick
Garside and Side By Side Films at:
http://www.sidebysidefilms.com/index.php
________________________________________________________
Interview with Bill Waldman - Animator:
1)
When people you meet find out that you are a
Christian, how do they react? How
do you react to their response?
When people think about
Catholics, the immediate reaction goes to the scandals or the inquisition, or
the crusades. I mean if you have
to go back 500 years…really the church has come so far and these things do not
represent the position of Christianity.
I find that fundamentalist
Christians try to convert me. I
never understood this. Why are
they not working on the guy who does not know Christ? Maybe they feel that it’s easier with me rather then him for
a variety of reasons. Again, I
smile and talk with them and always try to be polite.
2)
How do you seek to honor Christ in your profession?
I feel that it is
important to do the best job I can.
I recall a letter that Pope John Paul II wrote to artists sometime in
the 90’s about how important it was to create beauty in the world. He said,
“…so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts
to the world.” I remember
thinking…wow…this is awesome. We
really need to focus on this.
Luckily I have not worked
on things that question my faith.
I remember that there was
a sequence in “Hunchback of Notre Dame” in the song “God Help the Outcasts”
where Esmeralda was singing. She
was saying that she was the unselfish one and was walking from the back of the
church toward the doors at the front of the church. The other people were walking forward singing about selfish
stuff. I wrote a letter to the producers
saying, “If your aim is to show that the people going to church are selfish and
prideful and those leaving the church are unselfish, you are doing a good
job.” Several months went by and I
received a call from the producer Don Hahn saying that they reviewed that
sequence and “oh my, you’re right!”
It seemed that they might have been concerned about the box office
sales, but they decided to change the sequence and re-edit so that the sequence
would not portray the message that it was clearly doing. I came to find out later that the
producer and one of the directors were Christians too.
3) What are the strongest temptations to not continuing
work in entertainment? How do you overcome these temptations and keep yourself
motivated?
The way that the industry
is going, what would I really be leaving?
I have been working in 2D animation for a long time and now we are
hearing that 2D is not a viable art form or people are losing their belief in
the medium.
But it is the necessity of
life to make a living. I remember in
2004 I had a discussion about whether 2D will ever come back. Someone told me once that “for some
reason this industry has a way of coming back.” It did the 90’s and after a strike. I hope that this will come around. As a kid I was inspired by the Rescuers
and knew that I need to do this the rest of my life.
4) We have a lot of freedom in our country, but I have
been surprised that Christians in the entertainment industry do not feel
completely comfortable sharing their faith. What would your advice be to a
Christian in a business that does not accept Christian values or sharing their
faith?
I think if someone is not
open, or you get a sense that they are not open, don’t push it. Just be a good person. Saint Francis said “Preach the Gospel
at all times and when necessary use words.” Don’t expect too much from people, just be a good friend, or
try to be.
5) What excites you when you get up in the morning?
Some days are easier then
others. I was happy when working
on “Tom and Jerry - Wizard of Oz.”
It was 2D animation / layout, characters I loved and my favorite film
“The Wizard of Oz.” Of course if you
give me some paper and a pencil, I am pretty happy.
6) What has been your favorite project and why?
Disney’s “Beauty and the
Beast” limited edition. I expressed interest in working on it and when the
opportunity came, I did. It was
for only 6 months but it was a great 6 months.
Working on “Atlantis” was
good too because I had a really awesome scenes.
On “Pocahontas” we all got
treated very well. It was a good
time to be in animation.
“Looney Tunes – Back in
Action” was fun too. It was fun to
animate those characters. They
almost animate themselves.
“Tom and Jerry – Wizard of
Oz.” “Princess and the Frog.”
7) Do you have a prepared acceptance speech for an award
like an Oscar, and where does God fit?
I owe everything to
God. I can’t claim credit for
anything. When you are 4 or 5
years old and drawing on paper are you really setting out to be an
animator? Ability comes from
God. My desire to make films comes
from God and God opens doors so I can continue working. People who are really talented don’t
always get the best jobs or the best opportunities.
8) If you could do something different, what would that be
and why?
That’s a good question. I
wish I knew.
When I was 25 I actually
thought about becoming a priest. I
actually considered it.
Teaching animation
somewhere would be good. John Paul
the Great Catholic University in San Diego approached me once. They were looking to have an animation
course. I told them that I only
know 2D and they were fine with that.
But the job was only for 2 days a week and the time it would take to
drive there didn’t make it worth the money.
I could also be a trainer
at a gym but animation is what I know I can do.
9) If there is one thing that others could learn
from you, what would that be and why?
I would hope that it would not just be
animation. I hope that it would be
more about my trust in God when things look dark…to hold on to hope. Mother
Angelica said “We're all called to be great saints--don't miss the
opportunity." I hope that
people would look at my life and see that as my ultimate goal. It’s not about the attention or celebrity
status. Actually I am
uncomfortable with that.
10) How can we pray for you?
To remain faithful to the
end. In Revelation 2:10 it says”…Be faithful until death, and I will give you
the crown of life.” That’s really
what is most important.
