Choosing the Next Art Film Script

Because of the interest of two possible venues in our "Film-Gallery-Café" idea, we are encouraged to begin reviewing several screenplays which have been on hold.
Our vision is that the production process itself, this Spring and Summer, will help form a circle of collaborators which will nurture one another toward greater productivity.
We hope that this fall we will be able to premiere one to three new films in a setting which combines the qualities of a home theater, an art gallery, and a café.
We are concentrating on short films using physical visual art accompanied by rich soundtracks. These films would be shown in the same gallery as the art used to make them.
Among the scripts being considered are
"The Gateway" using a painting and poem about using your imagination in prayer,
"Here On the Stone" exploring Lazarus' point of view of dying and being resurrected,
and
"Beautify Oh" using photo montages to amplify a poetic prayer for beauty.
We want the films to be conversation pieces and to encourage viewers to talk about the truth being presented. We trust God to draw people closer to Himself through these films and conversations.

First of Three Vision Components

We have been promoting our three-part vision: the Production Gathering, the Film-Gallery-Café, and Funding by Financial Health. What would a “production gathering” be like?

Think of a retreat in which participants are provided with an array of helps, programmed and free form, to refresh their perspective on life, inspire them to accomplish their dreams and spark new ideas. Focus that kind of a retreat to the needs of practicing artists with a select few younger, promising artists.

This would not just be a vacation, but a working retreat in which the artists are selected to fill positions in a film production, the center around which the retreat is organized. Experienced professionals would work for pay and agree to mentor the tuition paying younger artists who have been invited based on their portfolio and application. Scholarships would be available. The younger artists would be challenged to rise to the working professional level.

The retreat aspect of the event would strive to remove negative pressure that is common to commercial productions and to promote a freedom of creativity. Hosted in a place close to nature, intense periods of shooting, performance and post production, would be interspersed with enrichment times. These would include live musicians entertaining during meal breaks and evenings, inspirational presentations from specialists in related fields, and recreational facilities. Room and board would be provided with ample staffing to attend to each individual's needs.

The number and type of residents, as well as the length of time scheduled, would vary depending on the demands of the given screenplay. Short films using a wide variety of art forms would be the preferred project. As each phase of production progresses every artist would be involved either as observer, or as worker, the whole group traveling together to the finished product.

By the time of celebrating the final product each resident will have experienced renewal, enlightened perspective on their career and craft, and formed special bonds with other artists. The gathering will have profound effect on the artists and their creations for the rest of their lives. The films produced at the gatherings will have a life at film festivals, distribution avenues and at Horizon Gate's Film-Gallery-Café.

Past Ideas Meet In Unified Vision

We, Mark and Donna Turner, have been working in the arts as a ministry for over 38 years. A wealth of experience and education practicing theater, filmmaking and ministry in many places around the globe has given us much to impart, much to offer collaborations. At a time when many people would be planning retirement, we are discovering a pattern in our past accomplishments which forms a vision for the next phase of our life's work. Describing it here is a first step in materializing that vision.

The ideas of our vision include two main areas of work: 1.) film production that builds community and nurtures the artists involved, and 2.) exhibiting our films in a place combining aspects of a gallery, a café and a theater.

The Production Gathering

Our goal is to help people rise toward the full potential with which God endowed them. Our vision is to produce films with a community of people who are committed to more than the end product, who go beyond a given film and assist each other in their spiritual, professional and artistic growth. The community atmosphere we envision will include professionals and promising learners striving for excellence to make films which express the Community of God in a variety of forms.

A New Kind of Exhibition Space

This community will produce films that explore forms and lengths not usually seen in normal movie theaters. They will use artistic forms inviting the viewers to observe and discuss, to engage with one another and with God. But, what kind of space would accommodate this? A space conducive to audience interaction would be more like a café. The atmosphere of an art gallery would change the film from a spectacle to a conversation piece. Yet, some of the functions of the movie theater would be retained. We envision a combination of all these aspects in a new kind of film and discussion space, a “film gallery café”.

Art work created for the given films will also be presented in the space. The sales of art and DVD's will help support the artists and carry the mission into the viewers' lives. Events in the space will feature live musicians, poets, readings, lectures by the artists and filmmakers, and other appropriate presentations designed to stimulate conversations that draw people to God.