SAN ANTONIO, TX — Two young Christian filmmakers have banded together with a group of film students and families in the San Antonio community to make an action-thriller television pilot that is now in post production. Having started the production in early August, the virtually all-volunteer team recorded the scenes for the film on evenings after work, weekends, and off-days. Now four weeks into post-production editing, the filmmakers announced a campaign to help them raise funds for completing and promoting the project.
Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger Full-Length Trailer 1 from NDFilmmaker on Vimeo.
The film, titled “Jimmy Valiant: Scions of Danger,” addresses God’s purpose for manly heroism, where men follow the Bible by exercising forgiveness for personal hurts and serve as protectors and defenders of the weak just as Christ defends the lost soul through His sacrifice on the cross.
“We’re grateful that the Lord provided the funds needed to complete production,” said producer Nathan Barnes. “Now we need to raise $40,000 by January 1st to see the film come to a strong completion as we gear up for release.”
The mechanism for raising the $40,000 is Kickstarter.com, a site that helps to fund creative projects. On Kickstarter, a fundraising goal is set, along with a deadline. Project supporters come to the site and pledge money, in exchange for incentives like copies of the movie, limited edition cast & crew T-shirts, movie posters, listing in the credits, and photo-ops with the cast & crew. If the fundraising goal is met by the deadline then the pledges are collected — if not, then no money exchanges hands.
The campaign can be seen here or kck.st/h1a58h.
Barnes (26) is one of the co-founders of Persevero Films, the small, independent studio producing the film. He’s joined by novelist Nathaniel Darnell (28), the writer and director of the film. For the last seven years these young men have made hundreds of videos for ministries and other organizations, including several documentaries and promotional videos, but this is their first dramatic film.
“We have been inspired after attending and helping with the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival for the last five years,” said Darnell. “We don’t pretend to be experts at filmmaking. We’re still learning, but we do have a strong foundation of experience laid, and we simply want to put feet to our convictions by making a movie that impacts people for Christ.”
Not only are these filmmakers trying to make a film with a strong life-changing Christian message, but they are also using the filmmaking process as an opportunity to encourage and train younger men in their community. Many boys twelve-to-twenty-one-years-old have worked on the crew and editing team, learning disciplines and skills that they hope will prepare them for responsible Christian manhood whether they pursue careers in filmmaking or not.
So how can an action-thriller film present a Christian message? Barnes and Darnell point out that for over half a century, the action-thriller genre has discipled whole generations of young men, who have found their role models from such notable action series as James Bond, Rambo, and the Jason Bourne films. “People admire these heroes because they are men of action and courage,” said Darnell, “but these characters also carry with them a lot of evil characteristics: bitterness, lust, licentiousness, rage. We want to turn this on its head with heroes who are self-controlled and operating under Christ’s authority.”
The film tells the story of Jimmy Valiant (Brant Harris), an individualist and cynical young soldier-for-hire, who is estranged from his family after the death of his sister. When Jimmy is hired by an anonymous client to protect an idealistic Texas State Senator, the two are forced to work together to unravel a conspiracy with international implications. Their investigation uncovers some startling truths, and brings Jimmy face-to-face with the last man in the world that he ever wanted to see again — the man responsible for his sister’s death.
The film also challenges modern Marxist notions of the role of the state. In the story, 200 children are kidnapped by the state to be “rehabilitated” when a psychologist indicts their conservative parents for demonstrating “social symptoms indicative of a community virus.” Symptoms such as teaching the Bible, spanking as a part of discipline, training in Second Amendment defense, and home-schooling. It’s up to the heroes to restore these children to their families.
Filmed on location in Texas and Georgia, the movie takes viewers panning through the halls of the Texas State Capitol, roaring in a Ferrari over the hills of Canyon Lake, and racing down the San Antonio Riverwalk. “Much of our production budget went into acquiring access to film on these locations,” said Barnes. “The Lord blessed us with cast and crew who sacrificially gave of themselves to help make this film possible.”
Two professional actors with extensive theatrical experience volunteered to play key roles in the film. Impressed with the script, one actor traveled all the way from Australia at his own expense to be in the film.
Now the team prays God will also provide them with the resources needed to have a compelling musical score, convincing sound-effects (especially for the fight scenes), critical visual effects, and the means to get the word out to potential viewers.
The film will be made for a one-hour TV time-slot. The web site for the film can be found at www.scionsofdanger.com. People can also find the Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/JimmyValiantTheMovie.
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