Saving God Interview

André is a writer (Judgment, Left Behind: World at War, Camp Eden), a director (Revelation, Tribulation, Judgment, Deceived) and a producer (Saving God, Left Behind I-III). He is married with three children and lives in Ontario, Canada.

André van Heerden: Within the story are a lot of people who have lost their hope and faith. They're living lives that they don't like and don't see anything good for the future. Many of them laugh at the idea of a loving God and are angry at God – if He exists – because they're in such bad situations. Those same people also look at some so-called Christians who are taking money from the poor and living extravagant lifestyles, like Pastor Christopher (Ricardo Chavira).

Armstrong Cane (Ving Rhames) was once one of those broken people. But while in prison, he found the reality that there is a loving, redeeming God who does forgive us and wants only the best for us. Cane now feels like he has to bring those lost souls back to God – and therefore he is "saving God" for one soul at a time.

CM: How did Cloud Ten Pictures become involved in the creation of Saving God, and what were the top factors that led to the decision?

Av: I was told about a script called "Selling God," by some producers that I was working with. The concept sounded interesting, and the fact that international star Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible, Con Air, Pulp Fiction) was attached made it even more intriguing.

I asked to see the script, but before I even got a chance to read it I received a call from Ving himself. He was very passionate about the project and wanted to see us make it. The story was close to his heart, given that he grew up in a similar neighbourhood and is now a believer in Jesus Christ. He identified with the Cane character a great deal.

We read the script and worked with the writer (Michael Jackson), the producers (Domenic Serafino, Wayne Thompson and Philip Mellows), and Ving Rhames over the next few months to get it where we wanted it to be. The great twist ending came about through that process and, once that was in place, we headed into production.

One interesting side note is that the writer actually got Ving interested in the script by approaching him in the Pittsburgh airport where he was working as a baggage handler!

CM: Saving God is notable for its believable characters. The antagonistic characters are disliked, and even Pastor Cane is portrayed as a flawed human being. What can filmmakers do to create believable characters and – consequently – believable stories? How much is due to the actors, how much to scripted dialogue and other factors?

Av: Very good question and I'm always surprised when actors or directors are given so much praise for a certain great film, yet the writer often isn't. I have a number of directors and actors that I admire, but even they have some films that – by almost anyone's definition – are pretty weak. Were they just not acting or directing properly on those pictures? No, I think that an actor or a director really can't make a bad script great. If the dialog is weak, or the story melodramatic, then no matter how talented an actor or director is – the movie is going to suffer.

So I really believe that building believable and engaging characters starts with the writer. Those characters - whether in large roles or small - must have goals, they must have obstacles to those goals (conflict), and they must live and behave according to their constructed DNA and the world around them.

Actors definitely play a role in this, as they can take what's on the page and add to it and refine it and make that character breathe. Similarly, directors can increase the conflict and work with performance, imagery, tone, transitions, and many other elements, to bring all the pieces together. But at the heart of believable characters is the use of conflict within an engaging story – which almost always begins with the writer.

CM: What did Cloud Ten and Clear Entertainment do to recruit experienced, recognizable actors for Saving God (Ving Rhames, Mission Impossible; Ricardo Chavira, Desperate Housewives; Dean McDermott, Open Range)?

Av: For our other films like Revelation, Tribulation, Judgment, or the Left Behind movies, we relied on casting agents and some existing connections to land talent, the way most producers work. On Saving God, we were fortunate that Ving Rhames was so passionate about the story. He actively approached friends and acquaintances to get them involved.

As you can imagine, getting a personal direct call from Ving Rhames carries a lot more weight than a casting director talking to a manager. Both Ricardo and Dean came on board primarily because of Ving.

CM: Dwain Murphy is brilliant as Norris Johns and conducts himself like a veteran actor. What is his story and where did you find him?

Av: I'm so glad you noticed Dwain's performance. I think the character of Norris was the toughest role to embody and if his character or journey didn't work – neither would the film. Both Ving's and Dean's characters are fighting over Norris' destiny and, without a realistic and empathetic portrayal, their stories and the film's theme would have felt hollow.

Dwain was recommended to us by our casting director. We were a little skeptical because of his relatively short resume, but after seeing his performance in How She Move, and watching his audition, we were all blown away. I predict that he's going to be a star.

CM: Director Duane Crichton brings a realism to Saving God that is both gritty and authentic. Why was he chosen to direct and how was the chemistry between him and the actors on set?

Av: Duane was recommended to us by producer Philip Mellows. Philip had worked with Duane on music videos and commercial shoots and loved his cinematic eye, work ethic, and professional choices. Once on set, Duane proved himself in many, many ways. He's a fairly low-key guy and always focuses everyone's attention on the story and the job at hand. He does a lot of homework and preparation as well, so when there are any questions about a scene or moment or anything, he has a quick and insightful answer. The actors all respected him, and the fact that he pulled it all off in 15 days of shooting is remarkable.

CM: Did shooting in Canadian winter significantly affect the lighting process during production? If so, what steps were taken to compensate?

Av: One of the things that I'm most proud of is how many people think we shot it in Baltimore or New Jersey. We really wanted a cold, hard, unforgiving look, and Hamilton, Ontario – in the dead of winter – certainly delivers. Our cinematographer, Rudy Blahacek, did a wonderful job giving the landscape and sets their own "life," and God certainly provided a nice consistent layering of snow throughout the shoot! The only compensating we needed to do at times was to have extra snow shovels ready.

CM: How many days of actual shooting took place?

Av: There's a funny video on our website that addresses this. Incredibly, it was shot in only 15 days, which is very fast for a full-length feature.

CM: What is the filmmaking climate like in Canada, in general, and for Christian filmmakers specifically? Do national or provincial governments offer tax incentives for filmmakers?

Av: Filmmaking in Canada is great. There are always talented, hungry people looking to work on something. Toronto and the surrounding area, in particular, has a huge production infrastructure and can double as just about anywhere in terms of look. The Federal and Provincial tax incentives are extremely competitive to just about anywhere in the world and – rather than a tax break – it's actual funds that come back to the production.

When we do go into production, we have crews that fluctuate between 50 to 80 people and, if we include cast in that, we can be well over 100 people on set on any given day. With this many people, most of the people involved are not Christian, but professional production industry workers. So our set feels much like any other film set, except we do try to set a very good example from the top down.

It's often been said that the best way to share your faith is in how you conduct yourself and live your life. Film sets often have high pressure situations, and so it's a great testing ground. Thankfully, we've been able to encourage discussions about faith and Christ while producing our films, as well as in screening them!