Last week I returned to Ouzarzate, Morocco, to direct a new set of films for Big Book Media. These films will be screened as part of an ambitious stage production entitled "The Story", which is touring the USA towards the end of this year. The show will take the audience on an epic musical journey through the Bible story, and is being launched to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.
I've been commissioned to direct a trilogy of short films, set to music, which tell the stories of three Biblical characters: Job and Esther from the Old Testament, and St. Paul from the New Testament. This is exciting for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's a huge step up for me in terms of directing. I was working with a crew of around 20 and a large cast, many of whom are regulars on the big-budget feature films that Ouzarzate is so often favoured for. We had access to some amazing studio sets and wild outdoor locations, and we were able to set our sights very high in terms of production values. Secondly, this project is amazing opportunity to tell a story I'm passionate about. The characters of Job, Esther and Paul are such rich sources of drama and their stories carry a powerful, timeless message. On top of this, there are surprisingly few renderings of these characters on film (ours
may be the first ever screen adaptation of the story of Job), so these films present the opportunity to interpret some powerful, iconic images. Many of these have been presented in historic artworks, so we drew a lot of inspiration from these existing interpretations - and added a twist or two of our own where we thought it appropriate!
The final show will feature 18 such films which are being created by directors from all over the world, and these will accompany performances by some of the world's biggest Christian recording artists. If you are in the states, do try to get along for one of the tour dates - it promises to be an absolute cracker!
Last week I returned to Ouzarzate, Morocco, to direct a new set of films for Big Book Media. These films will be screened as part of an ambitious stage production entitled "The Story", which is touring the USA towards the end of this year. The show will take the audience on an epic musical journey through the Bible story, and is being launched to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.
Jesus the Hero is the first in a series of seven short films, presented by Andy Frost, which take a fresh look at the character and life of Jesus of Nazareth. Filmed on location in Ouarzazate, Morocco, the films combine innovative, dynamic presentation with a powerful new dramatisation of the gospel stories.
When Big Book Media approached me to direct the series, I jumped at the chance. Filming in Ouarzazate gave us the opportunity to use some fantastic, authentic-looking locations (including studio sets that have also appeared in Hollywood films like Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven), and meant that we could place Andy right in the middle of the action. Ouarzazate is Morocco's film capital so we teamed up with a very talented local crew and I'm really pleased with the results. We've ended up with a series of films which are unlike anything I've seen before and I'm really excited that the Christian Broadcasting Council have picked up on them.
The awards are on 19th May, so I'm looking forward to getting all dressed up and celebrating our nomination with the rest of the team... and of course I'll let you know how we fare.
