One show only. Thursday July 10, 2008. 7:00pm at the Heights Theater. All seats $10.00. Go see Director Jason Page’s hard-hitting documentary ….And on the 7th Day, God Rocked. The documentary probes in to a Christian battle of the bands. Who will win? Wrathful Old Testament hip-hoppers Sons of Abraham or born-again hard-rockers Savior? Lapsed Catholic Angie Hynes, who’s gone from punk to country in search of success, or the folksy love-fest of harmony-laden trio Glory Authority? A recording contract awaits the winner. Who that will be, only God (and perhaps the promoter) knows…

Jason Page is an award winning actor, filmmaker and photojournalist based out of Duluth. Support our local filmmakers and their work!!!

The Heights Theatre is located at 3951 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 on the corner of Central Ave near 40th Avenue, at Gould Avenue NE. Outside free parking is adjacent to the theater and behind the theater, with handicapped parking. Free ramp parking is also available in a secure, four-level municipal ramp with entry from 40th or Gould Ave.

The following is an interview I had with Jason about his film.

MnDialog: Are you happy with the film? How long did it take to get it in the can?

Jason Page: Over the course of two months we shot about 45 hours of footage, which was eventually whittled down to our 98 minute running time. Post-production took many months, as the narrative came together in the edit suite and the rock show sound was all properly mixed. At the end of the day – or year rather – I am very happy with the way it turned out. Audience reaction so far has been phenomenal.

MnDialog: Is this your first documentary? Do you prefer non-fiction? Why or why not?

JP: This is my first foray into the documentary field. I’m a firm believer that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. It also takes longer and offers fewer loopholes. I think I could be happy pursuing both narrative and documentary subjects. It’s all about the story.

MnDialog: How did you hear about this battle of the bands contest? What compelled you to take on this material? Where / when did the event take place

JP: This battle of the bands, known as “God Rocks”, took place last summer in my home town of Duluth, MN – so I couldn’t pass it up. I am perpetually intrigued by the things we are not supposed to talk about – politics, race, religion – so I thought what better way to have a dialogue on the subject of faith than to let these folks speak for themselves, unfettered from pre-scripted notions.

MnDialog: What genres of music and what kind of bands showed up for the contest? It seems like various groups appear in the film. Which was your personal favorite? Do you feel the best band won? (Of course don’t divulge who in fact won so as not to spoil the movie)

JP: The bands represent a wide array of musical styles as well as a variety of viewpoints within the Christian faith. We saw everything from rockers to rappers to country artists. In the end I would say the best band does win. Although as you can imagine there are a lot of differences in opinion on that front.

MnDialog: Would you say this film is pro-Christianity? The trailer definitely hinted at this. Did you set out to make a film about a musical event that took place that just happened to be Christian-based, or did you have more of an agenda? I guess what I’m dancing around here is: are you a man of the Christian faith?

JP: I was raised in the Methodist Church. I consider myself from that heritage, if not necessarily bound to the dogma. Not that Methodists go much for the dogma, but you know…

I don’t think the film has an agenda other than to be a discussion of faith set against the backdrop of music. Certain tensions arise between these bands as they compete, and not all of them are musical in nature, but we strive to keep an even hand and show what honestly happened.

MnDialog: The last line of the trailer is a quote from (I assume) one of the band members in the contest: “We are the soundtrack to the rapture.” What did the person mean by this? Since it was placed in such an improtant spot in the trailer, do you think this is what the film is about?

JP: I think it’s what that particular band, Savior is about, and by extension it’s a facet of the movie. Savior is fronted by two born-again brothers, Lars and Liam, who have a highly combustible relationship. Their antics and declarations make for some of the most outlandish moments in the film – but also some of the truest. Lars in particular is unfiltered.

MnDialog: How did you get in to filmmaking? What inspires you to do this work?

JP: I have always liked a good story. I have always aspired to become a storyteller. Movie making is a great storytelling medium. I started by writing things down and directing became a logical extension of that.

MnDialog: Directors you love; influences? What films do you love?

JP: I love Stanley Kubrick, the Coen Brothers, Steven Soderbergh, Terry Gilliam and countless others. Influences outside of film include Jim Henson, Joseph Heller & Mark Twain. Movies I love include Dr. Strangelove, The Limey, The Big Lebowski and Brazil. Oh – and my current favorite – Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take 1 - made by William Greaves in 1968 and still fresher than anything on the market.

MnDialog: How was the shoot for the film? What kind of crew did you have? What equipment did you use as far as camera and editing?

JP: I have always worked with small crews. Too many people sitting around with too little to do is a sure way to breed discontent. I like to keep people involved and working hard. In addition to myself (director/camera op), I had my trusty director of photography, Carl; my assistant director, Erin; High school friend and sound engineer Tyrone; and Carrie, my longtime producer.

We shot with a couple Panasonic HVX200 high definition cameras and edited it all together in Final Cut Pro.

MnDialog: Tell me about the other films you’ve made for 4Track Films, Winding Down and Newton’s Disease? I quite enjoyed the trailer for Newton’s Disease. Where can people see these films?

JP: Newton’s Disease is my first feature film, completed in 2006 and available now on our website. It’s a very subversive little flick that I encourage everyone to check out.

White Man’s World is a documentary we shot last fall on the heels of God Rocked. It explores issues of race and ego. Again – back to taboo subject matter.

MnDialog: Do you see yourself as an independent filmmaker for life? What are the benefits of working under a small, independent production company? What are the negatives?

JP: I love being accountable only to myself. It’s a position of supreme power and I am very lucky to be where I am. That said – means are limited in the independent film world, and I certainly have a few big budget ideas I wouldn’t mind seeing on screen. The career path of someone like Steven Soderbergh is really enviable – being able to bounce back and forth between bigger and smaller projects would be the ideal.

MnDialog: What’s next for you? More projects lined up?

JP: Well, White Man’s World isn’t going to edit itself, so that is the immediate task. I am also writing a script that my producer, Carrie, will direct this summer, called The Life of Riley. Next spring I will be directing a psychological thriller called Alice.

This post was written by Erik McClanahan, Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 1:22 pm and is filed under Events, Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.