After Fireproof was complete, the brothers began researching and crafting The Love Dare as a ministry tool for couples. In September 2007, with Provident Films as partner, the camera rolled on Fireproof using a dozen professionals, 1,200 volunteers, and a budget of $500,000. God began inspiring Alex and Stephen to write a marriage-themed script called Fireproof. Thomas Nelson Publishers approached the Kendrick brothers and asked to publish the novelizations of Flywheel and Facing the Giants. Sherwood was overwhelmed with ministry opportunities and hired additional personnel to respond to emails and calls. Business leaders, politicians, and football coaches used “the death crawl” scene to motivate their teams. Thousands reported new faith in Jesus Christ and shared amazing stories about God working in their lives. Sherwood received emails and phone calls by the hundreds each day from around the world as viewers responded to Facing the Giants. The DVD was released in 57 countries, and Sony added Flywheel to its video catalog where it would later approach a million units sold. Facing the Giants exceeded box-office expectations, earning $10.1 million in theaters and selling more than 2.5 million units on DVD. Within weeks, the groups met and partnered to release the movie nationwide in 441 theaters on September 29, 2006. Provident then sent the movie to its new parent company, Sony. With no prospects for distribution, God opened a door in 2005 when Provident Label Group in Nashville asked for the distribution rights. The football venture was shot over six weeks using a single Panasonic high-definition camera. In May 2004, production began on Facing the Giants with Alex directing, Stephen producing, a slew of Sherwood volunteers, and five paid professionals who led the production teams. Without any formal fund raising, individuals began giving money and the needed resources to start another project. The brothers prayed for $100,000 and a specific high-definition camera to improve production quality. After months of prayer, they began writing the script for Facing the Giants – a high school football story about facing fear with faith. While Flywheel continued to expand, Alex and Stephen began asking God for another movie plot. The movie later aired on five television networks and garnered seven film festival awards including the Gold Crown Award for Best Screenplay from ICVM. Christian bookstores, Blockbuster Video, and movie catalogs requested Flywheel for their inventories. Sherwood offered Flywheel on DVD and sold all 1,000 units on the first day. The movie was extended for six weeks due to the overwhelming response. Flywheel unexpectedly sold out multiple show times as the week’s second-highest grossing movie of the cinema’s 16 screens. Sherwood Pictures’ first film was a hit, leaving moviegoers inspired and challenged by the story. Prayers continued to be answered when TV, radio and newspaper reporters reached out to promote the film, allowing advertising expenses to stay minimal. Flywheel premiered at Albany’s Carmike Cinemas on April 9, 2003. After weeks of prayer, several church members generously gave the needed funds to produce the movie and Alex began writing a script. In 2002, Alex approached Senior Pastor Michael Catt with an idea to make a low-budget, full-length movie as an outreach to the community. The brothers created videos together to support ministry needs at Sherwood but also desired to fulfill a dream of making Christian movies. Sherwood Church’s venture into Christian filmmaking began in 2002, just a few years after hiring Alex Kendrick as Associate Pastor of Media and Stephen Kendrick as Associate Pastor of Preaching and Prayer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |