411 Movies Interview: Midnight Clear Director Dallas Jenkins
Posted by Tony Farinella on 01.03.2008
411s Tony Farinella sits down with Dallas Jenkins for an exclusive interview!
One of the great things about my job is discovering new directors and new films. I mean, we all know about the mainstream films and the mainstream directors. For the most part, that stuff is common knowledge. But it's always rewarding to see a new film by a fresh face with a lot to say. That's the good stuff. Recently, I discovered a great film by director Dallas Jenkins, who is the son of author Jerry B. Jenkins. The film is called Midnight Clear, and it follows five random strangers on Christmas Eve, as they battle depression, rejection, and feelings of loneliness. Even though Dallas is a Christian, he doesn't want to preach to his audience. In fact, Dallas wants to show a different side of the Christian film market. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing director Dallas Jenkins, and we talked about the DVD release of Midnight Clear. If you're in the mood for a different kind of film, you need to check out Midnight Clear. You won't be disappointed.
TONY: Because your father's short story is so popular, did you feel a lot of pressure on this project?
Dallas Jenkins: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, he wrote the short story about seventeen years ago, if I'm correct, and I've always loved it. In fact, the church I went to back in high school, they did a musical version of it, which was pretty embarrassing. So, I knew that at the very least I would be able to do better than that. That turned out kind of like most church drama does ... pretty bad. It's kind of like a Waiting for Guffman situation. But we did a short film a couple of years ago, which was based on the short story, and that went over really well. In fact, that's what inspired us to do the feature. But when we did the short film and that worked out, I think the confidence level on everyone's part, including my father's, went up. So, I think the pressure to do well or to make a decent movie would exist even without the original short story. But the short story had enough impact that it was kind of hard to screw up, as long as we kept the original intent intact.
TONY: I thought you did a wonderful job in casting this movie. There's Stephen Baldwin, of course, but you also had a number of talented actors that I've never seen before. What was the casting process like?
Dallas Jenkins: Well, I appreciate your comments. I think the casting kind of came together pretty well. Again, the five lead characters are actually the same cast from the short film, and that, of course, helps, because when we shot the short, besides Stephen Baldwin's character and K Callan's character, the other three characters were actually quite minor. I mean, they only had a couple of lines. And we saw how strong that was. In fact, the first comment we usually got about the short film was how good the acting was. So, I thought when we expand it into a feature, we obviously should use these same people. Kirk and Mary are people who have been in every film that I've done. They're just so good. I met Kirk many years ago and then discovered Mary while I was casting another short film about five years ago. And they were so good that I just thought, "I have to use these people as much as possible." But we really try, from the lead actor all the way down to someone who has one line, to make sure that every line that's delivered is as good as possible, because I think that when you've got a low-budget film, people will forgive the look of a lower budget film, as long as they're not distracted by poor acting. I think that's what they pick up on right away is the moment that they see a bad performance, it takes them out of the trust that they wanna give to the director. So, while we're casting, it's something that I take as seriously as any other part of the project.
TONY: I also really enjoyed how your film didn't shy away from a lot of dark issues. In fact, it really helps the ending of the film, and the impact is extremely powerful. How important was that to you?
Dallas Jenkins: Yeah, that's a great point. That's something that is very important to us, and I think has been lacking in most movies that come from a faith perspective is they oftentimes sugarcoat the problems so that the ultimate redemption and hope really doesn't mean much. It's not that powerful. If we do believe in the bible, like we claim to, the bible, of course, is as dark and as disturbing in many parts as it can get. If we believe that there's hope and salvation, even for the darkest of situations and the lowest of people, then we shouldn't shy away from showing that on film. And that, to me, are the kinds of films that I really love. If you think of a movie like It's A Wonderful Life ... everyone looks at it as this cheery Christmas movie, but it begins with a man attempting suicide. I think it's what makes, like you said, the ending of the movie have its impact, which many people have said they've been very moved by, is that the first half of the movie, even though maybe it's a little bit slower-paced, it's taken you through some dark places. And that's very important to us. And I think if we don't do that, then the movie is not relatable. And I think the average person who does struggle around the holidays or at any time of year, with depression or suicide or loneliness, I think that they'll just write off the film and the hope that we offer will feel very false.
TONY: You bring up a great point about Christmas. It seems like so many movies focus on Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year for everyone. But, in fact, a lot of people really struggle around the holidays, and they go through a deep depression. Did you do a lot of research on that topic?
Dallas Jenkins: Well, there's a statistic that I'm actually not sure is true. In fact, I've heard it's not true, but I think it's become somewhat popular, which is that there's more suicides around the holidays than at any other time of year. Regardless of whether that statistic is true or not, there's no question that, for many people, holidays and joyous occasions are oftentimes more sad for them than other times of year, because everyone else seems to be so happy, and it just reminds them of how miserable they are. So, that was something that we've heard. I think some of us have experienced it ourselves. Like, one of the characters who's not experiencing suicidal tendencies, but he's experiencing feelings of irrelevance. He works at a church, and it's around Christmas and everyone's happy and everyone's doing all these wonderful things, but he doesn't feel it. He doesn't enjoy it. He thinks it's a waste of time. And even something as small as that, it gets heightened around the holidays. But, again, I do want to emphasize that I don't think this movie is necessarily a Christmas film. Christmas serves as the backdrop for some of the events that are happening, but it's in more in the tradition of a movie like Magnolia, where it's more just about the common threads of five strangers who are all experiencing loneliness and depression and how random acts of kindness and very small moments can end up having a huge impact.
TONY: On one of the special features, you mentioned how you have no interest in preaching. I was so glad that you said that. How do you find your voice in Hollywood without preaching?
Dallas Jenkins: I don't like films that come from the opposite perspective that I have when they preach at me. I can watch a film like Bend It Like Beckham, which is about a Buddhist family, I can watch a film like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which is about a Greek family, I can watch a film like Schlinder's List, which is about the experience of the Jewish religion and ethnicity, and I can appreciate it and be moved and be inspired by watching a story told by someone with a different religious perspective or a different ethnic or political perspective than I have. But when you preach, and I think that's what's happening to some of the recent war films that have been coming out, you take what's supposed to be an entertaining story and then you make some obvious message to it, and then people can say, "I don't go to the movies to be preached at." So, because of that, I have no interest, even as a Christian, in trying to force-feed my perspective into a story where it doesn't belong. I'm simply trying to tell stories about people that I know from the perspective of a worldview that I have, and I think that like any other personal film, it can cross boundaries, but, again, you're right, and that's what many Christian films suffer from is they just tack on some sort of salvation message or some sort of attempt to convert people. Maybe it's enjoyable for some people within the church, but it has zero relevance to anyone outside the faith, and I'm not trying to make movies just for people in my church.
TONY: If I watched your film and had no idea you were a Christian, I would never guess or assume it was a Christian movie. I think that's a sign that you've done your job.
Dallas Jenkins: And I think even if you do know I'm a Christian, I would hope that it doesn't feel like a Christian film. The fact that one of the characters is a youth pastor and that a couple of the characters go to church, that stands out in film world, but it doesn't stand out in real life. I mean, more than 50 percent of Americans attend church, and everyone can say that they know some Christian in their life. Yet if you watched movies and TV, you'd believe that one percent of the population was Christian or attended church, and usually the people who do attend church are a little wacky. So, again, I think we're just trying to tell stories about honest people, and I think, also, the fact that we include many characters who aren't Christians, and they're just as worthy and valid as the characters who are, so we're not trying to pretend that Christians have all the answers and they're the good people and anyone who isn't is a bad person. So, I think that's one of the things that would make you watch the film and not feel like it's a Christian movie.
TONY: I also thought it was interesting that your film was released through Lionsgate. I mean, Lionsgate is known for having a lot of different movies. You have the Saw films, you have Bratz, and you have a little bit of everything. Was that something that attracted you to Lionsgate?
Dallas Jenkins: Yeah, in fact, I'm a big fan of many of Lionsgate's films. The movies that have influenced me as a filmmaker and that I've really enjoyed oftentimes come from the independent market or from studios like Lionsgate that do things that are a little bit more on the edge. So, when I was making this film, I was thinking, "I would love for a movie like this to be picked up by someone like Lionsgate, because they understand niche marketing, and they understand and appreciate films that come from lots of different perspectives." So, I'm actually not only not bothered by the fact that my film is in the same catalog as Saw, it actually thrills me, because, like you said, it points out there's room in art for many different perspectives and many different styles of film. And I think that Lionsgate has earned its reputation as a company that's willing to take risks like that.
TONY: We talked earlier in this interview about some of the darker scenes in your film. As a director, how do you shoot those scenes? What's the set like?
Dallas Jenkins: Well, it really starts in casting. I mean, if you cast well, you work is halfway done. Stephen Baldwin has, obviously, a history of addiction and of issues that can come to the surface pretty quickly. K Callan, who played the old woman in the film, is an actress whose emotions are always right at the surface. I think the most important thing to do, besides just my own relationship with the actor, is to make sure that everyone on the set is being considerate. And that goes all the way down to the grips and the electrical people and everybody. It's the understanding of, "Okay, we're gonna stay out of their line of vision. We're gonna be extra quiet and give them space." I think that's really the most important thing. If an actor has space and feels comfortable and feels like he or she can relax and feels like they can concentrate, then they're gonna bring their best to the table, and if they don't, if they can't bring their best to the table, then that's probably a mistake I made in casting and less a mistake that I made on set.
TONY: Have you heard any negative comments from parents who have allowed their children to see this film?
Dallas Jenkins: I haven't heard from parents yet, but I think that's probably because the film is rated PG-13, and whenever I've done interviews I've said, if this question comes up, that I don't think it's a family film. I think kids around 11-years-old and older would probably appreciate it. In fact, I talked to the man who was the president of the Dove Foundation, which gave that seal, and he said, "Yes, we do sometimes give those seals to movies that are uplifting and hopeful and have a good message and that they can watch with most of their kids, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's for children." And I think that's an important distinction, especially coming from the faith-based market, because there's sometimes a difference between family and Christian. If you look at a movie like The Passion of the Christ, that's a quote-unquote Christian film, but I certainly wouldn't take my six-year-old to see it. And that's true of a lot of stories in the bible, if you think about it. My hope and passion for this industry is to make films for adults that have maybe a slightly different perspective than what they normally see from films that come out of the Sundance Film Festival or the local art-house theater. We're not gonna shy away from darkness, and we're not gonna shy away from honesty, but we are gonna offer a little bit more hope than you might normally see.
TONY: Do you have any Christian actors that you want to work with in the future?
Dallas Jenkins: Well, I don't know that there's too many Christian actors at all. I had a great time working with Stephen, who's a terrific actor. Victoria Jackson is also a Christian, and she was in the film, and she's terrific. But, really, I don't necessarily go out casting or hiring crew members thinking about their faith. I'm just looking for the best people for the job, and Stephen happened to be really excellent for this role. The fact that we had come across each other and become friends only helped that, but, in terms of the Christianity of an actor or a crew member, it really doesn't come into play. It's a nice bonus, because there's just so few of us in the industry. But other than that, I'm just happy to find the best actor or crew member for the job.
TONY: Do you think your film will help open up some doors for future Christian films with an edge to them?
Dallas Jenkins: If it succeeds it, yes. I mean, again, it has to sell some copies, so I hope that people who do enjoy the film actually buy copies of the film for their friends and make sure that it sells well, because Lionsgate, they're business people, so they're gonna sell movies that are successful. And I think, right now, the perception in the industry is, "We can make films that come from the Christian market, and we know that they can make money, but the ones that we need to sell are the ones that can appeal to the core church market." And this film kind of falls in between. So, I think the key for more films like this to be made is if it sells, and Lionsgate says, "OK, wow ... this movie worked, and it was able to sell both in the mainstream and the Christian markets, so let's do more."
TONY: Finally, what are your plans for the future?
Dallas Jenkins: Again, hopefully this movie will succeed, and I can make more, but the film that we're developing now, actually, we're hoping to shoot in the spring. It's a true story based on the book, The Man Who Moved A Mountain, and it's a true story of this preacher in the 1920's mountains of Virginia. Again, it's another story that happens to be about a pastor, but it's a story that is so universal and the book has had a massive impact in both the mainstream and Christian markets, and it's just a story that I think crosses all religious or intellectual boundaries. It's a very special story that we're passionate about, and you can get information on it at our website, and I do want to point out that people can email me directly through our website, which is http://www.jenkins-entertainment.com/. I respond to every email, and I love talking about the issues that we actually discussed in this interview and just anyone who's interested in the film business and anything that I can do to help in that regard. I do love just communicating with people about that, but that's where they can also get more information on our upcoming films.
