Episode 59 - Disciples in the Moonlight: Behind the Scenes with Brett Varvel

In this episode of the Faith and Family Filmmakers podcast, hosts Jaclyn and Geoffrey Whitt interview Brett Varvel about the upcoming film 'Disciples in the Moonlight.' Brett discusses the film's U.S. release, plans for international distribution, and the challenges faced during its production. He highlights the importance of surrendering control to God, overcoming logistical issues creatively, and the dedication of the cast and crew. Brett also emphasizes the value of giving opportunities to beginner filmmakers and the significance of discipleship and serving others in the industry. The film will be available in theaters from July 17-24, with tickets accessible through Fathom Events. Here are the highlights:

• Welcome and Introduction
• International Distribution for 'Disciples in the Moonlight'
• Production Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles
• Creative Problem Solving on Set
• Team Dedication and Hard Work
• Mentoring New Filmmakers
• Spiritual and Personal Growth on Set
• Movie Release Details and Final Thoughts

This conversation with Brett Varvel offers a rich glimpse into the heart and soul behind "Disciples in the Moonlight." From navigating production challenges to encouraging new filmmakers, Brett's dedication to serving God through his craft shines brightly. As we anticipate the film's release, we are reminded of the profound impact storytelling can have on individuals and communities worldwide. Be sure to catch "Disciples in the Moonlight" and witness the culmination of faith, hard work, and creative collaboration.

From the age of 5 Brett Varvel knew he wanted to be a filmmaker. The son of an internationally known cartoonist meant that Brett was constantly surrounded by storytelling. The love of the craft propelled him to chase his dreams from a young age. After graduating college at Ball State University Brett had already won a regional Emmy Award for directing and was also a two-time David Letterman Scholarship winner. Brett went on to create his own production company, House of Grace Studios and is now a director, actor, and writer. Brett has the unique ability to excel both behind and in front of the camera.

Brett on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bvarvel?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Brett on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3609466/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Brett on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brettvarvel/

Disciples in the Moonlight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disciplesinthemoonlight/

Disciples in the Moonlight on Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/disciplesmovie?mibextid=JRoKGi

Faith and Family Screenwriting Bootcamp: https://www.faffassociation.com/screenwriting-bootcamp

The Faith & Family Filmmakers podcast helps filmmakers who share a Christian worldview stay in touch, informed, and inspired. Releasing new episodes every week, we interview experts from varying fields of filmmaking; from screenwriters, actors, directors, and producers, to film scorers,  talent agents, and distributors. 

It is produced and hosted by Geoffrey Whitt and Jaclyn Whitt , and is brought to you by the Faith & Family Filmmakers Association

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Jaclyn: 00:00:00

Welcome to the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast.

Jaclyn: 00:00:02

My name is Jaclyn, Geoff is here with me today, and we've got Brett Varvel with us on the podcast.

Jaclyn: 00:00:08

And we have been talking about Disciples in the Moonlight, and I know that it's coming out in theaters in the U.

Jaclyn: 00:00:14

S.

Jaclyn: 00:00:14

Do you have plans for distribution beyond the United States?

Brett: 00:00:19

We do, and I'm so excited, um, about this because When we were making the movie, we, again, to be serving God's story here, and we wanted to see God doing the work and not us fabricating a deal or anything like that when it came to distribution, and we prayed fervently for the right to do that.

Brett: 00:00:38

Partner to join us, and that was Pinnacle Peak Pictures, and they bought into the vision of this movie, and so we will be not only coming out in theaters, but then, um, we're going to be coming out in home entertainment here in the United States, shortly after, and eventually we'll go to streaming and things like that, but because Pinnacle Peak Pictures has a global reach They secured us a spot at the Cannes International Film Festival recently, where we were able to screen the movie to international buyers.

Brett: 00:01:07

And so it was our first chance to talk to international territories about picking up the movie after it's had its theatrical run here in the United States.

Brett: 00:01:16

And we're very excited about some of the prospects.

Brett: 00:01:19

I don't, I can't speak yet to the specific territories that it's going to be playing in across the world.

Brett: 00:01:25

But we do know that some of the, you know, there are some of the normal faith based hotspots where the movie will land and, that excites me because because this movie is centered around these characters in Indiana and the Midwest, I didn't know how that would translate to an international audience, but with the thought provoking question in our tagline, what if the Bible was illegal, that is a universal conversation, and, and it's something that I think, what we saw at Cannes was that people were really interested in exploring that Uh, that question and seeing how our characters responded and so, so yeah, the, the moment that we have more updates, we'll definitely be posting on our social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, X, and, uh, in YouTube about where the movie will be going out.

Brett: 00:02:14

across the pond, so to speak, and, uh, yeah, we're very excited about the international reach of this movie.

Jaclyn: 00:02:19

Definitely.

Jaclyn: 00:02:20

that is super exciting.

Jaclyn: 00:02:22

And I think it's one of those things we always want for our project, right?

Jaclyn: 00:02:25

Like just go out into the world and touch people's hearts that I won't even know that it touched until we get to heaven.

Brett: 00:02:31

right, exactly, exactly.

Geoff: 00:02:33

So let's talk a little more about the production process.

Geoff: 00:02:36

I know there's probably lots of stories, uh, hiccups, things to overcome, funny stories, and maybe some things you learned that might be, uh, advice for others.

Brett: 00:02:47

yeah, I think the thing that, um, I could start with the advice because it's something that the Lord really, worked overtime on me with, uh, giving up control and really coming to this place of daily surrender when it came to this project, um, constantly realizing that This story doesn't belong to me.

Brett: 00:03:07

This project doesn't belong to me.

Brett: 00:03:09

I'm a steward of it.

Brett: 00:03:10

God hasn't trusted me to shepherd it, but ultimately it's his.

Brett: 00:03:14

And if it's not his, is it really worth making?

Brett: 00:03:17

You know, and so that's, I a question that I would challenge anyone to examine when they're approaching any project.

Brett: 00:03:22

Is to ask yourself first, am I making this for the Lord's glory?

Brett: 00:03:26

Is it really His?

Brett: 00:03:28

And am I just stewarding this?

Brett: 00:03:29

And that's a good place to be, cause some of the most, moments of this project, you know, in years past would have sent me into a complete tailspin.

Brett: 00:03:39

But Realizing that I'm not in control here, the Lord has already worked these scenarios out, I have to prayerfully consider how he's working.

Brett: 00:03:48

You end up discovering something better, and actually one of the cool stories I could share is, um, day three of production.

Brett: 00:03:57

Um, we were at a house where we were shooting all day and, um, we're shooting this incredibly intense argument scene between Josh Strakowski and Stephanie Parker.

Brett: 00:04:08

And, it was a, scene that I was, you know, so jazzed up to, be capturing.

Brett: 00:04:13

And, out of the corner of my eye, I see some of my producers talking.

Brett: 00:04:17

And they don't look happy.

Brett: 00:04:18

And so, you know, alarm bells just start going off in my mind and I'm thinking, oh, great, what's going on?

Brett: 00:04:23

And they pulled me aside and they said, hey, the location that we had for tomorrow, uh, is gone.

Brett: 00:04:29

their lawyers came back and said, we can't shoot there.

Jaclyn: 00:04:31

Oh man.

Brett: 00:04:32

we were going to be there all night.

Brett: 00:04:34

so, um, Thankfully, we, we got our team together and people started praying and we just, trusted that the Lord was going to solve this problem for us.

Brett: 00:04:42

We needed to be diligent to do the work, but we started praying.

Brett: 00:04:45

And after a few phone calls, the Lord directed us to a hallway that was just outside of this.

Brett: 00:04:53

So we were supposed to be shooting an inside of the police station, um, that we wanted to be filming in, but there was this hallway that was just outside of it that the lawyers said was okay if we wanted to shoot there.

Brett: 00:05:03

And sure enough, wouldn't you know it, that location was Way better

Brett: 00:05:08

of a location than what we had actually scouted and prepped and planned beforehand.

Brett: 00:05:13

and so the anxiety started to, you know, reduce and we ended up capturing what ended up becoming just an unbelievable scene that, um, happens at a very, very early stage.

Brett: 00:05:23

Very important moment in the movie and, um, moments like that happened a lot throughout production, being a low budget independent film.

Brett: 00:05:32

You're calling on a lot of favors.

Brett: 00:05:34

You're asking people go the extra mile and think outside the box, outside the limitations of the budget.

Brett: 00:05:41

I mean, one of, the very first conversations I had with my director of photography and my gaffer was the fact that we have all these night exterior scenes, I mean, it's called disciples in the moonlight.

Brett: 00:05:51

So we got to really, you know, capture that feel.

Brett: 00:05:54

And our budget was really kind of, dwindling in terms of being able to create these big Hollywood night exteriors.

Brett: 00:06:02

And so, we started thinking outside the box and, one of my producers, Van Lawson, was driving home one night and he passed one of his neighbors house and they had just started this tree trimming service.

Brett: 00:06:13

And they had this huge truck.

Brett: 00:06:15

With this gigantic arm with a bucket at the top of it because we had looked into renting a lift and the trouble is that you have to haul it to and from each location, which just gets insanely expensive.

Brett: 00:06:29

And so we reached out to this guy's neighbor and said, Hey, can we rent your truck from you?

Brett: 00:06:34

Good thing is it's on wheels so it can go to all your locations.

Brett: 00:06:37

It can get high enough in the sky to give you that, you know, bathed in moonlight look, and it was a fraction of the cost.

Brett: 00:06:44

And, just so like those moments of thinking outside the box, um, was just so incredible to see my team take the limitations and not be afraid of the limitations, but to press through it and, find an even better solution than we could have even dreamt from the beginning.

Brett: 00:07:02

and I think that goes back to what I said earlier about, seeking to give up control, surrendering and trusting, instead of having to, you know, constantly have it my way, so to speak.

Brett: 00:07:11

So those are a few of the stories I'm sure I could share more.

Geoff: 00:07:15

I'm sure that's especially true with regards to control and whatnot.

Geoff: 00:07:19

When those things happen in the midst of things, it's, uh, it's one thing way in advance for something to fall through.

Geoff: 00:07:25

It's another thing when you're in the middle of a shoot on one day and the problem exists the following day.

Geoff: 00:07:32

Um, it's, not easy.

Geoff: 00:07:34

hmm.

Brett: 00:07:35

Yeah, I think one of the other things I could share about the production experience was that this was a tough one.

Brett: 00:07:41

We had a 25 day shoot, where 17 days out of the 25 were overnight

Jaclyn: 00:07:47

Oh,

Brett: 00:07:48

And, That was something that we knew going into it was going to be a grueling process and we were very upfront with all of our cast and crew like buckle up like this is going to be tough and the thing that was such a blessing to me was the smiles on people's faces.

Brett: 00:08:06

Four in the morning, six in the morning after, you know, shooting for 10 hours and that they, they were tired, they were exhausted, but they didn't give up.

Brett: 00:08:15

they were, um, they were committed and I think it was because everybody had bought into the idea of what this could be and, um, you know, in moments when it was tempting to, Compromise with the quality.

Brett: 00:08:28

Everybody pushed through that extra mile to get that extra take to make sure it was going to be done right.

Brett: 00:08:34

And, um, it shows in the presentation of this movie.

Brett: 00:08:37

and that's just, just a testimony to these people who, um, they put out their heart and soul into this thing.

Brett: 00:08:43

And I, I, told them at our, we had a local premiere here in Indianapolis.

Brett: 00:08:47

And one of the things that I, um, Was thanking my cast and crew about, or my crew specifically, was that, The audience will not notice their work.

Brett: 00:08:55

They won't notice how hard it was to get that

Brett: 00:08:58

C stand standing in the corner.

Brett: 00:08:59

They won't notice how many wardrobe changes had to go into that specific shoot day.

Brett: 00:09:03

They won't notice, you know, how hard it was to place the props or the set dressing in the background.

Brett: 00:09:09

And the fact that the audience doesn't notice means that they did their job in an excellent way.

Brett: 00:09:14

And I wanted them to know that, and I think this is an encouragement for our listeners to, consider.

Brett: 00:09:20

Just because an audience may not see your work or understand that it was you that was doing that, the Lord sees you.

Brett: 00:09:27

The Lord sees the tireless, um, the amount of hours that you put into these types of projects.

Brett: 00:09:34

And when you are serving him, he is very well pleased.

Brett: 00:09:38

And that's what this is all about.

Brett: 00:09:40

Bringing honor and glory to the Lord and not being, praised by men.

Brett: 00:09:45

And, um, and so that was something that was just so encouraging to see these people come together and doing it for the Lord's glory and not for their own.

Jaclyn: 00:09:55

Amen.

Jaclyn: 00:09:56

Did you have any beginner filmmakers on set for this project?

Jaclyn: 00:09:59

Mm-Hmm

Brett: 00:09:59

I did, and.

Brett: 00:10:01

They were such blessings.

Brett: 00:10:03

so one of the things that very early in my career, realized that I went to a traditional, you know, university for my undergrad to learn the film production process.

Brett: 00:10:14

And I realized within my first couple classes that a textbook and a professor is not going to be able to teach me this craft.

Brett: 00:10:21

I gotta do it.

Brett: 00:10:22

And so, when friends of mine were off partying, you know, on the weekend, I was making movies.

Brett: 00:10:29

And I was trying to figure out the craft and take what I was learning in the classroom and into practice and make mistakes and all of these things.

Brett: 00:10:37

And so, anytime that I and around aspiring filmmakers or beginners, I try to challenge them as often and as able as you can, get on a film set.

Brett: 00:10:48

Whether it's making your own movie, whether it's getting on someone else's movie, even if that means working for free, the lessons that you learn by doing the craft are far more valuable than anything that you could learn online or in a textbook.

Brett: 00:11:04

And I was very intentional about having some of our production assistants, who have never, you know, they've never been on a film set before and bringing them on board to learn the various aspects of the filmmaking process.

Brett: 00:11:16

And what was so cool was by the end of the production experience, several of them were trying to get poached by other departments.

Brett: 00:11:23

So, you know, the camera department wants this guy because he's great, but the grip department also wants that person, you know, and it was just cool.

Brett: 00:11:28

Like these are like.

Brett: 00:11:29

never made a movie before in their life and they're getting poached by these seasoned veterans.

Brett: 00:11:34

Um, but that's the, I think the incubator film camp experience that a production experience can provide.

Brett: 00:11:40

and it was just really cool to see these people shine.

Brett: 00:11:43

And then now to see them go outside of Disciples in the moonlight, they're making their own movies or they're getting on other people's projects.

Brett: 00:11:50

And, I'm a firm believer in the fact that, you know, Hollywood would say that making it in this business is all about who you know.

Brett: 00:11:59

And I like to turn that on Its head based on Matthew chapter 22, where Jesus gets confronted with the question, what's the greatest commandment?

Brett: 00:12:08

And, this back and forth culminates in this moment where Jesus teaches that it's to love the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Brett: 00:12:17

And I think that it's not about who you know, it's about how you can serve and how you can love and, not to use people to get where you want to be in your career, but to honestly seek how can I serve these people because when that happens, inevitably, and this happened like 100 percent of the time, Your name's going to get passed around and people are going to say, Hey, you need to hire this person.

Brett: 00:12:41

They were incredible to have on our film set.

Brett: 00:12:43

They're not only a hard worker, but the, you know, good person to be around all of these intangibles that are not necessarily talent based, but really have a lot to do with, your ability to get onto other projects.

Brett: 00:12:54

so, so yeah, my advice to people is like, even if you got to sleep on a couch.

Brett: 00:12:59

Um, in the beginning phase, do whatever you gotta do to get on those film sets because you're gonna, you're gonna learn two things.

Brett: 00:13:06

I think one, you're gonna discover if you're cut out for this business.

Jaclyn: 00:13:10

Yes.

Jaclyn: 00:13:11

There's that

Brett: 00:13:11

this is a really, really challenging thing.

Brett: 00:13:13

I mean, 10 to 12 hour days is the norm now, and you know, you're not always guaranteed a great work environment.

Brett: 00:13:21

And the question becomes, how badly do you want this?

Brett: 00:13:25

but then secondly, once you discovered if you are up for this challenge, and if you really are cut out for this type of work, you're going to discover by working on a film set where you're more gifted.

Brett: 00:13:37

Um, I've met so many people who started out wanting to be, uh, a director, but they discovered they really want to be in the sound department.

Brett: 00:13:47

You know, or whatever, or they discovered they wanted to be in the camera department or whatever the case would be.

Brett: 00:13:51

Or I've even had, lot of my actor friends.

Brett: 00:13:54

I mean, we, a lot of us actors have to be.

Brett: 00:13:56

Kind of dual threats.

Brett: 00:13:57

We have to be able to do something other than just act.

Brett: 00:14:00

so many friends of mine have discovered like they love being in the makeup department or they love being in the grip and gaff department.

Brett: 00:14:07

And so being able to diversify yourself only comes from doing it.

Brett: 00:14:12

And, also, I would say this as an encouragement to those that are directors and producers, be willing to bring on talent that has never been on a film set before.

Brett: 00:14:23

some of the coolest, most rewarding moments at our wrap party.

Brett: 00:14:27

was looking into the eyes of these young people who came onto my film set and just seeing the tears in their eyes that felt like they had found their calling in life.

Brett: 00:14:36

And to know that you're a part of that is a really cool example of being the body of Christ.

Brett: 00:14:40

And, and so it was just an incredible experience to have these younger people,

Brett: 00:14:45

uh, on our film set.

Geoff: 00:14:46

Yeah.

Geoff: 00:14:46

it's discipleship.

Jaclyn: 00:14:48

Yeah.

Jaclyn: 00:14:48

It is discipleship.

Jaclyn: 00:14:49

it's exciting to be able to make art.

Jaclyn: 00:14:52

with other people, like to collaborate.

Jaclyn: 00:14:54

There's just something, something special and unique about that.

Jaclyn: 00:14:58

But I love what you were saying too about, giving new people a chance because in the first interview, you were saying how you were hoping that someone would give you a chance.

Jaclyn: 00:15:07

And so, yeah, it does come back to that scripture when Jesus says, love your neighbor as yourself.

Jaclyn: 00:15:13

Well, yeah, I want a chance.

Jaclyn: 00:15:15

And therefore, when I have the opportunity to give others a chance, I want to take it.

Brett: 00:15:20

Exactly.

Brett: 00:15:20

And that's been the story of my life I mean, I came from the West side of Indianapolis, not a city known for making movies, never moved out to LA or to Georgia or anywhere.

Brett: 00:15:30

Some of the hotbeds of making movies.

Brett: 00:15:32

And I was really dependent on some people to take a chance on me.

Brett: 00:15:35

to take that risk and, to be able to be in this position now where.

Brett: 00:15:40

the Lord has entrusted me, you know, this story to tell and to get it out, uh, in theaters potentially across the world, is a reflection of the people who, saw something, saw something enough and said, the Lord's going to use this and I want to be a part of it.

Jaclyn: 00:15:55

Yeah.

Brett: 00:15:56

and yeah, not only treating your neighbor as yourself, but, yeah, the discipleship aspect of this, to see that, you know, older coming alongside the younger and to train and, and, and really, um, learning the craft is one thing.

Brett: 00:16:10

Um, we could talk for days about filmmaking and there's so many aspects to this art form that it's just limitless, but the spiritual connotation of the film set, find out who you are really quick on a film set.

Brett: 00:16:24

You find out your heart struggles.

Brett: 00:16:26

And to be able to come alongside people and encourage them in their walk with Christ, or potentially even lead them to the Lord for the first time is something that should not be lost on our film sets.

Brett: 00:16:37

We should take these opportunities to nurture and, spur one another on toward the Lord.

Brett: 00:16:43

cause that's, what's most important beyond any movie we could ever make.

Geoff: 00:16:47

So Brett, one more time, let's tell our listeners about the release of Disciples in the Moonlight and where they can see it, and what links you have that they can go find.

Brett: 00:16:56

so you can go see Disciples in the Moonlight July 17th through the 24th.

Brett: 00:17:00

And you can go get your tickets now at fathomevents.

Brett: 00:17:03

com Backslash events, backslash disciples in the moonlight.

Brett: 00:17:08

and there you can put your zip code in, uh, select the day that you want to go see the movie, put your zip code in, you'll see all the theaters that are around you, and here's the other thing that I would encourage people.

Brett: 00:17:17

If you don't see it, your theater listed.

Brett: 00:17:19

Contact Fathom and let them know that you would like them to pick up that specific theater and then go a step further and encourage your local theater to pick it up.

Brett: 00:17:29

Um, we, we really kind of depend at this point in time on the audience demanding that the movie be seen.

Brett: 00:17:36

Uh, we're an independent film and so we know we don't have the reach that a lot of studio films have and so if this is a movie that you think, You want to see, and I, can tell you from firsthand experience, from seeing audiences reactions to this movie, this is a movie that will intensely touch your heart challenge and inspire you.

Brett: 00:17:55

And I think it's a movie that will also just be a thrill to see at the box office.

Brett: 00:17:59

And so, go to fathomevents.

Brett: 00:18:01

com, your tickets today, go to disciplesinthemoonlightmovie.

Brett: 00:18:04

com for more updates and then follow us on Facebook.

Brett: 00:18:07

Instagram, YouTube, and X.

Jaclyn: 00:18:10

Perfect.

Geoff: 00:18:11

We'll get those links in the show notes.

Geoff: 00:18:13

And, I think beyond the inspiration And challenge of the movie.

Geoff: 00:18:17

I think there's been some, some challenge and some inspiration today as well in talking about it, from the background, from the process.

Geoff: 00:18:24

And I really, uh, appreciate the time you've spent with us and the time you've spent for our listeners.

Geoff: 00:18:28

Thank you so much.

Brett: 00:18:30

Thank you guys.

Jaclyn: 00:18:31

God bless.

Geoff: 00:18:31

God bless.