Divine Judgement? Film Out on a Limb

Somebody up there must not like Jesus4Less, the indie film being shot on a shoestring in Tacoma as part of the Spaceworks downtown storefront arts fest.  (See “Joshing Jesus Onscreen,” July). “We have had some setbacks,” says director Aaron Flett. Producer Sarah Magnum of Aroma Films quit the project. “I left due to health issues and wish the production well,” she says. Now the film is a venture of Entertain U, the comedy booking company Flett owns with Adam Norwest.

Another lost resource: Flett’s wallet, stolen while he was building bookshelves for the Christian-bookstore set. “It had $700 in it that was going towards buying us a new camera. We’ve lost a producer, a director of photography and a couple of actors.” The most professional cast member had to go because pros cost dough. “We lost Mike Agostini because of Screen Actors Guild regulations. It could have cost us $22,000 to employ Mike. If we didn’t pay he would lose his SAG license.” The film’s original budget was $11,000. 

But Flett forged ahead. He replaced Agostini with C. L. Boss. And when the schedule had to be moved back because the shooting space proved unavailable and cast member Josh Ryder had to quit for another film commitment, he was replaced by comedian Nick McChord – who had actually been cast for that role originally. Scheduling conflicts were also behind the loss of the director of photography and of a woman who played a crucial role, the hero’s stripper friend Michelle. Flett had auditioned a hundred actors to find her.

But Flett is wild about his new Michelle, Vanessa Cobbs, and his new director of photography, Bridgett Nicol. “She was part of the project early on but had other commitments,” Flett says of Nicol. “Our delays actually helped because she is now free to help out and is moving to Tacoma from Seattle next week.

“Every time something sets us back,” says Tacoma’s unsinkable auteur, “we use it as an opportunity to make the movie better.” Filmmaking is a faith-based business.”