DRAMATIC ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS

A TELEVISION SERIES

Dramatic Encounters with Jesus will be a series of films and resources exploring Scriptural stories about Jesus in a groundbreaking, creative way.

At the heart of this new creative project is an exploration of the process of learning, discovery, and creativity. We want to illustrate the experience of the encounters with Jesus that are recorded in Scripture. When characters in the Bible met Jesus for the first time, their eyes were opened to a new way of seeing. In the same way, we use the process of intellectual conversation, theatrical rehearsal, and filmmaking to open the eyes of the viewer to a new way of seeing Scripture come alive.

Fundraising Update Video

THREE ACTS.

  • We gather theologians, pastors, and professors, both known and unknown, around a table to discuss a passage of Scripture. As they ask questions of the text and each other, observations and insights emerge that challenge the viewer to approach Scripture in a new way.

    Martin moderates the panel, guiding the discussion towards important inflection points. Perhaps it is the meaning of a word in its original language, the historical context, or the possible motivations of a person in the story. These conversations cast unique light onto each Scriptural scene.

    While we listen to the wisdom and intellectual insight revealed around the table, the groundwork is laid for our actors and directors in the next scene of the show.

  • We join Martin and a group of actors in a blackbox theater. By rehearsing the scene, every actor brings their perspective to the Scripture. Martin facilitates their preparation, creating an environment of exploration and decision.

    The group asks: How do we bring this Scripture passage into reality? How can we distill the density of a Bible verse into the expression of a face? The posture of a body? These actors bring their personal and physical interpretations to the passage.

    We discover the passage in a strikingly fresh way - absorbing the intellectual insight of a roundtable discussion while experiencing its emotional expression through acting. It’s spontaneous, communal, and honest. After all, a rehearsal is always leading to a performance. In this case, our show’s final moment: the film.

  • Each of the previous steps culminates in a short film, bringing the insights of the theologians and the discoveries of the actors to full bear on screen.

    Ethan Milner will direct, utilizing creative techniques and locations to put the viewer directly in the action of the passage.

    As the audience, we experience this short film with the added context of the Roundtable & Rehearsal. Exchanges from the theater play out in moments on screen. The poignant remark of a theologian manifests in an actor’s reaction. It’s the combination of two group’s intellectual and emotion efforts, played out in cinematic form.

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The Treatment

We did our best to summarize the idea into a PDF, downloadable below.

DOWNLOAD THE TREATMENT

We invite partners from all around the world to join in our mission to help people see Scripture in a new way.

FAQ’s

  • We have set up a tax-deductible [501(c)(3)] destination for donations as a part of this ministry initiative. We are currently accepting donations at the link above.

  • We are hoping to film this project in early 2023, and complete the project by the end of the year.

  • Christians and NonChristians. We want Christians to see Scripture in a new way, and we want NonChristians to be intrigued by stories they may have heard about but not experienced for themselves.

  • Any donation above $10,000 will receive an Executive Producer credit as an essential part of the pilot episode.

  • The project will be owned as a joint creative venture by Martin Young and Cedar Creative (Ethan Milner, Kevin Johnson, and Greyson Welch). In the event that the pilot is sold, the proceeds will go to creating more episodes of the series, eventually filling out a full ten-episode season.

  • We will use any excess funds to add production value to the pilot episode, or use the budget to produce more episodes in the series.

  • Once it is made, we will show it to further investors to create the rest of the episodes. We also will use the pilot to encourage new people to be a part of the project like actors, artists, and theologians. This will be a demonstration that the project can stand on its own creative merits and is a project worth continuing. We are also looking to see where the Holy Spirit wants to take this - potential distributers may be interesting in distributing the project to a wider audience on streaming platforms, for example.

  • Yes, we’re open to wherever the Holy Spirit leads the project (we want the largest audience possible), but the biggest non-negotiable is the heart of the project. We want a large audience, but not at the expense of control of the project. For example, we won’t sell the idea to a large distributer who will trample the spirit of the project and it not be able the Gospel. This is why our main hope is to continue to raise funds privately in order to maintain control.

  • Fill out the contact card above or contact kevin@cedarcreative.net for more information.