Stories for the Kingdom: My Summer as a Christian film studio intern

The room where it happens. I think that's what most movie fans think of when they hear "film studio" - Lights! Camera! Action! The actors! The hustle and bustle of a flashy movie set!

The film production process is truly magical, but what happens before and after this boots-on-the-ground time in the studio? Where does the script get written, and where does all that raw video footage get turned into a theater-ready masterpiece? In other words, where is the space where it begins and comes together in the end?

I got to spend the summer there this year. Through Trevecca's film program, I entered an exciting summer internship with Kingdom Story Company, a Christian movie studio located in Franklin, Tenn. Kingdom Story has recently produced faith-based blockbusters such as Jesus Revolution, Unsung Hero and American Underdog. Over the course of a three-month, full-time internship, I got to witness and be a part of the pre- and post-production processes for a few of Kingdom Story's upcoming movies.

As soon as I arrived at the studio, I dove into helping with Kingdom Story's in-house podcast called The Storytellers with Andrew Erwin. I helped to research the podcast guests, review video edits and find clips from the first season to post on their social media. As the summer went on, I got to witness new episodes being recorded, and eventually I got promoted to constructing three new episodes all by myself, including an episode with Mark Forster, director of Finding Neverland and Quantum of Solace. This means I will have my name on the credits as "assistant editor" when season two of The Storytellers comes out!

This was a huge opportunity not only for the video editing experience, but also for hearing firsthand the amazing content that The Storytellers promotes through Kingdom Story's lead producer, Andrew Erwin, and accomplished guests that included For King & Country, KJ Apa, Britt Robertson, Blurry Creatures and many more.

In addition to this independent editing work, I also got to do lots of fun tasks with the rest of the intern team. Alongside maybe the funniest people I've ever met in my life, I got to help review incoming scripts, gather costumes for social media promotions, edit behind-the-scenes content for a new Christmas movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (directed by Dallas Jenkins, director of The Chosen series), and send movie posters to Kingdom Story sponsors such as Duck Dynasty and Michael W. Smith.

For me, there were really two highlights of this internship. First, we got to take field trips to Inside Out 2, Twisters, a service project, a rodeo, CMA Fest and, best of all, Top Golf (where I somehow won the entire match).

Second, the interns all took part in what's called a "pitch project." This involves coming up with a story and a plan for how we would film it and sell it. After collaborating and getting feedback from the studio employees, we were able to actually pitch our story ideas to the studio executives. Presenting a real film pitch to real movie producers and receiving their authentic feedback was an incredible opportunity, and it will equip us for years to come in starting our own projects.

I'm so grateful that I could step behind the curtain and witness these integral moments in the filmmaking process. The directors and producers told us about so many exciting projects they have coming up that I cannot wait to see in theaters.

But the most special part wasn't simply being "in the room where it happens." Really, it was being a part of film projects that I really believe are making an impact in the world of faith-based cinema. As Christian movies have been notoriously cheesy and low-quality in the past, Kingdom Story's movies have been some of the first ones I have seen to be masterfully put together and very emotionally moving. Since I was in high school, it has been my dream to be a part of the Christian film industry, and this internship empowered me to do just that. I could not be more honored that I had a small role in making these films a reality.

If you would like to witness some of Kingdom Story's work, head to theaters in October and November 2024 to watch their upcoming films White Bird and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! These films are charming and impactful and are the best faith-based fiction stories I've seen on the silver screen in a long time. I can't wait to start my junior year at Trevecca with stories to tell about my time at Kingdom Story Company.