Teen's film about evangelist wins grand prize at national film festival

photo Christopher Stewart, a 15-year-old from Benton, Tenn., wrote, directed and edited a feature film titled "Boo! Do Something!" The film won the grand prize in the narrative category at the National FilmFest 4-H in Branson, Mo., this summer.

CLAIM TO FAMEChristopher Stewart, 15, directed, edited and wrote the script for "Boo! Do Something," a film that won the grand prize in the narrative category at FilmFest 4-H 2012, a national film festival held Aug. 6-8 in Branson, Mo. Christopher is a home-schooled 10th-grader.THE FILMTo order a copy of "Boo! Do Something," contact the Stewart family at sctreehouseproductions.weebly.com. A multiweek or weekend-retreat Bible study program accompanying the film also will be released in the coming weeks.

Christopher Stewart believes everyone should do something important with his or her life. Not just anything, though. He believes they first need to ask what God wants and then act accordingly.

That is the message the 15-year-old from Benton, Tenn., set out to communicate with "Boo!" a half-hour film he wrote, directed and edited.

"Boo!" is based on Sam P. Jones, an Alabama-born circuit-riding preacher who is portrayed on-screen by 16-year-old Riley Peak of Ocoee, Tenn. Jones' over-the-top personality made him a celebrated evangelist in the Southeast during the late 1800s, but it was his message of acting in accordance with God's wishes that caught the young filmmaker's interest.

"I wanted people to be able to realize that not only do you need to go out and do something for the Lord but do what the Lord wants you to do," he said.

In his own way, Christopher said, he was following Jones' advice when he started working on "Boo!" last year.

"Before I mailed it off for people to duplicate it and package it, I ... prayed and said, 'God, this is your film. It has been yours from the beginning. You can do with it what you want. However it turns out after it's done, I made it and gave it to you,' " he said. "It's obviously the way he wanted it.

"I don't understand it, but I don't understand a lot of things he does."

On Aug. 6, "Boo!" won the grand prize in the narrative category of FilmFest, a national film festival hosted by 4-H in Branson, Mo. It officially premiered Sunday at Delano (Tenn.) Baptist Church and is available for order on his website, SCTreeHouseProductions.weebly.com.

Christopher first became interested in filmmaking about five years ago when he was given a camera for Christmas. His early attempts were mostly amateurish and spontaneous -- spy films with "invisible" enemies and an uncompleted YouTube video titled "The Quest for the Perfect Cookie."

In late 2009, however, Christopher started work on a more ambitious project, "Beyond Under," inspired by the biblical account of Gideon. As that project took shape, he began to take filmmaking more seriously.

"The story kept changing along the way, so I decided we needed a script," he said. "I worked on it for a year. Then, we spent another year and a half actually filming it."

"Beyond Under" also offered Christopher his first opportunity to work with better equipment, a Canon Vixia, a $700 digital camcorder purchased with money raised by donations and doing odd jobs such as collecting scrap metal.

Originally, the script for "Beyond Under" suggested a 45-minute run time, but by the time the film premiered last May, it was a 90-minute feature film with a cast of about 60 extras.

"Beyond Under" also was the first release by S.C. TreeHouse Productions, the production company started by his parents.

Since then, filmmaking has become a family affair for the Stewarts. On "Boo!" his brothers Gideon, 11, and Jonathan 13, ran the clapperboard and engineered the audio, respectively; his sister, Susan, 17, is a costume designer; and his parents help with scriptwriting, management and promotions.

The Stewart children are home-schooled, and Chris Stewart said he and his wife have found ways to incorporate filmmaking into their education. Proofing and editing the script for "Boo!" provided a real-life test of grammar for Christopher, who readily admits his shortcomings as a writer.

Directing "Boo!" also helped develop Christopher's public-speaking skills, another area in which he admits he often came up short before the film.

"I have to be able to come up to people during filming and tell them what they need to do even if I don't know them very well," he said.

Despite the recognition his work received at FilmFest, Christopher is quick to give credit to his crew, which included 55 extras, who often were forced to don heavy period clothing in sweltering heat to capture scenes.

His father, who co-stars in the film's introductory and concluding scenes, said Christopher is better suited to the role than he realizes.

"He works really well in a collaborative format," Stewart said. "Once he expresses [his vision], he makes the people in the cast feel like, 'I can contribute. If I have an idea, he'll listen to me.'

"He doesn't realize he's leading them."

Christopher said he hopes to begin work on another project soon, but his parents said that in the interest of maintaining the high quality of his work -- and to take a much-needed break -- he won't be filming again for a couple of years. In the interim, he has begun collaborating online with other young filmmakers he met through FilmFest on an as-yet-untitled film.

Nevertheless, Christopher said he hopes one day to pursue his passion for filmmaking professionally, but for now, he enjoys working with his family.

"It's easier. When I can't express something, they know what I'm trying to say," he said. "I like working with them because I know they're going to do it right."

TALENT SHOW

Do you know a child age 17 or younger with a precocious talent in academics, athletics or the arts? The Times Free Press is searching for children to feature in "Talent Show," which appears in the Life section on Tuesdays. To nominate a child as a possible subject of a future feature article, email staff writer Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or call him at 423-757-6205.

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