A Film By Franziska Wellner, J. Neil Bloomer, & Jason O'Brien

THE PEOPLE

Killing Christian came to fruition only because of the hard work of a large team of individuals, but as a documentary, it unfortunately can't stay true to everyone's story. At its core, the story is first about a group of six friends who started this project together, and grew the team to the people who ultimately made it all possible. In order from left to right, here are the six friends whose story we follow through the making of Killing Christian.

JASON O'BRIEN, aka Evil Genius, aka Cool Breeze, aka Director Beavis, became the film's director and eventual co-producer and co-executive producer. "I actually have known Laura and Annis the longest. I first met Laura working in Customer Service for a telecommunications company over ten years ago before we worked together on this movie, and we became such close friends that Laura often says we're two halves of the same brain. Laura first gave me the script for Killing Christian on a consulting basis and at one time thought I could play a small role, but what a meaningful moment it was when Laura first asked me if I would direct the film. That was when I first met Jason Kendall, the other co-writer on the script. I had heard about him for a couple years previous to this, and finally got to meet a guy who had an insane passion for movies to match mine. And why the rumors of us dating began I'll never know, but it was interesting to watch the relationship go through so many ups and downs. Like I mentioned before, I've known Laura and Annis the longest ... I met Annis not long after meeting Laura, when we all worked at the same company, and found another very dear friend, and a trusted person to be right beside me during the filming of the movie. I had known Christian for a few years prior to this through Laura and Annis, but not really that close. Through the process of making this movie, she became a much closer friend and someone who I trusted when I found difficulties communicating with others, even as I learned later that I should have communicated more directly with those others. And I met Stacy the same day I met Kendall at the auditions when I came on board to direct, and met someone who I found very inspiring, and was thankful to have made such a good friend through the process of making this movie. Anyone should consider themselves lucky to have Stacy as a friend ... I know I have. Through our time together in struggling to make this movie, each of these people changed me in ways that I will forever remain thankful for. They taught me to communicate better, they gave me more confidence, and hey, they finally got me to untuck my shirt ... not a bad few things to get from a great group of friends."

LAURA MULLINS, aka Writer Goddess, aka W.G., was one of the ones responsible for the whole story of this film, co-writing the screenplay and eventually co-producing the film. "Wow..I am blessed with great friends. How did I get into this crazy world of filmmaking? Kismet. I met and fell instantly in love with Annis Hathcock when I was 11. It would be 12 years before I had the courage to tell her. She has always been my support and my North star and has believed in me when I gave up. So, when I told her I wanted to be a screenwriter she said, "That is perfect for you!" When I told her I wanted to make my first film, she said, "Cool! I want to help!" If I had told her that we'd be working 14-20 hours in heat, with no air conditioning, and with no money, she might have divorced me. But instead she worked her @ss off as the assistant to the director. She also made a cameo appearance as a lounge singer and blew us all away with her performance. I had support and an idea. I was nervous, however, about writing a screenplay having never done it before. Oh, you can read books but it helps to have some guidance and also some healthy competition. I met Jason Kendall at my day job through Christian Ray. Christian and I also met at work, after a year of passing each other in the hallways, we finally found a common interest....the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (stop laughing) She has a fabulous way of understanding and encouraging me, in addition to a solid business background and strong commitment to understanding a process. She was on board right away when I told her about the possibility of filmmaking and busied herself with study. Because she and I had a close bond, I could always count on Christian to calm me and ground me. She is not only one of my closest friends but turned out to be a great counselor as well. (believe me...making a film will cause you to need therapy!) Thanks to her, I met Jason and we soon discovered we had the same weird sense of humor, both were writers and both loved movies. As it turns out, it was a match made in Heaven because we write together as one. For my birthday, I asked him to help me in lieu of a present. Thank God he agreed because from there we worked like magic. After several setbacks, we decided just to go for it and produce the film ourselves. Jason O'Brien and I had known each other for 10 years prior to this project. I told him 10 years ago we would work on a film together. (who knew I was a prophet??) I wanted him to direct from the beginning, although there was that one crazy moment when I thought I could do it. O'Brien and I share a brain, in that we usually know what the other is thinking. In some other life, I feel certain that we were twins. O'Brien, who I call Beavis and later caused everyone else to also, came into the project with the coolness and ease of a seasoned professional. He made lists and charts and spreadsheets and 411 copies, and I always felt safe in his vision. Stacy Vance had me at "hello". I felt instantly that I had known her before and the first thing that she said to me when I told her I had going to do a film from a screenplay I'd cowritten was, "B!tch!" (lol) After that, she was a solid source of comfort and support, a loyal friend, co-conspirator and an invaluable part of the cast and crew. She was hardworking, cheerful in the most difficult circumstances and always willing to go the extra mile to get things done. I don't have enough time or words to speak about our cast and crew, except to say I could not have dreamed of anything better and will forever be grateful. Kismet drew us together; stress nearly drove us apart; love kept us from killing each other; and insanity helped us finish our project. Now, don't you want to do it too?? I look around me at the people who helped make a dream come true. Again I say, I am blessed."

JASON KENDALL, aka Punching Bag, aka Private Spunky, was the other one responsible for the whole genesis of this film idea, co-writing the screenplay and in the process, writing for himself the juicy role of Hunter Chase, a depressed gay chef in love with a man he can't have. This would be Jason's film acting debut in one of the lead roles. -- Jason's Story Coming Soon --

ANNIS HATHCOCK, aka The Boss, initially began work on the film as the Production Coordinator, but when Jason O'Brien needed someone beside him as the Assistant to the Director, he knew right away that Annis would be the best person for the job, so much so that he knows he can never direct another movie without Annis by his side. "I've been trying to break down how I met each person in our little "family" but basically it was Laura. For whatever reason, people tend to meet her first. O'Brien worked with her before I came to work at the company. Christian and Kendall both worked with her and she and Stacy met first at a dinner party (I was seated further away). That is how it works - she's like a Pied Piper or more accurately an alpha wolf creating her 'soul pack' by mesmerizing everyone with incredible stories and piercing wolf-like eyes. I understand that seeing as how I've been hooked since I was 12! From the moment the concept was born, the pack began to form… O'Brien, Laura, & I all worked together at the same company years ago. I realized quickly with O'Brien I had finally met someone else with my 'Rainman-esque' retention for movie trivia. I was thrilled when he asked me to be his assistant and loved every hot, cramped, uncomfortable, tense minute of it! Christian I first heard of as the 'hot girl who likes Buffy' but she turned out to be much more than that. She has an amazing business mind and a willingness to research anything you put in front of her. It was wonderful to work with her and know if you said 'I need this…', she got it. I met Kendall at a matinee of a movie Laura had invited him to see with us. (I won't tell you the movie, it was too awful). I was nervous when Laura first asked him to co-write, but after hearing just one scene, I knew it was a match made in heaven! I will never forget the night KC was finished. Laura & Kendall decided to sit down with the outline and not stop until it was completed. Having heard every incarnation to that point, I couldn't stand not to be a part … even if only as an audience. They would write while I read a book, until at midnight it was done. We all squinted at each other through the smoke filled air and cheered. Of course then it had to be read through which meant the 'party' didn't end until well after two. Stacy was the last to come into The Family. I met her at a dinner party and was excited to learn she had actually been living in Australia a few months before. I was so intrigued by someone who could just pack up and leave the country for an extended stay abroad. In Stacy I found a sister, friend and advisor along with the only person who could truly bring Faith to life! All five of these people have changed my life in ways I can't even express and I'm grateful to say we made it through the fire!"

CHRISTIAN RAY, aka Blondie, aka Spaz, seemed to pride herself on taking on more crew positions and titles than anyone else on the film. Primarily serving as the Production Manager and Location Manager, she also became a co-executive producer and a 2nd Assistant Director. "I also as Jason O'Brien stated, met Laura first also through work, shortly thereafter I met Annis, and very soon I came to consider them two of my closest friends and family. I met Jason O'Brien through Laura and as he stated we did not know each other well but we grew to be good friends through the film making process. Jason Kendall, Laura, and I all worked at the same company. Laura and I met Kendall on the same day in the elevator at work. As we all became friends and lunch buddies, he and Laura discovered they had a mutual interest in film and writing. Last but not least I met Stacy (also through Laura) who has become a valued friend through common interests and as someone has a similar fashion sense who I can share clothes with :). I became involved in the film process because I wanted to help my friends get their project off the ground, I had business experience, and I wanted to gain more experience from the business side in the entertainment industry."

STACY VANCE, aka The Diva, aka Super Power Girl, began her involvement with Killing Christian initially playing a small role, and primarily serving behind the scenes as the film's Set Decorator and Continuity Person. But when the original lead actress for the role of Faith, Laura Kilgore, had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, Stacy took over the role of Faith, after having read for Faith during so many of the rehearsals. And it couldn't have been a more natural fit of actor and character. "I met Laura at a party, where we began to talk and volley intriguing life questions to each other. Through her friendship, I have come to understand that her legacy is that once you are a friend of hers, you are family. She is one of the most talented individuals I know and her creativity literally skyrockets into so many areas it's almost unbelievable. Her partner, Annis, has the same values of love, creativity and loyalty, and I count them as two of my closest friends, and my family. I went into making this film with heaps of enthusiasm but no real experience, with my prior lifetime being in the worlds of corporate work and graduate studies. Through the filming, I experienced the pleasure of working in the artistic realm with a fantastic group of people, and also experienced the camraderie and heartaches that come with independent filmmaking. After the screenplay was written, Laura invited me to meet "the group" in a production meeting at her house and I was hooked into the vision. Jason Kendall (or simply "Kendall") was obviously a talented writer, actor, and intuitive thinker. Christian has an amazing head for business, has also become a close friend, and has the ability to create calm in a charged atmosphere. She kept things running smoothly in the business aspect of the production and managed the details with a natural expertise. The director, Jason O'Brien, has one of the biggest hearts around along with an unmatched determination. In the filming he was there 100%, and he almost singlehandedly spearheaded the continuation of the post-production, when most of us were - frankly - broke. He mastered Final Cut Pro and edited the film, as well as managing the application to film festivals across the country, and has my gratitude for who he is as a person as well as a filmmaker. Yes, I can say I ventured into the wild and wonderful world of making a film, but at the end was left with increased wisdom, a return to practical values, and friendships with people that I love both personally and professionally. And the members of the cast and crew outside of the 6 core members, from makeup - to hair - to set design - to the filming and production - also have my eternal respect for their talents and artistry. I was fortunate to be a part of this production, and would love to have the opportunity to be a part of future films in such a positive and creative atmosphere as this one."

For these six, they hoped that Killing Christian would be the first film for a planned production company to be called Wastebasket Productions. They envisioned a local production company based out of Birmingham that would remain true to independent filmmaking, and give them a place to produce the many ideas so many of them had for future projects. Originally planned to be formed by a team of four (Jason Kendall, Laura, Annis, and Christian), they eventually convinced Jason O'Brien and Stacy to become partners as well. Could such an idea succeed? Would they see that dream also become a reality?

During the course of making Killing Christian, these six very different people would become closer as friends, and also become more distant. At one time or another, each of them would have some major disagreement or even worse, a huge blowup or two, with the other. Longtime friendships were tested to their very limits ... some survived to find an even better and more mature place, but some never recovered to the way they were before. If anything could test a friendship, making an independent film would certainly be it.

THE ASPIRING YOUNG ACTORS

And finally, How To Kill Christian is also about a Birmingham based film crew whose full time job was filmmaking. Headed by Michael Praytor and Andor Becsi as the Directors of Photography, they were a team of six who had to fill so many different roles for a low budget film. Between Praytor and Andor, and along with Brooks Toran, sound man Morgan Faulkner, Eli Griffith, and Forrest Pitts, they had to tackle the tasks of lighting, grips, sound ... all of the technical aspects of the film. As their full time job, they were the only ones who couldn't make Killing Christian for free. Their struggle began not knowing if they would ever get paid, as they were already seven days into filming and hadn't seen a dime of money from the group responsible for this project. Throughout the production, they showed their dedication for some incredibly long nights of filming, in conditions ranging from the overwhelming heat of the Alabama summer, to the late night atop a parking deck in the middle of downtown Birmingham, to an entire weekend of filming with very little sleep ... they made the visual look of this film so much more vibrant and rich than the film's low budget would make you think. And talk about a group of characters all their own ...