On the big screen, the movie scenes played together seamlessly.
Every shot in the independent film "The Good Catholic" seemed to flow into another, giving the illusion of being done in one take, all in a single day. Editing made shots on sets in two different locations appear to be happening in the same place.
But Gordon Strain knows that behind the finished film, weeks of hard work went into maintaining that continuity.
"The experience was a lot of work, and a different kind than I had done before. I had to make my brain think differently," said Strain, a Franklin College theater professor and production designer for "The Good Catholic. "I usually do theater design. With that, the audience is free to look at any part of the set they want, so you need to always think big picture. With film, you only see what the camera shows you."
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Strain played an integral role in the creation of "The Good Catholic," which premiered Feb. 3 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He was responsible for everything from envisioning the sets to handling the props to preparing food for a big dinner scene.
"Basically everything that you see was something I had to think about," he said. "It was hard … but it was fun. And ultimately I am excited with the final product."
"The Good Catholic" is a romantic comedy starring well-known actors Danny Glover and John C. McGinley, as well as Zach Spicer, a Greencastle native. The film is about a dedicated priest who falls in love with a woman in his parish, and confides in his fellow priests to help him with his dilemma.
Indiana fingerprints are all over the film. Spicer and co-producer John Armstrong attended Indiana University along with Paul Shoulberg, who wrote and directed the movie. To be executive producer, they tapped David Anspaugh, who directed classic films "Hoosiers" and "Rudy."
All of these Indiana connections led Strain to become involved in the project.
"For me it was a no-brainer. (Shoulberg and I) have been friends for a long time, I love his writing. We know each other and trust each other, so I was happy to work with him — as well as all the other old friends that were involved,” he said.
In order to work on the film, Strain took a temporary hiatus from Franklin College in the winter of 2015 and 2016, relocating to Bloomington so he could more easily be immersed in the filming.
Production began in earnest in January of 2016, and Strain spent long hours in varied roles for the film. His main focus was working closely with Shoulberg to ensure that every shot looked as it should once the cameras were rolling.
Being ingrained in a film production put a new spin on his impression of movies.
“Film is so different than theater. Designing is different. Acting is different. Even the way we schedule our days is different," he said. "I remember as a kid thinking that being a movie star would be so cool and easy. It’s not. Nobody on set has it easy, especially when you have a smallish budget.”
Though he was away from his teaching job in Franklin, Strain used the opportunity to give real-world opportunities to a few of his students.
He enlisted broadcast journalism major Ian Mullen, who graduated from Franklin College in 2016, to be his production design assistant.
Kiera Shackelford, a theatre major and current senior at the college, was given a small non-speaking role in the film. She had been taking a winter class with Strain when he mentioned his work on the movies, and she joked about offering her help. Her teacher took her up on it.
For someone who wants to make acting her career, it was a chance to see how a small production is made.
"There was a lot of waiting, but it was most exciting once we got to shoot our scenes," Shackelford said. "I really hope to see it on the big screen."
David Piland, the general trades technician for the college, helped during set design. Athletics director Kerry Prather helped the filmmakers secure basketball footage to use in a particular scene.
To help shoulder the load of classes while Strain was gone, professors Nick Crisafulli and Robin Roberts offered their assistance.
"The Good Catholic" made its debut at the film festival in Santa Barbara, which attracts more than 90,000 people each year to view innovative and breakout features, documentaries and short films.
More than 50 films were scheduled to have world-premiers at the festival, including "The Good Catholic." Another 64 were being shown in the U.S. for the first time. Actors such as Denzel Washington, Jeff Bridges and Emma Stone all were set to receive awards at the festival.
Strain and his wife, Dianne Moneypenny, flew to California for the event, joining his old friends from Indiana University to celebrate the release of their project.
The next step is potentially lining up a local screening so others can see the film, Strain said.
"There was a lot of positive energy in the room during the screening and not just from those of us that were involved. I can’t wait until we can show the movie in Franklin," he said.
