Film Notes: Exploring Faith, Grief, and Redemption in “Finding Faith”

Otis Moss III hosts a discussion on the intersection of film, faith, craftsmanship, and artistic creativity, focusing on the film Finding Faith. The film, set to be released on June 16th and 17th, meditates on themes of grief, addiction, and redemption. The hosts welcome the cast and director, Lazarell Lison, to delve into the film’s creation and message.

Key Discussion Points:

• Preparation for roles: Cast members discuss their processes. Demetrius Gross (the father) read the script extensively and discussed the director’s vision [11:13]. Stephen Bishop (the pastor) observed a real-life pastor to inform his character [12:31]. Naeen Velasquez tapped into her imagination and personal experiences to portray a character dealing with loss [13:44].
• The Director’s creative process: Lazarell Lison describes his characters as “writing themselves” [15:35] and praises the actors for bringing authenticity to the roles [16:30]. He also immerses himself in relevant music genres while writing [17:33].
• Improvisation on set: Actors were given freedom to shape their roles. Stephen Bishop added personal elements to his pastor character [19:55]. Naeen Velasquez reshaped her character after gaining the director’s trust [21:52]. Demetrius Gross shared how a playful line was added to quickly establish the relationship between characters [24:28].
• Why Finding Faith is relevant now: The film’s themes of renaissance and rebuilding resonate with the current global climate [26:33]. The cast and director emphasize the world’s need for faith, family, love, and redemption [27:40] [29:26] [30:18].
• Advice for aspiring filmmakers and actors: Lazarell advises starting in local theaters and churches [37:40]. Naeen emphasizes that acting teaches about life [38:50]. Demetrius recommends training and learning different genres [39:41]. Stephen Bishop highlights emotional understanding and resilience [41:49].
• Influences and personal breakthroughs: Cast members cite various influences and share stories of overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities [44:38] [46:42] [48:44] [50:52] [52:25] [54:44] [59:02] [01:01:55].

The video concludes with a call to support Finding Faith [01:05:03].