Cinematic arts students tee off production of feature film on Georgia golf course

Since mid-March, 48 juniors in Liberty University’s Cinematic Arts, Zaki Gordon Center have been working on the set of their latest feature film project, “The Mulligan,” in Toccoa, Ga.

The film tells the story of a father with a passion for golf who is offered the opportunity to have a “do-over” with his son (or, in golf terms, an extra stroke that’s called a “mulligan”). Filming was originally scheduled to begin in late March 2020 but was delayed due to the widespread halt on travel and the movie industry caused by COVID-19. Many of the scenes are being shot on Currahee Golf Club in Toccoa, Ga.

Liberty is partnering with ReelWorks Studios owner and executive producer Rick Eldridge for the project. This is the second film Eldridge has made with Liberty’s Cinematic Arts Department. He sits on many university advisory boards in his pursuit of helping develop and shape entertainment education.

“The film is called a parable of second chances, and in today’s world with so many things going on, who wouldn’t want a second chance?” Eldridge said. “I think it’s a perfect message for today.”

The film is scheduled to go into editing this summer with tentative release in spring of 2022. It will mark Liberty’s third feature film to hit the big screen in a national release.

The students’ filmmaking experience is being documented in a “Virtual Set Visit” series on Facebook and YouTube, featuring behind-the-scenes videos from on-set. The series is hosted by alumna Isabelle Almoyan (’19), who highlights a different aspect of life on a movie set by interviewing members of the cast and crew. Many videos also include short clips of the film that have already been shot.

“This is another first for the Cinematic Arts Department, in that, we have taken students out of Lynchburg to shoot a movie on a remote location,” said Stephan Schultze, executive director of Cinematic Arts. “Students are not only learning filmmaking in the field, but are also gaining valuable life skills while out on location. I was a bit nervous at first, but the students have risen to the challenges and enriched the faculty’s lives as we witness the students’ enthusiasm for filmmaking.”

Students’ roles during the filming schedule have been split into two phases, allowing each student to try their hand at a minimum of two positions.

Jared Guffey has worked in the crew’s electric department and is currently on the behind-the-scenes team.

“I’ve met some great people on the electric team, and I’ve learned a lot in that department, and the same goes with my time doing the behind-the-scenes videos,” Guffey said. “I think no matter what position you’re in during this, it’s a great learning experience for us students. It’s been a very good and yet challenging experience, and I’m really grateful to our professors for giving us the opportunity to work on a feature film.”

Throughout the filming, students have been sleeping in the Pine Cove retreat center in Toccoa, and each morning before the cameras roll, the group has a short devotional time that serves as a reminder of the ultimate goal of their work on-set: glorifying God and telling a story of second chances.

As an international student from South Korea who was new to the filmmaking process, Hyoeun Bae said that the experience has allowed her to grow in her communication and industry skills in working in the camera and behind-the-scenes departments in addition to helping during pre-production two weeks prior to filming.

“I think it’s been a really good opportunity for me to learn about film and build friendships with people who also have a passion for film on the set,” she said. “I thought that it was going to be a challenge because I’m not good at speaking English, but everyone has been so generous and has helped me improve. This was a great opportunity to learn how making a movie goes and seeing which parts of it I should go after in my career.”

Matthew Gates was also a part of pre-production and has spent both phases in the locations department, organizing the filming sites and coordinating with the owners of the properties. He said he’s learned the balance of artistry and business present in the film industry.

“The biggest thing it’s taught me is working with people because there are a lot of different personalities on any set,” Gates said. “When you get into filmmaking you think it’s an artistic and creative film, and it is, but it’s equally, if not more, a business of relationships and working with people.”

In its nine years, Liberty’s cinematic arts program has developed seven feature films, one television pilot, and one short film. The two-year immersion cohort for the B.S. in Film Production & Content Development allows students to concentrate solely on filmmaking. In addition to creating their own short film and business plan, students earn at least one IMDb credit on a professional film project.