BJU Film Students Work on $25M Kendrick Brothers’ Production

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The Forge: Behind the scenes in the Kendrick’s warehouse /sound-stage

Students from the Division of Communication’s Film & Digital Storytelling Bachelor of Science worked on the Kendrick Brothers’ new film, The Forge, which was shot in the summer of 2023.

Since its opening in theaters on Aug. 23, the Kendrick Brothers / Sony / Affirm Films release has made over $25 million as of Sep. 16. Two Bob Jones University film students, brothers Nathan and Andrew Barnes, drove to Albany, Georgia, to work as production assistants in the locations department during the film’s principal photography.

BJU film professor Christopher Zydowicz said, “I love using my network to connect students to these opportunities. When I heard the film was shooting, I called one of the producers to get BJU students on the project.”

Josh Pitman, Andrew Barnes, and Nathan Barnes~Veléz at the Christian Worldview Film Festival

Location manager Josh Pittman led the locations department through a challenging schedule. The locations department prepares the sets for the cast and crew. “We’re the first to get there and the last to leave,” Andrew Barnes said. “My mentor’s character showed me that to lead is to serve others, to put others before oneself.”

BJU’s Film & Digital Storytelling major, and teachers like John Murray, prepare students to lead in the Christian film industry. “In Cinematography and Lighting, Mr. Murray taught me about the nuts and bolts of the set and the ‘how’ it works,” Nathan Barnes said. “Instead of asking: ‘How are you going to light the scene?’ I was able to ask: ‘Why are you putting HMIs on the front porch bouncing off silks?’”

The Forge tells a story of discipleship, and the Kendrick Brothers practice what they preach by making their film sets places where young Christian filmmakers can grow in Christ and their film skills. Nathan said, “We weren’t all grips, electrics, camera, props, or anything else. But I saw that we functioned as one body. And that was really because of the leadership.”

The Kendrick brothers’ films demonstrate that there is a market for unapologetically Christian films, and learning experiences like these production jobs prepare students for their filmmaking calling.

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