talk back
Talk Back #15: Ultimate Christian Wrestling
With the intriguing title of Ultimate Christian Wrestling, the doc we screened last night at DocuClub more than lived up to expectations. The film follows three former wrestlers, who disillusioned with the secular amateur wrestling circuit, become fighters in the Ultimate Christian Wrestling league. Based in Athens, Georgia, the arc of the film picks up as the league is already in full swing, and it takes us to its winding down, all viewed through the prism of the main characters’ economic and family struggles.
The filmmakers—Jae-Ho Chang and Tara Autovino—have shot 150 hours of footage and are getting ready for a fine cut. Moderator Irene Villasenor guided the audience through feedback that mainly focused on these questions: Was there enough context about the Ultimate Christian Wrestling league—how it functioned, how Christianity was incorporated into the events? Was the arc of the league itself—as opposed to that of each character—clear?
Last night, we started to talk about this rough cut, but there was certainly more that we could have said to be of use to Jae-Ho and Tara. Please post your further comments here.
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Posted on June 24, 2009
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Comments
Hey folks,
Great job with the film! I think it’s super compelling - a good hook that makes people say “what the hell is that?” and then the great people story.
I wish it were shorter and the story was a bit more streamlined - it felt like there were parts that could be juggled around. I would have gone into the peoples’ lives much more quickly, as it felt like about 25 minutes until we realized this doc was going to be about more than christian wrestling.
Do you have time to take off from the film? I’ve been in this stage before on a doc and it has helped to take 3-6 months off and then watch it again. Or get some very brutally honest people to tell you what works and what doesnt to them, shot by shot. At this stage of the game I think it’s about ruthlessly killing babies of yours that may have taken time and love to create, but aren’t moving the story forward. If ANYTHING is not pushing the story ahead or has been said or shown before, I say it doesn’t deserve a spot in your story.
Best of luck and I can’t wait to see where it goes!
Michael
Posted on June 25, 2009 by Michael Morgenstern