No Greater Love
Interview With Brandon Rice Filmed In Franklin, TN
Brandon Rice has been working in film since high school. He has written, directed and edited several award-winning short films, including A Price Too High, A Dim Light, and Smuggler’s Ransom, which was distributed nationally on DVD by Cloud Ten Pictures. Brandon served as storywriter, associate producer and editor on Coram Deo Studio’s first feature film, No Greater Love.

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Christian-Movie.com: Lionsgate, the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution company in North America (per Box Office Mojo), has picked up No Greater Love and plans to release the DVD on January 19th. Obviously the success of any movie begins with a solid story. What are the top three story-writing tips you can offer to our readers?

Brandon Rice: The first tip would be to keep it simple. I think a lot of storywriters try to make their stories really complicated and twisty, which convolutes them. Understand your A-plot and keep the thrust of your story focused on that. Subplots are good, but only if they enhance the A-plot.

Left to right: Brandon Rice, actor Anthony Tyler Quinn and Brad Silverman

Another tip is to make sure your audience understands your story setting, and stick with the rules you create for your world or setting. I think great examples of this are The Lord of the Rings films and the Back to the Future series. Someone can watch any of these films and completely understand the world and the rules within that world right away.

And the final tip is never become an island. I know of very few storywriters or scriptwriters who have NOT benefited from having great partners around them. For instance, No Greater Love would not have been what it was today without the talent of the screenwriters: Brad, James and Elizabeth.

They took the core story I wrote and fleshed it out, even creating new subplots to enhance the A-plot – as I mentioned earlier. Be humble enough to team up with other talented writers. It will enhance your story.

"I believe that when someone begins with a message and tries to write a story around it, it becomes more of a sermon than a story."

Christian-Movie.com: What is your philosophy when it comes to writing faith-based stories? Do you choose a message you want to convey and craft your story around that message? Or do you grab hold of a good story and let the message communicate itself?

Brandon Rice: I ALWAYS start with a compelling story first, and the message will flow through that. I believe that when someone begins with a message and tries to write a story around it, it becomes more of a sermon than a story. All stories have messages, but I want to draw people into the story, into the characters, and communicate through that. Story is always first.

The No Greater Love production spread on set

Christian-Movie.com: What is your background in editing?

Brandon Rice: I have been editing for a long time, professionally for about four years. I have been using Avid-editing software for about six years and have been able to become quite fast and accurate with it. Brad Silverman has taught me a lot of the basics of technique, and I have learned and polished the skill as I go.

Editing is much more of an art form than a lot of folks think. Each film is different, too. Before No Greater Love, the films I had done up to that point were mostly shorts, so they had to be very tight and have a certain pacing to them. With No Greater Love, I had to learn to let the scene breathe at certain moments, and allow the audience to have a pause before going into the next scene. That was one of the main things I learned while working on the film.

Christian-Movie.com: In the lead-up to No Greater Love’s January DVD release, Coram Deo Studios has chosen to allow publicists and others to view the movie online, rather than sending out screener copies. What are the benefits of this route? Have there been any drawbacks?

Brandon Rice: The benefits for us is that the security risk and cost of sending screener DVDs has been eliminated, and we have the ability for a person to watch No Greater Love anywhere.

The only drawbacks I have seen so far have been the few technical glitches, but usually those are easily solved. We have been pleased with the system.

"This film really moved me in my spirit...
regardless if you’re a Christian or not, if you believe in love, if you believe in marriage,
this film will move you."

Christian-Movie.com: What is the most meaningful comment you have heard about No Greater Love?

Brandon Rice: We have truly had so many meaningful comments about No Greater Love, but one that stands out particularly to me is from a gentleman who attended our pre-screening in Franklin, Tennessee. Originally I had contacted him to help me with some of the production stuff – since we were filming interviews. I didn’t end up needing the help, but he still came along, not knowing what the film was about or anything.

He ended up recording an interview with me after seeing No Greater Love. In his interview, he said, "This film really moved me in my spirit...regardless if you’re a Christian or not, if you believe in love, if you believe in marriage, this film will move you." That comment stood out to me, coming from someone with no expectations.

Brandon Rice behind a camera (foreground) as Aaron Sanders
throws a baseball (center background)

Christian-Movie.com: What was the most significant lesson that God taught you, from a personal standpoint, during the making of No Greater Love?

Brandon Rice: Humility. I know that might be a weird thing to say, but I really learned humility through this process. It is true when someone says it takes a great team to make a film. We were blessed by God to find the pieces that made the team, and without each and every person it would not have been completed, or be what it is today. Another aspect of humility I learned is that I’m not always right. In fact, more often than not, I am wrong! If someone always thinks that their ideas, angles, edits, whatever are always right, they will never improve. I firmly believe that.

Christian-Movie.com: What was the biggest hurdle that you faced while producing this movie, and how did you overcome it?

Brandon Rice: I think the toughest part of this film was the production. The script for No Greater Love was 120 pages and we shot the film in 17 days. It was only the Lord who allowed us to shoot as fast as we did, and still maintain quality and dynamite performances throughout. It was an experience unlike any other and, though it was challenging, I loved it!

"If someone always thinks that their ideas, angles, edits, whatever are always right,
they will never improve."

Christian-Movie.com: What are the top three things you wish you had known before you started?

Brandon Rice: The main thing I wish I had known in advance is how long the process would take to get the film out. When working on shorter films, it's a matter of months or weeks to finish the entire process. With a feature it is MUCH longer. Even a simple film without special effects requires a lot of time in pre-production, production and specifically post-production.

We had about seven edits of the film before our final cut, and even then we were tweaking up until we mastered the final product. The sound mixing takes a while as well, and each part of the post-process has to be tweaked if a tweak is made in the film itself. Going into the next feature, we will all have a better idea of the process and how long it should take.

Christian-Movie.com: What’s next for you?

Brandon Rice: I have been working closely with Brad on a few more story concepts and scripts. I believe, Lord willing, we’ll be producing another film in the near future. I can’t tell you what it’s about, but I believe it is a compelling story, with timeless truths woven into it.

Christian-Movie.com: When and how may No Greater Love be purchased on DVD?

No Greater Love will be available for purchase through a wide variety of Christian bookstores and larger stores, starting January 19, 2010. I believe you can pre-order the film today on several websites, such as Amazon.com, CBD, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart.

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