Jojo: How has cross country influenced your faith and vice versa?
Dave Christiano: I ran cross country in high school and college, then became a Christian at age 22. So cross country and Christianity didn't affect each other in that regard. The most positive thing I took away from my cross country days was the discipline it instilled in me.
Where did you get the idea for this film?
I had been wanting to do a sports film, and so it was something I had been thinking about for quite some time. I was reading a story in the Bible one day where Jesus raised a 12-year-old girl from the dead. After reading that story, an idea popped into my mind about how I could end a movie about cross country. You might ask, "how are the two even related?" Well, they aren't, but when a person sees the movie, they will see the connection.
What do you hope a viewer will learn from "Remember the Goal"?
First and foremost, this is a movie to showcase the sport of cross country and bring exposure to it. Secondly, I do believe it will inspire girls (and possibly boys) to want to run. Third, there are many life lessons presented for teens, parents and coaches. For teens, I dealt with issues such as helping a friend dealing with an addiction, overcoming a low self-image, living in a broken family, living with a hard-to-please parent and obeying your parents in a dating situation. For parents, there are two very important principles presented that should help and then one message specifically for coaches that, to me, could change the way a coach approaches their team, especially in sports like basketball and football.
Can you detail your experience in filmmaking? How is "Remember the Goal" different from any other film you've made?
Filmmaking is very hard, and you feel like you made it through a battle when you produce a movie. Along with my twin brother Rich, we have produced 16 films, and each one gives you valuable experience for the next. It was a thrill to do a movie about cross country because I have followed this sport for over 40 years and it has meant a lot to my life.
Is this your first sport-related film?
This is my first sports-related movie, and hopefully not the last. I did shoot a cross country scene in my film, "The Pretender" (1987) and I reference the sport in some dialogue from "Me & You Us Forever" (2008). So I have tried to sneak some cross country into my movies in the past.
Who do you hope to reach with this film?
I want to reach teens with the many messages in this movie. For one, every person is very valuable and I want them to know how much! There is a crucial scene in the movie which gets this message across, and if a person will receive it, it should eliminate any self image problem. Secondly, my hope is that viewers will be inspired by the Coach. Actress Allee-Sutton Hethcoat is terrific as Coach Courtney Smith-Donnelly and as I edited the movie, she even inspired me. I believe this coach will touch many people with the things she does, not just says. We need leaders who truly set an example by what they do and our coach does just that. Lastly, I hope that parents will take to heart the life lessons we present to try and help families.
Why is this film important?
This movie is rare in that it does not leave the Lord out of it. Most movies do. This one takes place at a Christian school which is very commonplace in the world of cross country. Many teams are made up of Christian or Catholic schools. God exists, the Bible is the word of God, and this is the foundation of every movie I have ever done and will continue to do. The movie presents some principles that I believe will simply help people. It's also a very safe movie for the entire family and deals with many issues that are relevant.
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Why choose to make the film about women?
I chose girls' cross country for a couple of reasons. First, almost all high school sports movies are about boys and so I wanted to bring more awareness to girls athletics. Secondly, I coached a cross country team at West Henderson High School in North Carolina back in 2009. I had four freshmen girls in my top seven and these girls made the experience of coaching a real blessing for me. They were great kids with good attitudes and so much fun to work with. It was that experience which helped influence me to do a story about girls cross country. In fact, I named my characters after those freshman girls as a tribute to them.
You mentioned one of the most important things to you in creating this film was to portray the sport authentically. How have other films failed to do this, and what does your film do that helps the sport ring true to real runners?
There is no question, without any doubt, that my movie is 100% authentic for the sport of cross country. As a former runner and coach, I did all of my running and training scenes right. I know this sport very well and have studied training principles extensively. There is no foolishness or fantasy here with any running scenes and a cross country runner will see the sport realistically portrayed on screen. This is the first-ever movie about girls cross country that I know of and to me, that is pretty significant. It's hard to do something new in the world of film. I am aware that Disney did a boys cross country movie (McFarland USA) but I purposely did not see it. Some of the coaches and many of the runners who were in my movie complained about it that the state meet running scenes were not realistic. I didn't see it, don't plan to, and didn't want anything to influence that way I did my movie. My film is real, that I know, and so do the runners who were in the movie. I shot my film in the Nashville area and had over 150 area runners involved in it. I received great cooperation from the cross country community in Nashville, which indicates the quality of people involved in this sport here.
How did you develop the training regimen and training scenes in the film?
There are five different running sequences in the movie and because of my running background and coaching, it was easy for me to do all of these. It wasn't easy shooting the scenes, but it was easy planning them out.
Were the actors and actresses runners? If so, did they have any input on the training scenes? If not, how did they condition for the role?
When I started auditioning girls for the roles, I first had to find actresses who could act at the level that I wanted. When I found some really good talent, I had them all do running auditions. I had to cast girls who looked like they could portray athletes. These five main girls that I ended up casting as my top five runners in the movie were a real blessing. Four of the five had never run before so they all trained for weeks prior to filming. For example, Quinn Alexis, who plays my lead runner, started walking five minutes a day and built up to a 30 minute non-stop run. Margaret Tant, cast as my number three runner, actually runs for her team in Nashville so this was easy for her. I can't emphasize enough the great job these girls did not only as actresses, but in the running scenes. Take after take, they were terrific. A lot of credit goes to these girls for working hard and preparing themselves to play runners. And I'm convinced, if I could coach these five girls for real in the sport, they would be a pretty good team!
Were there any humorous moments with the actresses as non-runners learning more about the sport? Perhaps a first encounter with the word "fartlek"?
There were no humorous moments really because we were shooting a dramatic movie and these girls took the craft very seriously. They became a family on the set and very good friends. The girls had fun, but it was also hard. We shot in hot weather during our summer training scenes and...it...was...hot!
How will this film inspire people to run?
I am convinced that girls' cross country (and possibly boys') will get more people to go out for the sport after they see the movie. First, it showcases the good about the sport. Cross country builds discipline and teens today really need that. Second, the team bonding in the movie comes across loud and clear. Third, I want to think the story and characters will inspire people, young and old, and create more interest in cross country. Last, and this is important, the sport is explained. If a person knows absolutely nothing about cross country, they will have a much better understanding of it after seeing this movie.
How does Christianity play a role in the film?
I set the story at an all-girls Christian school for a couple of reasons. I didn't want to have to explain where the boys' team was and have to cast boy runners for this project, so it made things easier for the production being just girls. It was a huge effort to take on this movie, and by far the biggest project I had ever attempted to do. Secondly, being at a Christian school allows me to implement some biblical principles into the story. I really feel that this movie has some good things to say that will HELP teens. Teens are very self-centered, and that is a main theme I tried to deal with. My character "Anna Glass" (portrayed by Quinn Alexis), allowed me to portray a mature teenager that I hope will inspire teens.
Your brother, Rich, is your partner in filmmaking. Does he have a role in "Remember the Goal"?
My brother Rich is my script editor and co-partner in distribution. He is and always has been a big help. This is our 31st year working in films and the ride has been long, hard, very difficult at times, but enjoyable. My twin brother and I think alike, but also different enough to be a help to each other.
Who is your target demographic?
This movie targets girls, teens, parents and coaches. And boys. I guess the boys will go watch the girls in the movie. The principles presented apply to any sport and gender. Also, even though the movie is set at the high school level, I really think there is food for even the professional athlete and coach to consider.
What are your plans for the film's distribution? What are your expectations for this film vs. other films you have made?
We expect this to be our widest release to date, initially opening in 10 southeastern states this fall plus some selected cities. If the movie is successful enough, we plan to open it in the fall of 2017 in other states. It is not easy to put a movie in theaters, and I hope that runners and coaches will support this effort by going to the theater and watching it. This movie is only coming to theaters. It will not be released on DVD. Movies were meant to be seen on the big screen and that is the only way to watch REMEMBER THE GOAL. Also, I really feel that by the end of the movie, audiences will know who these characters are and will relate to them. I told the girls who played the top five runners that people will remember you and the characters you played. The fact they played athletes takes their roles to a whole new level. It makes them more memorable. And lastly, of all the characters I have ever written, the coach is someone to admire. My actress, Allee-Sutton, portrays this character exactly as I had hoped. I couldn't have asked for better person to play this role. She really nailed it for me. People will remember Coach Courtney Smith-Donnelly. At least, that's what I hope.