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Summary
The process of making the movie was long and grueling, no part of the process was easy, but it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.Movies have always been my first love. As a child, I would watch films and imagine myself living the lives of the characters on screen.
When I discovered special features and behind-the-scenes videos, my imagination transformed from becoming the characters themselves to becoming the director, the producer, or part of the crew. I realized that those were the real magicians working to create movie magic. Since that discovery in my youth, I have been determined to make movies that move people the way they moved me.
My journey to that point has been far from straightforward. A career in the movie industry seemed like an elusive prospect at best. In addition to the mystique, I also had something many would say is a hindrance to a career in Hollywood: a strong Catholic faith.
Against the Odds
Despite the odds stacked against me, I set out blindly to pursue this dream. I knew the power of a good movie, and if that medium was combined with the truths of the Catholic Faith, what could be more impactful?
Enter John Paul the Great Catholic University.
I discovered the school through a Google search back in 2017. At the time, I was attending another Catholic college. I had been spending more time making movies for fun than doing my actual homework and decided I wanted to transfer to a film school.
I loved the Catholic education I was receiving and knew I would miss it if I attended a secular school. On a whim, I searched the internet to see if a Catholic film school even existed. I doubted that such a thing could be real, but to my utter shock, I found exactly what I was looking for at JPCatholic.
Suddenly, my Catholic faith was no longer a hindrance to my film career but a superpower that unlocked a shortcut to truth-telling (which is all good storytelling really is). My film making spirit was nurtured and pushed to grow in new and exciting ways. I was thriving. I spent two amazing years at the school.
Eventually, graduation came and went, and I began working for a marketing company. While I enjoyed my time there, the urge to make movies rather than commercials and brand videos was ever-present. Then, out of the blue, I reconnected with my old film professor. He told me that since I had left, the school had begun a Feature Film Program.
Featured Film Program
In this program, students and professors collaborate to create movies for class credit. It was a huge undertaking, and he needed another full-time producer to help make it happen. It was exactly the opportunity I had been looking for.
So began my journey back into narrative film, and what a wild and rewarding ride it has been. When I started with the Feature Film Program, JPCatholic had just wrapped and edited their first feature, O, Brawling Love! (now streaming on Prime Video).
My first day on the job was spent reading through scripts that were being considered for the second feature, and we eventually chose a script titled No Reception.
No Reception is a “family revenge comedy” in which Cody, a posh city dweller, gets lost in the wilderness and becomes caught up in a longstanding feud between two forest hermits. It’s a movie filled with wacky fun and spooky misdirects. At its heart, though, it’s a story about family and forgiveness.
Making a Movie
The process of making the movie was long and grueling. Pre-production involved five months of rewriting, planning, and scheduling and building two massive sets from scratch in our school’s sound stage.
Filming consisted of a month of 12-hour days, most of them outdoors in the California June heat. Post-production took a year of editing, re-editing, and editing yet again. Though no part of the process was easy, it was undoubtedly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
There is a quote by Vincent van Gogh that states, “Great things are not done by impulse but by a series of small things brought together. And great things are not something accidental but must certainly be willed.”
This movie was truly willed into existence—not solely by me but by many incredibly talented students and professors who poured their hearts into their work day in and day out.
Ritz Theatre Premiere
No Reception premiered this past summer at the Ritz Theatre in downtown Escondido. It was a packed house, with over 450 people in attendance. I had the chance to see the entire cast again and most of the students who worked on the film, many of whom had since graduated. It was a night to remember.
There are few feelings comparable to seeing all your hard work pay off in such a tangible way. Hearing laughs during a scene you painstakingly edited to ensure its comedic timing, hearing gasps during moments designed to be scary, and hearing claps and cheers when the hero overcomes obstacles and achieves his goal. Mostly, though, it was rewarding because those Catholic morals I was always told had no place in the movie theatre were exactly what made the film resonate.
No Reception will be released on streaming in 2025. O, Brawling Love! is available now on Prime Video.
About Kaitlyn Krikorian
