Trevecca Students Bring ‘Upside Down: Paul’s Message of New Creation’ to the Big Screen

By Skylar Kirby

News and Engagement Editor

After nearly a year of preparation, students from across campus are preparing to debut the premiere of Upside Down: Paul’s Message of New Creation.

The documentary follows the people of the Apostle Paul’s time as they searched for lasting peace throughout Macedonia and Greece. The film explores Paul’s message of new creation and the belief that true peace is found through the resurrection of Christ.

The film was shot throughout Greece as a collaborative project between Trevecca’s Film and Television program, the Department of History and the Department of Religion and Philosophy. A group of 25 Trevecca students, faculty, and staff traveled to Greece for the production, including nine film and television students, nine Bible and religion students and four history students. Seth Conley, professor of communication studies and executive producer, led the team along with Timothy Gaines, religion professor and producer, and Laura Hohman, history, sociology and psychology professor and producer.

The group spent 12 days in Greece filming at locations including Corinth, Thessaloniki, Athens and Philippi. While most of the students traveled for the production, three additional students contributed to the project from campus as members of the research and video editing teams.

Students took on a variety of roles throughout the production, gaining experience in areas including research, cinematography, directing, audio operation, video editing, visual effects, production assistance and more, said Conley.

Gaines said working with students throughout the research and production process provided a significant learning experience.

“The process of working with students to research and discover the content of the documentary was the richest learning experience I’ve had throughout my years in higher education,” said Gaines.

Gaines said the project allowed students to not only develop their research skills, but also contribute to a resource that will be made available nationally. He said the experience demonstrated Trevecca’s emphasis on students and faculty learning alongside one another.

“This project represents the very best of what Trevecca is, a community of learners joining together to discover the way that the gospel is still turning the world upside down in the best way possible,” said Gaines.

For Conley, the project represents what Trevecca can accomplish when students and faculty from different areas come together.

“To see the production come from pre-production all the way through the post-production process is super exciting for Trevecca,” said Conley.

Conley said the collaboration continued through post-production, including an original score composed entirely by Doug Beiden, assistant professor of music and commercial music.

For the students involved, the project provided an opportunity to step outside the classroom and experience the process of creating a professional film.

Austin Beatty, a film and television major, said the experience helped students build relationships with classmates they may not have otherwise known.

“We got to be together and be in a new country together. It made us a lot closer. There were some history and religion students as well that we didn’t know, and we really connected with them by the end,” said Beatty.

Wesley Clubb, a film and television major, said seeing his classmates grow throughout the production made the experience especially meaningful.

“Everybody worked so hard. Seeing all these students that I’ve been, you know, kind of growing up with all going into the roles that were for them and do incredible was super cool to see,” said Clubb.

The project was partially funded through Trevecca Nazarene University’s Faculty-Led Academic Research Experience (FLARE) grants. These grants support undergraduate student research and related travel. Additional funding came through donations to the Film and Television Professional Experience Fund and individual fundraising efforts. The production also used film and television equipment owned by the university.

The film will premiere Monday, Sept. 28, at the Boone Conference Center on Trevecca’s campus. A red carpet event will begin at 6:15 p.m., followed by the screening at 7 p.m.

Following its premiere, Upside Down: Paul’s Message of New Creation will be submitted to film festivals and competitions.

“This is Trevecca through and through, and it has Trevecca’s name all over it,” said Conley.