Making 'Fireproof'

ALBANY (BP) — December 2005. My brother, Alex, finished a brisk morning jog that planted his running shoes in my driveway. He was winded but clearly excited when he called me on his cell. “Come outside, Stephen! I’ve got the storyline for the next movie!”

At that time, “Facing the Giants” was edited and ramping toward theatrical release. Alex and I had begun a season of prayer, asking God for direction about what should come next. “Flywheel,” Sherwood Pictures’ first movie, had impacted people’s work lives and “Facing the Giants” was geared to inspire teens and adults to “never give up.” For our third venture, we were asking specifically for a story that would impact the culture.

That day in my driveway, Alex looked at me and said, “I just got an idea for a movie about marriage.”

Fall 2006. While developing the storyline for “Fireproof,” God surprised us with the response to Facing the Giants. This $100,000 football drama, produced by volunteers, grossed $10 million in theaters and was the top-selling DVD in Christian bookstores in 2007. Thousands reportedly were coming to Christ because of it, and churches were utilizing the DVD for ministry. While critics scratched their heads and blogged, we embraced a sense of awe as God continued to glorify Himself through our weakness.

Spring 2007. Countless scripts started landing in our offices at Sherwood; people were convinced they had the story for our next movie. My favorite was the Kung-fu pastor who beats up people in Jesus’ name. Drop-kicked for not tithing? Talk about church discipline!

But our focus was clear: to develop the marriage movie. We sought the Scriptures and were reminded that marriage is a huge priority to God. Hebrews 13:4 says marriage should be honored by all as the first human institution established by God. Families, children, churches, and governments are built upon marriage. If marriage crumbles, so does everything built on it.

Summer 2007. After Alex and I framed the marriage challenge that Caleb and Catherine Holt face in the movie, my mother-in-law suggested we tell the story through the backdrop of a firefighter. Firefighters constantly respond to fires around them; so must husbands and wives. Firefighters must communicate well, learn to protect one another, and be willing to lay down their lives for one another; so must husbands for their wives. Firefighters never leave their partner; neither should married couples.

The movie title “Fireproof” branded its way into our hearts after we discovered this unique definition: Fireproof doesn’t mean something prevents fire. Fireproof means you are able to withstand a fire.

Fall 2007. God confirmed His hand on Fireproof by delivering in amazing ways. Our friends at Provident Films offered to distribute the movie before the first frame was shot. More than 1,200 people from our community volunteered to serve. Our local Albany fire department offered their stations and equipment. A local hospital offered an entire wing for the production. Before we knew it, we had all 16 needed locations available – free!

After praying, we auditioned members of our church. Erin Bethea was cast as Catherine. (She made us cry during her first audition.) Our pastor, Michael Catt, suggested that we call Kirk Cameron for the lead role. Kirk caught the vision behind Fireproof and volunteered. We were blessed by his professionalism. (He was blessed with daily prayer support, fried chicken, cheese grits, and, of course, sweet tea!) Because of his work with the Way of the Master evangelism ministry, it was exciting to have Kirk help us craft the gospel presentation scene.

During the filming of a rescue scene, we needed to put a wrecked car onto train tracks, but it was too heavy to move. While 200 people stood around staring at it, the man living next to the tracks walked out his front door and said, “You need a forklift? I’ve got one in my backyard you can use.” Our director of photography looked at me and said, “Unbelievable!”

But production was not without heartbreak. One Sunday during church, we received word that one of our cameramen, Robert “Chip” Monk, had died in a car crash on his way back to Albany. We shut down production for a week to mourn and minister to his pregnant wife.

This tragedy drew us closer together and ignited an even greater passion for investing in eternal things. Along the way, we found that the enemy knows where to attack based on where God is working. We sought to guard against this by having morning devotions and prayer times.

Fall 2008. The more we look at the dynamics of marriage, the more we see fires that naturally ignite. When men and women tie the knot, they join their hurts, fears, baggage, and imperfections with those of another. At the same time, communication barriers, work pressures, and financial needs flare up at some point and add heat to the relationship.

God’s Word declares that He is sovereign in the midst of all of this. He created marriage as a beautiful, living, dynamic gift that has His eternal purposes etched in its DNA. Marriage also forces us to grow up and die to ourselves in order to love another imperfect person unconditionally. Marriage can really purify us by fire because it’s a picture of Jesus.

Our desire is to use the art form of movie-making to realistically show the struggles married couples experience daily – and then hold up the truth of God’s Word to deal with those struggles.

Reprinted with permission from the September issue of HomeLife magazine, a ministry publication of LifeWay Church Resources.