JIM CAVIEZEL SPEAKS
I knew very little about Bobby Jones. I just loved the story, and I felt that (despite having just played Jesus) I couldn't think of a finer man to play. I read the script and saw how the other characters saw him, and what he said and how he lived. That's what attracted me. I did my own investigating, and talked to a lot of people, including Bobby's granddaughter, and asking what they thought of him, how they remembered him.
But no man is perfect. We tend to forget all the other things that maybe he wasn't so great at. Like his temper. But in order for a piece of coal to change into a diamond, it has to undergo some serious heat and pressure. I just kept thinking, here's a guy with three degrees. He's a lawyer, and an engineer, and he knows English literature. Being so smart, being an engineer, and trying to hit a golf ball must have been so frustrating
at times. I kept imagine Bobby thinking, ''Ok, I did all the math so why is this ball going way over there? Why did I slice it?'' I thought about that, about utilizing that frustration, and it made it easy for me to throw a golf club.
When you play someone like the Count of Monte Christo, nobody ever says, ''Well he walked this way or he looked like this or he fenced this way.'' And then with Jesus, people might not know quite the way he walked or sounded, but everybody has some idea about it. But when you play Bobby Jones, everybody in Georgia knew how he talked, walked, ate, spat, drank. So I think that made it pretty hard.
Then there was the golf swing. There's nothing I hate more than watching a basketball movie, because I used to play in college, and spot immediately a guy who doesn't really play. Maybe he addresses the free-throw line wrong or his elbow is out or something, but I can just tell if he doesn't have the knack. I didn't play much golf before this. I hit it around a little, but I just substituted what I knew about shooting a basketball
for hitting a golf ball. The one thing that all athletics have in common is balance. As soon as I found my center and balance, it was much easier to learn. I think we got it about 95 percent there but I wanted to make sure that any professional golfers who saw this film could slow the stroke down and believe that I had it.
But I think it would be a shame if people were to think that this movie isn't for them because they aren't into golf. This film transcends golf. It's about a human being with an extraordinary amount of integrity, something money can't buy. Any time you have an ailment as a young person and you have to overcome it, it gives you an edge. You have to work harder at things, and that work ethic pays off later in life. You find that
people like that tend to want to excel. They can't settle for being average. They have to step up and do things better than that. I use that in my own life, for example in sports. I had to work for it. And acting was the same way. Maybe my work ethic is how I compensate when things didn't come easy.
It's a great film for young people who are trying to find their way. Nowadays, sports stars and other celebrities say, ''I'm not your kid's role model.'' It's an excuse to act however they want, to make huge amounts of money. But Bobby wasn't about that. He was a guy who embraced the idea, who said, ''Yes, I am a role model. I'll take that responsibility.'' His pureness drew me to him. That's my own heart, and exactly the kind
of characters I like to follow and at least try to emulate.
This article is an excerpt from the coffee table book entitled "Bobby Jones: The Man and the Movie" (published by British American Publishing) and available by calling (704)375-4321
Rowdy Herrington
THE DIRECTOR SPEAKS
Elation and Fear
My first reaction when I heard about the project was both elation and fear. Elated because it's really an amazing opportunity to dramatize a man's life that was as rich in character and complex as Bobby Jones. Fearful in that I knew that this is a story that's likely to be told only once, and it had to be done well. That's quite a responsibility, and I took it personally. Bobby Jones was such an exemplary character, and lived
his life so well that I felt a real responsibility to do the best I could to make his story come to life on the screen.
One of the things I like to tell the crew is that enthusiasm is contagious and I don't think you're going to fine a producer with more enthusiasm for a subject that Kim Dawson has for Bobby Jones. That set the tone. It was clear from the beginning how passionate he was about this project, and how careful he intended to be in the selection of the people who were going to work to realize his vision.
I worked with Kim and Rick Eldridge to implement structural changes to the original script, changes that would make the story work. It had been framed initially as a story that took place primarily in 1930 during the grand slam. I that that might not be the best way to show the development of the character of Bobby Jones. By that time, Bobby was already a champion, and in many ways fully formed. I thought it was important to
see the changes in his character?the ''arc,'' as they say. To see him go from child to adult and then to see him go from adult to leader and then to see him go from leader to visionary?that was a clear and meaningful progression.
I've always been a writer/director. For me, writing is the primary art. It's the most creative act. It's where things come out of the heavens, so to speak. You create something from nothing. You take something that is essentially blank and unformed, and give it life. Directing, on the other hand, is more interpretive. It's a little easier in that you already have the framework. Also, you have a lot of people to help you. Writing
is solitary, but I happen to really enjoy it. Directing is an opportunity to collaborate with very talented people, and that is a great deal of fun. It's a lot more fun to direct than to write, I can tell you that. Writing is harder. They are two very different processes, but they come together in one sense: both writers and directors are storytellers.
I was attracted to this project because it is a bona fide drama. I've been working in genres for a long time. Hollywood is very fond of action/adventure and suspense, for instance, and I've made my living doing that. This is my first opportunity to make a movie where there are no guns. Nobody walks into a room and pulls out a gun and starts telling everybody what's going to happen. This relies on character, on honest human
emotions and motivations. We watch these people in a crucible, where things happen to them; forces act on them and they change and they make decisions that illuminate what life is really about for all of us.
But there was so much more drawing me to this film. It's been a dream come true, not only because I'm a golfer and a golf fan, but because Bobby Jones is such a phenomenal character, and because we've had the opportunity to go to a lot of places that most people never get to see up close. I went to the Old Course in St. Andrews, East Lake in Atlanta, Brookhaven and Augusta National. We filmed on all these courses, places that
had never allowed a feature film crew before, and it was thrilling. It really speaks, not to me or to our producers or to the great crew we had, but to the one person who gained us entr?into all these places: Bobby Jones.
The Jones family encouraged and supported me. Bobby was a very good man. There wasn't a lot of controversy swirling around his life. It's not like we were doing the Larry Flynt story, or some other character about whom different factions felt differently, and over whom there had been a great deal of argument. Here was a guy who was simply good, and the naturally the family was concerned about how he would be portrayed. That's
their legacy to protect. They read the script, and we had a great meeting that left me feeling very confident. We got to one point where they were concerned about a scene in which Bobby has something of a breakdown. But I explained that I took that scene from Jones' own account in his book Down the Fairway. I spoke about how a crisis like that occurs when someone gets so emotionally locked that they can't go forward, and Jones' grandson, Bob Jones IV looked at me and said, ''My grandfather
was a very emotional man,'' and that was the end of the conversation. They signed off on the script and we shot exactly what I wrote, and now the audience will decide.
I had wonderful people working with me on this movie. We had a cinematographer named Tom Stern who had just come off Mystic River. He's as smart a guy as I've met in the film business, and delightful. When you see the film, you'll see how beautiful it looks, and that's Tom. I was also very lucky to get my friend Bruce Miller to be the production designer. Bruce and I had worked together a couple of times before, and it's wonderful
when you can work with people with whom you have a long-term relationship. Bruce is phenomenally talented, and what he was able to accomplish on the small budget we had is spectacular. I couldn't have made this picture without my spectacular first assistant director Richard Graves. In Scotland, we had as many as 350 extras, and more who weren't recruited. We had 250 in Atlanta, and to dress all of these people and get them on the set and organize them in the number of shooting days we
had was a staggering challenge. The amazing Beverly Safir did the costuming. Another place where budget could have held us back was on the music, but I fought to get the right composer. I knew this was a small independent film but it deserved a big score, and I was thrilled when James Horner not only became available, but was so taken by the film that he wanted to participate. I just had great people all around me. That's what it takes. They worked like dogs, and they should be very
proud.
Golf is a game of recovery, as they say, and when you're making an independent film, and you don't have the kind of schedule and budget that studios provide, you have to be lucky and you have to be prepared. I think we were both. We were very fortunate with the weather, and miraculously lucky with the people who signed on for this film. We went out every day and did the very best we could. My father told me long ago, ''Do your
best, sleep well at night.'' We have done our best, and only hope that people respond to our work. Just as life is a game of recovery, so is life, and that's the theme that runs through this movie. Things happen. You have setbacks and roadblocks. No matter how prepared you are or how lucky you get, things don't always go your way. You have to move on, and do the very best you can. I think Bobby Jones is the personification of that idea. I hope that people see the Bobby's life in a way
that has meaning for them. I hope that we were able to bring together with life and truth and honesty and with the power that it deserves.
This article is an excerpt from the coffee table book entitled "Bobby Jones: The Man and the Movie" (published by British American Publishing) and available by calling (704)375-4321
Filmography
Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius (2004) (post-production)
I Witness (2003)
Stickup, The (2001)
Murder of Crows, A (1999) (V)
Striking Distance (1993)
Gladiator (1992)
''Tales from the Crypt'' (1989) TV Series (episode "Korman's Kalamity")
... aka ''HBO's Tales from the Crypt'' (1989)
Road House (1989)
Jack's Back (1988)
A STORY BEHIND THE STORY
By Jim Van Eerden,
Co-Executive Producer
The effort to finance, produce, and market an independent film is a charming but arduous ambition. In the case of Bobby Jones -- Stroke of Genius, it required the best of many good men and women, from start to finish, and I doubt that we all would have risen to the task had we not felt inspired.
Our inspiration came from this man named Bobby Jones. We sensed from the project's inception that there was a ''soul'' to it. Indeed, the Producers and Investors carried a belief that this film was destined to be. Beyond that, we believed that it was destined to be a classic in the stature of the man himself.
This was our mission, and we were all indelibly clear about it. We set out to have our audience respond to our ''big-screen Bobby'' in a manner not unlike the Atlanta Journal editorialist who, following Bobby's historic Grand Slam win, declared: ''[Jones] has done more than perform a feat. He has achieved a character, so that the world, while marveling at his game, pays highest tribute to his soul.'' This inspiration was a
good and necessary thing, as we seemed to have every imaginable obstacle thrown into our path. Inspiration degenerated into sheer perspiration on not a few occasions. Commitments from outsiders to perform, on which it seemed we were entirely dependent, were repeatedly nullified by their non-performance. We sometimes felt as if the entire movie industry was disingenuous, or simply set against us. But we pressed on, believing we had the people, the product, the positioning opportunity,
and the business model to make Stroke a successful venture.
Of course, in retrospect, we would all admit that our timelines were entirely too ambitious. Our budgets were too small. Our anticipated impact, perhaps, a bit too grand. But we set ourselves to the challenge like Henry V's ''happy, chosen few,'' and have been amazed to see so much of our hopeful visions come to life. I cannot recall ever being part of a work-related team with a stronger sense of purpose and destiny.
So people were willing to work hard. We will all remember Rowdy, our director, literally running to-and-fro between the actors and the camera to save time, so we could complete a day's shot schedule. Rowdy and his crew did this often, whenever it was needed. He embodied the heart of everyone we worked with on this epic project. All hands went in. This passion and dedication is apparent on the screen.
The film's financing team was led by The Helixx Group, which provides agency planning and implementation services to high-impact entrepreneurs. Helixx develops and refines life stewardship strategies on behalf of its clients, and then creates ''SWAT teams'' to help them activate their goals. The focus of the firm is to champion what Helixx principals call ''Lifen'': an exceptional, unusual, remarkable, outstanding life. Bobby
Jones has been referenced by Helixx as one who modeled many elements of Lifen.
Rick Eldridge, the film's Executive Producer, was the first Helixx client. He introduced the firm to Producer Kim Dawson. Several months later, Tom Crow, Australian Amateur Champion and founder of Cobra Golf, had also become a Helixx client. The life stewardship goals of these three men collided in a wonderful way. All three shared a passion to make this epic film as a part of their respective personal legacy strategies.
The issue was how to raise the money. We thought it would take us $15 million, then $12 million, then $18.5 million. Chump change for Hollywood. But for us, this was a substantial sum. We wanted to create an epic film, we were told, for ''dimes on the dollar.'' Helixx partnered with its sister company, The Private Consulting Group (PCG), to create a model and get it done. PCG's Managing Directors and their clients not only
came through with much needed funding, but donated the full measure of their enthusiasm to the project. From the heather of Scotland to the decks of the Queen Mary, they were there for us with kindred spirits.
PCG is a wealth optimization firm with more than 20 offices across the country, deep client relationships, and unique savvy in structuring private equity instruments, all of which proved vital to the effort. PCG set itself to the task of flipping the Hollywood film financing model upside down. Traditionally, private equity investors were ''first in, last out.'' PCG and Helixx engaged a Guarantor Group, represented by Jim Eden,
that eliminated the private equity investor risk during the film production period. Their investment monies would only be drawn down once the film was in a distributable form, and they would be repaid from the property's first net proceeds. In this way, their money was ''last in, first out.'' This is a quite novel idea in the realm of film financing.
The other novel element to the Bobby Jones Film LLC investor strategy was our unique approach to return-on-investment (ROI). We told prospective investors that this ROI opportunity would involve three elements of return. First, it would create significant financial rewards. Second, it would generate a philanthropic legacy, involving millions of dollars of donations to charity and millions of people affected by the message of
the Jones story. And, third, the investors' involvement would offer them the experience of a lifetime, through their invited participation in the film-making process both on and off the set.
There were some mishaps along the way, including a few incidents that threatened to derail us altogether. But we often quipped to one another that ''the Good Lord seemed to allow things to go wrong for us so that they could get better.'' Our match funding partner, for example, defaulted on their match. A major talent agency contracted with us to address the deficit, but did not. A major independent studio then entered an agreement
with us, only to themselves default?after we had already begun principal photography in Scotland.
But there was a method to this madness, it now seems. In retrospect, people would attach themselves to our project and stimulate us forward, but would fall away for one reason or another. Then another party would advance the ball and do the same. Each time, our Guarantors and private equity investors stepped up. And on it went, until, in the end (because of the commitment of the people in the Investor and Producer Units), we
had a great film owned entirely by the amazing people who had, by the grace of God, banded together to will it to life.
The studios can often entice an independent venture at this juncture, and we were solicited by many of the big ones. The studios have tremendous leverage because of the volume of films they send to theatres each year. They piggy-back weak releases on the coattails of their stronger films, and its promotional and financial incentives. In this way, they will continue to create barriers to entry for non-studio properties until
the theatres themselves make it a priority to nurture independent films. That time may come sooner than expected, and we hope our film, like Greek Wedding and Passion of Christ before us, helps pave the way.
So we found ourselves in control of our own destiny. We opted not to forfeit creative, distribution, promotional, and financial oversight to a third party studio. When we gathered together and agreed that this was to be our course, we were excited. And a bit unnerved. It was a moment of truth. We were a fish swimming upstream, unable to see the river's head, and not absolutely certain that we had the stamina to make the journey.
But we were unanimous: It was time to swim. With the support and involvement of each of our families, we swam hard.
When everything is said and done, Bobby Jones -- Stroke of Genius is a success. It is a success because of the spirit in which this epic undertaking has been nurtured and pursued. We have been reminded often of the lines from Grantland Rice that Jones himself held dear:
For when the one great Scorer comes
To write against your name
He writes not that you won or lost
But how you played the game.
We have given our all to play this moment in our lives well, to point people toward Lifen ? those attributes of a well-lived life which Jones demonstrated with such singular grace and distinction.
On behalf of all the Legacy Partners of Robert Tyre Jones, Jr. listed below, the opportunity to tell this timeless story has, indeed, been a great privilege.
The Legacy Partners of Robert Tyre James Jr.
INVESTOR UNIT
Coordinators.
Guarantors.
Investors.
This article is an excerpt from the coffee table book entitled "Bobby Jones: The Man and the Movie" (published by British American Publishing) and available by calling (704)375-4321
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