Part 3: Behind the Scenes of “Bono and Eugene Peterson: THE PSALMS.” Production.
This is part 3 (as the title suggests). See the finished film here. Read part 1 here and part 2 here.
Until that SUV rolled up the Peterson’s driveway with a familiar silhouette in the front seat, I had convinced myself this project wasn’t going to happen. There were so many reasons this should never have come together, but there we were, a small crew, on the top of Eugene Peterson’s driveway, ready to film this unique moment. And I was nervous. What if one of the cameras doesn’t record? What if the interview falls apart? What if I say something really stupid? Only one of these was likely to happen.
The SUV parked and out climbed Bono. The thing I remember most about that moment was the blond hair. I wasn’t expecting a blond. For some reason that snapped me out of any nerves. We were all just a bunch of humans there to experience this moment together. After brief introductions we were off with our first shot — the shot from John’s camera that would introduce the project to the world.
We took photos, filmed a short interview with Bono, and laughed as he noted all the beards on our crew. Except for John. He doesn’t have a beard.
Still, the nerves began to creep up again as we prepped for the interview. Was there going to be anything substantial to this conversation? Was the light going to stay consistent for us? Was I going to make it through the entire interview without needing to visit the restroom? To be honest, the first couple of questions weren’t hitting on much but everything changed when David, Eugene, and Bono began to talk about the Psalms. And then David did the smartest, most important thing in the production of this project: he asked Bono to sing Psalm 23. It was a moment of total joy and wonder. There we were, about 10 of us in a small living room, overlooking Flathead Lake, and Bono was singing for us. It could be that someone, I’m not saying who, got a little choked up.
It was then I began to allow myself to think, “we’ve got it.” But it would take 12 more months for the film to see the light of day.
