‘Server’s Blinded Light’ is Dishing Up Dreams

I visited the set of ‘Server’s Blinded Light’, a short film that is participating in the Networking Film Challenge at the Utah International Film Festival. While on the set I chatted with producer

Cassidy Kitchens, screenwriter RJ Hall, and director Madison Bills to discuss the film and the challenge.

The Networking Film Challenge forced filmmakers to focus on performing only one position of each film production. This means no typical hybrid roles such as writer/producer/director. The first person to get wind of the challenge was screenwriter RJ Hall.

“The first time I heard about the challenge was when I went to Open Cinemas” said Hall. “I have a few scripts and so I started talking to people.”

Cassidy Kitchens, the films producer, mentioned that ‘Server’s Blinded Light’ revolves around Gunner’s transformative journey. Struggling both financially and emotionally, Gunner finds a hand up in Ben, a server whose encouragement becomes the catalyst for Gunner’s success. Kitchens elaborated, “Gunner ends up changing his lifestyle around and becomes really successful,” underscoring the film’s exploration of reciprocal kindness.

Kitchens discussed challenges he faced producing for a film like this for the first time. “I think it’s really important to work as a team, especially in a production like this where everybody has different roles” said Kitchens. “The hardest part has just been trying to keep legalization stuff, making sure that everything’s done properly.”

“I was told about this project by RJ, and he just reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be the director. And it sounded like a lot of fun.” said Madison Bills. “For me, the challenge has been asking for help and not doing it myself. I have someone who can move lights for me. They know what they’re doing. I’m not going to touch the lights. I’m going to let them do it!”

RJ Hall credited the collaborative spirit for overcoming challenges. Reflecting on the project’s realization, he shared, “I was honestly shocked. I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen or not in the first place.” Hall’s challenge lay in maintaining focus on his role, resisting the urge to take on additional responsibilities. “It is collaborative,” he emphasized, highlighting the team’s adaptability and mutual support.

One of the benefits of participating in the Networking Film Challenge is a chance to build a team and see who is eager to create together. 

Kitchens talked about the extensive network built during the challenge, stressing the significance of communication, morale, and building a network for future collaborations. “I’ve already built an awesome network of people that I can work with in the future,” Kitchens remarked.

RJ Hall cheered on the collaborative nature of the project, providing team members the opportunity to explore various aspects and grow professionally. “Especially with some people doing their positions that they feel they don’t have the most experience with. So they wanted to build that experience,” Hall remarked, highlighting the growth potential the project offered.

Madison Bills, the director, shared his insights into the unique experience in focusing solely on directing. Bills expressed the joy of working closely with actors, stating, “It’s been a lot of fun as far as I go. It’s fun working with the actors. We can get just the right vibe and that’s going to be consistent for the rest of the film.”

The overwhelming consensus from the team was that the Networking Film Challenge was a wonderful opportunity to build a production team, work with new people, and focus 100% on doing one job to the best of their ability. 

‘Server’s Blinded Light’ will have it’s World Premiere during the Utah International Film Festival on Thursday February 15th at 7pm at Maven Cinemas in American Fork. ‘Server’s Blinded Light’ will be in direct competition with another film ‘Allie” which I will be visiting on set tomorrow.