Christians in Cinema BLOG

Writer/Producer/Director - Nobelity

What do the following have in common? Golf. Willie Nelson. Christmas angels. Nobel Peace Prize winners. Friday Night Lights. The Sopranos…. A fascinating and tenacious man named Turk Pipkin. His multi-faceted career reflects the vast interests of the man who captured the insights of nine Nobel Laureates on film. He and his wife Christy have been married 46 years (23 for him, 23 for her) and have 2 daughters. I had the privilege of talking with him on the phone while he was at home in Austin, Texas, between screenings of Nobelity.

I’m very passionate about wanting to do something to leave the world a better place for my children.

Angela: I must confess that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed watching Nobelity. I was expecting the science to be over my head, or the Laureates to speak in a language was above my comprehension. Instead they were very engaging and clear in sharing their thoughts.

Turk: My reason for choosing Nobel Laureates is that they are very intelligent and curious people who have a great deal of knowledge about a lot of areas. And at the same time, they are great communicators. And, in a sense, they wouldn’t be Laureates if they weren’t. These are people who are recognized in and out of their field. So they must be able to communicate in laymen’s terms whether writing a thesis, a magazine article, or addressing a live audience. I believe the measure of their success is the reception we’ve received. We’ve had lots of screenings, and the audiences tell us they have been looking for something more meaningful than what’s coming out of Hollywood. We were able to cross all segments of society, so the content works to create a very satisfying movie.

Angela: The Laureates you interview cover a big range of disciplines and thought. How did you decide who to interview?

Turk: I first decided on what problems to focus. I saw a survey asking people to list the global problems today, and consistently the top 10 on people’s lists were identical. They might show up in a different order, but they remain the top 10. Then I read a lot of books about Nobel Laureates, thought about it from a production viewpoint, and made my list of possibilities. I wanted people who would represent lots of world views and a mix of men and women and nationalities. To my surprise, I was able to film with most of my first choices.

These are men and women whose work is recognized globally, and they receive hundreds of requests each year. They fit these in with carrying on their own work, having families, etc. So I was very honored to have their time. I made a commitment not to waste their time and to film effectively. I told them I would walk in and we’d immediately sit down and start filming. I didn’t spend a lot of time on special lighting, but tried to make use of every moment with them. I also told them I was going to do my best to ensure a wide audience for the film. It was an incredible experience.

Angela: How long did it take to complete the project?

Turk: I spent 2 years researching, 1 year filming, 1 year editing, and 1 year promoting. I never doubted we’d finish, just when we’d finish. My wife was a producer and she was by my side from beginning to end. We kept the project very small and had very few key people. There was basically a cameraman and myself when we were filming. The upside of that is there was no one to hold the project back

Angela: What qualifies you to be the person to do such an ambitious project?

Turk: First, I’m very passionate about wanting to do something to leave the world a better place for my children. Sometimes it’s easier to look at national issues and focus just on what’s important to my nation. The problem with that is that it’s not the big picture. Too many times we take the short view when we need to take the long view. I’m not advocating giving up our national interests; those are important.

But caring about my local community here in Austin, the state of Texas, and the nation of the United States doesn’t keep me from being interested in global issues. Secondly, I’m uniquely equipped with all of the skills needed to create a documentary film. I’m a writer, filmmaker, cameraman, editor, and on-camera personality. And I felt it was my responsibility.

Angela: What phrase would you choose to state the theme of the film?

Turk: The Power of One. Jody Williams (National Campaign to Ban Landmines) focused on the power of one person to change the world. I hope to lure people into getting more engaged with the world; especially young people. Maybe they’ll get involved in raising funds for a non-profit organization or help build water systems in Kenya. Find something they care passionately about and do something.

I discovered what humans are capable of when there is a great mind and a great heart in the same person.

That’s one thing that I admire about the Christian community as a whole. They are tireless in the way they’re reaching out around the world. When we went to Africa and were talking about building wells so people could have clean drinking water, we found Christians already there doing that. It’s a massive community of caring people around the world.

The challenge is for all of us to work together to solve the world’s problems. No one group or politician can solve them, and we all share them. If we don’t find a common ground that allows us to work together, it’s bad news for our kids. The good news is that in interviewing these great men and women, I discovered what humans are capable of when there is a great mind and a great heart in the same person. And that’s not limited to Nobel Laureates. Many of us know people who have great minds and great hearts who are working tirelessly to make the world a better place to live.

Angela: Not all of your work has been so auspicious. What are some other things you’ve done in your career?

Turk: Well, I’ve been writing since I was a kid, so I’ve worked in almost every medium that involves writing. I’ve written books about Texas’ Colorado River, clowning, gambling, Willie Nelson, golf, and family tragedies. I had a small role in the feature film Friday Night Lights and was in the pilot episode of the TV series. I also have a recurring role as a born-again, narcoleptic, song-writing boyfriend on The Sopranos. On the comic side, I was the original warm-up act for the series Cheers, and appeared on and wrote for Night Court. We lived in Los Angeles for quite a while, especially while I was doing all the TV work, but we missed home and eventually moved back to Texas.

Angela: So you’ve gone from clowning to television acting to interviewing Nobel Laureates. That’s pretty diverse.

Turk: I have a natural curiosity about the world as well as a lot of interests. I have more ideas than time in my life, and I guess my career reflects that.

Angela: You’re inspiring a lot of people to not only want to be more involved in the world, but also to look at filmmaking as a career. What kind of advice do you offer?

Turk: Get busy doing the work. Maybe the most accessible right now is to buy a good digital camera. The camera we used for Nobelity only cost around $3,000. So if you have an idea, get a camera and get busy. Start doing the work. It might be good enough to be a demo. Do multiple projects. Each one is an opportunity to educate yourself in the filmmaking process. You look back at your work and analyze the audio, the video, the lighting; what works and what doesn’t work. Then invest in some more equipment and do some more projects. There are a lot of film festivals all around the country – try entering your work in some of them. If you are accepted, it’s a good start because it shows you might have a viable project. As you continue to make projects, invite other people to join you in your vision. It’s easier after you have a few projects under your belt than when you’re just starting out. You should also take classes when you can. There’s so much to learn from other people, but never stop shooting and reviewing your work. The alternative to getting a camera and going to work is to write a proposal for a project and then try to go raise funds for it. But, it’s really just as easy to start making movies with a couple of pieces of equipment as it is to try to raise the funds initially.

Angela: Turk, it’s been great to talk with you. We appreciate your work and look forward to whatever might come from you next!