Stam takes filmmaking to next level

ABINGDON, Va. –  When Joseph Stam was a child, he sat in the audience at Barter Theatre, enamored by everything he saw and heard on stage – the dialogue, the costumes and the storytelling.

“I just knew it was something I wanted to do one day,” said Stam, 20, who has been following his dreams since he was a teen, acting with the Barter Youth Academy and later winning awards at national and international film festivals for acting, screenwriting and directing.

With an eye for the camera and a heart for storytelling, the small town youth is doing big things. Starting in July, he will begin shooting his fourth film to primarily take place on a location in Saltville, Virginia, as well as sites in Abingdon and Bristol.

The locally made film, “Searching for the Elephant,” represents the first time the Abingdon resident will act and direct in a work that he also helped to write.

The young actor is a member of Cross Purposes Productions, a local faith-based film company started by former Barter Theatre actor David Alford who transitioned to filmmaking in 2019.

With a keen eye for creativity and uncanny instincts, Stam has had his hand in the production company’s films from the very start, assisting with “Cross Purposes, (2020) for which the production company was later named; “Found” (2021); and “Royal Ashes” (2022). Making waves in major Christian film arenas, the films have been seen globally by millions of people.

The films have been released on major streaming platforms, including VUDU, Tubi and Pure Flix, and can be seen on Youtube’s EncourageTV Channel. 

“This is definitely what I want to do as a career. I can’t think of anything else that even comes close,” said Stam, as he spent a recent sunny afternoon studying his lines outside his residence. “I absolutely love storytelling and filmmaking and want to get better at the craft.”

His work is about doing the best job he can and “letting God use it and shape it.” He wants to make films that inspire and challenge Christians.

If experience is any indication, the new production may be one of the next award-winning films to watch for in 2024.

“There is a confidence that comes with having three award-winning films under your belt. Joseph knows more now what he wants to do and who he wants to be as a filmmaker,” said Alford, the co-writer and co-director.

“He’s always been talented and a joy to have around. Now he’s more of a presence, his input is much more measured and reasoned, and his opinions are so much more educated and impactful,” said Alford.

“When we started working together several years ago, I would pose him questions as a teaching technique to get him to think through his artistic choices. Now I ask him questions because I value his opinion and truly want to know what he thinks. He was born to make movies and if this is the kind of work he can do as a teenager, just wait. He’s going to be a powerhouse of a filmmaker in a few years.”

Stam is back to work once again as he co-writes, co-directs and assumes a lead role in the newest project, “Searching for the Elephant” now in pre-production. He will play Jason Bowden, a troubled young man with an addiction problem and a loner on the streets of the neighborhood where he has grown up. His character has been in and out of trouble with the law, struggles with addiction, and has pushed most everyone out of his life.

Alford describes the new upcoming film as “very gritty and natural.”

Written post-COVID, the film tells the story of two generations that have been separated over time suddenly forced to get to know each other for the first-time.

“I think that happened a lot during the pandemic,” said Alford.

He explained that the title name “Searching for the Elephant” is taken from a ranching phrase that describes a cowhand who has been hired to work, but clearly has no intentions of staying on. He is always searching for the elephant – something better over the hill.

In comparison, Stam’s character is a young man who can’t settle and find a place in this world where he belongs.

Acting has always come natural for Stam.

He credits his older brother Timothy for instilling a love of filmmaking in him when he was younger.

“When we were kids, we made backyard movies, everything from action and spy to comedy movies,” he said with a smile.

At age 9, Stam joined the Barter Youth Academy, a youth organization started by Alford that eventually led Stam on a new journey in filmmaking.

During his first theatrical stage performances, Stam played the lead roles of Peter in “Peter Pan,” followed by the Cat in “Cat in the Hat.” At only 12 years of age, Stam took the liberty of embellishing the script during an actual performance.

“While on stage, I suddenly realized the cat should have different voices for the different characters he played. Off the cuff, I started making up voices during the play. My director and cast members were very surprised because I had never done any of that before.”

When Stam transitioned to filmmaking, he began taking roles that challenged him as an actor, always going the extra mile to nail his acting performances.

To better understand the characters and to come across as an authentic actor, Stam tries to put himself in the shoes of the people he plays.

In “Cross Purposes,” Stam plays Jamie, a young cancer patient cut off from the world. For a stronger connection, Stam began writing journal entries to help him relate to the character. He continued the journal writing throughout the filming process. “It gave me an insight to what the character was feeling and experiencing,” said Stam.

In the story “Found,” he plays Finch, an innocent teenage boy raised up in the Appalachian Mountains on a small old farm without modern conveniences and isolated from the broader culture.

To better understand what the character was feeling, Stam left the comforts of his home and camped by himself away from people and things.

“I needed to create headspace to know what it feels like not hearing another voice,” he said.

In his role as an autistic boy in “Royal Ashes,” Stam did research, often talking with people who were diagnosed with autism and how they didn’t want the disorder to define them in their daily lives.

A new approach to filmmaking

“Searching for the Elephant” will mark a culture of new approaches to filmmaking for Cross Productions.

According to Alford, sound is the perfect complement to the visuals in any film. Instead of using scoring for the production, the filmmakers will turn to something called soundscape for creating tension and suspense with the use of sound effects and sound design.

A film score is an original piece of music that is written and tailored for a specific film whereas soundscape techniques are sounds heard in a particular location, such as birds outside or laugher from people.

“Some large Hollywood movies have taken soundscape and made it into soundtracks,” said Alford.

The new film also represents the first time Cross Productions has employed professional actors from outside the region.

“Our cast is about 70 percent local actors, including a large number of Barter Theatre actors, including local legend Rick McVey, who will play Joseph’s estranged and hermit grandfather in the new film, Sean Campos and Eugene Wolf, all of whom are veteran Barter Theatre actors.

“We’re relying more heavily on professional actors this time around,” said Alford.

Actors from outside the region include Sharonne Lanier, who, according to Alford, is one of the most in-demand actresses in the Christian film industry today, and Libby Smallbone, the sister of Rebecca St. James, a Christian singer, songwriter and actress.

To learn more about Cross Purposes Productions, visit the website at www.crosspurposes.productions and check out the Facebook page for current details.