*Crown of Thorns Productions* was formed in 1997 by
Christopher R. Bishop.
His goal was to develop and produce feature films with high production value at low cost. His first official production was a film entitled “Seclusion” which he made while he was studying at USC.
Unable to afford actors, Christopher directed himself in the film.
The film centered around a young man’s loneliness (A theme that plays into all of Christopher’s movies, as it’s a very human subject.) The film was touted as a success as the student body responded with a very guttural response to the film. This project has two interesting points of note. First, it featured an unexpected nude scene by Christopher, in which he looked emaciated and very sick. The film also featured a cameo by a future Fox News correspondent named Julia Allison.
Christopher reunited with his production team for a second film entitled “Addiction”. The film was a little less avant-garde and more commercial. It focused on a woman (once again played by the brilliant Julia Allison) who uses and then rips off men, but as a result hates who she is. The film featured a theme which would become a reoccurring idea in future productions of *Crown of Thorns Production*.
Again, the film was well received and even nominated for student film of the year. Although humbled by the nomination, Christopher withdrew the film from selection due to the subject matter and content of the film. While nothing explicit was shown, it implied things Christopher was not comfortable with.
To date, neither film has been released and there are no plans in the foreseeable future to release them.
After returning from California, Christopher set up a production called “Used People”. To date, this is his only two word film title. The film was a very generic “friends in love” story told with a Rashômon twist.
The film, which featured local talent, was hailed as a remarkable retelling of an older story. It concerns two friends (Ted and Jennifer) who tell the same story of an ill-gotten night of drinking turning into a sexual experience and how it ends their friendship.
It was this film that gave Christopher the means to begin raising money for Corruption.
Raymond Shepherd
(Executive Producer, Corruption)
