MOVIE CLUB HAS UPLIFTING GOAL OJAI FIRM CONNECTS HARD-TO-FIND SPIRITUAL-BASED FILMS WITH READY AUDIENCE.Byline: Brent Brent, outer borough (1991 pop. 226,100) of Greater London, SE England. The area is a rail and industrial center. Its manufactures include automobile parts, clocks and watches, and electrical equipment. Hopkins Staff Writer Geno Andrews used to cheer when 20 people would watch his movie. Now he's got an audience of 5,000. The Calabasas-based artist makes positive, spiritual-minded films without car chases, gunfights or steamy sex scenes. While he's had some success getting his first film, ``Jillian's Vantage,'' screened in the festival circuit, he knows he'll never see the short film bowing on 1,000 screens. Without a distribution deal, he figured he'd sell a few copies from his Web site and get a few Internet referrals. But that's quickly changed in the last month, as he signed on with the Spiritual Cinema Circle. The Ojai-based company, an unusual blend of a book-of-the-month club and feel-good movies, was formed to put films like Andrews' into the hands of spiritual enthusiasts. In little more than a month, without the benefit of advertising, it's enlisted en·list·ed adj. Of, relating to, or being a member of a military rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. enlisted Adjective nearly 5,000 consumers, all by word of mouth. ``They're giving us a chance to get seen, getting us money so we feel like real filmmakers, not people selling tapes out of the trunk of a car,'' Andrews said. ``Who knows, maybe a model like this will really challenge the traditional movie industry.'' The company, co-founded by Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks Gay Hendricks (1945-) is a writer and practitioner in the field of personal growth, relationships, and the mind body connection. In particular, he is known for his work in developing conscious breathing exercises, which proponents believe increase awareness, energy levels, and and Stephen Simon, a former Tarzana resident who produced the Robin Williams vehicle ``What Dreams May Come,'' aims to unite spiritual filmmakers with consumers dissatisfied dis·sat·is·fied adj. Feeling or exhibiting a lack of contentment or satisfaction. dis·sat  is·fied with mainstream fare. For $21 a month, club
members receive three to five movies on DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. in the mail. ``These are not going to involve major movie stars and special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. ,'' Simon said. ``We're not looking to make big-budget films, we're looking to distribute to people who couldn't find these movies anywhere else.'' By bypassing the traditional big-screen and direct-to-video channels, industry watchers say SCC SCC - strongly connected component has hit on a model that could become the norm in coming years. With the production and mailing costs connected with DVDs relatively low, filmmakers can worry less about pleasing a distributor and go directly to the consumer. ``I'd expect you'll see more of these springing up as more people take advantage of DVDs,'' said Sean Bersell, vice president of public affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. for the Video Software Dealers Association. ``If you're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. those kinds of movies, it's probably pretty hard to find it. ... It sounds like a wonderful system to service a particular interest group.'' Simon spent several decades in the film world, also producing ``Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure,'' before leaving Hollywood to work on spiritual films. While he concedes his new venture is less lucrative than mainstream movie work, he doesn't seem to care much. ``If this doesn't become a multimillion dollar business, so what?'' he said. ``That's not a business that I get any sense of soul satisfaction in. We see filmmakers get their movies distributed that couldn't do it before.'' SCC pays filmmakers between $500 and $1,000 for the rights to their movies, and plans on selling copies of past months' selections on its Web site, www.spiritualcinemacircle.com. Andrews says he'll make $4.50 for each copy sold by SCC, less than the $19.99 he sells it for on his own site, but to a far larger audience. Since it's a nonexclusive deal, if one of those viewers wants to offer him a distribution deal, he's free to take the movie into larger venues, which he hopes to one day parlay An open programming interface (API) to a service provider's network (the network operator), developed by the Parlay Group (www.parlay.org). By enabling the customer's application to talk directly to the network, it allows the end user to have greater access to network information as well into a commercial feature. ``These guys are into the vibe of creating a community,'' he said. ``They have all their money, and now they want to create culture.'' Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Geno Andrews' movie ``Jillian's Vantage'' is one of the spiritual-minded films distributed by Spiritual Film Circle of Ojai. (2 -- 3 -- color) Geno Andrews seen above and working in his Calabasas office, at left, likes the wider audience the Spiritual Film Circle connects him with. The company unites spiritual filmmakers like Andrews with consumers dissatisfied with mainstream fare. Michael Owen
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