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©2007
The Duncan Group, Inc.
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A NOTE FROM THE DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR
As director of the Prayer in America documentary, it's
my hope that we have achieved a common goal among our various
partners in creating a project that represents a truly open
and comprehensive marketplace of ideas, insights and opinions
about the dynamic history of prayer in America.
In addition to the book that inspired much of our work,
the project includes several components that have been created
or supervised by either The Duncan Group or Iowa Public
Television. Those components include a television documentary,
community outreach campaign and project website. Outreach
Extensions created the community outreach campaign. In the
not-too-distant future there will also be a classroom series.
It should be noted that while each component has been designed
to work on its own, all elements of the project should also
complement each other and provide resources specific to
their medium. Each component also reflects a vision that
is dependent on the company or individual responsible for
creating it. In that respect, the public television documentary
represents the editorial and creative process of The Duncan
Group (DuncanEntertainment.com).
From our first discussion about this production, it has
been made clear to all of our partners that our goal as
the production company is to produce public television programming
that achieves and maintains the standards of the PBS Network
and its affiliates. To that end, as filmmakers we do our
best to provide accurate and balanced information on every
subject we undertake and we try to do it in an entertaining,
enlightening way. As the production of the two hour special
Prayer In America reaches its completion and begins nationwide
broadcast on public television, we have done our best to
achieve that goal. To the extent possible, we believe the
production reflects America's diversity of thought, opinion,
ethnicity, gender and faith practice.
It is not our goal to promote prayer or to encourage a particular
prayer or faith practice. Nor to we try to deny the powerful
role prayer plays in the lives of the majority of Americans
or the importance some value in their secular, agnostic
or atheist perspectives. Rather, our goal has been to explore
and consider the ways in which prayer has impacted American
history as well as how our form of government and our spiritual
roots have influenced prayer and faith practices as the
nation has become more diverse.
On a personal note, this project, like many we undertake,
has been a considerable challenge. Prayer, for many people,
can be as divisive as it can be unifying. In that respect,
we have encountered many people throughout our research
and production process who have expressed very particular
agendas around prayer and religious practices. Our agenda
is a simple one - to create a film with journalistic integrity
that reaches or surpasses the expectations of public television
viewers as well as engaging viewers in a dialogue many Americans
view as important. It has been a privilege to be invited
to film prayer practices from many faiths around the country
and we've done our best to treat each with respect. The
notion of liberty established long ago in America is often
in peril, and as filmmakers we have been engaged previously
in telling the stories of those who fight to protect it.
During our filming of Prayer in America, the freedom to
practice one's faith has been especially evident in the
practices we've managed to capture on film. With rare exception,
we've been allowed into homes and houses of worship from
numerous parts of the country as people have shared a very
personal part of their lives.
Achieving our goals would not have been possible without
the help of an extraordinary team of advisors and production
staff - all of whom are identified and can be reached through
our company website at DuncanEntertainment.com or through
the PrayerInAmerica.org website. For all who have contributed
their time and insights throughout the development, research
and production process of this documentary and community
outreach campaign, we are particularly grateful. We are
also very grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for
their financial support of public television and the production
of Prayer in America and its related outreach components.
Thank
you.
Chip Duncan, Director/Producer
October, 2007
