Filmmaker Andrew Wall recently finished a new documentary, Burning Ember—The Steve Bell Journey.

Redefining success by following Steve Bell

Filmmaker learns that being a superstar does not mean you are successful

By Lewis Green and ChristianWeek | October 17, 2014

WINNIPEG, MB—Andrew Wall had no idea that a Steve Bell CD of mysterious origins would take him on a journey to turn his definition of success on its head.

Before working on Burning Ember—The Steve Bell Journey, a newly-released documentary featuring the singer-songwriter, Wall worked as an editor for the Winnipeg film company Farpoint Films.

Then, wanting more freedom to work on his own projects and “to encourage and inspire others with the work,” Wall formed his own film company, Refuge 31. (The name is derived from Psalm 31:1, “In you Lord; I have taken refuge.”)

After working on a handful of smaller projects, Wall needed to find a major project to effectively launch his company. He says he never expected Steve Bell to be at its centre.

Wall remembers Bell playing once at his high school but hadn’t paid much attention until a couple of years ago. That’s when his three-year-old daughter began to have night terrors. The only thing that seemed to soothe her was Bell’s CD Deep Calls to Deep, released in 1992. Neither Wall nor his wife had any idea where the album had come from.

Wall decided to meet with Bell to investigate the possibility of a finding a greater story to tell.

During that meeting, Bell let it slip that he would be heading to Los Angeles, California to perform a private concert for the heads of CBS Studios. That piqued Wall’s interest enough for him to gather his equipment and head to Los Angeles with Bell.

The night before the big concert, Bell performed a smaller show in a nearby town. “When I heard Steve playing and opening up for the audience, I was stunned,” Wall remembers. “I was like how has someone not told this story yet? Steve hasn’t become a superstar but he is one on so many levels.”

The next year of filming had its hardships. Bell, unlike most musicians, rarely goes into a show with a set-list in mind. This meant Wall was forced to film every song of every show to ensure nothing was missed. After the year of filming Wall had his doubts that he could even find a real story inside the hundreds of hours of footage he had to sift through.

After weeks of sorting through all the footage to solidify project’s direction, Wall posed the question that became the focal point of the documentary: How could someone who is talented not be “successful” in the worldly sense? Burning Ember—The Steve Bell Journey was born.

The documentary displays a very raw and genuine side not often seen from simply watching a Steve Bell concert. “He’s not pushing a product out there. He’s not making music for a specific target audience to sell. He is taking it where his heart takes him and that is probably why he’s not a ‘superstar,’” says Wall.

“Right now he is in the middle of his journey and he is still plowing ahead. Not everything turns out perfect all the time but it’s how you define success that determines the end result and I would now say that Steve really is successful.”

Wall’s next major project is a documentary tentatively titled, The Fantasy Makers and will highlight the impact of early fantasy creators like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and George MacDonald on current culture and Christian faith.