Margaret and David said...

MP: Many 30 to 50 somethings will have heard of the Church, an Australian band that flirted with fame in the late 1980s with their much loved 'under the milky way' 

Most won't know that the same band is still going strong, releasing a new album every few years to critical acclaim and modest, but consistent, sales to a fiercely loyal fanbase

In 2009 a group of those devotees from all over the world, most of whom had never met, got together online and decided to try and do something about the criminal neglect of their beloved band  

The product is 'Not a religion' a video mosaic in which all the players have one big thing in common

(excerpt played -)
 
split screen - one side: tropical mangrove estuary with man in boat; other side: grey wintery US city, woman in a coat walking a dog - each alternately saying something interesting

cut to a slideshow of a mother and teenage kids, her voiceover telling of their teasing at her obsession, and her quiet satisfaction whenever she overhears one of them singing a Church chorus

MP: This wholly independent, no-budget, labour of love had me hooked from the start. The production has amazing depth - courtesy of the large number of people who contributed, and the variety in their contributions. The passion and enthusiasm of these ordinary people is infectious and you really get the sense that they want to give something back to the band. 

David, are you a convert?

David: At first I found it rather odd that the makers have directed that any profits from 'Not a religion' will be handed to the band. A cynic might think that the whole thing is a covert marketing exercise...

MP: ...Oh David, you're not saying...

DS: No, no. It's clear that this is - as you say - a labour of love. Through a bewildering range of media, somehow stuck together on home computers, these people have shown a genuine and affecting desire to put their favourite band in its rightful place.

MP: So the handheld video didn't bother you???

DS: I didn't even notice!

MP: The music's pretty good too isn't it?

DS: Yes - as the title suggests - this isn't a cult.  

MP: Not a bad one anyway! - I'm giving it four stars.

DS: Yes, me too - four stars

(excerpt played -)

greying man in business shirt at office desk - direct to camera:

"Do you remember when you were seventeen and your favourite band was about to put out a new album? You'd know the exact date weeks before and when the day finally came you'd be beside yourself. And then for weeks afterwards you'd walk around with all these new songs in your head? And eventually those songs would settle into their place with the others in the soundtrack of your life? Well I've had that feeling every few years for the last 25 years. It's so good just to be a fan of something."  

DS: 'Not a religion' will be showing in selected theatres within six or so months of when it is made.