Making Christian movies
What is your take on the Christian movie scene?
I am new to all of this and just finished up a treatment for a Christian movie. I have been doing some research now on a few specific things and trying to read as much as I can on screenwriting. I just wonder if given the climate we are all living in if this is a good genre to focus on?
– Kimberlee
Denver, CO
It’s absolutely a valid niche/scene. Every year a few capital-c Christian movies — some starring Kirk Cameron — do serious business both theatrically and on video. But there are many more Christian films made that find an audience, even if they don’t make millions. So if that segment appeals to you, go for it.
A few points of advice — which could apply to almost any specially-targeted film:
Pick your sweet spot. A “Christian audience” is too broad a category. Are you making a film for teenage youth groups, or moms who sing in choir? Both are valid, but there’s not a lot of overlap. Know your target viewer precisely.
Follow the examples. Christian films are notable both for their themes and their omissions (sex, profanity, drug use). Study the successful movies of the past few years and figure out what your audience expects from this category — and just as importantly, which elements are deal-killers.
Figure out the players. Specialty films have specialty distributors. In the case of Christian films, you’ll likely find companies with a track record of marketing films through religious channels. They’re the people you’re going to want to release your film. You may even find a specific director just right for your script.
Aspire to be the best in your category. Films targeted at specialty audiences — Christian tweens, Latina lesbians, extreme skiers — can sometimes find success simply because they exist. These audiences seek them out, even if they’re not particularly good, because they want to see their lives and values portrayed on screen. But don’t let that be an excuse for making a mediocre movie. In the long run, quality always counts.
You want this to be your first movie, not your last. Be sincere and smart. You never want it to seem like a stepping stone to “real” movies — but of course, with success, those opportunities could come.
Articles
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 am
Wouldn’t it matter to the audience whether the screenwriter was a true believer? I don’t know if that’s the case with this writer or not, but, for example, if it gets out that the person who wrote this Christian movie script is an atheist and vocal supporter of the pro-choice movement, couldn’t that kill the whole project?
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 am
Umm, Kip, though you’re not asking me, yes, that would be an obvious problem.
I got something out of this, John, thanks, especially about “breakthrough niche” type things.
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:30 am
Dang! I was all set to write Godbusters, but now I’ll have to put it on the shelf.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:09 am
There’s something about “Christian tweens” being right next to “Latina lesbians” that makes a horrendous day good.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:47 am
Hey it’s a valid question. Maybe the audience doesn’t really care, as long as the content of the movie is still mostly true to Christian doctrine? I have no idea.
Maybe my example of a vocal liberal was too extreme. Maybe you’re just a good screenwriter who keeps your opinions to yourself? But maybe after a few successful Christian movies, your next screenplay is an R-rated movie about a stripper with a coke habit, would there be a backlash? Would studios be hesitant to buy the script knowing your reputation for writing Christian movies? (Sorry if these are dumb questions, I read this blog to get insight into the entertainment industry, since I don’t actually know that much about it.)
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:48 am
@kip:
That’s my point about “sincere.” I do think spray-on Christianity would be noticed, just as an outsider trying to make a feature about early-90s hip-hop.
Even with a movie like Big Fish, which was embraced by religious audiences, we were careful to never misrepresent our ambitions.
As far as being pigeonholed, sure, it happens. But it’s a side-effect of actually getting movies made, so it’s a pretty high-class problem to have.
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:53 am
Honestly, most Christian audiences won’t care-if the movie isn’t mocking them. As John notes-the sincerity factor. Christian audiences did not take to Saved in great abundance because they felt they were being slammed (and, hey, they were). They might be surprised if a script turned out to be by a person who does not suscribe to the faith, but if they feel respected by the film? They are not likely to raise a fuss. There was a movie recently called End of the Spear starring a openly gay actor as a missionary. While there was a bit of discussion over that? The movie still was pretty well embraced by the Evangelical community.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:40 am
Don’t paint with a broad brush without knowing for certain what the different denominations and sects have in common to stick into the pot you paint with that brush from. Devout Catholics and roof raising gospel singing Baptists are both Christians but how any given subgroup of them live and view anything from social mores to politics, etc. are widely different in a rich variety of ways that those who live within those circles will grasp immediately.
Just be careful and do your research carefully and proceed with respect.
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Realistically, how much attention does your average screenwriter normally receive? It’s the actors and directors who get all the attention. The Christian moviegoers wouldn’t know their screenwriter wasn’t religious unless the that person went out of his or her way to let it be known.
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Two of the best in genre (IMO) actually do feature profanity and drug use:
The Second Chance – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429068/
Mercy Streets – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243415/
Although, neither of these films resuscitated a pass-out drug user with the word “Breath, Dammit!”
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
In ten years time that scene will happen in a Christian movie, Matt. :)
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Can I just get back to my roots here and say in a very fundamental sense that… I love it when John goes on a Blogging Frenzy. :)
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
You don’t always see it every time a film is funded by a church. – There’s a whole Mormon film production branch that has garnered some prosperity without much public sensitivity to its origins at all (Funded, at least in part, by my father. Much like Prop 8) …in the same way, there’s also Golden Era Productions for Scientologists and so on…
A good movie is often one that enters into a realm where we suspect, we already know where the drama traditionally comes from… and then shows us that it comes from all of us.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Classy answer, John.
Kip, in response to your question…no. “End of the Spear” (great story, bad movie) starred an openly gay actor. Although there was some backlash, the film did (financially) fine.
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
It would have been very easy to post a snarky answer (or snarky comments) to the question Kimberlee asked. Props to all here for treating the question with such respect.
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Civil discourse and an open forum are cute, I get it. But why hasn’t anybody mentioned the fact that Christian movies are terrible. And should not be made.
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:39 pm
i have a friend who made his first movie for the Christian market. The other day he posted on his facebook page that he had a brainstorming session with Steven Spielberg. You get in the door any way you can.
October 25th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Excellent points, John. As the writer/director of a “Christian” thriller, I couldn’t agree more. My brother and I wrote and directed Dangerous Calling (http://www.dangerouscalling.com).
We didn’t set out to make a Christian film, but our experiences as pastor’s kids worked their way into the indie thriller we were writing. A church setting with mostly Christian characters is a difficult pitch to distributors outside the Christian market even if there is a lot of murder and mayhem.
Thankfully we found a Christian distributor that was willing to take a chance on something that’s a little outside of what one usually thinks of as a Christian film. Dangerous Calling will be in stores nationwide in February.
John’s absolutely right when he says to know the players. There really aren’t that many and most are looking for something very specific. The absolute deal breakers are:
1.) nudity of any sort. Implied sex is okay if it’s done tastefully. If they’re not married, it’ll need to be portrayed as a bad thing. Some of the more conservative audience members don’t like non-married actors kissing, but it’s not a deal breaker.
2.) heavy profanity. One or two “damn’s” can be overlooked, but you’d better not be dropping the f-bomb.
3.) gratuitous violence. You’ve got a lot of leeway with this one. If it’s not for shock value, you’re probably okay. Just stay away from Saw level violence.
4.) theological error. Behind nudity, this is the big one. It could be a wonderfully heartwarming family film, but if it implies that all religions lead to heaven, it ain’t gonna fly. I think it’d be difficult for someone outside the faith to get this one right, but not impossible. Just do your research.
Hope that helps.
Full Disclosure: We’ve actually got the resuscitation scene in our film. Although we replaced the “breath dammit!” with “please, God”. :-) Incidentally, that’s the only actual prayer in our film.
Josh Daws Writer/Director of Dangerous Calling http://www.dawsbrothers.com
October 25th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Good observation, J.B., it’s what keeps me coming back to John’s site instead of the message boards that reek of snark. Plus the fact that I learn tons here.
October 26th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Well, as I believe that a “Christian” movie is a movie written by a Christian, such as myself :) it follows that to do so, one must be a Christian first, otherwise, your screenplay might come off as hypocritical. And, I say this not because I have a completed screenplay that’s about to be produced, but simply because I feel strongly about this genre.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
@Matches
I don’t necessarily think that you writing a movie about Christianity without being a Christian is hypocritical. For example, writing a movie about American colonization even if you weren’t a part of it or about being a white male even though you’re a black female doesn’t make you a hypocrite—though, it may be difficult for the very fact that there’s research to be done, just as with the Christianity movie/non-Christian screenwriter situation.
October 27th, 2009 at 3:17 am
Normally I wouldn’t use someone else’s blog to promote my own writing, but this seems like an appropriate exception. I happen to be part of the Christian film world (I’ve made a few and am making one now, and my father wrote the Left Behind books that were made into bad movies), but I also wrote a couple of articles on the subject of Christian films. The first one is about what the studios think of the Christian film market right now and what the opportunities are, and the second one is simply an exploration of why Christian movies tend to be so bad.
Nice article here, John.
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/djenkins/2009/01/05/does-hollywood-love-christians-now/
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/djenkins/2009/04/29/why-are-christian-movies-so-bad/
Dallas Jenkins
November 27th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I agree with Tim, and as far as I know, there’s a lot that happens between when the script is written and when the movie hits theaters. If the story is really good, it shouldn’t be too hard to get some Christians on the team to help “work” the story and make sure it does not violate any Christian principles.