Christians in Cinema BLOG

Producer/Special Adviser/Author - Amazing Grace, Real Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia

Bob Beltz is a minister, teacher, author, filmmaker, and church-planter. In the last 7 years he has been part of the leadership team for Walden Media, a leader in producing major films from the books we love.

From “Joshua,” the first film produced by Walden Media, to The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian and Amazing Grace, Bob has been involved at some level with all the films the company has produced.

[Filmmaking] got me out of the church and into the real world for a while.

Bob’s research on William Wilberforce led to the formation of a new organization called “World Changers,” which encourages and helps equip individuals to reach out and have an impact on the world. (see www.worldchangersresources.com).

I talked with Bob in between phone calls with his daughter Stephanie, who is 28, and the mother of his first grandchild, Olivia.

Angela:    Was “Joshua” the first film you were involved with?

Bob:      Yes, and actually it came out under an old company, Crusader Entertainment, which is kind of where we started. Crusader Entertainment wasn’t intended to be a Christian film company, it was more oriented toward family entertainment.

We had this Joshua project that was supposed to be about the third film that released, and through the normal craziness that happens in the film industry, it was ready first. So it ended up being the first film we released.

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The makers of the Jesus Film are adapting the original classic for the 15 - 30 generation using anime’ style visual interpretation. I just watched the clip on YouTube and filled out the survey set up by the adapters. You’re given a chance to provide input about a film in development - take advantage of it!

It was interesting to me because I don’t watch a lot of anime’ films or TV. The clip I saw was the interaction between Jesus and the demoniac who lived in caves and was possessed by Legion. I thought Jesus looked a little scary

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If you’re an indie producer, you ought to be part of the Indie Producer Network. The best networking site for independent producers, the group also sponsors an annual “Schmoozefest,” along with a screenwriting contest and short film contest.

This year’s screenwriting contest winner was set up

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I just received this link to a “teaser clip” for the film “Fatal Flaw” by my friend Joseph Q. Simpkins ( I need to find out what the “Q” stands for). Go to the website and click on “clips” and you’ll see their teaser.

Yesterday I got an email from Joe, “Did you see our teaser?” Well, yes, but there wasn’t much there. When I told Joe that, he said, “Sorry, didn’t mean to tease you.” [I think that was said tongue-in-cheek.]

I know the purpose of a teaser trailer is

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Warning: spoiler included, and it’s the final one!

It was with great anticipation that I bought my ticket to see “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” I’ve been a staunch fan of the series in spite of the gruesomeness of the “Temple of Doom” segment. I didn’t even grab snacks - just went straight for a good seat, ready to be thrilled.

I was, but not thrilled enough to offset the holes in the storyline and the scenes that seemed borrowed from other films. When you watch any movie, you have to suspend your disbelief in order to really enter the world created. But once suspended, there needs to be something that keeps you going.

This film felt more like a series of unimaginably fantastic escapes from chases and situations that grew more and more unrealistic. At times I was laughing not because of the comedy in the film, but because the scenes and action were laughable.

The final indignity was the final action scene. It was borrowed straight from “The X-Files” movie. At the end, it’s all about the flying saucer that lifts off from the jungle floor.

The film was entertaining, if predictable in some of the character resolutions, and since I saw a matinee, I didn’t feel like I spent too much money.

Because of a family emergency, I spent the last few days in Omaha, Nebraska. That gives me access to my dad’s library of World War II films. A couple of years ago, my sister gave him the special edition of “Band of Brothers,” the HBO miniseries based on the heroic group of men known as the 101st Airborne.

There is graphic violence and a lot of language, but in my humble opinion, it is an example of filmmaking at its finest. Admittedly, the writers had amazing material to begin with, but what they did with it is nothing short of masterful.

I’m usually multi-tasking when I’m watching a DVD or television program. I might be making travel arrangements, washing dishes, or flipping through a magazine. I couldn’t do any of those

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“…networks shunned prime-time portrayals of religion as part of Americans’ everyday life.” So states Mark I. Pinsky in an article for The Wall Street Journal online. What?

With Christianity ranked by some as the largest religion in the world, and even the most conservative reports (Barna Group’s survey of church attendance) finding that at least half of all American adults are in church during the weekend, who is being offended? Maybe the half that aren’t in church.

What about when the 50% who are attending church are offended by the sexual immorality openly portrayed on just about every television channel available?

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Sherwood Films and Sony BMG/Music Entertainment announced today the Friday, September 26th opening date for Fireproof. Put that on your calendar and start asking your local theater for tickets. Remember that if you can’t go on Friday, make it a point to attend opening weekend (Friday, Saturday or Sunday), because box office results are tallied for the entire weekend.This is the first film from the Kendrick brothers to have someone other than Alex in the lead role. For this film they brought in family favorite and star of the Left Behind series Kirk Cameron. Alex and his brother Stephen have roles in the film, as does everyone’s favorite opposing coach from Facing the Giants, Jim McBride. In a conversation with Jim the other day, he told me to watch for the lollipop to reappear in this movie.

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If you’re an independent filmmaker, you’re an entrepreneur. If you’re an entrepreneur, you might want some help or encouragement. You need The Big Idea.Find your passion and follow it. That’s the idea behind Donny Deutsch’s The Big Idea. Airing nightly on CNBC, he brings on guests whose entrepreneurial spirit has reaped for them great rewards. Most of them have at least reached the million dollar mark.  From sports figures to clothing designers to moms making costumes for their kids, he finds people of all shapes and sizes and celebrates their success.

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I’ve read a lot of press releases and articles lately that refer to the wonderful success of Facing the Giants from our friends at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. It’s tempting to look at that story, look at the budget, and do some kind of differential equation that projects equal, or even greater, results. That then becomes the measure of success or failure, without taking into the account that you might be applying principles of geometry to an algebraic equation.

The most important factor in the equation for a Christian filmmaker is prayer.

Today I talked with Pastor Jim McBride (executive pastor, executive producer and villain extraordinaire) about their upcoming film Fireproof. [I’ll post that interview later] During that conversation, he reminded of some elements that are integral to the success of Sherwood Baptist.

We all know there is no formula that guarantees the success of a film. Actually, that statement itself begs the question, “What is success in filmmaking?” That’s another post. For today, let’s look at Sherwood Baptist’s model and learn from them.

• Write what you know.

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I read a conversation thread today that started out “Is it a sin to watch certain TV shows?” The writer went on to name a certain TV show. It promotes behaviors and themes contrary to this person’s faith, and while it doesn’t make them go out and do those things, they wondered if the shows were OK to watch.

Do I walk in the dark to experience it, or do I stay in the light?

Then they asked about watching films made by actors, producers, directors, etc., that are vocal about promoting lifestyles in direct opposition to their faith. This would eliminate almost any secular films. (Actually, it would eliminate a lot of Christian films, too, as many Christian filmmakers don’t require their crew members to be believers)

For about 4 years, I was part of a group that traveled constantly. We were in a different city every day, doing concerts every night. The opportunities to watch television were rare, and most of the time I was too tired to watch anything anyway.

I’ll never forget the first time I watched TV after about 3 months of nothing. I was shocked. Yet, what I saw

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This week, oil prices continue to surge, jumping at least $7 since the beginning of the week. The U.S. economy is already feeling the effects of the housing market slump and its related credit squeeze. Some analysts predict the price per gallon will reach $5 easily before the middle of summer. The cost of oil has risen 25% since the beginning of the year and 400% since 2001. (BBC Business News)

You’ve probably already seen a corresponding increase in the price of food at the grocery stores, heating costs this past winter, and other transportation. So how does that affect the film industry?

Here is opportunity for the producer of high-quality, lower-budget independent films.

As the cost of travel in all forms increases (jet fuel prices increase when crude oil cost rises, and the cost of fuel accounts for 20 - 25% of airlines’ operating costs), we will make different choices for our leisure activities. Do you want to take your boat out on the lake, or would you rather put fuel in your car the next month? Do you want to see the grandkids? Maybe you should consider moving closer to them or purchasing a car like Fred Flintstone’s.

After doing a complicated series of equations,

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The Fireproof blog has some great BTS (behind-the-scenes) information and pictures posted. You can even catch a look at one of the early poster designs. It may not be the finished product, but gives you an idea of the design concept.

One entry I particularly enjoyed was the April 18th video showing part of the recording session for the score. Sherwood Baptist’s music pastor Mark Willard is overseeing the music for this film, as he did for Flywheel and Facing the Giants.

Speaking of music, attendees at the recent Gospel Music Association’s Music Week were treated to an “impromptu” screening of the film’s rough cut, as part of several events sponsored by Sherwood Baptist that week. A key part of the success of Facing the Giants was rallying grassroots support for the movie. What better place to start than at the Christian music industry’s big annual showcase?

While other films have benefitted from creating controversy, Sherwood Baptist has benefitted from telling a good story and getting people involved because they like what’s happening. What a concept! It’s a refreshing approach.

Will Fireproof have the box office and DVD success of Facing the Giants? Can the team get people to rally around their story of marriage in mortal danger? Is Sherwood Baptist building a library of films that improve with each release? Time will tell, but it’s a great lesson to study.

Joseph Simpkins, of Living Water Films, sent this link to a radio interview he recently did with Life Radio, 90.5, in Wilmington. They’re filming with the Red One Camera, and have drawn a lot of attention for using this cutting-edge digital camera.

The film? “Fatal Flaw”

The story? An ordinary guy living way beyond his means who racks up a huge gambling debt and faces an interrogation. Is there any way out?

They’re filming May 12th - 17th or 24th, and need extras. If you’re interested, contact heather@dv3productions.com or Joseph at info@livingwaterfilms.com.

Once finished, the film will have study guides provided for group discussion or sermon usage.

1. Networking - This Saturday, any filmmaker (currently working, retired, aiming to be a filmmaker, interested in films) interested in rubbing shoulders and exchanging ideas/phone numbers with other professional filmmakers (especially those working within Hollywood) should attend the annual Biola Media Conference. It’s an almost-captive audience. And when else will you have the opportunity to walk the streets of CSI: New York? Maybe many times when your TV career takes off, but until then, this is a great chance to be on the CBS studio lot!
2. Filmmakers like Todd Komarnicki (Elf, Perfect Stranger), Phil Vischer (Veggie Tales), Lisa Swain (Big Fish, America’s Sweethearts, Anger Management), and Wil Bigham (winner of FOX television’s “On the Lot”).
3. Special guests David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, and comedienne extraordinaire Anita Renfroe. The wild success of her videos on YouTube is a lesson in utilizing social media well, and led to her regular stint on ABC’s Good Morning America.
4. Workshops in Content, Production, Platforms, and Presentation are all geared toward the “Digital Age.”
5. Meet me. I’ll be there at a space for ChristianCinema.com, somewhere along the CSI: New York main street. Much as I like conversing with you in the blog, I’d like it even better in person. For anyone who stops by to chat, I’ll give you a month’s free membership to our DVD rental site.

How do you get your film in front of as many eyes as possible? There are many options available in traditional media:

• Billboards can be effective to get a brief picture in front of people
• Newspaper ads - for those that actually read printed media
• Magazines? Not so much - they’re so full of ads now that you might get lost in the sea of ads
• Television - almost everyone watches television, but what channel do you choose? For a long time, there were 3 major networks, then Fox became the 4th contender. Now, there are hundreds of channels available, each one catering to a different audience

The goal is engagement

Then came the internet. You definitely want a website for your film. You can post pictures, trailers, capture visitor’s information so you can reach out to them personally and thus really engage people. But how do you get traffic there?

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Director Dan Millican has posted the first trailer for his new movie The Imposter on YouTube. He was able to bring in 3 musical power hitters for lead roles: Kevin Max (formerly of dcTalk), Kerry Livgren (Kansas, AD, songwriter of “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind”), and Jeff Deyo (former lead for SONICFLOOd).

Interviews with each one of the leads will be posted here and at the ChristianCinema.com news section.

Word from Dan is that he’s finished the 4th edit, is going for the 5th, and will lock the picture this week. Sound is next, with hopes to have the whole thing completed by the second week of June. Can’t wait to see the finished product.

Warning: There are one or two small spoilers here, but it’s a documentary. No big plot surprises to give away!

I got Expelled late Friday night at my local theater. Unfortunately, there weren’t too many others who were expelled at the 10:00 PM showing I attended. How about you?

According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed $3,153,000 this weekend on 1,052 screens. The per-screen average was $2,997, ranking the film #9 out of all films this weekend. Of films debuting this weekend, it ranked 4th in total income and per-screen average.

My sister (a bio-agriculture researcher at Texas A&M University) saw the film this weekend with some of her friends, including 2 that are teachers. She said the theater was full, with a large number of students. We’re having an interesting conversation about it because Texas A&M (in College Station, Texas) has a fairly conservative student body with pretty liberal professors. With that kind of combination, this could be like igniting a powder keg.

She has spent her entire career in academia, and recognized the validity of the statements made by those daring to teach Intelligent Design. And as a scientist, she picked up on the trend that those upholding Darwinian teaching have made great leaps in their “guesswork.”

As I pondered the film this weekend, I was struck again by how incredulous it is to me that a tenured and well-respected scientist finds it easy to believe that life started from activity taking place around a crystal (he can’t say where the crystal came from). That is more believable than the existence of God? Maybe it’s just the word: God. What if the name was Elouisa? or Fred? Would that be easier to swallow?

If you saw “Expelled”, what did you think of it? What were the audience reactions around you? Do you know anyone stuck situations similar to those the scientists interviewed were in?

Is it a well-thought-out campaign or a runaway train?

As a follow-up to Part II, here’s proof that the folks at Premise Media and Motive Entertainment are excellent students of Public Relations. This quote from Christianity Today’s newsletter mentions the amazing amount of free publicity they have received due to the controversy surrounding Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

“After weeks of controversy—including booting one of its subjects out of a screening, and now a lawsuit from the producers claiming that opponents are trying to suppress their free speech—Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed arrives in about 1,000 U.S. theaters today. All the stories added up to a boatload of free publicity that the filmmakers never could have afforded. It’s likely showing at a theater near you, so you might want to get out and see what all the hubbub is about—and see if it lives up to all the fuss.”

I participated in a couple of the conference call interviews done to publicize the film (which included Ben Stein and the film’s producers), and while they did talk about the film itself, there was a lot of airtime given to the controversy. The second call I was in on PZ Myers (a Darwinian scientist and atheist who feels he was misrepresented in the film and is part of the counter-campaign) managed to break through into the conversation itself.

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Hollywood Connect is a ministry of Christians working in Hollywood that offers seminars, panel discussions, and one-on-one mentoring for Christians coming to work in Hollywood. They believe in “raising the bar for industry Christians to compete heavily in the secular Hollywood market and to influence our culture.” I had the privilege of speaking with Nancy Stafford (The Wager), a member of Hollywood Connect. Nancy is passionate about encouraging Christians to be part of the entertainment industry and work within Hollywood.

On the other hand, there are those passionate about wanting to wipe Hollywood’s influence off the globe. In a recent article for Crosswalk.com, Doug Phillips, founder of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, stated that his “…vision over the long haul is to build a replacement industry…” [for Hollywood]. He points to promotion of a Biblical worldview and selecting Godly actors for key roles as critical components to films accepted for the film festival. He anticipates interest in “truly authentic Christian worldview moviemaking to increase in the next decade,” and he also foresees filmmakers rising out of the homeschool movement. (Though maybe not from California, since legislators are trying to force homeschoolers back into the public classrooms)

In his book “Roaring Lambs,” Bob Briner describes this subculture as the “Christian Ghetto.” He challenges people to tear down the walls around their ghetto so they can see the world and the world can see them.

Where are you? In or out? Maybe you’ve been both in the ghetto and outside the ghetto - what do you think?