Christians in Cinema

Producer: Think of him/her as the General Manager/COO of the film. They raise the funds, hire key members of the cast and crew (director, screenwriter), and during filming, keep a handle on the budget. Is a $5,000 microphone dangled from a helicopter really necessary for this shot, or could we make do with something that [...]

When was the last time a movie had such an impact that you decided you were going to watch it monthly?
Jennie Dern, ChristianCinema.com’s Marketing Analyst, watched To End All Wars last weekend. Over lunch the other day, she shared her response…
It’s the most powerful movie I’ve ever seen. I’m re-thinking who I am as [...]

Half of the most popular movies of all time have been stories of heroes overcoming insurmountable odds to win the day. Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, Peter Parker in Spiderman, Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings, all emerged from humble beginnings to triumph victoriously over great odds.
Some of our greatest heroes led ordinary lives [...]

No, not the television series – our office! Our staff members LOVE movies, and we would all probably vote Rod to be the movie king around here. I think he has more titles in his personal collection than we do on our website. It’s a pretty common occurrence to see someone exchanging DVDs with Rod. [...]

“Night at the Museum,” according to Josh Hurst of Christianity Today, “is a big-budget, live-action concoction of comedy and adventure that makes no pretense of anything other than a 2-hour romp through goofy humor.” Some of our staff members had seen it with their kids and really enjoyed it, so when it became available [...]

I recently heard Erwin McManus talk about the differences between coffee in America and Central America. He declared that in comparison with coffee in Central America, coffee here in the U.S. is watered down, ugly and safe. He said we’ve trained our palates to love ugly and appreciate it over beauty. That came after a [...]

Facing the Giants – Producer/Writer/Director

Days before the national release of Facing the Giants, Alex and his wife Christina welcomed their 5th child, Caleb. He joins his brother Joshua and sisters Anna, Catherine and Joy – just in time to see their dad’s newest film. This is Alex’s 53rd interview since the film gained media attention, yet he took time to talk about his film, his family, and his passion for God. His consuming goal? For God to be glorified.

TBN – Vice President of Administration

After meeting Paul Crouch, Jr., at a Studio Task Force dinner, I was surprised to hear that his leisure-time passion is motocross racing. He has “tons of trophies” from his racing, and twice has been injured badly enough to require a hospital visit. The last time, 7 years ago, he broke a collarbone and knocked himself out for about 5 minutes.

He has 3 children; his son Brandon (23) hosts Top 3 on JCTV, and works as a video producer/editor/cinematographer for Benny Hinn. His daughter Brittany (21), a recently-married graduate from St. John’s University, works in TBN’s personnel department. His youngest daughter Carra (14) is still in school.

I spent a few years working with an organization that sent teams of musicians around the world to share the Gospel. During the day, we often did concerts in schools for children of all ages. We would sing several of our usual songs, teach the kids a fun song with motions and give funny instrument [...]

I saw a news article that a film called Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher had received an Emmy nomination from the Northern California chapter of the National Television Academy. Naturally, I wanted to see a film about a preacher that received an Emmy nomination! Could be a great addition to the [...]

I’m noticing an interesting phenomenon on websites, in blogs and in conversations around the water cooler.
People expect every “Christian” movie (let’s say that’s movies with a strong Christian message, a Christian as the main character, or a Christian cast & crew) to be a grand-slam home run, or at least to be really good. Wow [...]

Last week I was in Los Angeles for a meeting of the JC Doc Group, a group of Christian non-fiction filmmakers. Early into the evening’s discussion, someone asked “What is a Christian film?” That is the burning question right now.
Using “Christian” as an adjective seems to offer license to mix up lifestyles and preferences, slap [...]

Author/Filmmaker/NFL Defensive Back – Israel, Islam & Armageddon

Former NFL defensive back-turned filmmaker Ken Klein is married to Jan, his wife of 32 years. They have 3 very creative sons, and live in Eugene, Oregon, where he continues his movie-making education at the University of Oregon. Ken took some time between projects to talk with me.

Put a bunch of really creative people in the same room, toss in some hot topics like “niche marketing,” “Christian filmmaking,” and “FoxFaith,” and what do you get? The Biola Media Conference. Jeffrey Overstreet (sometimes loved, sometimes hated film critic) did a great recap for Christianity Today, giving an overview of some of the opinions [...]

Producer/Director/Writer – The Pistol – The Birth of a Legend

Writer, producer and director Darrel Campbell is a self-described workaholic who has found what he loves to do, and a way to do it that allows him to live in his home state of Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains. He and his wife Pam have 4 children ranging in age from 8 to 19 years old, whom he describes as very creative and articulate. Pam is a great student of the Word of God, and is a stay-at-home writer. I caught up with Darrel as he was on his way to a football game one Friday evening.

The Azusa Street Project – Producer/Director/Writer/Teacher

Producer, writer, director, and teacher Clay banks lives in Southern California where he has built a Spirit-led film acting studio in Hollywood. He describes himself as “unorthodox, but a good boy” (actually, that’s how his mom describes him.) His passion about his work immediately comes through in a conversation with him, and it was a privilege to spend some time talking with him recently.

The Moment After, Thr3e – Producer/Director/Writer/Actor

Kevin Downes is a California native. He grew up in Visalia, just 3 hours north of Los Angeles where many of the Christian films he has made were shot. Before writing and producing The Moment After, Kevin worked with David A.R. White on The Crossing and The End of the Harvest. He produced the award-winning Warner Bros. short film/music video for Clay Walker, Chain of Love. He also produced Mercy Streets – released in theaters nationwide in 2000, and executive-produced Lay It Down. He produced the theatrically released Time Changer for Trinity Broadcasting Network and was writer/producer/director on Six: The Mark Unleashed.