Christians in Cinema

My friend Greg Wright, who is Managing Editor of both Past the Popcorn and Hollywood Jesus, is also an ordained pastor. As an author, he’s written the books Tolkien In Perspective: Sifting the Gold from the Glitter (2003) and Peter Jackson in Perspective: The Power Behind Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings (2004).

He just wrote a review for the film A Greater Yes, and in the introduction captured what I think is the essence of some of the questions we struggle with. He says:

I’d really hate to be a Christian filmmaker who’s actually known as a Christian, making films for the Christian audience.  It would be almost impossible to please anyone. From the outside, you’d be criticized for preaching to the choir; from within you’d hear talk about making films for the Christian ghetto; and, of course, you’d be certain to get criticized from the ghetto choirloft itself about the “theology” of your film no matter what doctrinal persuasion you espouse.  Nothing you made would ever be quite Christian enough.

Of course, all filmmakers are subject to such scrutiny.  But from what I’ve seen, it’s a little tougher to aim for the Christian niche than to go more broadly secular.

He also makes the point that no one film can capture the entirety of the Christian message and experience, nor should it. So he’s OK with filmmakers finding their niche and playing to their strengths. For example, Cloud Ten Pictures’ own films have been predominantly in the thriller genre, with an early focus on apocalyptic themes. Now, they’re picking up films in a lot of genres through acquisitions.

Namesake Entertainment has made several horror films (The Visitation, Hangman’s Curse, Thr3e, House) based on books by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti.

Michael Landon, Jr., and Brian Bird teamed up to make some films based on inspirational novels (Saving Sarah Cain, The Last Sin Eater), and Landon’s early foray into films for the family audience was the beginning of the Love Comes Softly series.

That’s not to say these filmmakers are firmly ensconced in these genres, but they have found success by developing their niches and reaching to specific audiences.

There are plenty of niches left for those who want to make films for the church, and this short list of genres doesn’t even begin to define all the possibilities out there. If you’re thinking you need to follow the footsteps of these filmmakers, go for it. You don’t have to be in the same niche, but you can apply the best of their techniques to any project you choose. You’ll probably always be criticized for one failing or another, whether it’s artistic or theological. That’s OK. No man or woman has made the perfect film or written the perfect theological treatise.