JCDoc Group and Distribution
I made a quick trip down to Hollywood a couple of weeks ago to meet with a group of Judeo-Christian documentary filmmakers. Wow! What a mouthful that is! Kudos to Karen Meissner for coming up with a catchy nickname that’s easier to say: JC Doc Group. I was invited, along with Richard Propper, CEO and Founder of Solid Entertainment, to talk with the group about distribution for documentaries.
About 30 people gathered to talk about this popular topic. I think the most important thing to know is your audience and how you’re going to reach them. Are you targeting Christians? Then you need to know, or to work with someone who does know, the Christian market. Are you targeting non-Christians? If so, then make your film to them. One of the common things I hear is that someone wants non-Christians to see their films because they want to evangelize. The irony is that the moment you put the Gospel or a Gospel message into your film, it has become what most people consider a “Christian film,” and unless your message is subtle, non-believers will smell it a mile away.
Some films that have had enormous success in recent months are ones that have a strong, unapologetic message. The Perfect Stranger, is the story of a cynical woman having dinner with Jesus. Facing the Giants unabashedly states that “Win or lose, we will praise the Lord!” It does not hurt films to have a strong faith message, and the filmmakers shouldn’t be asked to apologize for their message when it is the truth they have experienced. These films are succeeding in distribution because they have captured the hearts of the audiences who saw them. That’s a successful movie, and that’s successful distribution. I’m not saying that they’re successful because they preached the gospel, but because the filmmakers knew what they wanted to do, did it very well and with great passion.
One of my favorite lines in Scripture is at the end of the Gospel of John, where he says “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) The same is true of movies. There is room for a lot of films made by passionate, creative people who know the audience they want to reach. Go for it, don’t apologize for it, and do your best!
