Christians in Cinema

It’s no longer sufficient to buy advertising for things you want to sell. You need a hook, something for people to hang their hat on, a cause that makes people “willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause.” (I’ve always liked Man of La Mancha!) The question is: What’s your hook? What’s your cause? How will you gain attention for your project? Here are a few lessons:

If you don’t have a big name attached to your film, or a sequel to a blockbuster, how will you to stand out from the crowd of films opening on Friday night?

Facing the Giants - MPAA assigns a PG rating to a film that has nothing objectionable, unless you don’t want to hear Jesus’ name spoken as something other than a curse. And truly, the issue didn’t seem to be so much the rating as a little discussion over whether the MPAA person said the rating was because of that. Christians rise up in protest, and an entire PR campaign is created.

The 10 Commandments animated movie (opening tomorrow - October 19th) on 700 screens nationwide - Disney Radio emailed a media buyer for Promenade Pictures requesting that a reference to “chosen by God” by replaced with the phrase “from Promenade Pictures.” Promenade Pictures agreed because Disney Radio reaches an important market for a film of this nature. But now, the Liberty Counsel is circulating a petition for Christians to sign.

They say they need 25,000 signatures on the petition before the film’s national theatrical release tomorrow. Why? What will that accomplish? Beyond guaranteeing an opening night or weekend audience of at least 25,000 people? They’re also counting on recent publicity of the fact that most Americans can’t name the 10 Commandments to get more people to the film. The lack of knowledge about the Ten Commandments doesn’t surprise me. Our current culture is entertainment-oriented. If the 10 Commandments were a wild video game, or available as ringtones or MP3 downloads, maybe more people would know them.

Don’t forget The Passion of the Christ, which is really a case study in creating publicity for your film. Mel Gibson took his battle to get the film produced, marketed and distributed to the streets by hosting multiple screenings for some of the world’s most influential religious leaders. He was shrewd enough to know the controversy generated would stir people to action. And he set Hollywood on its ear with record box office earnings. It has become a case study in effective movie marketing.

The Ultimate Gift - An “Ultimate Gift Experience” movement was begun to raise people’s awareness of how giving to others can be the ultimate rewarding experience. A movement for youth focused on finding life lessons through film and literature, culminating with a suggested service project. Ultimate Gift philanthropy discussion guides were developed to show how to develop meaningful and lasting legacies for your family. Faith-themed discussion guides were developed to help people of faith “expand upon the lessons and values from The Ultimate Gift.”

Evan Almighty - Launched “Get On Board,” with numerous activities designed to help you “reduce your carbon footprint.” You can plant a tree, do acts of random kindness, tell others what you’re doing, go zero with emissions, etc. The film is even touted as “The first movie to zero out its impact on the environment.” You can even “Go Zero” on your mobile phone. Call me crazy, but aren’t mobile phones themselves non-zero?

So the lesson here is if you don’t have a big enough name attached to the film, or a sequel to a blockbuster film to draw the crowds to the theater, you need something else to garner people’s attention. What kind of cause does your story involve? Find a way to connect with people and organizations already built around that cause. Non-profit organizations could always use free publicity, and they have whole networks of people who support them because they believe deeply in the cause. Have a story about a homeless individual? Get connected with your local Rescue Mission, or the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions - that’s who they exist to help.

The publicity doesn’t always have to be negative - a rating you don’t agree with or someone editing “God” out of your publicity - but negative publicity is better than no publicity.

What are PR hooks you’ve seen work, and ones you’ve seen not work? What have you tried, and succeeded with, to get crowds to see your films?