Christians in Cinema

Last week I was at the Gideon Film Festival in North Carolina. I think I saw between 25 – 35 movies, both feature-length and short. That’s a lot of screen time!

I saw films from experienced producers like Gary Wheeler (The List, Final Solution) and Tracy Trost (Find Me, A Christmas Snow) right alongside those from first-time filmmakers.

The days were pretty long and we watched films late into the night, but one thing was clear: This was a gathering of people passionate about their art. They were all at various stages of education, experience and budget, and

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Today I’m writing from Albany, Georgia, the home of Sherwood Baptist Church and Sherwood Pictures. The church, which has made 3 feature films (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof), is in production on its 4th feature called Courageous.

Tonight we saw rough cuts of scenes and I can tell you it will challenge fathers in many ways: in relationships with their wives, with their children, and in their integrity. I see pieces of some compelling storylines that include policemen, high school students and gang members.

It will be an exciting and interesting movie, and like all Sherwood Pictures’ films, will have elements of humor. Alex Kendrick, who co-wrote the screenplay and is directing as well as playing a lead role,

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I was doing some research for a workshop I’m presenting at the Gideon Media Arts Conference & Film Festival this weekend and ran across an interesting concept. I think it came from Bob Hutchins and Greg Stielstra’s book Faith Based Marketing.

They caution their readers to make sure they’re not in an echo chamber. Technically, that’s a closed-off space where every sound is magnified and bounces off of every surface available. Their point was that it can happen in relationships. If you’re talking to the same people all the time, you’re hearing the same voices over and over again. Where’s the fresh in that? You need to have new input.

So I wonder if we get stuck in film echo chambers. Do we watch the same kind of film over and over again? Lifetime network had a “Megnificent Monday,” where they showed a bunch of Meg Ryan movies all in a row. I’m a fan of Meg Ryan and she stars in some of my favorite movies. But after 12 hours, I get a little tired of all Meg all the time (nothing personal).

That can happen to any of us at any time. We choose based on our preferences. So what if we’re stuck in a rut? It’s hard to break out of that.

Well, give it a try. It doesn’t hurt. If you’re a documentary fan and The Cross is your favorite film,

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Like Dandelion Dust, the first feature film based on a Karen Kingsbury novel is coming to theaters this September. Fans of the #1 USA Today and New York Times’ best-selling author have long clamored for her stories to be made into feature films, and they won’t be disappointed with this movie.

Academy Award® winner Mira Sorvino stars as Wendy, a young wife who has a difficult choice to make when her husband Rip (played by Barry Pepper) is taken to prison for domestic violence. When she learns she is pregnant, she relinquishes their baby for adoption to a wealthy Florida couple (Cole Hauser and Kate Levering). When Rip is released from prison and learns they had a baby, he is determined to get his son back. What follows is a heart-rending story of love, mercy, grace, and sacrifice.

Bobby and Kevin Downes, producers of 12 feature films, including Mercy Streets and The Visitation, produced and Jon Gunn directed (Mercy Streets).

The film and actors have already won audience and critical acclaim with 31 awards from 18 different film festivals around the world.

For more information and to receive regular updates, sign up at the film’s website: LikeDandelionDust.com.

Have you seen the Capital One commercials? People facing financial disaster stave it off because they have a Capital One card in their wallet, protecting them from all kinds of harm.

I think it’s possible DVDs can help ward off disaster when they point us to truth for our lives. Some of my current favorites are:

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry – investing in the life of a child is important, and you’re never too old for that.

The Blind Side – our lives have an impact on the others around us, and we get to choose whether it’s for the good or not.

The Heart of Texas – forgiveness is the greatest gift we can give others, and ourselves.

Lord Save Us From Your Followers -people are always willing to talk if we’re willing to listen!

What’s in YOUR DVD player? Tell us your favorites so we can watch them too.

Inevitably, Christian filmmakers find each other, no matter where they live and work. Somehow their paths cross at a conference or film festival and they discuss their faith, their experience, and their latest projects.

Sometimes they even get to work together. The Courageous blog just posted an entry from May 19, and it’s a story about our friend Kevin Downes. He’s been an actor for more than 15 years, a producer/writer/director for more than 10, and has a role a Shane Fuller, a “sartorially challenged” Sheriff’s Department officer.

Kevin and his brother Bobby have been friends with Alex and Stephen Kendrick for years, often consulting on each others’ films or just hanging out. Now they’re working together. Kevin’s character Shane is Alex’s partner in this film about fathering.

Who are your friends? What projects are you doing together? Have you been working by yourself for a while? Maybe it’s time to branch out and start a new partnership.

I just left the theater after watching Robin Hood. I enjoyed the film; I don’t think it’s the blockbuster the Scotts would like it to be, but it was enjoyable. Besides, it was over 80 outdoors, and I’d rather be indoors where it’s cool.

I loved the book when I was a kid. I remember checking it out of our school library multiple times and getting lost in the adventures in Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. He was a true folk hero.

In this movie version, Robin is still somewhat of a folk hero, but he has more political concerns. And they aren’t just related to 12th century England, but he takes some time to express some opinions that I hear in the news today.

This film does prove the truth of the statement in Ecclesiastes: There is nothing new under the sun. It also proves that a filmmakers’ worldview and belief system

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Where can you find previews of your favorite Christian films? What about movies that are yet to be released on DVD? A new website called ChristianMoviePreviews.com just went live and offers movie previews, clips and promotional videos for your favorite films.

Users can stream content straight to their personal computers, networks, or web-equipped mobile devices and share it with their friends and family through a number of social networking outlets such as Facebook, Digg and Twitter. A great resource

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If like me, watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition on Sunday evenings both encourages you with the generosity of ordinary citizens and provides a good excuse to cry, you’ll definitely want to tune in Sunday, May 16.Joining Ty Pennington and his crew on the bus will be NFL player Michael Oher and his adoptive family Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose story inspired the blockbuster film The Blind Side. I remember Leigh Anne telling us at a press conference that she had a “come to Jesus” talk with her section of seats at Baltimore’s football stadium. I wonder if she’ll have a talk like that with the crew of Extreme Makeover?

If you attended the Biola Media Conference in Los Angeles last week, I hope we had an opportunity to at least say “Hello” to each other. I had face-to-face meetings with some people I’ve only known via Facebook or email (Ben Watson-Brown of Con Dios in Australia), Rich Christiano (Christian Film Group), and others I see once or twice a year.

For me, one of the day’s takeaways was that key to anything you produce, you must have good content. Story truly is King, and if you don’t have one, then your project won’t go anywhere significant.

We heard about the highs and lows of the movie industry from a studio perspective. Plenty of luminaries were on hand: Dick Cook and Mark Zoradi, both former Disney executives;

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When your most recent film is a cowboy musical about the IRS (The Widow’s Might), how do you follow that up?

How about a movie about a boy detective who also writes novels? AceWonder: Message from a Dead Man is the latest from Heumoore Productions, and they’re filming in Tennessee right now. Sounds like a clever premise and a cute movie.

There’s also an interesting conglomeration of people involved: one of their producers is Chad Gundersen (Like Dandelion Dust, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry), and the team that made Pendragon dropped in on the shoot. With those creative minds

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Sherwood Pictures, under the leadership of Alex and Stephen Kendrick, began filming their new movie Courageous in Albany, Georgia this week. The main cast members include Alex Kendrick, Adam Mitchell (from Fireproof), and ChristianCinema.com’s own Kevin Downes.

About the role, Kevin said, “I’m honored to be doing what I love…and that is acting. I love the script for Courageous. I love the role and the challenges behind playing this character.”

In a change from their previous films,

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The guys from Lord, Save Us From Your Followers sent you a thank you note for watching the film and joining the conversation. If you missed it the first time around, we’ll show it again in a few weeks. In the meantime, hear from the guys who started the movement.

Dear friends,

Thank you all for participating in the amazing Lord, Save Us From Your Followers premiere.  Over 11,000 of you watched – and the online Conversation has been tremendous.  We have read every comment  – it is not too late to weigh in and let your thoughts be known.

We are so excited to make the DVD available at ChristianCinema.com.

So why’d we show our brand new film for free? Great question.  The answer is simple – whenever, and wherever we have shown it, people respond to it and have wanted to own it – even after they saw it. Lord, Save Us From Your Followers truly is a conversation starter; in particular with those who do not believe.

We all know the feeling when we need to have a conversation about Christ with someone but

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Why is it people like Jesus but can’t stand His followers? Why do they say Lord, Save Us From Your Followers?

What does the average person on the street really think of Christians?

If you knew what non-believers think about Christians, would you change the way you live out your faith?

Dan Merchant has created a phenomenal film that is so much more than that. It’s a wake up call to the church, to every person who considers themselves a follower of Christ. Dan spent 2 years traveling the country, talking to everyone who would engage in a conversation, to find out why the Gospel of Love is dividing America.

Now we can watch what he discovered and engage in conversation about it. We’re streaming the film right now at ChristianCinema.com, and want you to join the conversation. Join people all around the world as they react to what they hear.

Did I mention that Dan wears this crazy bumper-sticker suit? What’s your favorite bumper sticker? Which one has been on your car at one point or another?

Watch it, talk about it, buy it on DVD to share with more friends.

Ralph Winter, producer of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Planet of the Apes, and multiple Star Trek films is one of Hollywood’s most successful and most prolific producers. He’s also a Christian and co-chairman of the Biola Studio Task Force.When I had the chance to interview him a couple of years ago, I learned some interesting things that may not show up on his IMDB page.

1. He was a history major in college.
2. The first films he wrote, directed and produced were industrial videos.
3. he did post-production on Paramount TV shows (Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Taxi, Mork and Mindy)
4. He doesn’t think churches will let studios treat them as a marketing platform to get their films out to the Christian audience.
5. He once did a film with High School Musical director Kenny Ortega.
6. If you looked at his DVR, you might find the following: Entourage, Mad Men and True Blood. (Because he’s heard those shows have good writing)

Do you have more than 150 friends? Are they real people or are they Facebook friends? Have you met them in person or just in cyberspace? If they invited you on a shopping trip, would they know that you prefer antique stores to bookstores?

I’m reading an interesting book called The Church of Facebook, by Jesse Rice. The author makes a point that friendships used to come and go, and you controlled how people knew about your private life. Now, even casual strangers

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Dick Cook, the Former Chairman of Walt Disney Studios, will headline this year’s Biola Media Conference on Saturday, May 1, 2010, at CBS Studios in Studio City, California.

Know as a cutting-edge conference that attracts industry leaders, the Biola Media Conference is celebrating its 15th year. This year’s theme is Worlds Collide: Finding Answers in Today’s Media Chaos. Technology and the current economic crisis have set the stage for a collision between traditional models and new digital possibilities, and this conference will explore ways to filter through the chaos and find a pathway to productivity.

Explore how creativity, authenticity and innovation are keys to our future now more than ever. The CBS Studio Lot is the perfect environment to learn and interact with today’s leaders of the film, television and digital industries.

I’ll be there. Will you?

Author Nicholas Sparks crafts stories that are universal in their appeal. His characters are the people we encounter in our everyday lives, and circumstances they face are ones with which we’re familiar. He’s an athlete, a philanthropist, a novelist, and with the upcoming release of The Last Song, a screenwriter.  [Read our review of the film]

You are who you are, regardless

We sat down in a room overlooking the beach in Santa Monica to talk about his new film, his family, and people who inspire him, as well as our mutual love of the ocean and the different coasts of the United States.

After growing up and living in the Midwest (Omaha, NE) and the West (Southern California and Sacramento), how did you wind up in the Carolinas?

Nicholas:  I was selling pharmaceuticals, and when my wife and I had our first baby, she made it clear that she wanted to stay home when the child was young. I said, “Ok, but on my little salesman’s salary, we can’t afford a house here in California.” So

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Last weekend I spent a couple of days in the Los Angeles area at the 168 Festival. What’s that? It’s the end results of teams of filmmakers making 11 minute films in one week. Start to finish.

It’s a breeze, you say? With multiple locations, casts of 10 or more, special effects, editing, sound design and scoring that all have to happen in 168 hours, that is no small feat.This year, the 168 had more than

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I like to go back and review notes I’ve taken from different events. Sometimes I wonder why I take notes really. There’s no test later, no grade for having perfectly outlined the ramblings of other people.

Things change because of stories we tell.

On days I need inspiration, those quickly jotted lines (if I can read them) spark creativity. At other times, they remind me I heard something valuable that I should put into practice.

This morning I reviewed some notes from last year’s Biola Media Conference. As always, they had an impressive roster of speakers who have achieved success by anyone’s standards.

Brian Bird (Touched by An Angel, Saving Sarah Cain, The Last Sin Eater) and Doug TenNapel (Push, Nevada, Earthworm Jim, Mothman, Kog-Head and Meatus) did a panel for writers. Now, Brian is one of my favorite people

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