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Hi friend,
This week I'm writing from Atlanta, Georgia, where I'm attending the International Christian Retail Show . Tuesday evening, Simon Swart (General Manager of Fox Home Entertainment North America) talked about how Christians are influencing Twentieth Century Fox. (I’ll write more about his discussion in my blog )
In the last year, over $300 million worth of faith and family videos have been sold. That figure has gotten some folks’ attention in Hollywood. Now, the theatrical division is asking Simon and his staff what he thinks will be appropriate to the faith market. They want to know what would Christians find acceptable in a movie.
It’s incredible that in the space of about 18 months, Hollywood has gone from casting Christians negatively to wanting to know how to make films for you and me. “They” want to know what I would like to see in a film!
Simon also mentioned that there are now 7 major Hollywood studios that are looking for faith and family projects to distribute. That’s exciting, because competition will drive up the quality of the films that are produced. “There will be some misfires,” Simon said, “but be patient and please keep supporting this initiative.”
When you purchase DVDs from ChristianCinema.com, you are supporting Fox Faith, Sony Pictures (The Second Chance, Facing the Giants), and others who will enter this market. You can influence Hollywood – they're listening! (And for a little while longer you can get a free DVD player when you buy 5 or more Fox Faith titles.)
From the screening room,
Angela Walker
ChristianMovieNews.com
P.S. Next week's newsletter will announce the Crown Awards, given out at this year's International Christian Visual Media conference for independent filmmakers.
This week’s Featured Filmmaker is Phil Cooke , head of Cooke Communications, Cooke Pictures, and brand-new father-in-law!
Jason thought his inheritance was going to be a gift of money and lots of it. Was he ever in for a big surprise.
Produced by Life Media and Dean River Productions, and based on the best-selling book "The Ultimate Gift" by Jim Stovall, the story sends trust fund baby Jason Stevens on an improbable journey of discovery, having to answer the ultimate question: "What is the relationship between wealth and happiness?"
Jason had a very simple relationship with his impossibly wealthy grandfather, Howard "Red" Stevens. He hated him. No heart-to-heart talks, no warm fuzzies. So of course he figured that when Red died, the whole "reading of the will" thing would be another simple cash transaction, that his grandfather's money would allow him to continue living in the lifestyle to which he had become accustomed. But what Red left him was anything but simple. Red instead devised a plan for Jason to experience a crash course on life. Twelve tasks, which Red calls "gifts," each challenging Jason in an improbable way, the accumulation of which would change him forever.
Featuring an all-star cast including Golden Globe winner and six-time Emmy nominee Brian Dennehy, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee James Garner, and Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Signs).
Special Features:
- Behind the Scenes Featurette with cast and crew interviews
- Trailers
A little girl's quest for redemption uncovers a dark secret...and the truth shall set her free.
The Last Sin Eater is a story that takes place in the 1850’s Appalachia. Ten year-old Cadi Forbes feels responsible for her little sister’s death, so she searches out the one man she feels can take away her sin — The Sin Eater. But in her quest for redemption, Cadi Forbes (Liana Liberato) uncovers a dark secret that threatens to divide her family and community. Ultimately, Cadi shows them the truth in Jesus, reminding us that the human condition is beyond human remedy; only Christ provides for the absolution of sin.
Directed by Michael Landon Jr., the film is based on the best-selling novel by Francine Rivers that was awarded the ECPA Gold Medallion. Also starring in the film, Academy Award Winner and Emmy Nominee Louise Fletcher (Miz Elda), and two-time Golden Globe Nominee Henry Thomas (Man of God), Soren Fulton (Fagan Kai) and Stewart Finlay-McLennan (Brogan Kai).
Francine Rivers book, The Last Sin Eater, won the 1999 Gold Medallion Book Award for fiction presented by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.
Read our exclusive interview with writer and producer, Brian Bird
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Featured Filmmaker: Phil Cooke, Cooke Pictures
by Angela Walker
Phil Cooke is a busy man. He directs and produces commercials, consults with churches and non-profit organizations, blogs, and writes books! He's very well-respected in media circles and has a finger on the pulse of Christian film-making. He's on a crusade to raise the standard of filmmaking, and is a passionate and humorous speaker.
CC.com: How did you get your beginning?
Phil: I got started primarily working in “Christian” media – specifically, Christian TV. I worked with Oral Roberts years ago when he was doing prime-time television specials for NBC. So early on I was working both with networks and Christian organizations, and I cut my teeth working for some of the pioneers in Christian television. So I got a very interesting perspective from there. All along the way I worked also in secular arenas. I directed commercials for a while and wrote a lot of television.
For the longest time I’ve have one foot planted firmly in Christian media, and the other in secular media. So today, our company Cooke Pictures is heavily involved in consulting with some of the largest churches and ministries in the country today. We work with Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, The God Channel in Europe, helping them kind of raise the bar in Christian media.
I’m also partners with Ralph Winter and Mark Thomas in TWC Films, which is a secular TV commercial company. So it’s a very interesting perspective. Or maybe I’m insane.
CC.com: What are some things you consider before taking on a client like a Joel Osteen or Joyce Meyer?
Phil: Primarily, their willingness to change. The truth is, Christian media wasn’t started by producers, but by preachers. Guys like me didn’t start it. We were sitting on our hands when pastors and preachers were exploring another way to spread the message about the Kingdom. And so they went on radio and TV, and as a result, Christian media became a largely preacher-driven media. So if I accomplish anything in my life, my goal is to take us from a preacher-driven media to a producer-driven media. I want to move us from the era of TV preachers to TV producers.
I think that we see a different perspective from behind the camera, and I think we’ve hit a plateau in Christian media. Today it’s talking head, it’s preacher-driven, but people are looking for so much more. You know, when you look at secular TV, it’s all story-driven. The most popular programs in TV are movies, episodic dramas and comedies. All three are story-driven, dramatic forms. Yet on Christian TV, you rarely see any of these forms.
You rarely see high-end documentaries, or really high-end television specials. You don’t ever see episodic dramas or situation comedies. So part of our purpose for being is to ask some of these questions. Why not? Why can’t we move into some other arenas and make what we call Christian television more compelling, more interesting, and hopefully, something that will cast a wider net and draw in a bigger audience.
CC.com: Absolutely, but how does someone make that change from going from personality-driven programming to something of a broader spectrum?
Phil: In almost every case, when we’re brought in, they’ve hit a wall. Their viewership is down, their income is down, and they’re frustrated with what they’re doing. We work with people from all denominations; from Billy Graham to charismatic to evangelical, I’m focusing more on people who want to make an impact on the culture for the Kingdom of God. I don’t get hung up on a lot of theological issues. I have a PhD in theology, which is kind of weird I know. I love theology, but that’s not my real expertise. My expertise is media, and I’m looking for people that want to make an impact on the culture using media in an innovative way.
Primarily, people call us in who, for whatever reason, are frustrated with their media. Maybe they don’t like the kind of programming they’re doing, or they’re getting a response they don’t like. Or they’re frustrated with their creativity – it’s a multitude of reasons.
Here’s the core of what we’re about: My message to the church and to the Christian community is that we’ve got to change the way we tell our story in a media-driven culture. Today we live in a culture that is vastly impacted and controlled by the media. Research tells us that the average person sees 3,000 advertising messages a day. The Census Bureau just released an interesting statistic. In 2008, the average teenager will spend five and a half months surfing the web, watching TV and listening to their iPod. Five and a half months!
Now a pastor will preach to his congregation one hour, possibly two hours, at the most three hours a week, but that’s rare. Now people are watching TV and surfing the web an average of 10 hours a day, so who’s going to have the most influence? All we’re trying to do is say it’s a different ballgame. Today the culture has changed, and America has changed to a media-driven culture. So what does the church need to change in order to get our message heard in that kind of environment?
If we can change the way we communicate and present the message, it’s not about watering down the Gospel. It’s really about understanding the power of the media. If we can do that more effectively, we can start to make a bigger impact on the culture.
Read the rest of Phil's interview here...
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