Guest Blogger: Filmmaker Dan Millican Talks About God, Creativity, & Cheesy Christian Movies

Why Do Christian Movies Have Such A Bad Reputation?
By filmmaker Dan Millican

Thanks Joanne for letting me guest blog. I think it's wonderful that Belief Net is allowing me to do this--"The Imposter" was actually previously entitled "Believe" before Kevin Max came on board and we changed the title to match a previous album release of his. The central message to the movie remains the question of what exactly "believe" looks like. However, I want to talk about Christian cinema in general.

We have a baby on our hands. The baby's older sister is just about all grown up. Twenty-ish years ago, Christian Contemporary Music was young, naïve, sometimes smelly, and growing at an enormous rate. The quality canyon between Christian and Secular music was enormous. Not so today. That canyon has been bridged.

But Christian Music's baby brother--Christian Cinema, has a lot of growing to do. The number one criticism from Christian and non-Christian's alike, is that Christian movies are awful. The production value, the writing, the directing, the acting, the editing. And with the mountain of evidence, I don't dispute this.

What is the essence of filmmaking? Storytelling. Who was the master storyteller? Yeah, so as Christians, we have no excuse but to follow in the footsteps of the person we are choosing to follow as a disciple. Clearly, stories are a way that God communicates with us.

So why do Christian movies have such a bad reputation? Just like the music industry, it takes time for professionals to learn the craft of storytelling and hone their skills. There are a lot of people who completely disregard craft, excusing their laziness for grace--God will gift me to tell this story. While it's true that He can and has done that, He also talks about excellence in what you do.

The biggest problem is what I call "hokey." Synonyms include "cheesy" and "shallow." This boils down to being "On the Nose" (OTN), an industry term for bad writing. For example, when writing a script, you might have the character really angry. Good writing might have the character turn to the subject of the anger and tell them something polite, while leaving no doubt of the anger surging just under the surface. OTN writing would have the character say "I am SOOOOO angry with you." This is "text" versus "subtext." Real life is actually lived for the most part in subtext.

Another difficulty with Christian cinema is the arena of conflict. Story moves by conflict and to appease most congregation members and keep them comfortable, most forms of conflict are avoided or tamed down. In addition, a character's struggle is usually internal for a Christian movie. This is the most difficult to pull off in a movie. You have to have good writing and great acting to make that work. And the temptation to exposit is great--the character, in the midst of their darkest hour, alone, begins to monologue what they're feeling inside. Yeah that's pretty real.

Next, you have to pick the audience. Yeah I know, you want to reach millions and zillions for the Gospel. So your movie is for the churched and unchurched. What you end up with is a "Tweener"--a movie too worldly for the church and too churchy for the world and *no one* goes to see it.

And of course, the budget for Christian movies is going to pale in comparison to the secular ones. So we're just going to have to do more with less. Which is a favorite plot of God's. (Means we have to trust him instead of resources??? Bummer).

So the task ahead is difficult. Does that mean we shy away? By no means. For those called to tell stories, tell them. Be obedient to God. Embrace His gift in you and hone your skill and craft.

Finally, support Christian movies. I hope you look up "The Imposter." Right now, it's available for churches to buy for exhibition. Help us get the movie out and have your pastor get the movie. Or buy it yourself for your church. You can find more information on The Imposter movie website.

You can learn more about Dan Millican on his blog, Daniel Millican is Killing Himself.

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