Christian Movies: Is the message or the story king?

The Ten Commandments 1956

In a Christian Movie, is the message or the story king?  Obviously the King is King (and I’m not talking about Elvis.)

But this has been a topic of great debate.

I know some filmmakers that will not “water down” the message of Christ in their films, and have very strong overt messages that come across to many as a sermon wrapped in a movie’s packaging.

Then there are others that focus on the story, only the story.  They hope that the message will come out through the telling of the story, and claim that this is how the Christ Himself taught, through parables.

There are arguments for both philosophies.

Some argue for films with a devout and overt Christian message which is the trademark of veteran, and very talented filmmakers, like Rich Christiano (Time Changers, Unidentified, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry.)

While yet others argue for story, story story.  The point being that movies are, or should be, stories that inspire the viewer to … Continue Reading

HOSFU On-Site: A Christmas Snow – Anthony Tyler Quinn Interview

HOSFU On-Site is back from the set of A Christmas Snow, but we’ll continue to post some behind the scenes interview footage that we got while we were in Tulsa, so that you can get to know more of the cast and crew!

Here is our interview with Anthony Tyler Quinn, who recently starred in No Greater Love, a romantic drama from Coram Deo Studios (on DVD from Lionsgate).

A Hollywood veteran of many years, Quinn plays the father of Lucy, Andrew, in A Christmas Snow.

Stay up to date on A Christmas Snow on Facebook by clicking here.

Filmmaking: Mixing Pros with Amateurs

The six-minute short film Family Law, produced by Royal Entertainment in association with Powers Productions, saw a mixed cast and crew of professionals, semi-pros and amateurs.  While everyone gave their best, I saw a unique difference between the experienced and the non-experienced.

Knowing in advance that I would be directing a mixed crew, I called a meeting at the beginning of the shoot to share how I work, and explain on-set etiquette. I also talked with several members of the cast and crew in advance to get a feel for their backgrounds and abilities. During those discussions, I asked key questions of each person, according to their production role.

When the inevitable problems arose on set, the professional would immediately notify his or her department head and the issue would be addressed in time for the problem to be overcome. Some of the amateurs, who wanted to make sure they did everything perfectly in hopes of being on the next production, kept quiet about their mistakes. This silence resulted in costly postproduction nightmares.

CJ Powers works with Francine Locke and Dan Bredesen on Family Law

I noticed that when asked a difficult question, most newbies told me they were familiar with what I was looking to achieve and confirmed that they could do it. The pros shared that they might be able to accomplish what I was looking for and then asked me a series of questions to clarify their understanding of my vision. Once on set, I realized that the professionals gave me exactly what I asked for and it became very clear that the amateurs hadn’t understood my goals, let alone … Continue Reading

HOSFU On-Site: A Christmas Snow – Cameron ten Napel Interview

A Christmas Snow wouldn’t be the same without Cameron ten Napel, who plays Lucy in the film. Cameron brings life to the set and joy to everyone around her!

Here HOSFU On-Site’s Eric Highland interviews Cammie on set to discover her perspective on A Christmas Snow and her acting career in general.

We are giving away an official A Christmas Snow hat signed by Muse Watson on Facebook. The deadline is 10 p.m. Central tonight, so visit the A Christmas Snow fan page to find out how you can enter! Click here to visit the page.

HOSFU On-Site: A Christmas Snow – Danny Cahill Interview

The excitement never stops around here. Yesterday, NBC’s The Biggest Loser from last season – Danny Cahill – was on the set of A Christmas Snow. Why? Through a connection with Jim Stovall (who will be novelizing the movie), Danny landed a role in A Christmas Snow as the food critic! Fun stuff.

At the last minute, HOSFU On-Site was able to grab Danny and sit down with him for an interview! Danny is a great guy who is now a musician, inspirational speaker and actor!

Hope you enjoy our interview with Danny:

Join us on Facebook as we talk about A Christmas Snow: Facebook.com/AChristmasSnow.