Screenwriting : Is a mainstream faith-based movie possible? by J Medina

Stick to your guns.

Jaime: I'd say yes. A great story is a great story. I think I've written an really entertaining script about Paul the Apostle that my literary agent loves. So I agree with DM. Stick to your guns and keep pitching it. Also, you say your readers are passing for different reasons. What are they? Have the readers said your writing "sucks"?

Jaime, impossible to say based on that info. Sticking to your guns is certainly good advice, especially if staying true to your gut yields the best quality in script execution that you're capable of. If I'm a financier, I'd rather read your best execution and tell you how to revise it for my particular needs, rather than an ok-script that still needs revision. So there is merit in saying write the best version that you can write. However, what I will say is that I'd typically advise writers to invest their time writing scripts that can have multiple financing paths. If you aim squarely and only for the Hallmark Channel, you have limited yourself to only one likely buyer, and those odds are really tough. This advice may not totally apply to this project, but I'd say always try to give yourself multiple bites at the apple. That means knowing the marketplace as best as possible. Break a leg!!

Also check out Variety's annnual Faith-Based Summit to be held June 25th, days from now. http://events.variety.com/conference/purpose-the-family-entertainment-fa... Faith-based in very much in the air in both TV and features. But that doesn't answer the question of whether you've written a "feathered fish," a movie that is neither this genre nor that genre. That we can't tell.

Lastly, I've never done business with Hallmark Channel, but to my knowledge, their movies are based on recognizable books or events. I'm not sure how much purely original content they've produced. But please take that with a grain of salt because that's not my space. I'd have to do research to say for sure. I've also heard they've moving more toward the Lifetime Movies model, which is almost always based on something with pre-awareness (e.g. Steel Magnolias remake, Amanda Knox movie, Brittany Murphy movie, Lizzie Borden, Marilyn Monroe mini-series, Unauthorized Saved by the Bell movie, etc.)

Cant make everyone happy . stick to your and make sure you load up on your ammunition .

Let me know when your ready to take it forward . i have some interesting music compositions you may like. One of the albums im working on is an instrumental about the times jesus walked the earth . i have one song called "oasis "on my page that is part of the compilation . i posted a short version for theme presentation . im going to go post another now from that album . its called " sahara rising " im actually looking for a project that will use the album . your may be a fit . friend me if you cant view my page . ok good luck

I think the main reason why faith-based movies don't make it to the big screen so much anymore is because younger movie-going people don't embrace religion en masse anymore. They can also be a bit polarizing, because....well, you're talking religion here, and potential global audiences, you know. And critics, who are mostly liberal and non-believers, don't particularly like....well....skip that one... On the plus side, Kevin Sorbo's "God's Not Dead" film, which was pretty much universally panned by said critics, has made over $70 million or $80 million dollars, if I recall correctly, and had a $3 million or $4 million dollar budget. You might want to give that production company a call. Good luck! And thanks for all your good work in New York, man. You're a stud and I appreciate it!

thanks, Bill! will do!

It is possible to go mainstream; Moses, Noah, etc. However, it depends on the mass appeal not just the message.

Jan, do you think the mass appeal comes from the actors or the plot of the movie, or both? For example, if I got my dream cast of Adam Sandler and the Happy Madison crew, would that alone give it mass appeal, in your opinion? Thanks for your insight and comments.

@Jaime, fyi, Sandler is Jewish. Not sure if that impacts the faith-based messaging.

I think it comes back to who is your audience? I mean look at The Passion of The Christ. It knew the market it was made for. Depending on budget, and your willingness to be more than a writer, you may be able to get a mega-church to fund it. Throw some more mud on the wall and see what sticks.

@John, yep, which is why Jaime should consider whether his self-described "sheep in wolf's clothing" has enough overlap in its Venn diagram of audience crossover. He's trying to write what he calls a "mainstream comedy and a faith-based dramedy." Is it a real hybrid? We don't know because we haven't read it. Will the faith-based audience feel they're not getting enough of what they want? Will the non-religious dramedy audience get enough of what they want? Are you shortchanging both communities by trying to please both? Or will there be enough of a crossover audience? Should you pick one road (a la John's example of PASSION OF THE CHRIST)? PASSION was not trying to be both. PASSION embraced one target audience. Like I said before, has Jaime created a "feathered fish" or a "platypus" - neither one genre nor another, neither one target audience nor another. We don't know.

@Jaime, super analytical and reflective, btw, to recognize how the "sheep in wolf's clothing" is a potential problem.

thank you all for your responses and advice! You guys are great!

@Regina, the main character is my story IS Jewish. LOL. So, it's perfectly up Sandler's alley!!!

My screenplay, entitled "Suing God" is up on my page for you guys to read if interested. I didn't really TRY to write a movie that walks between the two camps, it just came out that way. I've been told it's got great structure and the story is good, characters are interesting, but It's been "passed" on by everyone. The last pitch session i did, the guy gave me "4's" all across the board(on a scale of 1-5), but said he couldn't "connect" with the material, so he passed. I understand that. I've been told that the faith-based aspect of the screenplay doesn't get heavy handed until the very end, but if you read the script, you will know why this is(hint: God actually speaks to my protagonist). Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think, guys. God bless you all and thanks again!!

@phil, no they haven't said my writing "sucks" lol. In fact, most have been pretty complimentary, aside from one person i pitched to that gave me "2's" all across the board. other than that, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

Jaime: Glad to hear that and I figured that was most likely the case. So for you, it's now a matter of persistence. Three months ago, I was trying to get to a big producer on my own. I thought, "I'll never get to this guy". Today, my colleague in LA got my script to the Executive VP of the company in question. My other colleague got another big company to agree to look at the project too. All in one day. If you believe in the material, then keep pushing forwards.

Jaime: I am a lifelong cinema lover, who studied filmmaking ages ago, and is just now wandering back to give it a go. This issue of faith and cinema is near and dear to my heart. While money, acting, directing, and cinematography have all been pointed at as culprits for why Christian films are not quite up to snuff, I believe that the genesis of the issue is in the writing. Too often, the message overrides the narrative, and the whole thing ends up too "on the nose." I am VERY interested in things that engage a believing perspective, but don't fall into the "sermonizing" trap. Because of the current state of affairs, I find myself often looking to films that aren't out of the Christian subculture to find well-handled faith subjects. For instance, one of my favorites would have to be Shyamalan's "Signs". Gibson's gritty performance makes gold out of a strong script that deftly handles the texture of a man in a difficult place in his relationship with God. Have you ever seen "Henry Poole is Here"? More Catholic-flavored than I generally go for, but it too handles things in an interesting way. Michael Apted's "Amazing Grace" was a good historical drama. (The guy is an Oscar winner.) "Ushpizin" is Jewish (ultra orthodox couple in Jerusalem), but it handles the subtle textures of the faith walk with far more earnest, delicate, sensitivity than I've ever seen from the Christian movie subculture. Have you seen "Believe Me"? It's made by a Christian filmmaker. It takes the modern comedy path, and offers some rather sharp critique along the way. None of these films is the pinnacle of what I think faith based film could be, and I have criticisms for all of them, but all touch the potential in some way, and don't fit into the standard mold. I see them as things I can learn from. So the upshot is, don't just collapse it into a standard-issue faith-based film, but push the boundaries and go for something more. We need more screenwriters who will venture outside of the standard subculture tropes. I may have to check out your screenplay.

thanks! feel free to read it. i'll look up those films you suggested!!

Both. For example, "Man Trouble" ... even Nicholson and Barkin couldn't save the script.