It Is Time for FoxFaith
by Dr. Marc T. Newman
October 13, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Two weeks ago I issued an open letter to FoxFaith providing my unsolicited advice on what I perceived to be the challenges and opportunities before them in creating "Christian movies." Usually "open letters" are viewed as a chance for critics to carp, and serve more as a spleen vent than an actual dialogue. When you issue an "open letter" you rarely expect a response from your intended addressee.Within days of the appearance of the article I was contacted by the executive vice-president and general manager of 20th Century Fox's Home Entertainment division, Simon Swart, who graciously set up a teleconference for me with Jeff Yordy, the vice-president of marketing for FoxFaith and the person in charge of theatrical releases, and Steve Feldstein, senior vice-president of corporate and marketing communications for 20th Century Fox. The overriding sense I received from our conversation was that if these guys are not really intending to ultimately create and distribute quality, thoughtful, spiritually provocative films, then they are on the wrong side of this business -- they should be actors instead. I was assured by everyone at this meeting that acting was out of the question -- their faces, they said, were made for radio.
In order to grasp the meaning of the emergence of a brand like FoxFaith, it is useful to invoke a couple of theological terms: chronos and kairos. Both words refer to time. Chronos is what we all experience as chronological time. Kairos has in it the sense of timeliness, the right time, or a special time. Chronologically, FoxFaith may have a bumpy start, but it is headed in the right direction. More important is the kairos of FoxFaith and others who are entering the film market, and what their arrival on the entertainment scene could mean for the Church.
Stumbling Out of the Theatrical Gate but Ready to Run
The FoxFaith initiative came out of the Fox Home Entertainment division -- the DVD arm of the company. They recognized that the Christian market was underserved and determined to acquire and distribute DVDs designed to appeal to Christians. A good example of early success was the Love Comes Softly series adapted from the books by Janette Oke. These films, originally made for the Hallmark Channel, were well-received on DVD. Like the Little House on the Prairie television series it resembles (the films are directed by Michael Landon's son), the Love Comes Softly films are set in the late 1800s, as pioneer families struggled to carve out a life on the plains. But with Love's Abiding Joy (the latest in the Oke series), and through support of Gener8Xion Entertainment's One Night with the King, FoxFaith decided to take on the theatrical release market.
The films are uneven. Love's Abiding Joy was initially shot for television and it shows -- particularly in the editing, which includes appropriately spaced fade-outs throughout the film to accommodate the insertion of commercial messages. One Night with the King benefits from a larger budget and some good performances by well-known talent. Peter O'Toole is gripping in his brief appearance as the prophet Samuel. And while John Rhys-Davies as Mordecai is good, James Callis as the vengeful, scheming Haman is terrific. The script is often clunky (but no worse than some other films deemed worthy of wide release), and Tiffany DuPont as Esther is a lightweight amidst the more seasoned actors in the film (but head and shoulders above Jessica Simpson, who is wooden in a lousy film, Employee of the Month, that received a wider release than One Night with the King).
These early theatrical releases were a way of testing their distribution channels and capitalizing on the audience they had built though the earlier DVD releases. FoxFaith did not produce these films; they were acquired for the Home Entertainment Division. In continuing their move to theatrical releases, they will need to recognize that audiences will demand better production values. I expect that as budgets get bigger and they gain increased production control, the quality of the films will improve.
A Word to the Easily Disappointed
Some might see these early releases and conclude that we are headed for another round of "Jesus junk" films -- post-Passion of the Christ movies, like the latest installment of the Left Behind series, that are preachy and poorly made. Even though such films might be able to scare up a little box office, they are not the stuff you want to build a new brand around.
The question Christians need to ask is, "Where should we set the bar for success?" If Christians insist that all films coming from FoxFaith meet the standards represented by movies such as Chariots of Fire, Shadowlands, and The Passion of the Christ, then we are setting them up for failure. If that was the general litmus test for all studio releases, theaters would get about five or six films a year. Christians need to recognize that not every movie will be a blockbuster. Imagine if we used the same kind of standard for sermons. Let's face it, not even the best pastor hits it out of the park every week.
FoxFaith is a business with a mission, but they are still a business. They know that if they are going to succeed in theatrical release that they will have to make films that lots of people, not just Christians, will want to pay money to see. They don't have the resources for big budget films; but small budgets do not have to mean bad movies. Last year's Academy Award-winning film, Crash, was made for $6.5 million. Sling Blade was produced for $1 million. And big budgets are no guarantee of success. Last summer's Poseidon cost $160 million to make and it bombed. Success can't be measured by the budget -- it's about the story, and the skill of the storytellers. FoxFaith wants to make thoughtful, spiritually provocative films. Because of Winn-Dixie and End of the Spear -- two of the DVD titles they distribute -- set a good initial benchmark. And remember, if positive films are not supported, those empty screens will have to be occupied by something. A simple comparison might bring some clarity.
Here are the principles that filled the screen from the top-five movies at the box office last weekend. The Departed taught us that the police and FBI are corrupt to the core. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning demonstrated that horrifying evil is pervasive and relentless -- oh, and be wary of that Southern-speaking sheriff if you get into trouble out on the road. Open Season's message is that "hunting is bad" and destruction of hunters' personal property is funny. Employee of the Month, after making audiences endure hours of low-brow "humor" (it seemed like hours) tried vainly to teach that there is pride in a job well done. The Guardian revealed the value of self-sacrifice. Keeping score? Of these five top-grossing films only The Departed was lauded as competently made -- though I found it soulless and bleak. The cost of making these five films was well north of $200 million dollars.
Most of these films are mediocre or downright bad, and you only have to go back a week or two in order to cringe over Jackass: Number Two, The Covenant, Beerfest, Material Girls, and my personal vote for the worst film of the year: The Wicker Man. These movies all had wide releases. Even though Love's Abiding Joy and One Night with the King are significantly flawed theatrical films, either is superior to many other movies that have been deemed worthy of screen space. And rather than pander to the lowest common denominator, the FoxFaith films champion the use of law in the cause of justice, and model coping in the face of senseless tragedy, all while unabashedly offering faith as a normal component of life.
FoxFaith's early winter line-up looks promising, with a screen adaptation of Ted Dekker's thriller Thr3e and the drama The Last Sin Eater. The budgets are small, so it won't take much to turn a profit. If they are bad, I will be the first to say so. But I think that FoxFaith deserves a little time to get its production schedule ramped up. The true test of their intentions will come when they deliver the films over which they have exerted production control from development to release.
What Movies Should Do
No one at FoxFaith is trying to sell a line to Christians like Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite: "If you come see our films, all of your wildest dreams will come true." Too many Christians expect films to do too much. When people go to the movies, they want to be entertained. All I am hoping for from these new releases is opportunity. I want films moving enough to evoke conversation. Movies should challenge people to examine their lives and their spiritual presuppositions, not because the film shoves it down their throats, but because they identify with the characters and get caught up in the world created by the movie. Later, over coffee, such films can serve as springboards.
Jeff Yordy emphasized that FoxFaith films are not designed to proselytize. That is great news. Heavy-handed films are boring, and commit the worst of cinematic sins -- they call attention to their methods. Transparently preachy films don't work. As Dorothy Sayers, the great writer who was also a Christian, noted, there is a place for preaching; it is called the pulpit. The screen is designed for telling stories. It is our responsibility to nurture friendships after the film and talk about exactly what those stories mean.
Why FoxFaith Matters
So, chronologically, FoxFaith is in its infancy, but it is planning for maturity. Christians must take care not to help strangle it in its cradle. But infinitely more important than the chronos is the kairos of FoxFaith. They have arrived at a most opportune time.
Music artists who are Christians, such as Switchfoot, are demonstrating a mastery of their craft that is appreciated by Christians and non-Christians alike. Film looks to be the next artistic medium where Christians will try to assert mastery. It may just be part of an occupational hazard, but I have met scores of Christian young people who are chomping at the bit to make their way into films. They want to be directors, producers, screenwriters, and actors. They are running around city streets with mid-quality digital movie cameras, employing drama-student friends as actors, and doing post-production of their own films on powerful home computers running Final Cut Pro. Christian campuses are investing millions of dollars to provide interested majors with professional-quality studio equipment, sound stages, and non-linear editing facilities. Their beautiful, challenging movies are being showcased at student film competitions such as the Angelus Film Awards. And they are coming to Hollywood.
FoxFaith's timely emergence means that a powerful distribution arm now exists for faith-informed films -- both on DVD as well as theatrical releases. Studios tend to copy what they see working elsewhere, so it is only a matter of time before some other studios follow suit. Our focus cannot be solely on the studios, however. If now is the time for great filmmakers to arise from within the Christian community, it is the obligation of the Church to encourage and support them. It is the duty of would-be directors, screenwriters, and actors to pay their dues and bend their wills to improve their craft by learning from the best in the business. Our single-minded aim must be to glorify God in the works of our hands, and He desires excellence from His children.
Now is the Time
If Christians want to see, and introduce others to, transformational films, we can't just sit around grousing about their lack and expect them to spontaneously appear. We need to get busy and make them. We certainly cannot excuse ourselves from the work by complaining that no one wants to distribute them. Industry professionals who are Christians have an ally in FoxFaith. Now we need to prove that we are worthy of their trust. We have the transcendent underpinnings of the greatest stories ever told. Following in the imaginative footsteps of Dante, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, Charles Williams, and J.R.R. Tolkien, we can bring to life stories that can entertain in every sense of that word. This is the timely moment. We need to seize it.
Marc T. Newman, PhD (marc@movieministry.com) is the president of MovieMinistry.com -- an organization that provides sermon and teaching illustrations from popular film, and helps the Church use movies to reach out to others and connect with people.
