ALR Script, “MARKETING WITHIN THE FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY: How to Break Through and Make it Stick”

TDJ MEGAFEST FAITH AND FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL

August 29, 2013, 2:00 – 3:30 PM

ALR Marketing Seminar Fodder

o Ken Woodward, long-time religion editor for Newsweek, now retired, used to say that he was a theologian of culture.

· Gus Niebuhr, former religion editor of the New York Times, doesn’t believe in significant parochial religious news by itself – he doesn’t feel that religious news can be done in a vacuum because it’s imbedded in the culture.

He suggests Christian communicators look at religion as a shaping force in what happens in society. To sell a story about your organization, you need to look at where your publication or ministry intersects other forces like politics, economics, business, social development, etc.

ALR SCRIPT

o ATTABOYS

· First, I want to extend highest kudos to Bishop T. D. Jakesfor his aggressive and progressive vision in convening the first International Faith and Family Film Festival as part of the ninth annual Megafest here in Dallas.

· Second, I want to thank my good friend and long-time colleague, Tom Allen of Allied Faith and Family, for the invitation to join him and distinguished media peers on this panel.

· Having read the CV’s of other panelists, I must say I feel like a “range ball in a box of Titleists…”

· Third, I want to commend Mary Claire Kendall of Forbes, for her leadership in directing the preparation and integration of this presentation and guiding our discussion this afternoon.

o By raise of hands, how many here are involved in the film industry?

· Specifically marketing/publicity/promotion of films to the faith community?

· How many are interested in doing so?

· How many media who cover faith, culture or entertainment?

o ALRC Pedigree

· Following five years in mainstream corporate and agency public relations, for the past 32 years I have had the challenge and privilege to restore “faith in the media” by providing cross-over communications at the intersection of faith and culture in the context of traditional news values that reporters need to communicate with their audiences.

· In the process, hopefully we have been able to give Christian messages relevance and meaning in mainstream media, including a number of faith and family films that represent “values-added entertainment.”

· But, we have also operated in the reverse direction, representing individuals and organizations with a vital message targeting the Christian community.

· That includes working with Mel Gibson and Icon Productions on publicity for “The Passion of The Christ,” Jeffrey Katzenberg and Dreamworks on “Prince of Egypt” – even the Weinstein Company on a post-apocalyptic story, “The Road,” eponymously based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy.

· More recently, we have been helping The Discovery Channel position their stunning series, “Planet Earth” among faith audiences, and crisis communications on “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.”

DISCUSSION (40 mins.)

A. So, where have we been? What was the catalyst for marketing to the faith-based community?

· Years ago there was a Church Commission that worked hand in glove with the film industry on pending projects, but the Church abandoned Hollywood in the 1960s.

1. In the late 60s our nation was changing and so was cinema. According to Ted Baehr, alongside the progress of civil rights, which we celebrated with the 50thanniversary of MLKs speech yesterday, a new kind of American film was emerging – frank and open. Amid society’s expanding freedoms, the movie industry’s restrictive regime of self-censorship couldn’t stand. Former Johnson aide, Jack Valenti was made president of the MPAA, and that same year sweeping revisions were made to the Hays code to reflect changing social mores, resulting in the rating system that still stands.

2. The next, more recent benchmark happened around the turn of the millennium, parents started writing letters to government officials complaining about their 8-12 kids gaining admission to R-rated movies.

· Direct correlation between decay of moral values (increase in crime and sexual activity) and kids’ access to these films. Congress discussed passing a law that would prohibit theaters from selling tickets (or at least fine them), but the theaters pleaded against legal intervention, said they’d self-police.

· At end of 2000, early 2001, theaters started posting off-duty officers in front of R-rated cinemas in order to check kids’ IDs.

· In the first 6 months, there was a 40% decline in R-rated film revenue.

· 2001 – “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy

a. $93 million, PA $85, $47 Open, $315 dmestic $555 abroad, total gross $871 m gross

2002, LOR “Twin Towers” Budget $94m, PA $75 $926 worldwide

2003, “ .”Sherwood first attempt at theatrical – out of collection plate, told them there was a market

2003, LoR “Return of King” Budget $94m PA #75 Gross $1.2,

1. The Passion of The Christ

· Budget $25m $84m opening weekend, $611, 899 worldwide

· No Hollywood distributor would show that film

· 4 meetings with Fox, 2 with Fox distribution

· Screening in Washington, DC – Sen. Rick Santorum said, “This film needs to be seen.”

· Rupert Murdoch said, “If I distribute this film, I will be out of business in two years.”

· Every distributor turned it down, so Mel distributed it himself:

o $73 million opening weekend

o Every studio head said, “Expletive, I didn’t knew there was a market for this – get me a Jesus movie.”

“The Passion of the Christ,” a watershed event in the realm of faith-based filmmaking, set a high bar and unraveled the “mystery” of the Gospel, rather than the “hit ‘em over the head with a frying pan” approach. The moniker for its distributor, Newmarket Films, became almost prophetic, as Hollywood realized that the Church, including some 100 million Evangelicals, represents a previously unseen or unrecognized “new market.” Indeed two years after “Passion” smashed attendance records, 19 Christian films hit theaters.

THE MARKET:

· Today, Christians represent 85 percent of the American population, of which some 100 Million Evangelicals have a combined household disposable income of 2.1 trillion.

B. How has it developed and where are we now?

· In the 60s and 70s, some 70% of films released in theaters were R-rated films. Today, only 38% of films released are given the R rating.

· This all started in 2001 with the release of “The Lord of the Rings”

· 41% of films released these days are PG-13 films, another 21 % are G, meaning that 62% of all films released are not R-rated films.

· A 2012 report by Movieguide claimed that the stronger the Christian worldview in the film, the more money it made. In fact, in 2011, their report asserts that the Christian-motivated movies, on average, earned four times as much in box office returns – $64.3 million as opposed to $15.9 million.

· For the urban market, Tyler Perry’s ten faith-based films, all shot on a short time frame and all low budget, (first five totaled $132 million) brought in $532 million at the box office, approaching nearly $1 billion when you throw in DVD Sales.

· Our host, Bishop TD Jakes, is a successful producer himself, with three films grossing $54.8 million on a combined budget of $13.9 million to his credit.

· About this film festival, Bishop said, “Americans are looking for wholesome entertainment that reflects the values they practice and teach their children every day; we're filling that void. In hosting this inaugural annual event, he wants to encourage studios and the rising number of faith and family-based film companies to help this type of entertainment grow.”

Where are we headed?

· Two genres: faith and family

· Within those are two categories:

o Christian entertainment

o Trojan Horse

· Sherwood pictures is a brand-building anomaly (like Worldwide Pictures), not “real life” but Christian entertainment, which they have done well.

· Anything that comes out now under that brand, there will be an audience for. They have been successful in marketing it.

· With book sales, signing a pledge to be a good father, they are building a database; 5 million database, 50 % will buy a DVD at $10.00 so we have $25 million budget to make a movie. Real simple; Readers’ Digest approach. Very successful at guerrilla marketing, and they have been successful with it.

· Bible mini-series:

o 11.7 million viewers opening night

o 17 million viewers closing night

o 100 million cumulative

o over 3 million Millenials

o over 500,000 DVD’s sold in first week, 1 million in 10 days @ $40.00

o NBC picked up Bible, part 2

· Announced coming:

o Mark Burnett, “The Bible” movie

o Ben Hur - MGM

o Moses – Ridley Scott

o Noah

o Paul

o Cain and Able – Will Smith in development

o Mary, Mother of Christ

o Pontius Pilate, Warner Brothers.

· Difference between a film that makes it or not?

NEW SUGGESTED QUESTIONS (more over-arching)

· What are the most effective strategies, at this point in the evolution of the practice, and what more is needed to mount a successful campaign that reaches this market?

· Advice to Studios?

· Used to be bellcow leaders were important. Getting harder to do that.

· Not a seal of approval, up to every project to do the heavy lifting directly.

· Take a page out of Mark and Roma. Not a tv/radio you couldn’t see for 1 ½ years. Results in the bottom line.

o Building public awareness is expensive and needs professionals to do it

o Now they can predict weekend box office by number of tweets and Facebook likes.

o We live in a different world in ability to promote films and create publicity.

o Theatrical release, difficult anymore:

§ Regency – five trailers. Two attached to film being displayedfor studio showing film; two contacted by Universal, Paramount, 2-3 others, have long-term paid positions. Only one trailer position for independents.

§ How good is your distributors relationship with the theater owner to get you position.

§ You are communicating with someone in the theatre, asking them to get in their car next week and come see your film.

· Used to be easy to market films on 4 or 5 outlets. Now 20 full time cable networks broadcasting devotional material.

· LEAH’S FIVE POINTS

5 Megafest Panel Talking Points: The Five “Ps” of Marketing a Faith-Based Film

1. Popularity

2. Promotion

3. Patterns

4. Purpose

5. Positioning

#1: Popularity

-Is my subject matter trendy/on-point with current concerns?

-Is my message relevant? Does it add value to the discussion?

-Does my film appeal to issues the faithful care about? Is my message too preachy?

-Does my film correctly prioritize “message” versus entertainment value?

#2: Promotion

-Have you started early? Do you have a grassroots appeal?

-Have you approached all angles of the media? Including:

-Christian print and broadcast media

-Christian influencers in social media

-Mainstream/secular print and broadcast media

-Secular influencers in social media

-Prominent bloggers and movie reviewers?

-Pastor screenings and Bible studies are becoming a less effective strategy, but are you allocating an appropriate amount of energy into that arena?

-Does your film have content to which denominational leaders might object (alcohol, smoking, sexual situations, profanity, off-color jokes)?

-If so, is there a “family friendly” version you can offer to churches for use in Bible studies or sermons?

-Is there possibility for controversy with your film? Can you exploit that controversy and pitch op-eds to prominent print outlets?

-Can you screen an early cut of your film to a wide variety of viewers, with the ability to re-edit if responses are negative?

#3: Patterns

-Does the genre of your film have a built-in audience? Example from The Chronicles of Narnia: “If you like the books, you’ll love the movie”

-Are there recent analogues to your film in the mainstream media (for example, a sports movie raking in box office sales)? How can you emulate their marketing strategies?

-Does your film have a “brand” or “franchise” appeal? Sequels have proven to be reliably lucrative for Hollywood.

#4: Purpose

-Does your film have a cause or call-to-action associated with it? If so, consider announcing that the proceeds of the film will go to a nonprofit (people outside the church are suspicious of churches as fund recipients)

-Young people, especially college students, will get behind causes. Using the example of “Invisible Children,” consider speaking at chapel and convocation events at Christian universities, and hosting screenings at a variety of public campuses

-Conduct interviews with prominent radio and podcast hosts highlighting the film’s cause/call-to-action

#5: Positioning

-To sum up, tailor your marketing campaign to your film’s aesthetic and to your intended audience:

Millennials? Appear as a guest on a prominent Youtube channel, publish op-eds/features in online publications they read. Do a podcast tour.

Does your film have an independent vibe? Go with a more grassroots, word-of-mouth approach.

Mainstream-style epic? Invest in quality trailers and television spots, and get your actors and producers into on-screen interviews.

· faith and family market? Can you share some case studies?

CASE STUDIES

ALRC has worked with a variety of films throughout the years helping to develop and implement strategic public relations plans for effectively informing, educating and motivating audiences to develop an interest in the movie. Below are case studies of the Agency’s involvement in key faith-based films.

Case Study #1: “The Passion of the Christ”

Situation

In 2004, Mel Gibson revolutionized Hollywood with “The Passion of the Christ,” dramatically portraying the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus. Through this film, Gibson hoped to capture the passion of Christ by realistically portraying His sufferings just as they occurred, focusing on His intense and brutal crucifixion – as detailed in the Bible. Not since the “Golden Age” of Hollywood had a strictly-religious film succeeded at the box office.

Knowing critics – both Christian and secular – would be scrutinizing every detail, Gibson spent $25 million of his own money in an effort to ensure the accuracy of the story.

Foreseeing the importance of gaining support from national Christian influentials; denominational and diocesan leaders; and local grassroots priests and pastors, Gibson and Icon Productions sought to mend the strained relationship between the Church and Hollywood that had been created through the years, and help national leaders see value in the film, so they would be motivated to convey “permission” for their constituency to go see it.

PR Plan

ICON Productions hired ALRC to execute a comprehensive public relations plan for the Christian market while working in tandem with several other secular firms promoting the film. ALRC targeted publicity towards two specific audiences – Christian media and Christian leaders – in support of direct promotional emphases to churches.

In order to reach Christian print, ALRC sent media releases weighing in on the controversy surrounding the film and Gibson’s personal story behind the making of the film. We secured the first long-form feature story and interview on the film with The New Yorker magazine and subsequently the first AP wire feature. ALRC sought to help media understand the heart of Gibson, which was not to make another entertaining film but to bring the story of Christ to mass audiences through a proven medium.

The Agency worked diligently to invite appropriate media representatives to grassroots screenings, and assisted another firm in securing television interviews – both Christian and secular – for film spokespersons.

ALRC took this same strategy to gain support from Christian leaders who could endorse “The Passion” as a legitimate religious film. ALRC worked to coordinate pastor screenings with Gibson, moderating post-screening Q & A talkback sessions for him to personally share his own personal passion for the biblical story.

The Agency also worked to secure Gibson as a speaker at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention and one of the Global Pastor’s Network Conferences, helping broaden his reach.

Results

“The Passion of the Christ” achieved that ‘perfect storm’ of media coverage brought about by saturation of the Christian audience, a comprehensive marketing campaign, and enough controversy to draw the interest of secular press. Christian audiences helped “prime the pump” for mainstream audiences to follow in order to reach critical mass at the box office.

Counting just the religious print and internet media, The Agency facilitated coverage in more than 340 print or online publications, reaching a readership of more than 50 million. More importantly, the Gospel became unavoidable in our culture as thousands of churches provided support ancillary to Icon’s efforts to provide resources and answer questions generated by the film among audiences hearing this story for the first time.

“The Passion of the Christ” remains the highest grossing religious film of all time, bringing in more than $370 million in the U.S. alone and a total of more than $611 million worldwide.

Case Study #2: “Jesus Camp”

Situation

In September 2006, Magnolia Pictures released the controversial documentary, “Jesus Camp.” The film highlights the life-changing experience of three young children, Levi, Tory and Rachael, attending the Rev. Becky Fischer’s “Kids on Fire” summer camp in Devil’s Lake, N.D. Fischer, a Pentecostal children’s pastor, began the charismatic Christian camp in 2001 to teach children how to nurture their evangelical Christian beliefs, hone their “prophetic gifts” and impact the nation by “taking back America for Christ.”

Upon its release, “Jesus Camp” garnered criticism from both left-wing secularists and conservative Christians. In addition, several notable Christian leaders expressed great opposition to the film within the Christian community.

PR Plan

Recognizing this opposition, Magnolia Pictures hired ALRC to create awareness of the film among Christian media, but more importantly to help educate secular and Christian audiences alike about the section of charismatic Christians portrayed within the film, helping to “paint the stripes on the field” to explain that Charismatics don’t reflect Evangelicalism on the whole, but only a small sliver of one strand.

Working with Magnolia Pictures and their internal publicity team, ALRC immediately compiled effective press materials to help educate media about Evangelical Christianity and the charismatic faith. These materials were sent to Christian film reviewers, Christian print and broadcast reporters, and posted on an online media Web site. In addition, the materials were used to educate secular publicists and the mainstream audience.

In addition to pro-actively distributing these materials, ALRC actively followed both Christian and secular media to determine news stories that inaccurately portrayed facts about the documentary or its subject matter. Upon seeing such stories, ALRC worked to contact the reporters to correct misconceptions and inaccurate material, coordinating interviews with Fischer or the producers when necessary.

ALRC worked to secure broadcast interviews, helping to tell both the producer’s desire to make an unbiased documentary and Fischer’s passion for reaching children with the message of Christ.

Results

In the midst of controversy, “Jesus Camp” attracted media exposure across the board – from liberal to conservative audiences, and secular to Christian. At the end of a three-month campaign, more than 40 national and local media outlets covered “Jesus Camp,” including The Wall Street Journal, Charisma magazine, Religion Newswire Service, The Associated Press, “The Alan Colmes Radio Show,” Christian Broadcasting News, Beliefnet.com and ChristianityToday.com, causing a buzz around the country about this limited-release documentary. As a result of media coverage and ticket sales, Magnolia Pictures was able to double the amount of opening markets the documentary released within just a few short weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Case Study #3: “The Road”

Situation

With films such as “Nine,” “Inglorious Bastards,” and “Halloween II,” The Weinstein Company is unapologetically a secular company. But, with the production of “The Road,” a film adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize Winning book by the same name, the Weinstein Company saw an opportunity to reach out to the faith market because of the deep spiritual elements of the film.

The Weinstein Company engaged A. Larry Ross Communications to help identify the resounding spiritual themes in “The Road” and to communicate those elements to the faith community.

PR Plan

In order to market “The Road,” an R-rated film, to the faith community, ALRC identified a new genre of secular films that would be pertinent to the Christian audience. While “The Road” was not a Christian film that helped confirm one’s faith or one that might be used as a witnessing tool, it did present overarching theological and philosophical questions that could lead to serious discussions about God between believers and non-believers.

In order to help facilitate these discussions and present these deep-seated spiritual and moral issues, ALRC worked with several respected theologians specializing in eschatology and cultural apologetics to create sermon and study guides and discussion questions and answers about “The Road.”

In addition to the media outreach to faith-based publications, ALRC also coordinated an extensive grassroots outreach to churches and pastors across the country. ALRC hosted 15 advance pastor screenings in key markets and coordinated post-screening discussions lead by a theologian.

Results

ALRC reached out to over 27,000 pastors and personally contacted over 6,000 by telephone. As a result, over 1,000 pastors attended a screening of “The Road.”

Reviews about “The Road” and its overlying spiritual themes were posted in Christian publications including Christianity Today, Catholic Digest, Christian Post, Crosswalk.com, on Christian movie review sites including Pass the Popcorn and HollywoodJesus.com and television networks including TBN. Secular news outlets including CNN, FOX News, Entertainment Weekly and the Huffington Post also covered the spiritual themes presented in the film and the reasons why Christians should see the film.

Ex: Lost Tomb of Jesus

- While working on “Planet Earth,” Discovery Channel execs contacted us to evaluate how to minimize potential opposition within the faith community to another program scheduled to air, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.”

Having collaborated with liberal theologians involved on this project, they assumed they could get a Christian leader or two to come out in support.

However, upon viewing the program, it was obvious they misunderstood the market, which would see this program as an attack on the foundations of the faith, not majoring in distinctives without a difference.

I wrote an eight-page memorandum, suggesting visuals that needed to be deleted from the final cut and documenting how this program would be problematic for Christians as its premise undermined the foundation of our faith – some of which they incorporated into the version that aired.

Because they were contractually bound to air the program, in order to protect the network, I further suggested they immediately air a discussion program that presents alternative interpretations of the evidence. That way, The Discovery Channel would remain “fair and balanced” by letting the viewer decide.

As you may know, good for the Discovery Channel, they did just that, with a hard-hitting program hosted by Ted Koppel. Included on the panel was Dr. Darrel Bock, NT professor at Dallas Seminary – another of our clients, whom we had put forth as a source expert to provide the Christian party line.

2011 case study - Movieguide

Last year Fox News.com ran a story about the best recipe for box office and DVD sales success, based on an annual Movieguide study:

· In 2011, pro-America sentiment mixed with conservative values and faith-centered themes equaled a hit.

· That year, American audiences preferred movies with strong conservative content and values over movies with liberal or left-leaning values by an almost six-to-one margin.

· The study also claimed that the stronger the Christian worldview in the film, the more money it made.

· In fact, Movieguide’s report asserts that the Christian-motivated movies, on average, earned four times as much in box office returns – $64.3 million as opposed to $15.9 million.

· According to World mag, “Most people dedicated to a particular faith are likely to find the violence, substance abuse, sexual immorality, and mocking of traditional values in most modern movies offensive." "The rare well-made film that offers the opposite is going to appeal to church-goers of every stripe."

· Baehr said, “When we started Movieguide in 1985, there were only one or two movies being made with a strong, explicit Christian content or values, but now there are well over 50 each year. “Every studio now has a Christian film division, and several studios are doing major movies with strong Christian content. And now all of the major studios, not just Disney, are making movies for young children and families.”

· Baehr also pointed out that more than three quarters of Americans (238 million people) and 2.3 billion people globally, identify themselves as Christians, and Hollywood is finally starting to realize that this niche is an important one.

· Media scholar Dr. Ted Baehr of the Christian Film & Television Commission concludes many in Hollywood have lost touch with Middle America, as they don’t know how to market to the average American, who is a churchgoing Christian believing in God, country and family.

· “Year in and year out, our statistics show moviegoers prefer family-friendly movies with positive Christian, wholesome, patriotic, conservative and traditional moral values,” Baehr said. “They want to see Good triumph over Evil, Justice to prevail, Truth to defeat Falsehood and Purity to conquer Lust.“

· What have you tried that hasn’t worked particularly well?

How has the faith marketplace changed in the last decade (since THE PASSION) in terms of its receptivity to Hollywood movie pitches?

TPOTC

· No Hollywood distributor would show that film

· 4 meetings with Fox, 2 with Fox distribution

· Screening in Washington, DC – Sen. Rick Santorum said, “This film needs to be seen.”

· Rupert Murdoch said, “If I distribute this film, I will be out of business in two years.”

· Every distributor turned it down, so Mel distributed it himself:

o $73 million opening weekend

o Every studio head said, “Expletive, I didn’t knew there was a market for this – get me a Jesus movie.”

· Traditional pastor screening doesn’t work anymore. Pastors have been burned by marginal Christian films or films they felt they couldn’t endorse.

· Two reasons why a pastor will get behind a

· Most films Hollywood says to pastor, you bring me your audience, put people in seats and derive revenue for me.

· We are working on some projects to give to denominations and they can own it. Here’s a tool, use it.

· Jesus film – Catholic Church gave away 5 million.

· How can filmmakers listening to you here today make sure their marketing campaigns stick?

· Start by making good films that benefit the faith community.

· A wolf in sheeps clothing is still a wolf; no amount of marketing can change that.

· LARRY POLAND – MOST CHRISTIAN FILM MAKERS TAKE A PORNOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO THEIR CRAFT.

· ENTERTAINMENT IS UPSTREAM FROM POLITICS. BY THE TIME IT GETS TO DC, MADE INTO LAW, VALUES ARE ALREADY FORMED.

· GO BY MULTIPLEX AT 11 AM ON SUNDAY MORNING, PARKING LOT IS FULL – THAT IS WHERE PEOPLE GO TO CHURCH, WHERE VALUES ARE FORMED.

· THAT MAKES FILM PRODUCERS THE NEW HIGH PRIESTS OF OUR CULTURE.

· IMPACT OF A FILM IS LESS ABOUT THE ANSWERS GIVEN THAN THE QUESTIONS ASKED, WHICH YOU CAN DISCUSS OVER COFFEE WITH SOMEONE WHO WOULD NEVER GO TO CHURCH WITH YOU BUT WILL ATTEND A FILM.

· PROVIDE RESOURCES TO START A SPIRITUAL CONVERSATION IN THE WORKPLACE OR COMMUNITY.

· FAITH FILM IS ONE THING FAR EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS – ENTERTAINMENT AND VALUES IMPARTATION.

P_r_e_v_i_o_u_s_ _s_u_g_g_e_s_t_e_d_ _q_u_e_s_t_i_o_n_s_ _(_m_o_r_e_ _d_e_t_a_i_l_e_d_,_ _a_n_a_l_y_t_i_c_)_:_

_

“W_h_a_t_ _w_o_u_l_d_ _y_o_u_ _s_a_y_ _a_r_e_ _t_h_e_ _m_a_j_o_r_ _c_o_m_p_o_n_e_n_t_s_ _o_f_ _t_h_e_ _‘f_a_i_t_h_-_b_a_s_e_d_’ _m_a_r_k_e_t_?_” _

“D_o_ _t_h_e_y_ _k_n_o_w_ _e_a_c_h_ _o_t_h_e_r_ _a_n_d_ _w_o_r_k_ _t_o_g_e_t_h_e_r_ _a_t_ _a_l_l_?_” _

“A_r_e_ _a_g_e_n_c_i_e_s_ _m_o_r_e_ _a_d_e_p_t_ _a_t_ _r_e_a_c_h_i_n_g_ _s_o_m_e_ _o_f_ _t_h_e_s_e_ _m_o_r_e_ _t_h_a_n_ _o_t_h_e_r_s_?_” _

“A_r_e_ _a_l_l_ _t_h_e_ _f_i_l_m_s_ _t_h_a_t_ _g_e_t_ _m_a_r_k_e_t_e_d_ _t_o_ _t_h_e_ _s_p_a_c_e_ _w_o_r_t_h_y_ _o_f_ _t_h_e_ _f_a_i_t_h_ _m_a_r_k_e_t_’s_ _s_u_p_p_o_r_t_?_” _“H_o_w_ _d_o_ _a_g_e_n_c_i_e_s_ _d_e_c_i_d_e_ _w_h_i_c_h_ _f_i_l_m_s_ _t_o_ _m_a_r_k_e_t_?_” _

“I_s_ _t_h_e_r_e_ _a_r_e_ _‘s_e_a_l_ _o_f_ _a_p_p_r_o_v_a_l_’ _t_h_a_t_ _g_r_o_u_p_s_ _c_a_n_ _r_e_f_e_r_ _t_o_ _i_n_ _h_e_l_p_i_n_g_ _t_h_e_m_ _d_e_c_i_d_e_ _w_h_i_c_h_ _f_i_l_m_s_ _t_o_ _e_m_b_r_a_c_e_?_” _

AUDIENCE Q&A (25 MINUTES DISCUSSION

Faith and Family Film Publicity Potential

1. When approaching secular media on behalf of a ministry, we try to lead with elements that don’t require a reporter to be of like mind and faith to see it as news.

a. Ex: entertainment vs. religion editor

2. Understand and leverage the Power of Story –

- John 20:30 – And Jesus did many other signs.. these are written that you might believe

- Stories are the vessels of meaning; each sign had SIGN-ificance, written that we might believe

- Every story has a beginning, middle and an end.

3. Don’t Confuse Good Intent with Good Content

4. Recognize Colliding Worldviews between Ministry and Media:

- They represent Zeitgeist – Spirit of the Times; we represent the Holy Spirit

5. Don’t forget the third leg of the communications stool:

· What is your message

· Who is your audience

· What are they trying to do when you are trying to reach them?

6. Affinity marketing – FAITH COMMUNITY IS NOT MONOLITHIC, BUT STRIATED.

7. LARRY POLAND – MOST CHRISTIAN FILMAKERS TAKE A PORNOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO THEIR CRAFT.

8.

Exclusive Op-ed Submission

To Huffington Post by

A. Larry Ross, August 28, 2013

(738 words)

T. D. JAKES’ INTERNATIONAL FAITH AND FAMILY FILM

FESTIVAL SEEKS TO SCRATCH A SOCIETAL ITCH

Bishop T.D. Jakes launches the inaugural International Faith and Family Film Festival, August 29-31, as part of his ninth annual Megafest event, held for the first time in Dallas this week.

“Americans are looking for wholesome entertainment that reflects the values they practice and teach their children every day; we're filling that void,” said Jakes, a successful producer himself, with three films grossing $43.2 million on a combined budget of $13.9 million to his credit. “We want to encourage studios and the rising number of faith and family-based film companies to help this type of entertainment grow.”

The festival will screen eight films, concluding Saturday with a Red Carpet premiere of the biopic, “Winnie Mandela.” It promises to draw some of today’s best filmmakers, with panel discussions aimed at helping industry professionals produce films capable of reaching beyond faith-based audiences to the mainstream.

In the session titled, “Marketing Within the Faith-Based Community,” faith-based media experts will explore how to put such films on the radar of the faith community and mainstream audiences. Given recent box office disappointments for summer tent-pole releases, the challenges are significant.

The 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote that humankind was created with a God-shaped void that can only be truly filled by God Himself. And yet, individuals — especially young people — are leaving the Church in record numbers.

A 2012 Pew Research Center study revealed that though 68 percent of Generation Y young adults under 30 want to believe in something larger than themselves, over one-third self-identify as “spiritual,” but religiously unaffiliated. If these ‘Millennials” want to believe in something larger than themselves, but aren’t in church, then where are they going?

To the movies…

According to the Barna Group, young adults ages 18 to 28 make up the largest box office demographic, seeing 3.4 films a year to the average adult’s 1.7. Evangelicals represent the second-largest movie-going group, averaging 2.7 films per year. But neither group are seeing faith-based movies churches wish they’d attend; rather big budget adventure films dominate their choices, especially those that play out on the grandest scale imaginable: Good vs. Evil.

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Art often imitates life, reflecting whatever values, concerns and fears society holds at any given time. Films often provide an escape from one reality into another as viewers identify with the protagonist, imaginatively and emotionally working through the same struggles they themselves encounter. Of the current top-ten highest-grossing films worldwide, eight are fantasy/sci-fi plots centering on conflict between villains who suppress freedom, and heroes who sacrificially defeat them. Such stories comfort us. They fill the void.

Bad art — films with an agenda to sell a message, or with poor writing, acting and production values regrettably common in many faith films — negates a story’s transformative power.

“The Passion of the Christ,” a watershed event in the realm of faith-based filmmaking, set a high bar and unraveled the “mystery” of the Gospel, rather than the “hit ‘em over the head with a frying pan” approach. The moniker for its distributor, Newmarket Films, became almost prophetic, as Hollywood realized that the Church, including some 100 million Evangelicals, represents a previously unseen or unrecognized “new market.” Indeed two years after “Passion” smashed attendance records, 19 Christian films hit theaters.

Media scholar Dr. Ted Baehr of the Christian Film & Television Commission concludes many in Hollywood have lost touch with Middle America, as they don’t know how to market to the average American, who is a churchgoing Christian believing in God, country and family.

“Year in and year out, our statistics show moviegoers prefer family-friendly movies with positive Christian, wholesome, patriotic, conservative and traditional moral values,” Baehr said. “They want to see Good triumph over Evil, Justice to prevail, Truth to defeat Falsehood and Purity to conquer Lust.“

Producer Bryan Hickox affirmed that making good films also makes good business sense. “While the movie industry produced 12 times more R-rated than G-rated films, the latter generated 11 times greater profit and three times return on investment than R-rated counterparts,” he said. “It’s a no-brainer.”

Jakes’ International Faith and Family Film Festival aims to provide a significant value-add to the discussion of how faith-based filmmakers should proceed with producing and marketing films to Christian and mainstream audiences. As these conversations unfold, it is important to recognize that these viewership poles are not so different from one another. In fact, they’ are barely poles at all, but rather two sides of one coin.

Larry Ross is President of A. Larry Ross Communications, a full-service agency providing crossover media liaison at the intersection of faith and culture. With more than 37 years’ experience influencing public opinion, Ross' mission is to "restore faith in media," by providing Christian messages relevance and meaning in mainstream media. He is a participant on the International Faith and Family Film Festival Marketing Panel.