|
This past month I was reading about the backlash over a filler found in most ground beef called "lean finely textured beef" or "pink slime". The stuff is basically made from the electronically separated bits of the cow carcass that are treated with ammonium gas to kill the germs. What is left is technically ground beef, but is not the most appetizing. If you don't believe me then take a look here
While I was driving home from work yesterday it suddenly occurred to me that Christian movies are just like pink slime. 1 - They both have been sanitized. I'm not sure where it happens in the film making process, but it seems that at some point every Christian film is washed in that cloud of ammonium gas. The result is something clean, sanitized and safe for the whole family to eat. 2 - They both don't look very appetizing - So you're at the multiplex on a Friday night with $10 burning in your pocket. Quick what do you go see? Fireproof or Eagle Eye? Courageous or Moneyball? October Baby or The Hunger Games? Hollywood knows how to sell the sizzle on their steak. 3 - They both suffer from bad public perception. "It's 100% beef" cry the pink slime manufacturers. Sure, but it looks gross. "It's a great movie for the entire family" yeah it may be 100% movie but that doesn't mean I want to consume it. Great restaurants normally boil down to one thing, how good is the food. Serve up a big plate of pink slime enough times and your are out of business. The same way people don't go to a restaurant to eat an inferior meal, people don't want to go to the movies to watch an inferior film. People want to be entertained, to get lost in a story and its characters. The best way to reach people with your film is to make it with excellence and integrity. Quality does still matter, and all that starts with a great story and not with a big steaming bowl of pink slime.
10 Comments
Ralph
4/4/2012 08:12:33 am
great comparison -thanks!
Bobby
4/4/2012 08:20:59 am
In a nutshell!
Kelly
4/5/2012 07:55:37 am
No disrespect but I feel this is a broad generalization and perhaps fails to take into consideration a christian film maker's level of personal comfort zone\conviction...I have watched many Christian films that drew me into the story. As a parent, I welcome ' family friendly' stories with teachable subjects without having to explain things on too mature a level. if a person loves making films but feels they must honor God with the content, I feel it isn't exactly Christian love to liken that to something unappetizing or unhealthy. If a person makes Christian film as their fulfillment to share the Gospel, I see harsh criticism akin to skipping over the heart of a man's sermon to list the# of times he said "Um" I agree that quality is important and think reality should make it obvious that most filmmakers with a message are utilizing substantially smaller budgets than major studios... This argument rings to me like the old hymns vs contemporary music debate...boils down to prefrence and not necessarily content...I am in no easy a christian film maker, dint know any and watch movies made by all the mainstream folks as well as lots of indie, sundance type stuff...i just dint think it is a balanced consideration of what Christian film us meant to be...less like pink slime in my book, more like the organic health section in Kroger-for a select few who prefer soy to dairy ;) Happy Easter! He is risen from the dead, and He is Lord!
Alan Tregoning
4/6/2012 06:49:12 am
Hi Kelly, Thanks for taking the time to respond to my blog post. I appreciate your thoughts. I like your comparison to the organic health section of the grocery store. Well said. I do agree that I did make a broad generalization but that is because when is comes to Christian movies there is a broad perception that they are not going to be good. There are certainly some bright spots out there, I really enjoyed the movie "Luther" and "Amazing Grace" was pretty good too, but in general Christian film suffers from a poor reputation due to its inferior product. I don't think that low budgets are to blame, I have seen plenty of low budget films by mainstream filmmakers that are wonderful and I have seen larger budget films by Christian filmmakers that stink.
Kelly
4/7/2012 10:55:30 am
:) Thanks for the reply. I definitely understand where you're coming from and agree with the ideas behind it. I love a really good film...any type really. If it is good, it should transcend genre to a degree (like music, books, coffee...) if you're a believer, and I admit I'm not aware if you claim to be- you just came across my twitter feed... I believe we are called to build each other up with our words and ideas... If there is a call for change or better product, challenge can be issued in a way that may inspire filmmakers in positive ways...more flies with honey, as they say :)
Kelly
4/7/2012 10:55:42 am
:) Thanks for the reply. I definitely understand where you're coming from and agree with the ideas behind it. I love a really good film...any type really. If it is good, it should transcend genre to a degree (like music, books, coffee...) if you're a believer, and I admit I'm not aware if you claim to be- you just came across my twitter feed... I believe we are called to build each other up with our words and ideas... If there is a call for change or better product, challenge can be issued in a way that may inspire filmmakers in positive ways...more flies with honey, as they say :) 4/5/2012 01:34:03 pm
while i'm about to vomit from the grossness... i think you make some really good points. Leave a Reply. |
welcomeI am a screenwriter and a story teller. Jesus related to the culture of the day through simple stories that illustrated God's kingdom principles. My passion is to follow his example. Archives
December 2016
Categories |
RSS Feed
