All photographs courtesy of Nathaniel Bluedorn.

Alex (foreground) edits video/audio while Brett returns from a photo run. Photograph courtesy of Nathaniel Bluedorn.

Thus ends the Academy. Up next, the third annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

Sheryn Chavers (left) stands in line to address the panel.

During the panel discussion an attendee addressed the current lack in good actors for Christian films. The answers didn’t all come from the panel — but they were all encouraging.

First, the panel shared their belief that acting won’t be a problem in five years. The lack of solid Christian actors is largely due to the lack of solid Christian filmmakers. The Filmmakers Academy and Film Festival are designed to solve this problem by growing the market of Christian films.

Then, Stephen Kendrick, producer of “Facing the Giants” (who was not a member of the panel) shared some the five strategies they used for that film, which can help us in the meantime:

1.) We prayed hard. We prayed really hard that God would help our actors to act.

2.) We did a casting call. We had many people audition for each role. We would tell people upfront, “You’re not going to get this role.” And we would encourage them to “die to themselves” and accept that.

3.) We cast people into natural roles. We tried to cast everyone into roles that were similar to their natural personality. Then we encourage them to just be themselves.

4.) We shot a lot of takes. Most films shoot four takes of each scene and choose the best. We shot ten takes and then took the only one that worked!

5.) We edited to the best actor. If the bad actor was talking, we showed the better actor most of the time so that the audience is watching a good actor even if they’re hearing a bad actor.

Finally, in what we felt was the most exciting development of all, Sheryn Chavers, daughter of Dr. Nicky Chavers, President and Director of The Academy Of Arts Ministry, shared her father’s vision to equip young people to develop their acting abilities while embracing a solid, biblical orientation and philosophy.

With over 50,000 people each year participating in their program, The Academy Of Arts is a treasure trove for filmmakers who are looking for actors and for actors who are looking for training in an environment where their beliefs won’t be compromised.

The Academy Of Arts Website

Geoff Botkin, Ken Carpenter, David Rasmussen, Isaac Botkin, and Doug Phillips; five wise men.

In the last session on music and sound, 17-year-old Benjamin Botkin improvised an accompaniment to an old silent film on the sythesizer. A very impressive and entertaining performance.

Geoff and his 17-year-old son, Benjamin, are doing a masterful job training Academy attendees ears to recognize excellent uses of music as macro, micro, rythm, and/or foreground in cinema.

Geoff and Benjamin are using good and bad examples from films (see disclaimer at bottom) such as Casablanca, Band of Brothers, My Fair Lady, Beautiful Mind, Toy Story 2, and many others — including walking attendees through each the 12+ themes John Williams composed for Star Wars — to teach that the purpose of music in film is to excite the right emotions for the right reasons.

In film, share the Botkins, music should never be meaningless background sound. Directors and composers should only include music as a dynamic part of the language and message of the film.

DISCLAIMER: The Botkin Family very rarely watches films in their entirety. Instead they study sections of well-made films to learn from them. None of the movies shared were recommended for complete viewing or complete study.

Geoff Botkin takes Academy attendees through the process of writing a treatment for their films. A “treatment” is to filmmaking what a book proposal is to writing. This was done in preparation for next years Treatment Writing Contest and contest details will be released soon on the Film Festival/Academy website.

Words of wisdom from Ken Carpenter’s session, Step-by-Step Process to Starting a Local Independent Production Company.

The present opportunity: “You are at an incredible place right now. I wish I were 16 or 17, facing my future in filmmaking.”

The Attitude of a Filmmaker: “Filmmaking requires a can-do, problem solving attitude. I don’t care how skilled you are. If we are going to go to war together, I want people beside me who are solution-oriented.”

Working for Clients:“Working for clients is like attending film school and being paid for it. Everything you learn on those projects will be available for you on your own projects.”

Importance of Writing: “If you are still a student, go home and tell your educators that Mr. Carpenter said for you to put down your camera, pick up your pencil, and start presenting your ideas on paper.”

Importance of Communication: “Jobs are won and lost on the filmmakers communication skills.”

Work. Don’t just talk: “Coffee shops are full of out-of-work filmmakers talking about their next big project. That is cheap talk. So, while I want you to learn how to communicate, I also want you to roll up your sleeves and get to work.”

Importance of Economics: “If you are still being educated tell your educators that you need to take a break from working on three-point lighting and be sure to study some economics.”

Commit to self-education: “My first day of the job my boss had to take out a sheet of paper and write out the different formats of film. I knew absolutely nothing. But I committed to learning everything I could. I went workshops about directing, producing, acting, screenwriting. I immersed myself in learning about filmmaking.”

Explore internships and apprenticeships: “The person who might prospectively use you, is going to be looking at your maturity, your seriousness, your compatibility in a professional setting, and the investing they see you’ve already made to learn everything you can about filmmaking.”

Don’t learn from everyone: “In your hunger to learn, please learn responsibility and choose wisely.”

You don’t need to watch all the big movies: “Choose your movies wisely. Guard your hearts, your minds, your purity. This will equip you far more to make excellent, God-honoring films, than to see all of Hollywood’s big movies.”

Don’t watch television: “Allow me to be the one professional filmmaker who implores you not to watch television, or at least, to use great discretion in your viewing.”

Putting together your film-reel: “Because of shortened attention spans four minutes is the new seven-minutes. Don’t make a twelve-minute reel. No one, other than your mother, will watch it.”

Professionalism: “Strive to be professional. Don’t go to client meetings dressed like a stereotypical filmmaker in a hooded sweatshirt, shorts and flip-flops. Don’t say to their proposal: “Dude, that is, like, a totally creative, awesome challenge!”

Endurance: “Be resilient. Here’s one thing you can count on if you start a production company. You will face discouragement. It is inevitable. You will face rejection after rejection after rejection.”

On his family’s move from Hollywood:“I wouldn’t trade being home with my family for dinner for all the money and excitement a TV show has to offer.”

God’s faithfulness: “We know we serve a God of great faithfulness. Knowing that we march forward triumphantly, we don’t quit, and we build independent local production companies that are advancing His Kingdom.”

Academy attendees had the privilege of hearing from Stephen Kendrick, producer and co-writer of the powerful Christian film, in theaters now, Facing the Giants, an example of church dedicated to “changing the world from Albany, Georgia.”

It all started when the pastors of Sherwood Baptist Church read a George Barna study that concluded that movies where having a greater influence on culture than churches. At that point they realized that they couldn’t just curse the darkness, they needed to start letting their light shine.

They first film, Flywheel, was completed the morning of its premiere. In fact, no one of the production team had seen the film from beginning to end until that evening at a local theatre. However, people were so impressed and impacted by the film that support began pouring in. People wanted to help them make another movie.

After writing the script for Facing the Giants they immediately began to pray for God to supply the money for the film. Without any fundraising they received $26,000 in only a few days. Soon afterwards a professional production team asked to help them with their next film and a professional make-up artist volunteered to do makeup for the entire production, free of charge.

With most of Facing the Giants completed they approached Provident Music Group, a Nashville-based music label, for permission to use music for the film. But what started as a routine request led to the president of Provident Films opening discussions to distribute the film nationally. This from a man whose first response was: “Churches don’t make movies, and if they do, I don’t want to see them.”

Since its release on September 29th, Facing the Giants has made over $4 million in little over 400 theaters, $1.3 million on opening weekend alone. Over 600,000 people have seen the film, and, according to a rough tally from emails they’ve received, over 600 people have given their lives to Christ after seeing the film.

In a very helpful and challenging portion of his talk, Mr. Kendrick shared six biblical principles for Christian filmmakers:

1.) Die to yourself. It’s not about you. It’s about God. (Luke 9:23)
2.) Dedicate your projects to the Lord. Intentionally and verbally. (Proverbs 16:3)
3.) Become poor in spirit. You must have a complete reliance and dependence on God. Constantly in prayer. (Matthew 5:3)
4.) Walk in integrity. Is there anything in your life (immorality, gambling, pornography, rebellion against parents, etc…) that would prevent you from representing Christ if people who see your name or face on the screen come and look at your life (or your Myspace)? (2 Timothy 2:5)
5.) Stay unified. Guard unity among your family and team. (Psalm 133)
6.) Tune in to the heart and voice of God. Elaborated on below.

Mr. Kendrick also listed eight ways to tune in to the heart of God from Colossians 3 and 4 as an elaboration on the sixth principle of Christian filmmaking above.

Eight Ways To Tune In To the Heart of God from Colossians

1.) Sense what brings the peace of Christ. (Colossians 3:15)
2.) Soak your situation in God’s Word. (Colossians 3:16)
3.) Receive Christ-like counsel. (Colossians 3:16, Proverbs 15:22)
4.) Honor the reputation of Christ. (Colossians 3:17)
5.) Submit to authority. (Colossians 3:18)
6.) Seek God in diligent prayer. (Colossians 4:2)
7.) Search for open doors. (Colossians 4:2)
8.) Use wisdom. (Colossians 4:5)