Dear Reader:

Welcome. I hope and pray this “guide” will be helpful to you. The contents list will give you an idea of what is covered.

This is a work-in-progress and I expect the thoughts presented here to be expanded and to morph as I continue on my personal spiritual quest trying to make meaningful films.

This guide is for filmmakers who are out there on their own trying to get through. “Independent “ filmmakers who, like myself, are entirely dependent on God’s inspiration and direction.

Please feel free to drop by www.umbrafaithworks.com to say hello, and to let us know what you think of “A Spiritual Guide to Independent Filmmaking.”

Blessings,Les Butchart

Guide Contents

1. What is your Passion? 2. Is Filmmaking the Desire of your Heart? 3. God wants to be your Executive Producer 4. Christian Filmmakers as “Real” Artists 5. Welcome to the Orchard 6. The Canvas of Culture 7. Christian Filmmakers are Truth-Tellers 8. Christian Filmmakers are Watchmen 9. Filmmaking is a Prophetic Act10. Christian Filmmakers are Priests11. Christian Filmmakers as Apostles12. Gideon & Orson Welles13. Christian Friendship14. Mentoring & Discipleship15. Your Personal Witness16. Fellowship, Home Life & Intercessors17. And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!

Introduction

As filmmakers, we like to think our potential is limitless. Indeed, God’s plan for you is greater than you can imagine; yet, day-to-day, life is circumscribed by responsibilities and relationships. Sometimes, as you search out the avenue to success in your career, you may feel as if the daily responsibilities are barriers. If you’re like me, being a journeyman filmmaker is brutal at times. You dream of being financially free to make the films you were meant to make, but reality is there to remind you that filmmaking is the art form of a privileged few.

Angst and rebellion are the fuels for most independent filmmakers, yet there is another way. If we are willing to allow God to be our counsel, he will release our potential and set our boundaries, and we will understand what it means to have real joy and real peace, as well as the patience and purpose we need to persist and succeed in the movie business.

Psalm 16:5-11 is a fitting declaration for Christian filmmakers. These verses confess David’s faith and can serve as a confession of our faith and trust in God.

LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;you have made my lot secure.The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;surely I have a delightful inheritance.I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:5-11 NIV

The boundaries within which we live define us and define our lives. We have moral boundaries, financial boundaries, talent boundaries, experience boundaries. If God is your chosen portion and your cup, your boundary lines will fall in pleasant places -- this is your “delightful inheritance.” Written with experience and knowledge of who God is and what a relationship with God means, David’s passion for God sings out loudly in these verses. God will show us the path of life. He has already shown us his son, Jesus Christ, who is “the way, the truth and the life.”

What is Your Passion?

What is required of us? Passion! Our passion must be for God first and filmmaking second (or third of fourth). We must re-order our priorities and allow God to rule and reign in our lives. Then He will guide our filmmaking careers and every other aspect of our lives.

This kind of life, spiritual life lived close to the Spirit of God, is altogether different from the world’s way. This fact makes allegiance to God difficult for some of us, because we want to hold on to our own ways, our old passions, comforts, sins, and old dreams rooted in the past.

We must be willing to live within the newly written definition of who we are in Jesus Christ as newly created beings and as children of God being newly created every day -- as “works in progress.”

The life God has given you and the work he wants to achieve through you are your inheritance. But you must let God set your boundaries. If you do, by living and working in His presence you will experience fullness of joy. Imagine that. In our busy, crazy, off-balance world, the peace of God and real joy may not be highly prized, yet the schizophrenic life of the artist and filmmaker, always struggling to survive and achieve against the odds, is not a curse we necessarily must carry. A foundation of peace and joy gives us a platform to work from and the possibility of a life that means more than making art. A life of lasting relationships, a family, a career, a sound mind, health and longevity.

For many years, I could not catch a vision for making Christian films, because I was thinking “inside the box” and my own experience was religious experience in church rather than personal experience with God in the realm of “secular life.” God expanded my awareness of possibilities and gave me stories that were fresh and real. I wrote a feature-length script based on Bill Irwin’s book Blind Courage. That project opened my eyes. I realized that I finally had a grasp on how to use my skills to make truly significant films. I had always wanted to be an artistic filmmaker. God re-wrote my dream and planted his vision for me in my heart. Now my passion is for him and for the movies he wants me to make.

Is Filmmaking the Desire of Your Heart?

It’s easy to be happy with what God gives you because he always gives you more than the desires of your heart -- he fulfills your desires through a holistic, realistic and effective plan that actually stretches your skills and creativity and your ability to touch the lives of others.

God’s creative process is collaboration. He co-labors with us. He is our counselor, and He remains at our “right hand” (within easy reach), where he is steadfast. He will show you the path for your life if you abide in His presence. He is your Father, and he wants you to succeed according to his definition of success. Keep in mind, it may not be the standard path, the normal way, the expected course.

God is interested in the process of refining us into the likeness of Christ and his plan is a plan for this “potter’s work.” This is great news for those of us who feel like puddles of useless mud sometimes. Just imagine what the master potter can do with mud like us!

The world’s definition of success actually works against us by making us think that we must achieve acclaim from others rather than from God. The acclaim of others, if it serves as affirmation of a job well done, is fine, but when it goes to your head, as it often does with celebrities and those who gain great wealth, it can undermine our willingness to yield to God. Isn’t this the story of America? A nation so wealthy we have lost our desire for God?

God wants us to learn how to trust him. How can we learn to trust him if all our earthly needs are fully satisfied? Lucky is the filmmaker who must struggle, stumble and fall. It’s those struggles that force us to trust in God, if we simply let go and stop holding stubbornly to inflated, artificial or unrealistic ambitions. We must learn to trust God. Only he knows the way your life should unfold, because he knows you and holds your future. This is his promise to us in Psalm 16.

What does it take to succeed as a Christian filmmaker? Some would say it takes a film school education, or experience on several features, or an uncle with a million dollars to invest in your movie, or a reckless determination and a handful of credit cards.

There are many ways to go about making a movie. Experience is invaluable, contacts and resources are essential. But all it really takes to succeed as a Christian filmmaker is you and God. God made you a filmmaker. (If he didn’t, go immediately to your destined line of work and avoid the frustration of making films.) If he designed you for filmmaking, he will also make you successful.

He will not break the crushed reed,Nor put out the smoldering wickTill he has led the truth to victory:In his name the nations will put their hope.Matthew 12:20-21

If you feel crushed, he will not break you. He will not extinguish your fire. He is leading the truth to victory, and the process of redemption is the march of history toward truth. It is this march you are joining as a Christian filmmaker. Once you understand this most basic spiritual reality, your career will come easy, as one step of faith leads to another and another and another.

God Wants to be Your Executive Producer

If you haven’t discovered the way, the truth and the life that is in Christ, then you can expect God to mature you in your faith before He entrusts a motion picture to your care. As a Christian filmmaker, it is important to grasp the promises and possibilities of the spirit-filled life because the Holy Spirit is your perfectly capable partner in making movies.

Man makes his plans, but God orders his steps. Proverbs 16:3

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

God wants to be your Executive Producer. He has plans for you, plans to prosper you. Plans of hope and a future – a future designed just for you. If we call upon Him, He will listen. If we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him. God is Spirit. When we “find Him” we find his spirit through our spirit. When Jesus left the earth, he sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to empower and enable his followers.

What kind of films does God want us to make? What kind of stories? Let Psalm 119:27 be your prayer: “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so I shall talk of Thy wondrous works.” Ask God for an understanding of his wondrous works, and he will give it to you. By his Spirit, he will lead you to the stories he wants you to turn into screenplays. His precepts and wondrous works will provide the deeper truth and purpose that serve as the under-girding steel of your screenplay, elevating your story far above the average commercial tripe.

Christian Filmmakers as “Real” Artists

We must be careful to make a clear distinction between the modern American institutional church and personal faith, because God is calling people out of dead and dying churches and into a new move of His Spirit.

If your understanding of faith is built around the religiosity, denominational thinking, tired traditions and affected language of the institutional church, the Christian marketplace, and the politicalization of faith, your stories are going to sound like schmaltzy propaganda. But if you have a direct and personal relationship with God untainted by religiosity or legalism, your experience with God and with spiritual truth will be great material for your films.

We must be real, not religious. To be real, we must have our own genuine experience with God before ywe’ll have an authoritative testimony and the believable voice to tell others about Him in a fresh and vital way that breaks out of the confining definition of B-grade Christian movies and begins to explore the so-called “secular” domain, using the intelligent heart and loving mind of Christ.

Filmmaking is a very hazardous occupation, and two of the big questions for any filmmaker are “How can I succeed?” and, more importantly, “How will I survive?” Both of these questions can be handed off to God. He will answer them by helping you with the biggest question of all: “What do I really have to say?” Ultimately, this question arises out of the soul of the artist, life experience, and his or her relationship with God. Filmmakers can avoid the deeper questions of the artist if they want to. Hopefully you can find the right balance between movies as commerce and movies as art. In any case, film is a form of creative expression, and that creativity must arise out of the artist, otherwise it is merely a commercial medium: a plastic, manufactured thing. If you are

destined for the life of an artist, and its deeper questions and challenges, and if you are passionate about doing meaningful work, consider first what it means to live a life close to God, the one who gives you your very breath and who completes you and has plans for you. Then, if you want to pursue a life and career that is centered in God, start praying, and ask God to give you a plan for birthing your destiny as a filmmaker. Get out there, and make great, glorious, God-breathed films. Get real, and make the kind of breakthrough films God wants to you make.

Welcome to the Orchard

A tree is identified by its fruit. Make a good tree, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. Matthew12:33-37

Is there a new breed of filmmaker, men and women sent from God, who can devote their lives to producing “good fruit” -- artistic films that glorify God? Speaking with sincerity, not peddling the word of God for profit?

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

If there is a new breed of filmmaker, what will be the outcome of this renaissance in Christian filmmaking? From Worldwide to Cloud Ten, Crusader/Epiphany to Signal Hill, ReelChristian.com to ChristianFilms.com and ChristianCinema.com, from Impact Entertainment to Namesake Entertainment, and Fox Faith, there is a lot of activity, to be sure.

Digital video and the Internet provide great opportunities to streamline production and increase market penetration globally at a low cost, yet there is not a Christian company that has fully grasped the potential of the digital era. Nor is there a company that has burst into the mainstream with a breakthrough film. And yet there is no better time to get involved in Christian filmmaking. The revolution is still very young. What a great opportunity we have to bring Christ into the mainstream of America’s entertainment culture and to the world!

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:19-21

Jesus wants us to know that we will be recognized for the work we do. Our fruit is our films (at least in terms of our filmmaking talent). But if we bear bad fruit, we will be thrown into the fire! That’s harsh isn’t it? Jesus goes on to explain that you can do

many great works in his name, but that doesn’t mean that he knows you. The work we do must be authorized by God. The only ones who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven are those who do the will of God. This means we must pursue the skills it takes to know the will of God before we pursue anything else. How do we pursue this knowingness – how do we know the very will of almighty God?

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

There really is no distinction between how God grow us up (we’re the trees) and the fruit that we will yield. It is God’s orchard. But we should not deceive ourselves into thinking that the great works we do in Jesus’ name will be treasured by heavenly standards. If our work is not within God’s will for us, it is bad fruit. The “pattern of this world” is a powerful influence, but we must change our thought patterns (renew our minds) if we are to know the will of God.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgements about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

In order to walk in your God-given destiny as a filmmaker, you must begin to move in the ways of the Spirit. You must accept your life and your career as a spiritual quest to live by the Spirit and to know God intimately, because you are embarking on a tremendous adventure that involves a tremendous challenge: to somehow convey spiritual truth to a hard-hearted, culturally corrupt, postmodern people.

... those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:14

Our primary job, then, is to listen to and be led by the Holy Spirit, to follow the advice we’re given, and then get to work:

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and

happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering up wealth to hand over to the one who pleases God. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

For a person called to be a filmmaker, there is great satisfaction in making films. This satisfaction, says Solomon, is “from the hand of God.” But the amazing thing about this scripture is that God has given a task to the sinner. The sinner’s task is to gather up wealth and hand it over to “the one who pleases God.”

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

By placing your trust and confidence in God, you can expect to enjoy a fruitful career as a filmmaker. When the economy sours, or when audiences turn fickle, your work will continue to prove valuable. You should expect to be blessed if your roots are deep in God.

The life we have in Christ means more than productivity, it also means security. We are grafted into the family of God and this family provides the corporate life that serves to sustain and encourage us. It is up to you to find this kind of vital, loving, progressive Christian fellowship, a fellowship of seekers after God, a fellowship that will lift up you and your projects. Your fellowship is your “grove” where God will nurture your growth and development in the Christian way of life.

The church has been guilty of misunderstanding and disrespecting artists. As a result, artists have avoided the church. The goal of a Christian artist is not the creation of church advertising or religious art. Rather, the goal is to live the life of mature faith and to allow the Spirit of God to inspire works of art as the fruit of your experience with God.

Oh the joy of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper. Psalm 1:1-3

Many people in our industry will scoff at the idea of Christian films, but, as Christian filmmakers, we define success differently than how the world defines it. Not only can our intentions and desires be godly, our work can be godly. And the principles that apply to us personally also apply to the films we make. If we “delight in doing everything the Lord wants” ... in all we do, we will prosper! For us, the life of making art is integrated, whole.

As mentioned earlier, our ability to tell meaningful stories and to make powerful films is based on our understanding of God’s precepts.

Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of Thy wondrous works. Psalm 119:27

We need to understand God’s precepts and how to apply them before we can use them in the films we make. A certain level of Christian maturity is needed before this understanding is possible.

A Christian film can either be something manufactured to communicate religion, or it can be an inspired work of art. Such inspiration requires the Spirit (Breath) of God.

For a film to be inspired requires that the filmmaker be inspired, or filled with the Spirit (Breath) of God. When Adam was inspired, the Spirit (pneuma = breath) of God brought him to life:

... the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

The second person (mentioned in the bible) to receive the Spirit of God was Bezalel, an artist:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts -- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Exodus 31:1-5

By this verse, we can see that the Spirit of God brings life and imagination to our work, but God also gives us the skills we need. He designs us to be his sons, workmen and warriors.

A masterful film that is not rooted in gospel truth will be beautifully meaningless compared to what is possible when truth and beauty (the essence of art) are married in a film. For this to happen requires a transformation of the artist, a renewed mind and an ability to transcend the commonplace through a wise heart and sanctified imagination. For this to happen requires true inspiration -- the inspiration of the Spirit of God in you.

The Canvas of Culture

Culture is the canvas for filmmaking. In order to make a film, you need to understand your culture and your audience, but you must also understand that it is the unique job of Christian filmmakers to take audiences to “new places in the spirit.”

“The Church does not need artists, business people, or workers who go out into the secular world, hoping that their talent will be recognized, but when it’s not, change their talent to fit the world. The artists and talented people need to be able to express Jesus Christ and the glory of God and get the world system out of the way. Grace is God’s ability for you to do whatever He has called you to do and to be whatever He has called you to be.” (Buddy Crum, Future Is Now, Breaking The Status Quo, pages 63 & 44.)

Christian filmmakers create their work against a cultural backdrop of licentiousness and triviality. Art in our culture has lost its intelligence, complexity and nuance. There is great opportunity now for well-made films with a sense of propriety, and films of real substance: substantial art is always relevant. There is no real conflict between what is secular and what is Christian. Yes, there is a cosmic conflict between Satan and Christ, but this is God’s world and everything in it is potential subject matter for a film when the subject matter is seen and understood through the “eyes of the heart.”

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Christian filmmakers must no longer be pigeonholed by the niche market and the expectations of commercial Christianity, and we must stop self-segregating ourselves. No one is better equipped to convey the truth and drama of life than those who are intimate with the body of work created by the Author of Life, those who seek to embrace in their own spirit the fullness of life and the great mysteries of faith, and those who dare circumnavigate the most challenging storytelling possibilities in a world that is far stranger and far more frightening than fiction.

“This star on the Hollywood walk of fame proves that Ozzie Osbourne has succeeded despite his crimes against God and nature.” That’s what the MC said as Ozzy Osbourne put his star in place on Sunset Strip. “Crimes against God and nature” are now manifest everywhere in the world and in the media. Ozzie is tame stuff compared to the violence of some rap and skinhead bands and the porno on the Internet. We are getting beyond the F-word now. For years the F-word was the height of offensiveness, but now there is a mentality of offensiveness, vulgarity and promiscuity that pervades our culture. In this era of marketability based on vulgarity, sexuality, violence, and shock value, morality has become a joke. Where does this leave the Christian filmmaker?

In the field of knowledge management and learning theory, we see that interaction between two different mental models (mindsets, world views) results in changed understanding. This interaction can be polite conversation or it can be highly charged conflict (of one form or another). A certain amount of “friction” between mental models is necessary for the internalization (acceptance) and integration (blending) of new information and beliefs into an existing mental model or mindset. In other words, Christians must confront and challenge the world’s faulty mindsets, and to be confrontational is not antithetical to being a “good Christian.”

We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer rebellious ideas, and we teach men to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We are not at war with people, we are at war with mindsets. When we pray, we should not be begging, we should be battling; and our work should challenge the established thinking of the world system and the mindless sex, violence and vulgarity of America’s entertainment culture. We are called to “wage war,””knock down,” “break down” and “conquer” in the realm of culture.

Christian Filmmakers are Truth-Tellers

We are not just storytellers, we are truth-tellers. Whether or not our stories are outwardly Christian, they must be built on a foundation of truth to be meaningful.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. John 16:13

The Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) leads us into the truth and will also lead us toward truth-telling in our stories and movies.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

For, as I have told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. Philippians 3:18

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

In the world today, the truth is being trampled. The world does not see the reality of Christ manifest in the earth. Christianity has become so Americanized, and America’s cultural life has become so televised, temporal and trivialized, that a new kind of post modern blindness and deafness has set in. It seems that the one thing that can really cut to a person’s heart -- God’s love -- is obfuscated by a whole lot of Christian activity and commercialism. The simple truth is that God loves you and His love became flesh as Jesus Christ. But the “simple truth” is difficult to communicate without a convincing object lesson.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 1 John 2:20

The supernatural anointing that comes with the truth can break open the postmodern mindset but people want to know what it really means to “live the truth” -- what does it all mean as a life and a lifestyle (whole life beyond traditional church activities), and for this they have few examples or mentors.

For many people, church-going born-again Christians are lumped together will all religious TV programs, both good and awful, and all the news pundits, writers and commentators who lump faith together with conservative politics. All of which serves to confuse and mask the reality of who Jesus Christ is and how God expresses himself on earth through the Body of Christ.

This amounts to a very complex deception, a web of lies woven by the master of lies over centuries. Christian filmmaker must tear away this web of lies. We don’t have to make the gospel relevant -- it already is. We have to tear down the veil that separates our culture from God. Christian artists are cultural missionaries, but we must move from being cultural martyrs to masters of our craft and prophetic visionaries for our nation and the world.

Christian Filmmakers are Watchmen

When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he blows the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action - well, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the warning but wouldn’t listen, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their deaths. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman accountable.” Ezekiel 33:6

I believe that artists are called to be visionaries and prophetic observers of society. This doesn’t mean that every artist is a prophet, but it does mean that the spiritual gift of prophecy has a role in the imagination, vision and voice of artists. If we, as filmmakers, qualify as “watchmen,” then we are accountable to God if we do not sound the alarm. We are in a special position (a watchtower) where we can see the weapons and warfare strategies of the enemy as it advances. Therefore we are accountable for sounding the alarm.

Filmmaking Is A Prophetic Act

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:11-12

Like the prophets of old, the Spirit of God births visions through human imagination. Artists speak the language of prophecy: dreams and stories, images and poetry, music, song and dance. The act of creation is, in and of itself, a prophetic act, the act of speaking things into existence. This is how God brought the universe into being. When the director yells “action,” he is speaking his film into existence, bringing it to life from paper, making the words live and breath as people, places and dramatic interaction. The prophet speaks into the future and the unknown, revealing what God would have him reveal. God’s revelation becomes the blueprint for what is to come. As God works with you on a film, every decision is influenced, and the project is blueprinted, like a revelation. The story itself is not just projected on a screen, it is projected into people’s minds, where the words and story and images “live” at least for a while. Making a movie is an act of faith, which is the “substance of things hoped for, the reality of things not seen.” Our faith is that the dream will be birthed into reality. We plan it and speak it into being on faith - “action” - and, ironically, when the dream becomes reality it remains dreamlike: its substance is in fact light.

Christian Filmmakers are Priests

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Today, the temple of God is the mind and spirit of man. The goal of God’s word and the work of artists dedicated to God is to move the mind and spirit of man closer and closer to the mind of Christ. This is a priestly job.

The artist can be a priest in the care, beautification and enlightenment of the mind of man by serving after the manner of Aaron and by having as his or her God-given job the regular activity of making art that adorns and delights the mind of man with the beauties of holiness.

Or, like Melchizedek, the artist brings blessings to God’s people, a blessing of sustenance for the mind of man: sustaining and delighting the mind of man with art that reveals truth and glorifies the life that is in God.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

Christian Filmmakers as Apostles

As an artist and a filmmaker, you can take your work and your career to a whole new level as an apostle of Christ. To be an apostle, a “sent one,” does not mean you have to establish a new church or move to the mission field. Today, movie theaters are the only churches many young people ever visit, and the mission field for you and me in this era of networked global communication is the mission field of the mind and heart.

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” John 20:21-22

“You didn’t chose me, I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” John 15:16

“Apostalic ministry has the power and authority to destroy strongholds and change mindsets. There is a grace, a supernatural ability to refute, disprove, discredit and expose these philosophies for what they are. People will not repent unless there is a change of mind. This is the warfare that the apostle Paul is referring to in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5---refuting arguments and taking captive philosophies that are contrary to the truth.” (John Eckhardt, “Moving In The Apostolic,” p. 60.)

And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:9

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“We are not just dealing with views but worldviews. Entire people groups think certain ways. Entire segments of the world think certain ways. Without the apostolic anointing, how can we succeed against these pervasive worldviews? How can we, without the apostolic anointing, free millions of people from mindsets that will send them to eternal damnation?” (John Eckhardt, “Moving In The Apostolic,” p. 62-63.)

God-appointed filmmakers have an apostolic anointing to go into the entertainment marketplace and represent Christ through their films. With this anointing comes authority, wisdom, and an eagerness to hear and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction.

Gideon & Orson Welles

Sometimes God can accomplish more through us when our resources are reduced to very little, because this gives him an opportunity to show his strength and his plan, and bring the victory.

The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.” Judges 7:2

What if you, as an artist, were to work with the bare necessities required for you to do your craft, what if you adopted the Nike motto “Just Do It” and went and just did it, against all odds? What if you just did it without getting paid for it? What if you just did it because God told you to? If God is guiding you to work in such a minimalist manner, it is probably so that his glory can be manifest through you!

A friend of mine, Bob Schanner, owns a grip truck (a truck filled with lights and other filmmaking equipment), and when I was making my first film, I went to Bob to borrow some gear. He handed me several of the things I needed, some c-stands, flags, scrims, sandbags, a few lighting instruments, then he closed the door of the grip truck. I stood there, wondering what was up.

“Can you loan me another 1k (light),” I asked sheepishly. “No,” Bob said. “If I give you too much equipment, you’ll think you’re making a

movie instead of making art.”According to indie filmmaker Henry Jaglom, Orson Welles put it another way:

“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.”

“The thing that Orson said to me ... is, ‘The enemy of art is the absence of limitations’ which he told me over lunch. And that’s the key. If you have no limitations, economically, or time-wise or money-wise, you’re not going to make art, you’re going to throw money at a problem, you’re going to throw technology at it, you’re going to find some solution that you can just buy. If you don’t have the money, if you don’t have the time, you’re going to be forced to make a creative solution to the problem, and I love that. (Henry Jaglom, Lessons From Orson Welles.)

Every filmmaker knows this to be true, but how many practice it as a spiritual principle? It’s not easy to enjoy a stressful situation due to self-imposed limitations. Some would say it is impossible to do your best work on a no-budget or ultra-low-budget film. But I suggest that when the money is about to run out and you’re ready to give up, God is willing to take over, if you’ll let him.

How exactly do you let God take over your film projects? Do you ask for his favor, then rush out and do it all yourself? No, you pray about specifics, especially about your cast and crew, and you spend time alone with God, as much as necessary, until you know your project is in his hands. You give it away, give it away, give it away a thousand times – it’s not that God is unwilling to take it, it’s that we keep taking it back.

Then what? Is God going to set up the tripod? Is He going to load the magazines? Is he going to call “Action!.”

No, those are people jobs. God is spirit and works through inspiration. Assuming you are the director and/or producer, any time you are in a pickle, any time you need an idea, or a better idea, or a brilliant idea, ask God, “God, what’s your idea for this?” or “God, please help our actress over this hurdle,” or “God, what do we do about this scene if it rains?” Or, “God, we need some money to buy film stock, don’t we?”

If your heart is inclined toward him, he’ll answer you. Even if prayer is your last resort, he will answer you. But sometimes you have to be persistent, other times very patient. God’s answers are attached to his timing, and filmmaking is like guerilla warfare. At times the bullets are flying left and right and it’s easy to get confused, impatient and ruffled. You can’t expect your cast and crew to be abiding in God: YOU have to be the one who is tuned in and in touch with his Spirit. YOU have to be centered in HIM. Relax in him, and stay the course, so that his glory will be made known to the world. He will bring you victory beyond your own imagination.

Just think, for Gideon life was on the line, his life and the lives of his men, even the destiny of his people, yet he trusted God to deliver the victory over a powerful army using only a tiny band of men. At the very most, your career is at stake when you trust God with your movie. Your life isn’t at risk, hopefully, unless you’ve borrowed money from the mob. What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain?

Gideon listened to God. Remember him, and don’t be afraid to trust God for victories.

Christian Friendship

During the Internet boom-bust, I had a web company. For three years, I was up to my neck in Internet everything. I had never been an Internet or computer geek (just a artsy geek), but as we began to hire geeks, I noticed that they were a whole lot like film freaks, young guys and girls that I knew and had worked with over the years who had an “addiction” to filmmaking. Geeks and freaks have always been some of my favorite types of people, because they have passion and focus, and they get lost in their work. They get Zen-like about their work. Of course this bohemian-style, autonomous complex (that’s what Jung called it) sort of mindset is not uncommon to artists, scientists, computer geeks, filmmakers, entrepreneurs and other adventurers.

Suffice it to say that the realm of filmmaking puts you in touch with a lot of interesting people, and some people who can be “difficult.” Temperamental cameramen and actors, perhaps businessmen who don’t understand anything about filmmaking except that (on a very good day) you can make some money at it.

Because of the stress of it all, friendships tend to be steadfast. And because of the stress, it’s easy to lose your cool and lose a friend forever. On a film set, you have a lot of time to hang out and talk. So, the question arises, what is our obligation, as children of God, to our friends and colleagues? Our obligation is to represent Christ, at home, at work, at play. This is a big opportunity and a big responsibility for producers and directors. Your faith will be obvious when you call everyone together to pray at the beginning of the day. Will it be obvious when you are alone with a foulmouthed old friend --- you know, the guy you used to drink with and run with before you became a Christian?

Christian friendship is a wonderful, wonderful thing. As a friend, you can and will play a major role in the spiritual welfare of your cast, crew and everyone else you hang out with.

Making friends and sharing your experience with Christ is one of the best reasons to make movies, really, from a Kingdom perspective. Making a movie that glorifies Jesus Christ is a great goal, but God likes to use the process of making movies to call people to him, to get inside their head and heart -- by using you as his witness, and as an example of someone who can embrace the art of filmmaking and embrace him at the same time.

As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17

According to this verse in Proverbs, you should “sharpen” your friends. What does that mean? It means you bring out their best, you make them more effective.

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgement on disputable matters. Romans 14:1

It is not our place to judge anyone, just to love them, and at times that is the most difficult thing in the world! But it is amazing how powerful acceptance is. Everyone wants to feel accepted, wanted, needed, appreciated. People get excited about filmmaking, and they want to get involved or just hang around. If you pay attention to the fringe folks, if you make them feel accepted (without judging them in your own mind), you are being Christ-like, and that is really pleasing to our Father.

Just remember, there has never been a film made that is more important than a person is in the eyes of God. Get your perspective right, and the whole process of making your movie will be a wonderful blessing to you and to all those who can proudly call you their friend.

Mentoring & Discipleship

Mentoring is a great way to develop a special friendship with someone based in part on apprenticeship and in part on your witness as a Christian filmmaker. Don’t miss the ever-present opportunity to be a mentor, both formally (through an apprenticeship program) or informally, as you go about the business of making and marketing your films.

As you go about teaching your protege the craft of filmmaking, be sure to disciple them in the ways of God, too.

You can also make discipleship a focus within your company. Workplace ministry is a powerful way to advance the Kingdom of God, and it works especially well in knowledge-creating companies where people are motivated to learn and grow.

Your Personal Witness

An artist’s art can become a testimony by expressing in a creative way what he or she believes and has experienced. For filmmakers, the work process itself can become a testimony because it is so people-intensive.

I used to have the bad habit of getting angry on the set. This was usually because I got so uptight and rattled trying to solve problems on the set when time was of the essence. During the making of The Devil’s Game, we were shooting at a laundromat. My son, Benjamin, agreed to help me, and he had his girlfriend with him. To me he seemed more interested in hanging out with her than in helping me. In reality, he was more than happy to help, but I was not giving him enough to do. I got angry at him and showed my you-know-what. What a terrible testimony!

After that awful night, I made a promise to myself. I told myself that I would never let filmmaking cause me to offend anyone. I told myself to always put the cast and crew ahead of the filmmaking process. Basically, I adopted a loving approach to filmmaking. (I think I’ve done okay since then, but I’m still learning what it means to be a Christian filmmaker.) Perhaps you think this “loving approach” is goofy and unprofessional. I don’t think so. If the schedule is messed up because I’ve spent time being decent, I know God can fix the schedule. The really cool thing is that when you take a loving approach to your work -- a worshipful approach -- everything changes. The whole project becomes more purposeful. When you respect everyone and their unique talents, and when you take time to recognize their talent and contribution, you reach a new level of creativity, collaboration and friendship.

Fellowship, Home Life & Intercessors

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Jeremiah 17:7

What kind of fruit is growing on you? How deep are your roots, how rich the soil? What feeds you? Every one of us needs be rooted in a fellowship of inspired brothers and sisters. This is your soil and if isn’t rich you won’t grow very well.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27

Your commitment to a local body is not just for your benefit. It is for the benefit of the body. It is where you are rooted, and it is where you play a part. If you are forming a ministry, you need to be accountable to the authority of a local church. Be sure to find a spirit-filled, praying church and ask them to pray with you about your dreams and plans.

Some years ago I was at a conference at Life Center Ministries in Atlanta, where Buddy Crum is pastor. A prophet spoke into my life there and recognized the new work God was starting -- a media ministry. Three years later, a prophet from Christian International, Bill Lackey, spoke these words, “God wants you to focus on your local resources and when you need more, he will give you more.” This prophecy encouraged me to develop the resources in my hometown and allowed me to be comfortable keeping

a tight, local focus on my projects. As a result, The Devil’s Game is filled with wonderful talent from Greensboro and great music from a number of outstanding North Carolina rock bands and solo artists. I believe the movie has been a blessing to everyone involved. But the point is that it is okay to develop a movie using the resources God has given you in your local church and in your hometown. If you are a first-time filmmaker, I encourage you to think small. Raising money for a first movie is very, very difficult. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to raise money, it just means you could waste a lot of time trying to raise money, and failing, and being disappointed, when instead you could have been working on a no-budget film. Check out the Canon HV20 – for about $1000 you can shoot hi-def now. Bottom line: go to God for the best plan. He will keep you realistic. Don’t let unbridled ambition throw you off track. Just pray hard and be prudent.

This leads us to the question of raising money among Christian friends and church members. Is it appropriate? Yes, of course it is. If they can’t trust, who can? Making movies and documentaries is a legitimate art form, business and ministry, but it is legitimate ONLY if you approach it in a business-like, legitimate manner. You must approach your project with a serious, business-like attitude. You must do all of the things that every serious independent filmmaker does to keep his or her project legal and professional.

Of course, as rough as filmmaking can be on you, it can also be rough on your loved ones, so it is essential that your home life is Christ-centered, too. If you are married, your wife should be in agreement with your wild-hair film dreams. Ask her to pray with you about your dreams and plans. Your wife can also confirm God’s plans for you. Ask God to give you confirmation separately regarding whatever needs and questions you have. This will be a good test to know if you are hearing him clearly.

Within your circle of Christian friends, colleagues and church members, look for a few people who would make good intercessors for your career and specific projects. Don’t go into a new project without intercessors! Formally ask them and let them know how important it is to you and to God’s plan for your project. I recommend that you buy them a copy of Dutch Sheets’ Intercessory Prayer or another good book on intercession. You can use the Internet to keep everyone informed about your progress and what your specific needs are for prayer support.

And now, O Lord, call out your warriors! Joel 3:11

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:12

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy gold from me---gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.” Revelation 3:15-19

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:19-20

All of the above verses are tough to swallow and digest, but here’s the deal: God’s ways are not our ways. The world and its beauty and our God-breathed life are proof of his love for us, Jesus Christ is proof of God’s love for us, and the world system can no longer be our preferred view of the world. The distinction between being in the world and not of the world is extremely important, because artists are called to celebrate and re-create the beauty and drama of life and the world, but as Christian artists we are called out of the world system and into the Kingdom of God, where the life of the Spirit and the presence of the Spirit become reality for us. If we seek this spiritual experience of reality and embrace the glorious life and world that God has given us to enjoy, we can discover all that God has for us as filmmakers, and this unique outlook on life will yield tons of material for great stories.

The “Hollywood worldview” has become dominant in our culture, overshadowing the voice of God. For God to advance his love ethic and process of redemption, we have to be engaged in the battle for hearts and minds. Christian filmmakers are uniquely qualified to capture the drama of the eternal conflict and to shake up the status quo with well-made, nuanced, artistic Christian movies and TV shows.

That’s why there is no room in God’s orchard for lukewarm Christian filmmakers. You are either a good tree or a bad tree. There are some filmmakers who run from the label “Christian filmmaker,” because they don’t want their work to be pigeonholed in the Christian marketplace. But because their definition of “Christian filmmaker” is so small, their work isn’t broad enough to break out of the Christian marketplace. It is time for “Christian filmmaker” to become a banner of honor instead of a badge of mediocrity. For this to happen, Christian filmmakers must flee the trap of tired tradition and church-speak and find a fresh voice and vision.

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62

Jesus demands our all. But he does so in love and with empowerment through the Holy Spirit. If you’re like me, you’re always looking back, in a sense, and wondering “what if I had done it this way,” or “what if I had moved to Hollywood?” But in Luke 9:62, I think Jesus is referring to the decision to follow him, and I’ve never looked back on that decision. He asks -- actually he commands -- that we trust in him with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). This is faith, as we “live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

He (Jesus) told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:2-3

Earlier I mentioned the renaissance in Christian filmmaking. There is a ressurgence, but you could list everyone making dramatic Christian features in a single

paragraph. The workers are, in fact, very few. And we’re like lambs among wolves! Ouch. (I’d much rather be a fierce wolf than a frightened little lamb.)

Jesus says, “Go!” That is an apostalic call. Has he said, “Go!” to you? Has he called you out as one of his warriors? If he has, watch out ... you are not just a warrior... you are also a lamb among wolves.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Luke 16:13

This is where the rubber meets the road. We have to come to terms with the art vs. commerce dilemma. We must serve God with our work. It is no longer a question of art vs. commerce or God vs. commerce. It is no longer a question of whether we use the name of Jesus in our movie or TV show, or whether or not we avoid or rejoice in the label “Christian.”

That old dilemma is replaced by serving God and expressing the testimony of the Spirit.

As Christian filmmakers, isn’t this what we’re all about: the celebration of God-breathed life, wholeness, and purpose -- the eternal life, peace and promise of the spirit -- all made real by the love of Christ?

Film speaks to the temporal and the eternal at once, freezing time so that our vision may endure, reflecting the eternality of life. Thus it deserves our respect as an art form and a careful, loving attitude as we create with it. If we do not love the world system, or money, we are set free (as all artists should be free) to proclaim the reality of God in Jesus Christ. Film is the ideal medium with which to make this proclamation. Those who are equipped and enabled to work in this medium are blessed indeed.

I write to you, young men,because you are strong,and the word of God lives in you,and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:14

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant -- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 1:18

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Written by Les ButchartEmail: les@umbrafaithworks.comURL: http://www.umbrafaithworks.com

Copyright © 2007 by Les Butchart

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Copyright © 2007 by Les Butchart