Christians Teaching Christians to Change TV and Film

            A year ago I shared some strategies for changing the content of television and film. I suggested writing to the writers. But have you ever thought about becoming a writer yourself? Or perhaps your church wants to make better use of video technology and production in worship and outreach. What if you could send yourself or your worship minister away for a weekend or a month to learn about writing and production for film, television and video projects? Most of us don’t think about changing careers and don’t have time to go back to school for years to learn a whole new set of skills, but if we could get away for just a weekend or a month to learn from industry professionals who just happen to be Christian—well that might just be doable.

            Act One is a program designed by Christians for Christians. Only these Christian designers happen to be industry professionals who have worked in Hollywood for years on television projects like Buffy and That 70’s Show or movies like X-men 2 and Fantastic Four. As its website explains, Act One is a non-profit organization dedicated to training and mentoring “Christians of all denominations for careers in mainstream film and television. We prepare our students to produce film and TV projects that combine mastery of craft with great depth and meaning.” But the Act One programs are not merely for young people at the start of a career. Teachers, drama/worship ministers or people who want to learn to write film scripts on the weekend while they work their regular jobs in Middle Town America could still benefit from what Act One has to offer.

The Programs

            Act One offers three excellent programs for people interested in learning or developing their screenwriting skills. The Summer Writing Program is a learning opportunity that requires those involved to travel to Los Angeles for a month of intensive training. There are, additionally, Saturday programs in L.A. But for those of us who are just too far from the West Coast or can’t manage a month off in the summer, Act One has begun a series of individual Screenwriting Weekends in cities all over the nation. Finally Act One offers Script Consulting for anyone, anywhere in the world. The faculty in the Writing Program includes top industry professionals who have worked on projects like Déjà vu, Home Improvement, What Women Want, and Batman Forever.

            While I’ve written this article to encourage people to go and train and bring back the knowledge to their homes, especially their home churches for ministry opportunities, I also want to mention Act One’s other major program for anyone who might be interested in a Hollywood career. The Executive Program is a 12 week study in Hollywood offering continuing education credits through Pepperdine University. It includes a full-time internship in the Hollywood industry along with over a hundred hours of classroom instruction. Its primary purpose is to “prepare talented Christians for executive careers in mainstream entertainment."

            You can find out more about all the Act One programs at the website: http://www.actoneprogram.com/.

This Is Not a Commercial

            I don’t want this month’s article to be just a commercial for a program that I think is valuable. Instead, I want to take Act One as a picture of several things I strongly believe in. First of all, the program is proof that God is working in the world of popular culture. If Hollywood is a Babylon of sin and degradation there is nevertheless a light burning in the darkness: Christians making a difference in the world, bringing about change, and turning the tide which turned against us in the mid-twentieth century because we did not take seriously the mandate to be in the world (of the Hollywood film industry) while not of it. Act One and other programs like it are a call to American Christians, and the call is this: “the door is open; come get involved.” Secondly I believe that the importance of technology and media literacy in the area of ministry within the church will only continue to increase. Church outreach must become continually media savvy and technology oriented if we wish to remain relevant in American culture (I think this even to the point that media ministers, even I.T. directors, will become common additions to church staffs).

            Now I know that this word, “relevant” is becoming overused, and I understand the potential danger of the Church adapting itself so much to the trends of the world that it may no longer be recognizable as God’s holy people set apart from the world. But the model for adaptation is in Acts 17 and Paul’s entire life. At Athens he molded the unchanging truths of the gospel to fit the culture in which he found himself. To the Corinthians he said, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” ( Corinthians 9:22.), and we must do the same.

            And so I have shared the Act One ministry with you for two reasons: to encourage some of you to consider making a difference by writing for or working in the industry, and to encourage the rest of us to learn the skills we need to carry our local church ministries into the 21st century.