GetReligion has this story by producer Mark Joseph on 10 things Hollywood can do in a movie to make it appeal to religious folks.
1) Have a major star associated with the project. Mel Gibson may only have been the director, but he was the player in the "Passion" saga.
2) Whenever possible, choose a story that is already well-known and loved. That way, you won't have to spend months educating the public about who the character is or what the story is about.
3) Spend some money on the production. Gibson spent $25 million. That's good. People, even deeply religious people, want to see that real money has been spent on a film. There are exceptions to this. "Facing The Giants," for example, was made for $100,000 and earned $10 million. In general, however, the faithful are sick of being condescended to with low-budget schlock.
4) Spend at least a year taking the film around the country to as many leaders of as many groups as possible.
5) Include in your cast an actor who is a person of faith and well-known to the Christian community to play a role (even a small one) who will then be your ambassador to the faith community who can appear on faith-oriented programs to talk about the film.
6) Use an ancient language and include lots of violence -- just kidding. "The Passion" was a hit in spite of the subtitles and relentless brutality. The faithful loved the film so much that they were willing to read the subtitles and the violence was purposeful and thus meaningful. But in nearly every other case, these devices will not work and shouldn't be tried.
7) Welcome controversy. A full year before the film was released, Gibson was on TV arguing that the New York Times was attacking him. Most viewers didn't know what he was talking about, but his marketing campaign was in full swing. News of the MPAA attacking the film "Facing the Giants" for its religious content hit the film a full four months before its release, driving interest in the film.
8) Make a film that appeals to both secular-leaning Americans and devout Christians simultaneously. Yes, it can be done. Polling indicated that "Passion" viewers were about half evangelical Christians and half more secular Americans, a surprising result considering the theme of the story. Yet, it appealed to different people for different reasons. Some wanted to see what the controversy was about. Others loved the hero. Others saw it as a work of art. Some viewers enjoyed "Narnia" because it was about a brave lion. Others saw their savior Jesus Christ in the lion.
9) Entertain first, send a message second. The right to send a message or teach a lesson is earned first by being entertaining. If it's not entertaining, it will bomb. No amount of earnestness will save it.
10) Look to the Christian basement for stories. Hollywood as we know it is bankrupt of story ideas. How else to explain "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Bad News Bears" and "Bewitched"? In contrast, there are thousands of interesting stories in the basement of Christendom that have been gathering dust over the last 2,000 years that are waiting to be told. In addition to "The Passion," three 50-year-old stories recently made it to the big screen: "Narnia," "Lord of the Rings" and "End of the Spear," and these have been among the best-loved Christian tales that were quietly cheered on in faith communities around the country.
Basically, what Joseph is saying is give people a good story, done well, and tell them it's coming and they will come see it. I haven't seen The Nativity Story yet, but everything I've read disappoints me.
On the other hand, End of the Spear was compelling, compassionate and riveting and I recommend it to anyone. I only wish Hollywood were more interested in making these sorts of films.
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