Behind
the Screen:
Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture
Edited by Spencer Lewerenz and Barbara Nicolosi
Baker Books, 2005
review
by Kevin Miller
After
a spate of books about Hollywood written by Christians who
are observing the industry from a distance, it’s refreshing
to see a book by a group of individuals whose day jobs place
them at the heart of the most influential cultural enterprise
on the planet.
Behind the Screen was produced by the faculty and
staff of Act One, a non-profit organization founded to train
people of faith for careers in mainstream film and television.
The list of contributors includes writers like Janet Scott
Batchler (Batman Forever), directors like Scott Derrickson
(The Exorcism of Emily Rose), producers like Ralph
Winter (the X-Men franchise, Fantastic Four)
and Dean Batali (That ‘70s Show), story consultants
like Linda Seger (Making a Good Script Great), and
many others. Their essays cover topics such as why Christians
should be involved in the entertainment industry, how to know
if you’re called to the industry, how to survive in Hollywood
once you get there, and even practical advice on how to break
into Hollywood on both artistic and financial levels. (On this
latter approach, check out Charles B. Slocum’s fascinating
essay “The $10 Billion Solution,” wherein he argues
that if Christians really want to make a lasting impact in
Hollywood, they should put their money where their mouth is
and buy up one of the major studios.)
Some of my favorite contributions include “A Filmmaker’s Progress” by
Scott Derrickson, where he uses Pilgrim’s Progress as a rough
outline for his own spiritual and artistic journey; “Changing the Channels” by
Dean Batali, in which he instructs Christians on how to communicate effectively
with people of influence in Hollywood; and Linda Seger’s essay “What
Kind of Stories Should We Tell?” which issues a call for Christians to
abandon overtly prescriptive stories in favor of those that take a more subtle,
descriptive approach.
Apart from their association with Act One, I quickly got the sense that the
contributors also share something else in common: strong feelings of frustration
with Christians outside Hollywood who: a) treat Hollywood as if it were the
whore of Babylon, b) assume there are no Christians working there, c) are shocked
and appalled when they find out there are Christians in Hollywood or d) attempt
to “take over the entertainment industry for Christ” without having
the slightest idea about how the industry works, what audiences want or how
to create a compelling, theologically significant piece of cinematic art. Clearly,
this book was written to head such people off at the pass, and it definitely
accomplishes that goal.
One thing I do want to take issue with in this regard is Lewerenz and Nicolosi’s
opening remark about how Christians don’t like Hollywood. If they had
prefaced the word “Christian” with the word “evangelical” or “fundamentalist,” and
if they had written these words even five years ago, they may have been closer
to the truth. However, today these and other Christian groups are embracing
Hollywood like never before. (Remember that spate of books I mentioned earlier?
Box-office attendance also bears this out. )
As
it stands, such negative statements merely create a false picture
of conflict—much like the one that has maligned the relationship
between Christianity and science for the last few centuries—and
ultimately work against the spirit of reconciliation this book
is striving to create. Nevertheless, if I had to deal with
as many sincere but ultimately ignorant Christian zealots as
they have over the years, I would probably share their pessimistic
view.
Part how-to manual, part meditation on what role Christians should play in
the entertainment industry—and what role the entertainment industry should
play in the lives of Christians—Behind the Screen is must reading if
you’ve ever cast a stone at Hollywood, wondered how we can span the gap
between Christianity and culture or considered getting involved in the entertainment
business yourself.
Copyright ©2005
Kevin Miller
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