The Biola Media Conference included lively debates about Hollywood's efforts to reach a Christian audience. The opportunities are exciting, but are the results much good?
It wasn't so long ago that some churches frowned upon their members even going to see movies, let alone participate in making them. But as new media and video forms have increasingly become ubiquitous and acceptable tools in worship services, that's all changed. Today, it's common to see a film clip or video illustration on Sunday mornings, and more and more churches have video ministries that are creating original productions.
One such ministry can be found at Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles—a city where you'd expect to find churches on the forefront of film ministry. The Bel Air Drama Department (BADD) is an elite, audition-based group of actors, writers, directors, and other film/media practitioners who work together voluntarily to produce weekly short films and instructional videos for the church, one of LA's largest.
Robert G. Lee
For the past eight years, BADD has been led by Robert G. Lee. Prior to that, the group called itself "Thesbyterians"—"the world's worst name," says Lee—and produced only two or three videos a year. These days, BADD produces a new video every week or two, usually on a topic relating to pastor Mark Brewer's sermon.
BADD's 34 volunteer members are Christians who are talented in acting or film production, but not just anyone can join. There are auditions only once a year—every August—from which only about four new members are accepted (out of 30-plus who audition). Those who make the cut have much to prove to a congregation with a keener-than-average eye for quality film production.
More than just a way to hone their talents, BADD also provides a place where Christian entertainment professionals aren't beholden to the widespread amoral requisites of secular Hollywood, but instead can openly integrate their faith with their skills.
"I wanted to be a part of something where I could mix my faith and my professional goals," says actress Elise Baughman, a BADD member since 2006. "It's great to be able to mix faith and film, but also to be a part of a tightly-knit covenant group."
Elise Baughman
For Baughman, working with BADD for the last two years has been a blast; it's a group full of stand-up comics and improv artists, after all. Baughman particularly enjoyed the shooting of the film Wise Counsel, Man!—which she described as a "Christian version of My Name is Earl" that featured four white trash characters.
"The whole cast and crew walked around talking like rednecks all day, and it was one laugh after another," Baughman said. "When you're filming a character named Dirk who is making toast while sitting in kiddie pool or unsuccessfully trying to jump off of a roof, you can't help but have some good laughs in between takes."
The group meets a couple times a month to work on films but also to pray and share with one another. Throughout the year they also have an annual weekend retreat, a summer barbecue, a Christmas party, movie nights and other social events.
BADD's videos are about 80 percent comedy, which "works well to break down defenses" and transition into the pastor's sermon, said Lee. The most popular comedy type for BADD is the repurposed satire or parody. Past videos have parodied The Twilight Zone, The O.C., Fear Factor, and VH1's Behind the Music.
Edwards (right) in 'Jacob's Match'
One of BADD's lead writers, Cory Edwards (director of Hoodwinked and the forthcoming Fraggle Rock: The Movie) described the BADD "brand" as akin to MAD TV or Saturday Night Live. For evidence, look no further than Edwards' role in Jacob's Match, a hilarious spoof on the saint's wrestling bout with God. (Edwards is "Frank Goshen," the sportscaster on the right.)
Recently, though, BADD has started experimenting with more dramatic fare. In September, Edwards directed a two-day shoot of a dramatic short dealing with the topic of hearing God's voice. "It was a moody, M. Night Shyamalan-type stylized aesthetic, with longs takes and dolly shots," said Edwards. "It was a very different style for me."
For Edwards, BADD provides a training ground of sorts that lets him try new things as a director. "It's a smaller playground and a safer environment. We are all Christians and volunteers—on a real set in Hollywood the environment is much less nurturing."
Though many members work on secular productions in their day jobs, for BADD they must create things with a definite Christian bent. It's a unique challenge—to create entertaining and instructive stories that are appropriate for church, but not too cheesy or overly edgy.
"The Christian community is very uptight," says Lee. "In a church you might laugh, but you don't want to be seen laughing about some things."
One example of a video that never made it past the pastoral "censors" was a video that featured a militant Sunday school teacher, dressed almost like a Nazi and carrying a riding crop. "Too sexual for the church" was the response of the pastors who viewed the rough cut.
Most BADD films respond to or parody pop culture. The Small Group, for example, is a spot-on parody of NBC's The Office, using the aesthetic conventions and comedic timing of that show to portray the stereotypes of small group Bible studies, while The Tightwad Zone repurposes footage from a classic Twilight Zone episode to comically teach a lesson about giving.
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An interview with Satan!
Other videos use VH1's I Love the 90s to provide historical background for a lesson about Martin Luther (I Love the 1590s), or parody a newsmagazine by having a reporter perform an intimate sit-down interview with Satan at his "modest" condo in Valencia.
The most frequent target for BADD's satire is the Christian culture itself. In Christianese, BADD presents a fake commercial for the tape series "How to Speak Christianese," an instructive tool to help outsiders or newly-converted Christians learn the correct religious lingo.
BADD's videos don't feel especially churchy, evangelistic, or amateur. They are actually quite sophisticated, witty, and culturally relevant—i.e., full of pop culture references, allusions, etc. Furthermore, the videos are remarkably well written and acted for a "church drama group," with quality technical merit as well. Over the years the BADD videos have gotten more and more involved, noted Edwards, who joined in 2000. Recent videos have even made use of green screens, stunts, steadicam, and original music.
The whole BADD team
Edwards, who has been with BADD for seven years, believes that a newly formed church film ministry must go through a process of establishing a rapport with the congregation. He suggests that a new ministry should initially make films with broad-based humor, like campy parodies or SNL-type sketches. Only after getting congregations used to the idea of film in the service should these ministries try to do more sophisticated, original comedy or even drama.
Most of BADD's videos are on YouTube and will soon be added to various "church media" aggregate websites where scripts and finished videos can be downloaded by other pastors and churches for use.
BADD is neither the first nor the biggest church film ministry, but it is a good case study in what a film ministry might look like in an era of rapidly changing media.