Tension, Conflict.
How do you show the best (or is it the worst) possible conflict that a character or group encounters in a way that make the resolution the all the more poignant?
Without compromising Christian morals, beliefs and values?
Bringing someone to a potential downfall in a moment of violence, lust or terror can be quite compromising of a person’s morals and values. But then, the more contrasting the conflict to the resolution the more powerful and memorable the story. Obviously there are exceptions where the conflict is more subtle. I think that they did quite well in the film: FireProof where the husband was faced with a potential internet chat with another woman. Yet through out the film most of what happened was implied. It could have watered down the story? But in this case it did not.
What about violence and horror? There was a good discussion over at the Cloud Ten Pictures Blog about Christian Horror. Just how far do you go before you make the conflict a threat to another Christian’s relationship with God and or his own family?
Having said that, the Bible is full of stuff that could make you cringe, blow you away or make you dumbstruck. Just read about David, Jacob, Lot or the Songs of Songs. The Bible has incest, harlots, war, murder, violence, you name it; the true nature of man is there at it’s worst. So why can’t we make film’s like that? Imagine a film of Lot and his daughters, PG18 stuff.
I don’t know what you think, but from a Christian perspective: I think that there is a fine line between using sin to illustrate truth and plain old sinning.
So what do you think? Does this water down Christian Film? Should we risk making them more real?
[Image created from photos by: djking and insightimaging]
Should we risk making them more real? No. Cinema is supposed to be fake. It has been the place where imagination and the surreal come to life. It is only in the past ten years or so that we have become obsessed with making it more real, and I think this is where we are going wrong. What’s so good about real. I, like all of you, live real every day. It’s good. But when I watch a movie I want to escape. If that moment of escape makes me question my morals, my life and my choices, so be it. Otherwise it is a time for me to relax and enjoy.
Senseless violence that does not further the story in any way is unnecessary in christian and non christian films alike. Lust can be a good tool when used as a choice, a crossroads in the heroes journey, and terror is just a part of life. There are many things people find terrifying, and this just makes us human. Fear is one of the earliest emotions we develop, and when used with a little class (Hitchcock), can be very exciting. Everyone needs a little scare at times.
The one thing I find lacking in christian films is Humor. We need to laugh. Why is it I wonder that so many Cristian filmmakers feel they need to be so serious all the time. Laughter is one of the best ways to get people to drop their defenses for a moment and makes it much easier for morals and messages to get across in the end.
Great read. Thanks for the info!