Trouble Writing Stories For The Christian Market
So, I’m in the Christian market, the Christian movie market to be more exact. I work within the Christian movie market niche, which means my distribution window is much smaller, and my audience is much smaller. Although there’s different niches within that niche regarding the viewers, there’s still a major through-line that most Christian movies tend to have. It’s no secret that many filmmakers out there are frustrated with the restrictions that the market tends to have and although it’s slowly starting to soften a bit, there’s still pretty solid walls around what you can or can’t do. By can’t I mean you can still make the movie you want, and possibly even get it on a shelf, but you’re not likely to move many units. There’s a few key rules that someone typically has to follow if they want their movie to do really well in the market. Someone has to get saved in the film and someone has to share the Gospel, and the spiritual elements tend to be on the nose and the more obvious the characters and situations are the better the film tends to sell. You have to stay away from most violence, and when you use it use it very conservatively, because if the film isn’t safe for family viewing, then it’s not likely to sell much. The movie has to has a happy ending, which is another thing I absolutely hate LOL. Most of my favorite movies have sad endings, so when the time came to finish Standing Firm, I wanted to do an ending that was more honest and true to life and not all tied up with a bow. Some people didn’t like me for that, but since I still gave it a happy ending in terms of the relationships (which get mended) I think I got a pass.
The problem with all of these audience requirements is they make it very difficult to make stories with different structure. All the Sherwood films for instance, follow the exact same story structure, and I think Courageous finally had a lot of folks getting wise to the game. Basically you take a flawed character or characters, and somewhere around 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through the movie, take them through a specific change, and then see that change lived out or not lived out. So basically that means you have a flawed protagonist (which you should have anyway) but have them either come to Christ or have their “aha!” moment somewhere, and then watch how that plays out. In Flywheel, a used car salesman sees the error of his ways and gets right with God, gives money back to those he cheated, and mended his relationship with his family. In Facing The Giants, a school and its coach are in the dumps spiritually and their football record stinks, and once they have their spiritial awakening, have the best season ever, the school busts out in revival and they win the State Championship. In Fireproof, a man comes to Christ amongst his failing marriage and does the Love Dare (turned into a product after the fact) to win the heart of his wife back and eventually mend their marriage. In Courageous, multiple fathers with various family issues sign a Resolution (also made a product) and then we see how they live out that promise in public and at home. By the way, I’m not knocking the films, they’re great and have been a great kick in the pants for me to get going as a filmmaker! 
In Standing Firm, Sherwood’s influence was obvious, with a character coming to Christ almost dead-center in the film, reconciling his anger with God, reconnecting with his son, and living out his new faith in his job/life. It’s a formula that always works in its own right, all you do is swap out the situations, people, characters, jobs, etc. Sound easy? Well, it is.
Same goes for Bible themed movies. Even if it’s awful, they sell like hotcakes by default with zero exceptions. If you make another tired dispensational cheesy end-times movie, you’ll be sitting high and dry because those always make a few bucks. Really, it’s not hard to just pick a well known target and shoot at it with a cookie-cutter story and come out on the other end with a couple hundred thousand dollars. This isn’t rocket-science, and I think a lot of Christian consumers are unaware of just how easy they are.
This has been a real problem for me as I’ve tried to develop a new story for movie #2. I’m trying to stay away from the stereotypes as best I can while still making something the market will accept. With Standing Firm I think I broke a few rules, and came out on the other end ok, thankfully, but it’s hard to do. I was even told to consider changing my cover when the release time was approaching because it was black, and you’ll almost never find a darker cover on a Christian movie shelf. It’s always got heads floating on it that look happy, all lit with soft light, bright colors, and lens flares all over it.
Most of the buyers in the market are women ages 35+. Moms, grandmas, etc. Very few men are buying the Christian movies so most movies have that flare to them to attract female buyers. Even movie made for men is marketed towards women even with main characters as men. A movie like Courageous (in my opinion) although it was marketed through a ton of mens organizations, was pitched as a movie wives need to take their men to go see. It always trickles back to the wives, the girlfriends, and the moms. That changes how the movies get made, how they’re marketing, how the covers look, and on it goes. It also puts a squeeze on the kinds of movies you can do and in return, how much you can risk. It’s difficult to come to terms with and most first time filmmakers are oblivious to it, making whatever they think is proper without any thought given to who is and isn’t going to pick it up off the shelf. It’s just the reality of being in this business.
EDIT: I’m throwing this in there and it’s likely to cause some anger but whatever, it needs to be said. Many women are calling for someone to make Christian movies for women, and I understand I really do. So many movies are made with men as main characters, nearly ALL of them. But, you know what the real problem is? Good luck making a movie in typical Christian movie fashion from the woman’s point of view. Most of the time even in Christian movies, the men are shown to be the lackie’s, and the ones with the problem. Now I realize plenty of women could be humble enough to buy a movie that outlines a problem they’re having, but it’s not as likely. It’s far more likely they’ll buy a movie that involves a problem their husband needs to fix then the other way around. Making a movie about the problems women have (meaning things they get wrong) has yet to be made, and we’ll see how the market reacts when someone gives it a shot. I won’t say who, but someone very high up on the food chain in the Christian market told me flat out that this assessment was accurate. Women in the market don’t want to buy products that say they have something to fix, but they’ll always buy products that say their husbands have something to fix. Don’t take that as a blanket statement for everyone, I’m talking collectively as a “market,” that is likely true. Don’t like it? My goal has never been to be popular, just honest. Moving on.
NOTE: A movie I’m involved with called Georgia Justice is told from a woman’s perspective, but it’s got a different spin on the problem I noted above, so women are likely to embrace it all the more because of that. So, it’s likely a winner.
It’s hard to come up with a fresh story because once you realize what a lot of people want to see, your story is almost always the same structure. That’s why almost all the movies I’ll likely ever make are going to be (I hope) looking at the world from a very honest perspective. Showing things how they are and being emotionally honest with folks. I’m not likely to take a character and throw him into some otherworldly circumstance, or do an action movie, or do a big outrageous comedy or anything. It’s been really hard to find something that story wise will be marketable and message wise can be strong enough to invest 2 years of your life into. These movies take so much work that unless the idea grabs me by the throat, I just can’t justify the time spent. I’ve shelved a lot of ideas for later as well because they’re just too good to do on the kind of budget I’de like to shoot for this next time around. I realize movies are supposed to be exaggerated reality in a lot of ways, but I think we push things a bit too far, LOL. Sometimes people aren’t looking for something extraordinary to “escape” their present life, but they’re looking for something to help them better understand their present life, and feel more secure and confident that they’re not alone. Picking issues that are primal and easily relatable no matter your age, gender, background, etc. is what wins, because no matter what situation you pack into the story or even what character, it’s likely a lot of people will mold the story to their life experience…and that’s what I’m after, because overall I think that’s what made Standing Firm work the most.
The Christian audience is fickle, it’s picky, and it shows no mercy. If you break just a few rules, you get ostracized really fast, it’s brutal. I’m all for movies that are redemptive in nature, but we need to figure out a new way to show it. The same old formula has been beaten to a pulp, and although I think the audience will still continue to drink the cool-aid (and boy do they like the flavor), I can’t handle it anymore. I’ve been tormented for a year now trying to come up with the right story to tell, and I think I’m close, but I’ve thought that before. I dont’ want to repeat myself, and I don’t want to wait forever either. It’s difficult to know what God wants in these situations.
People have no idea how easy it is to try and satisfy their indoctrinated stereotypical minds/hearts. That sounds harsh perhaps but it’s true, LOL. Right now the typical Christian consumer seems so unwilling to accept something new because they’re being pounded over the head with product completely opposed to the idea. Most trying to break the mold come out bloodied with angry investors, but I think there’s a way to get this right and do something out of the ordinary, but still satisfy. The Christian market is one of the most difficult markets to be in if you want to be progressive. Sad, but given the research and facts I’ve collected over the past few years, it seems to be the truth. Originality need not apply if you’re interested in popularity in the market.
Prayers appreciated as I continue developing ideas…this is the hardest part of the process for me.
Looking Ahead
So we’re in 2012 now, I’m finally married with a 1 year anniversary approaching, and on Dec. 23rd, my son was born. I graduated in 2006 and joined staff full-time at my church in NY as Director of Media Production. I started Praise Pictures in April 2007 and in June 2008 Standing Firm was shot. After a nightmare the film was completed and released on August 24, 2010 and has done really well. On December 5, 2011 it went on Cable VOD and online VOD which has brought it to millions of homes around the country which is AMAZING. I’ve moved to LA and back, TN and back, and now GA after meeting Denise and getting married. We’re in a new place, with a new church we absolutely love and a new church family. Because of Standing Firm, a lot of eyes have shifted my way and a ton of work rushed in from different avenues taking me into some scary territory financially (in terms of management). I’ve been very blessed and 2012 looks to be the biggest year of the last 3 which scares me to death. I’m thankful, I’m blessed, but I’m scared. There’s that part of you inside that’s just waiting for a tragedy to strike. You feel like if you don’t keep your pride in check, then God is gonna take your legs out to show you what’s up. He has a tendency to do that when his children need a whack, and sometimes it’s not just a whack it’s a right hook to the chin. BUT, I’m trying to just steward what I have well, look forward to this year with excitement and anticipation, and just pray that God would continue leading me on this crazy road he’s had me on the last few years.
Creatively things have been in a slump for months. I’ve been batting different script ideas back and forth since last Spring, developed a few pretty far and then shelved them because they’re just not the right projects for right now. I think I’ve finally found which one to do but I’ve said that before so I’m just doing what I can to keep working on it. I want so badly to film another film in the fall. It’s like an itch you want to scratch so badly you’d do it with a gardening tool if need be. Still looking for whatever work I can to keep us moving along and pay off debt. Lord willing by the end of this year we’ll be out of all our consumer debt with the possibility of being out of school debt. To be turning 24 in June and have all this going already and be this far ahead is something I don’t take lightly. It requires a lot of stepping back to evaluate and stay focused. It’s so easy to squander money when you’re making a decent amount of it. It’s amazing how quickly it disappears if you’re not careful. Taxes are gonna be a doosey, so lets hope all goes well on that front lol.
Prayers are appreciated as I move forward this year that I would be a good husband and father, that I would have enough work to keep us afloat, that Standing Firm would continue to do well so long after its release, and that we’d be able to get a new film off the ground this year. Lots of things to think about and get done.
I’m thinking about the possibility of making a book about filmmaking that would include distribution and marketing information. Something more specifically for the Christian market folks, but it would have a lot of principles that are universal. It would be a bold thing to write if I do it the way I’m thinking, because it would pull back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz a bit more then some people might be comfortable with in my sphere of friends (within the retail and distribution market). There’s a part of everyone that doesn’t want you to know that it’s just a little guy pulling levers and pushing buttons, because if you knew…well…game over. Maybe the book will materialize, maybe not. I’m thinking it might be far more productive to do it as a podcast almost, and perhaps free instead of a fee. I haven’t fully decided yet, but a podcast would allow constant updated episodes on different things without the need to map it all out 100% in a book, and not have the chance to release updates, new topics, etc. There are a lot of folks so close to getting a film made, but because of a few walls here/there, they just can’t get themselves off the couch. If I could help break those walls down and (especially on the business end) show just how easy it can be if you get a few specific things right, then perhaps more people will go out and give it a shot? That would be great because I’ve heard far too often how “rare” I am and I think that’s rubbish. Perhaps God has gifted me with some special skills, I don’t want to sell myself short or step on what God has gifted me with, but there is a level of mechanics to making a movie for a niche market like the Christian sector, and if you can just see what’s possible…it could be a great encouragement to get moving!
I’m working on marketing for a film called Georgia Justice until the foreseeable future, so that’ll take up a lot of my time month to month. Thankfully it’s able to pay me well enough that I don’t have to put so much pressure on specific job hunting, and that should allow me more time to work on movie #2. It’s always a juggling act, trying to make a movie while having a life, and making a living. It’ll still be a few years before I can confidently just make a film, and not have to be concerned too much with making a buck.
Looking forward to what 2012 has in store.
A Recap Of The Last Few Years…
I’ve been meaning to blog a lot more about the whole process here with Denise’ pregnancy and preparing for parenting but life has just been so busy lately. Calling the last few years a whirlwind is an understatement.
To recap, I graduated high school in 2006 having just turned 18 about 2 weeks prior, then soon after became the Director of Media at Niagara Frontier Bible Church where I grew up and I started college. After about a year there I dropped out realizing engineering wasn’t the right choice and I wanted to pursue something in media/art/video or whatever else. The Director of Media job continued and in 2007 Praise Pictures Inc started and the script for Standing Firm started taking shape. We started shooting June 2008 and the following year in the summer I got a phone call for a job at a Post-house in Los Angeles. Thinking that’s what God wanted I quit my job as Director of Media, and packed my car with everything I owned. After that opportunity blew up in my face after 30 days I moved back home confusing everybody around me. Not too long after I packed my car again and headed to Memphis to work on a film and that didn’t work out so after 2 1/2 weeks I ended up home again with no prospects. It was still summer 2009.
I decided if I was ever going to finish Standing Firm and really do this for real as a career and a future it was now or never. I didn’t look for a normal job, we reshot some scenes of the film and finished shooting in Nov 2009. In Dec. 2009 I was contacted by Rich Christiano (who’s now become a good friend) to help bring his site ChristianMovies.com out of the hole it was in after all sorts of web problems. I started working for him that month and still do helping run the site, send out the newsletters, and just be an extra set of hands when needed. Besides being a filmmaker, the only thing I ever wanted to be was a husband and a father. At a Christmas party in 2009 I met Denise for the first time. Over the next week we spent a ton of time talking online to each other learning about each other. Call me crazy but God was already telling me she could be “the one.” We started dating soon after to the surprise of many of our friends. I had never had a girlfriend before, so it was all new and exciting territory. When it came to the movie, I continued working on the edit, grabbed whatever scratch work I could, and started looking for distributors in spring 2010 getting turned down by whoever I sent it to. I kept marketing hoping I would find something and someone would take the film. In May I was contacted by David Austin of Bridgestone Multimedia Group who liked the film and wanted it. Over the next month or so we secured a deal and the film was slated to release on Aug 24th, 2010. This brought some serious closure for me and when the first shrink-wrapped copies arrived prior to the release day, I held one in my hand and cried a bit. Anybody who knows what it took to finish that film knows why. The film started selling well and all the hard work marketing paid off as press started to take notice, magazines started doing a few articles, good reviews came in, and overall things were good. But they were about to get better.
At the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival 2010 which was in October, I proposed to Denise and thankfully she didn’t disappoint. 
I had moved into my new (and first) apartment around that time as well so that was exciting. Wedding planning began, and after an intense winter getting everything ready, we were set. On Jan 22nd, 2011 I married Denise, and marveled at just how good God had been to me. But God wasn’t done yet. On April 7th, 2011, Denise wrapped a little surprise gift for me to open. I tore it open and found a pregnancy test. We were going to have a baby. It was finally here, I was going to be a father. We started thinking about long term preparations and our future, and we realized that NY just wasn’t where we wanted to be. After much prayer and research we landed on Atlanta, GA as our destination so off we went moving at the end of July. It was expensive, it was exhausting, but it was rewarding. We found a new church family that we absolutely love, new weather that kicks Buffalo’s rear end, and a wealth of new business opportunities mostly filmmaking related which is what we’d hoped for.
Now I find myself on November 19, 2011 literally waiting any time now for my son Calvin James Prohaska to take his first breath. Denise is full-term, so it’s game time. I can’t even begin to tell you what being a father and preparing to be a parent does to ones psyche. It sure helps you kick a lot of crap out of your life and to get serious. It’s terrifying, exciting, tiring, and you find yourself crying at unexpected times (at least I do). I think about how excited I am to have a son, how thankful I am to raise him, and all the things I hope for him. I want him to be a man of integrity and conviction, who loves God and treats women with respect, a hard-worker who knows the value of a dollar and is willing to do what it takes to provide for himself and his family. I’m just over the moon about the fact I work at home and make a good living at my age. It makes me cry so much just thinking about it at times how perfectly setup God has crafted and directed my life to bring me to now…this moment…this point and time. I haven’t even held my son yet and already I’m looking forward to a hopeful day when I can hold my daughter. She’ll get older and I’ll spend time with her, and treat her as she should be…a precious flower to be protected at all costs. Piggy back rides and daddy dates with my daughter are going to be a blast. I’ll be the man in her life until that difficult day when I give her away to another. For my son, they’ll come that time when he’ll have his own job, and his own life and he won’t be asking me so many questions anymore. He’ll get his own place, shake my hand, hopefully give me a hug, and head off into adulthood. I’ll just have to hold back the tears on those days hoping that by God’s Grace I gave them what they needed to be the men/women of God they need to. If God sees fit to give me more children then great! If not, bummer…but he knows what he’s doing. If I can have at least one of each that would be wonderful
It’s all just a dream and doesn’t really feel real. So much good has happened in so little time, it’s hard to not be afraid of tragedy striking. God’s in control, and I see a pathway built here for me and my family, on every level from the spiritual to the financial and every other way. These are exciting times. I could use your prayers, there’s a lot of work to do and a ton of new experiences coming that aren’t all going to be fun. This is going to be the hardest thing Denise and I ever do besides building a strong Godly marriage. Filmmaking can’t even hold a candle to the road we have ahead. Thanks for reading…Blessings – Kyle
