Handheld Camera Hell
Handheld camerawork has lost it's way in today's media. It's overused, over-exaggerated, and misplaced. Some media productions have fallen into handheld hell -- impossible to watch without getting sea sick. Too often handheld camerawork destroys what would have been an otherwise pleasant and enjoyable story. Jean-Luc Godard, who...
Great Literature Editions for Christian Storytellers
B&H Publishing and Dr. Karen Swallow Prior have published a number of literary classiscs in beautiful new hardcover editions. These editions are from the series "A Guide to Reading and Reflecting (Read and Reflect with the Classics). Each novel includes helpful chapters on the author and the background of the novel, and each chapter...
The Cage: A Powerful and Well-Crafted Short Film by Ricky Staub
The fourteen minute short narrative film written and directed by Ricky Staub for Film Supply has renewed my interest in the short film form. I've not been as impressed by a short film for a long time, and it has made me rethink the value of this narrative film form....
A List of Faith & Family Streaming Platforms
Streaming technology has opened the doors for the rise of new distribution platforms to curate Christian content and showcase their own material. It's really an interesting time to be a filmmaker. Here is a list of platforms to pay attention to: AGTV (American Gospel...
Dispatches from the Front Sale
The excellent documentary series Dispatches from the Front, featuring Tim Keesee, is on sale until January 15th. You can get the entire 14 part series for half off, regularly $120, now only $60. Tim Keesee was a guest on the podcast, you can find that podcast here....
Rhonwyn Kendrick’s Story, the Mother of the Kendrick Brothers
Revive Our Hearts Ministry created an inspiring and challenging video story about the mother of Stephen and Alex Kendrick. Rhonwyn Kendrick is a praying mom and grandmother—and she’s seen the indescribable power of prayer firsthand. Watch Rhonwyn and her son, Stephen...
Spielberg’s Advice to Young Filmmakers
In a recent interview with Collider, Steven Spielberg shared one piece of advice to young filmmakers. “The only piece of advice I love to give is don't worry so much about technique and don't worry so much about where to put the camera or have a light. Worry about one...
The Dogme 95 Film Movement, and What Christian Filmmakers Can Learn From It.
The Dogme 95 film movement was created in the Spring of 1995 by a group of Danish filmmakers lead by Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vittenberg. The movement was a response to the commercial, hi-tech, and industrialized methods that came to dominate filmmaking, with it's...
Puritan Collector’s Edition Released
The Puritan documentary directed by Stephen McCaskell and produced by Media Gratiae has released a gorgeous collector's edition in a steel box case. The Collector's Edition includes five hours of extended, never-before-released interviews with the guests including...
Bringing Space Jam to Life
The Little Black Book interviewed our team and produced an article about our studio's work on Space Jam 2. To go behind the hand-drawn scenes of the animation blockbuster, LBB spoke with several members of the team who brought the project to life. In no particular...
Eric Løkkesmoe on a Theology of Marketing
Erik Løkkesmoe of Aspiration Ventures talks about a theology of marketing that is particularly relevant for filmmakers. I think audiences are not looking for best deals, or the newest sale, the slickest marketing, or the loudest voice, or the most radio ads. I think...
Ten Thoughts About the Christian and Entertainment
What guidelines should Christians use in chosing their entertainment and media watching habits. Dr. Mark Coppenger wrote a helpful, pastoral article outlining 10 thoughts on this topic. It's posted on the blog of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. ...