Barna research findings revealed, after a year of research, that the leading influence on American society is MOVIES.
"Whoever controls the media controls the culture." - Francis Schaeffer (author of "How Should We Then Live?")
If you want to influence the culture for Christ... there is no more powerful medium than movies.
THIS IS WHY I WANT TO BE A FILMMAKER.
'Tis absolutely true; a country's art is its foundation. We were talking about this at the Patrick Henry camp; about how artists and writers have power. Immense power. I learned one of my new favorite quotes,
ReplyDelete"Let me write the songs of a nation - I don't care who writes its rules." - Andrew Fletcher
Songs, books, movies... these, not the laws and government are what most deeply impacts the culture. And since movies are probably the most prominent form of media in America... then I can see why you want to be a filmmaker.
So. "Go. Live your dream." ;)
- whisper
Whisper:
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! :-) I agree with you so much! Laws and government can definitely have important impacts on a country, but not on the CULTURE of a country. And the culture is the heart of a country. If you impact the culture, you impact everything else.
So, in a way... artists and writers have more power than even the most powerful political figures in the world. (Although, a different kind of power.) :-) It's the kind of power that can point people to God and draw them closer to Him... and THAT'S what matters most!!
-Brianna
Brianna, I commend you for wanting to wanting to influence our culture with media that draws us nearer to Christ. I'm curious, how do you intend to do this?
ReplyDeleteIn faith, love, and hope;
James
Absolutely! Writers are often belittled for doing something so frivolous with their lives, but the truth is just the opposite. Art is one of the greatest influences upon society, which means, in a sense, artists control society. Being a writer (or a filmmaker) means we wield a tremendous amount of power, and it's our responsibility to wield it wisely.
ReplyDelete@K.M: It's so true that we (writers/filmmakers) wield a tremendous power! And, like you said, as Christians we should wield this power wisely... and wield it for God's kingdom, not for anything else.
ReplyDelete@James: I'm sorry I took so long to publish and respond to your comment (and K. M. Weiland's). I just got back from a long vacation, and I needed some time to think about how to word my answer.
ReplyDeleteI think there are two main aspects of films that can draw people closer or further away from God, and from truth. They are: (1) The characters, and (2) The worldview of the films.
First, the way the characters behave has a HUGE impact on viewers; whether it's a surface impact, or a subtle impact, taking place in their subconscious. I once read a survey (and I'm sorry that I do not have this survey or the statistics in front of me) that showed that, even though they wouldn't admit it, teenagers who watched movies or TV shows with teenage sex in it, were more likely to engage in sex themselves during their teenage years. (And now I remember that this statistic was in a "Brio" magazine, so if you absolutely have to have the statistic itself, I could probably dig around for it. :))
Anyway, this was just one statistic involving one issue, but the point stands that we ARE impacted by what we see on television, or in the movies. I remember that when I was a little girl, after watching a movie or TV show, I would often start to behave like the characters I saw. I realized what I was doing and tried not to behave like the characters, because it sort of embarrassed me, but as a kid I couldn't really help it. Younger minds are especially susceptible to what they see on the screen, but even adults are impacted, whether they realize it or not.
So, I said all that to say, that the characters should be GOOD ROLE MODELS. Not perfect -- they should be real people -- but when they make mistakes, those mistakes shouldn't be glorified or encouraged with the way the story works out.
And, the most important thing they should model is a RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. When we watch characters pressing into God and growing in their walk with Him, who's to say that won't impact us in a POSITIVE way, in the same way "teenage sex" shows would impact us in a negative way?
(This isn't letting me comment, so I'm going to do it in two parts to see if that works...)
(Okay, that seemed to be the problem. Here's the rest of my answer... sorry my response is so long! :-) Maybe I'll turn it into its own blog post.)
ReplyDeleteOkay, here's the second thing: The worldview. The worldview of a film is, I think, almost as -- if not AS -- powerful and influential as the characters. Is it a world where evil has the upper hand and there is only a faint hope for good to win? Is it a world where sin is portrayed as good, and something to model? Is it a world where we are all "animals", on the same plane with dogs and birds and ants; where we all climbed up from the goo over millions of years, and Creator God is just a make-believe fairytale?
Or is it the world portrayed and explained in the Bible?
We might know what we believe. But then, when we start watching movies with worldviews that contradict our views, those worldviews begin slowly seeping into our minds. Eventually, we start thinking in those worldviews, even if they're not what we really believe. And if we really let them get a hold of us, those worldviews will become what we actually believe, too. And then we are falling headfirst away from Truth and away from God.
Does this answer your question enough? Thanks for asking... it was a good question, and made me think! :-)
As a final thought, here are a few movies (off the top of my head) that, in my opinion, can draw people closer to God in the way I describe. Now, a note: none of these movies, of course, are exactly the way I personally want to make movies. Everyone has their own style, myself included. But, with each of these movies, there is at least something about them that I like.
* What If - Encourages people to dedicate their lives to God, not to themselves.
* The Chronicles of Narnia series - An analogy that shows Christ and His sacrifice with a fresh perspective (esp. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)
* Faith Like Potatoes - Based on a true story, encouraging us to have faith in God; shows how God can change a life.
* To Save a Life - Deals with teenage suicide, depression, etc.; a call for the church to look past our judgmentalism and reach out to people.
* End of the Spear - Based on a true story, about bringing the gospel to a tribe centered around killing and revenge; a message of powerful, emotional forgiveness.
* Come What May - About doing the right thing, regardless of the outcome; and honoring God through absolute purity in relationships.
So, that was just a few movies I thought of off the top of my head... there are plenty, plenty more.
God bless!
Pursuing the Truth in Christ,
Brianna