Two Handed Warriors

The good news is there is a process to finishing your screenplay The bad news: the process doesn’t make the shoe easier to chew… by Christopher Riley Follow up to Chris’s post: Why Story Structure Matters, Even If You Don’t Want It To Back in the late 1970s when documentary filmmaker Errol Morris was struggling to [...]

Am I ashamed of the gospel? A Conversation with Randy Elrod’s: Why Christians Are Creating More “Edgy” Art, and Jeff Goin’s, Are Christians Writing “Edgy” for the Wrong Reasons? by CJ Darlington In the last couple of years I’ve noticed a trend in Christian fiction. More and more aspiring authors desire to write edgy fiction. And by [...]

Telling (and more importantly, living) stories that leave a beautiful feeling even as the credits role is the heart of genuinely Christian Filmmaking Part 3 in series The Future of Faith-Based Filmmaking by Gary David Stratton, PhD “I wondered about the story we were writing and wanted even more to write a better story for my life, [...]

Many Christians see these movies as a safe alternative to Hollywood’s immorality. Are they?  Part 2 in series The Future of Faith-Based Filmmaking by Brennan Mark Smith People have asked me to write on this for various reasons, but let me say at the outset: my goal is not to mock anyone’s creative endeavors, but to [...]

Christian Movie, Faith-based Film, or Christian Worldview Movie? Can you tell the difference? Part 1 in series “The Future of Faith-Based Filmmaking” by Mike Rinaldi What is or isn’t a Christian movie? What is the difference between a “Christian” movie and a “Faith-based” film? Many people use the terms interchangeably but they are very distinct [...]

Without a sound structure a two-hour film collapses under its own weight. Here’s why. by Christopher Riley Beginning screenwriters hate structure: Structure chafes. Structure kills creativity. Structure is for paint-by-the-numbers hacks, mindless, slavish screenwriting hordes laboring in the sweatshops of Snyder, Aristotle, and McKee. Structure is a four-letter word. Count ‘em. Str-uc-tu-re. Four toxic letters that spell [...]

On April 7, author, and playwright-turned-pastor Dave Schmelzer interviewed me for a podcast posted 4/19 on his website: Not The Religious Type, on the Blue Ocean platform. It was a great experience, and I really want you to listen to it. However, first I’d like you to know a few things about Dave and his [...]

Classic wisdom from a classy TV Writer and Man of God by Ron Austin This article is a revised version of a speech given at a conference concerning the role of Christians in the entertainment industry, sponsored by the Act One screenwriting program held at the Mears Center of Hollywood Presbyterian Church nearly a decade ago. [...]

One of today’s most articulate voices for faithful engagement in culture, Dean Batali, is best known for his work on That ‘70s Show, where he served as a writer for seven years and as an executive producer for the show’s final season.

J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series, delivers her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association. (via harvardmagazine.com). . J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.