New studio focuses on faith-friendly flicks

Bobby Downes is no stranger to faith-friendly films and now he's looking to make even more of them for the global market with the launch of his own studio, EchoLight.

Downes has worked on no less than 12 films to date, one of his most recent being Like Dandelion Dust starring Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino.

The first film to be released under EchoLight has its premiere in Hollywood this Saturday ahead of its DVD release on 3 July.

25 Hill tells the story of a young boy and an old man both affected by tragedy who find the faith to go on as they ready a car for the All-American Soap Box Derby.

The film is written and directed by Corbin Bernsen (Rust, Psych, L.A. Law). He stars in the film alongside Nathan Gamble from A Dolphin's Tale and Ralph Waite from TV show "The Waltons".

The soundtrack features music by Dove Award winners Third Day and Brandon Heath.

"At a time when we're intent on rebuilding our country, it's great to celebrate a community event that starts at the family level, showcases our competitive spirit and speaks directly to children about the importance of our family traditions and history," said Bernsen.

Other films slated for release this year are "Undaunted", documenting the early life of Josh McDowell, and "I Am ... Gabriel", starring Dean Cain from TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and John Schneider, of October Baby.

In addition to the films releasing this year, EchoLight is also on the hunt for new films to distribute as well as new film concepts to turn into movies for the faith-and-family arena.

"At EchoLight, we are taking films from concept to release and working with filmmakers to distribute their already-produced work," says Downes, President of EchoLight.

"It's a one-stop platform for quality filmmaking and faith-and-family content," adds EchoLight chief executive Gen Fukunaga.

EchoLight has just started work on a new feature film starring Erin Bethea, who played Kirk Cameron's wife in Fireproof.

Read more at http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=2091&src=rss

Forecast: Fourth 'Ice Age' Drifts Into Theaters

In a fairly obvious attempt to stay away from The Dark Knight Rises, the major studios are only releasing one significant movie this weekend.

Ice Age: Continental Drift is debuting at 3,880 locations this weekend, 2,731 of which are playing the movie in 3D. This is only the second significant animated franchise to reach a fourth installment following the Shrek series, and each subsequent chapter has been more successful than the previous one for Ice Age. The most recent entry, 2009's Dawn of the Dinosaurs, earned a very good $196.6 million domestically while setting a foreign animated record with an outstanding $690.1 million haul. It was also well-liked for the most part, scoring a 7.0 rating on IMDb.

Since 2009, though, the landscape for animated sequels has become much more treacherous at the domestic box office. Shrek Forever After tumbled 26 percent from its predecessor, while Kung Fu Panda 2 and Cars 2 fell 23 and 21 percent, respectively. Those were at least better than Happy Feet Two, which lost over half of the original's audience, and non-animated family sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, which was off 39 percent.

Of course, over that same time period there's Toy Story 3, which earned an incredible $415 million, and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, which is the first entry in its franchise to pass $200 million. These two movies thrived because they appeared to offer something different, something new: for Toy Story 3, it was the daycare setting, while Madagascar 3 had Europe and circus wigs.

For Continental Drift, it's a bit harder to tell what differentiates the movie from the previous Ice Age installments. Some previews make pretty clear that the gang is lost at sea this time around, while others focus on the pratfalls of the Scrat character. There are also some efforts being made to keep the series hip and fresh with the addition of Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj and Drake to the voice cast. None of that provides the coherent, enticing message that was there for the last movie: its Ice Age, but with dinosaurs.

Another challenge for Ice Age is its place on the calendar. Summer 2012 has already seen two $200 million animated movies with Madagascar 3 and Brave, and it's tough to say if there's room for another big hit. Two Summers ago, Despicable Me managed to overcome a similar problem and ultimately earn over $250 million, though that had the advantage of being an original movie.

The point of all of this is not to say that Ice Age: Continental Drift will perform poorly: it's a stable franchise that has plenty of fans, and it's positioned well as the only new nationwide release this weekend. It is, however, very difficult to imagine it getting close to The Meltdown's $68 million debut (Dawn of the Dinosaurs opened on a Wednesday, so it doesn't provide a great opening comparison). Fox is currently expecting an opening in the high-$30-million range.

It's also important to note that, in this case, the domestic performance doesn't really give a good picture of the movie's overall success. Through Wednesday, Continental Drift had already earned $238 million overseas, and it should wind up close to the last movie's record-setting $690.1 million foreign haul.

Forecast (July 13-15)
1. Ice Age 4 - $48.5 million
2. Amazing Spider-Man - $33.5 million (-46%)
3. Ted - $21.2 million (-34%)
4. Brave - $11.2 million (-43%)

Bar for Success
Six years ago without 3D, Ice Age: The Meltdown earned $68 million on its opening weekend, and the two other major animated movies this Summer have also opened north of $60 million. Ice Age: Continental Drift doesn't need to get quite as high: anything over $50 million is a good start for this four-quel.

Rebel Pilgrim Productions Sets Up Shop

By Harold Hay

When you think of Cincinnati, there are a lot of things that come to mind—the Reds, Skyline Chili, Graeter’s Ice cream, Pete Rose, conservative values and Fountain Square. But, perhaps, one thing that may not be on your list is filmmaking. However, that’s all about to change.

Recently, I had the opportunity to tour the offices of Rebel Pilgrim Productions, a new start-up film company located in the historic Gwynne Building at 602 Main Street in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. This isn’t your typical film company to say the least. Its founder and President, Joe Boyd, was the fulltime teaching pastor at the Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It’s not every day that a pastor decides to get into the movie-making business. Joe’s background is certainly unconventional. He started out performing stand-up comedy and improv in Las Vegas, Nevada. Later, he pastured a church in Las Vegas and then headed to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor in the TV and movie business.

His efforts landed him a spot on the daytime soap opera, General Hospital. It’s in Los Angeles where Joe caught the bug to become a film producer. Those were the early origins of what would become Rebel Pilgrim Productions. However, it would take several years for his dreams to come true.

After moving back to Cincinnati and taking the job as pastor at the Vineyard Community Church. Joe would eventually form a partnership with fellow film enthusiast, Brad Wise (the creative director at the Vineyard) and Isaac Stambaugh, Vineyard’s video coordinator.

A few months ago the trio decided to branch out from the Vineyard and form their own production company. So what makes their company stand out ?

Rebel Pilgrim Productions states that they desire to tell stories that spark hope and action. That may mean a lot of things to different people. But to those at Rebel Pilgrim Productions, the hope is solidly based in the hope we find in Christ Jesus. Although they don’t bill themselves as a Christian film company, they are nevertheless committed to producing television and film projects that reinforce the principles and values that are contained within the scriptures.

Recently, to reinforce their vision, Joe, Isaac and Brad traveled to Los Angeles to attend the Family Entertainment and Faith-based Summit hosted by Variety Magazine. They had an opportunity to meet with industry insiders who are looking for quality entertainment. Amazingly, in a short period of time they have quickly established a reputation as an up-and-coming production company.

Isaac Stambaugh told me they have made several inroads with a number of major distributors. To say that Rebel Pilgrim Productions is a start-up is somewhat misleading. At the Vineyard, the trio produced five full-length features, including The Road to Emmaus, Hitting the Nuts, Fenced Off, Smells Like Community Spirit, and Strange Brand of Happy.

The Los Angeles trip provided them the opportunity to showcase all of their features. It is expected that within the next few months distribution deals will be signed for all of their current projects. That’s great news.

Now, back to my tour. I couldn’t help but think how amazing this entire story is. Three staff members from a local church start a major film company right here in Cincinnati. That’s a big story folks. Not only are their offices impressive but also their body of work in such a short time makes you sit up and take notice.

Starting any business today is unquestionably a challenge much less starting a film business. The entertainment business is extremely fluid. Companies come and go; however, based on what I saw at Rebel Pilgrim productions, I’m convinced that this one is here to stay. They have a unique vision and business plan. It’s not about the money, fame, or fortune. Their sights are set a little higher. Their movies aim for something more than just the ordinary. So when you think of Cincinnati in the future maybe the first thing that comes to mind is filmmaking with integrity, purpose, and truth.

For more check out http://www.facebook.com/RebelPilgrimProductions

Christian Movie Connect Gears Up for the 37th ICVM International Conference

Christian Movie Connect (CMC), an online Christian video podcast hosted by film producer and media personality Cheryl Ariaz Wicker will be bringing an up close and personal look into the 37th Annual ICVM International Conference. This event will be held at the DoubleTree/Seaworld Hotel in Orlando, Florida from July 16 – 18, 2012.

CMC will be giving viewers a daily dose of the freshest happenings via a daily video podcast of the previous day’s events at the ICVM Conference starting July 17. CMC features in-depth interviews with top profile personalities in Christian filmmaking. Joining this year’s ICVM, the CMC team is joined by award winning and Emmy nominated San Diego documentary filmmaker Patrick Rea as videographer and editor.

True to ICVM’s mission statement of being a supportive Christian community to those in production and distribution of visual media, the 2012 ICVM Conference will bring attendees into the ever changing world of media distribution and give insights on production topics relevant to today’s changing media market.

Read more at http://www.examiner.com/article/christian-movie-connect-gears-up-for-the-37th-icvm-international-conference

Christian bookstores and their chokehold on the industry

By Rachel Held Evans

A lot of folks have been expressing outrage and surprise over the fact that LifeWay Christian bookstores recently banned the movie "The Blind Side" from their shelves due to language and objectionable content. The 2009 biographical film about a black high school student adopted by a white Christian family is rated PG-13 and became something of an evangelical darling when it released, receiving endorsements from Christianity Today and Focus on the Family.


But Florida pastor Rodney Baker of Hopeful Baptist Church submitted a resolution to the Southern Baptist Convention, demanding that LifeWay pull the film. Lifeway bowed to the pressure from Baker, and removed the movie from their shelves—a response that Baker saw as obedient yielding to the Holy Spirit. "Thank you,” he said “for listening to the voices of the overwhelming majority of Florida Baptist Convention messengers, the voice of this resolution, and above all the voice of the Holy Spirit to remove 'The Blind Side' from Lifeway Christian Book Stores.”

As the Christian Post reports, Baker still intends to submit the resolution the convention as a way of "sending a message about LifeWay and the content of its products."

Those of you who followed “vaginagate”—in which I was asked to remove the word “vagina” from my upcoming book in deference to Christian bookstore standards—will know that I’m not at all surprised by this story.

Christian bookstores have developed a reputation for producing a highly sanitized customer experience, purging from their shelves any language, content, or theology that doesn’t meet their uber-conservative standards. Walk into your local LifeWay and you will find plenty of Precious Moments statues, specialty Bibles, Veggie Tale movies, and Thomas Kinkade prints...but little trace of art or literature that intrigues, agitates, and inspires—as true art should! The Christian bookstore experience is, in a word, safe. But safe is not how Christians are called to live, and safe is not what artists who are Christians are called to create. In fact, based on LifeWay’s own standards, the Bible itself—which includes profanity, violence, and sex—should be banned from the shelves.

What most people don’t realize, however, is that the problem of sanitized Christian bookstores extends far beyond the inventory on the shelves to create an entire Christian subculture that is so sanitized and safe it often fails to produce art that is relevant to our culture or our lives.

Now I’m going to say something that will probably get me into some trouble, something that many editors and writers are afraid to say for fear of losing their jobs or their book contracts, but something which desperately needs to be spoken out loud: Christian bookstores have a chokehold on the Christian publishing industry. And this chokehold not only affects the inventory you find on Christian bookstore shelves, but which books are contracted by publishers, what content gets edited in the writing and editing process, and the degree of freedom authors feel they have to speak on their own blogs and platforms. As a result, the entire Christian industry has been sanitized, while its best artists look elsewhere for publication.

Read more at http://rachelheldevans.com/christian-bookstores-chokehold

Need Versus Wants

In today's world of media, there is no space between programming, advertising, media, branding, entertainment and marketing. Consequently, every form of media is designed for you to want something. We have confused needs with wants. Today’s media makers have decided that the most important message is to convince us that our wants must be satisfied. Our interests come first above all else. In fact, today’s modern media culture would not function as it does if we were not convinced that the world revolves around our interests and wants.

What is the difference between a need and a want? Does media affect my buying decisions? How does buying things make me feel? Luke 12:21-31 says, And don’t worry about food—what to eat and drink. don’t worry whether God will provide it for you. These things dominate the thoughts of most people. But your Father already knows your needs. He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

God knows our needs. But the media, in order to be successful and profitable, must convince us that our wants far exceed our needs. They tell us that we cannot be good consumers without putting our wants first. We must recognize the strategies that the media culture promotes; otherwise, we will never make the Kingdom of God our primary concern. Is our mission in life to accumulate wealth and power? According to the media, it is. They say it will offer you the greatest opportunity for happiness. Or does it? Media is not interested in proving a product’s value, but in proving your inadequacies without the product. Today’s marketers are selling a lifestyle, and they want you to buy into it.

Today’s media has created a culture around brands and products; therefore, they are selling a culture or a media culture and not a product. We need to be aware of how ideas are being sold and the basics of persuasion. Images have combined to create new myths by using humor, machoism, friends, family, fun activities, nature, sexuality, animated characters, celebrity and wealth to sell us on the idea that our wants far exceed our needs

Box Office Report: 'Spider-Man' Reboots Franchise With $140 Mil; Worldwide Total $341 Mil

Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man spun a strong enough web in its worldwide debut to ensure a new future for Sony's marquee franchise, including a six-day domestic opening of $140 million.

Worldwide, the 3D reboot has earned $341.2 million in its first week, including $201.6 million internationally.

Amazing Spider-Man topped the international chart over the weekend with $129.1 million from 74 territories, followed by 20th Century Fox's Ice Age: Continental Drift, which earned $80.6 million from 48 markets in its second weekend for an outstanding foreign cume of $198 million.

Fox's 3D toon, opening July 13 in North America, bested Spider-Man in some markets, including Germany, France and Argentina.

Domestically, Amazing Spider-Man -- headlining Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone -- turned in the best performance for the July 4th frame outside of the three Transformers pics, Twlight Saga: The Eclipse and Spider-Man 2. And among reboots, it easily bested the $79.5 million earned by Batman Begins in its first six days, including a three-day opening of $48.7 million.

Opening Tuesday in North America, Amazing Spider-Man grossed $65 for the weekend itself, the third best three-day number of summer outside of The Avengers and Brave. Amazing Spider-Man was up 15 percent from Friday to Saturday, indicating that the event pic is playing like a family film.

Overall, 75 percent of the audience were general movigoers ages 12 and up, while 25 percent were familes. Amazing Spider-Man skewed male (58 percent), while 65 percent of children were boys. The pic received an overall A- CinemaScore, and an A among moviegoers under the age of 25.

"What a spectacular relaunch," Sony worldwide president of distribution Rory Bruer said. "There are so many facets of this movie that are compelling, including the chemistry between Andrew and Emma and the out-of-the-box direction of Marc Webb."

Imax locations turned in a hefty $14.3 million, 10 percent of the domestic total. Imax should finish the weekend with a global Spider-Man gross north of $24 million.

With Amazing Spider-Man taking up much of the oxygen at the multiplex, the weekend brought mixed results for new entries Savages, Oliver Stone R-rated crime drama, and concert documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me.

Savages did better than anticipated, grossing $16.2 million to come in No. 4 behind Amazing Spider-Man, Ted and Pixar/Disney's Brave.

"I think the picture performed beyond indstury's expectations in a marketplace where there are a lot of choices," Universal president of domestic distribution Nikki Rocco said.

Other box office observers say Savages may have ended up competing with fellow Universal pic Ted for adults, even though they are very different movies.

Ted, financed by Media Rights Capital and directed by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, has blossomed into the comedy hit of the summer, falling only 40 percent in its second weekend to $32.6 million for a 10-day domestic cume of $120.2 million.

Overseas, Ted soared this weekend in Australia and Taiwan, grossing $13.1 million.

Savages earned a C+ CinemaScore, likely due to its surprise ending. The pic skewed slightly female (51 percent), while 61 percent of the audience was over the age of 60.

Universal was so keen on Savages, based on Don Winslow's best-selling novel, that it moved the film from September to this weekend hoping to woo adults. The pic -- costing $45 million to produce -- marks Stone's return to more violent fare and stars Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Benicio Del Toro and Salma Hayek.

Universal and Relativity Media partnered to co-finance Savages, which cost $45 million to produce.
Paramount Insurge's Part of Me posted a four-day debut of $10.3 million after opening on Thursday; for the weekend proper, the film earned $7.2 million to place No. 8.

Either way, that's substantially lower than the openings for two other concert docs: fellow Insurge pic Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ($29.4 million last year) and Disney's Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour ($31.1 million in 2008), though those films debuted outside of summer.

Paramount is on solid ground financially, though, since Part of Me only cost $12 million to produce.
"We were the best-reviewed new movie of the weekend, so we feel confident that the film will continue to find an audience," Paramount president of domestic marketing and distribution Megan Colligan said.

Part of Me also received a glowing A CinemaScore, which should help spread good word of mouth, particularly as moms and younger girls become available. More than 80 percent of the audience turning out for Part of Me were females, while 72 percent were under the age of 25.

Among holdovers, Brave grossed a strong $20.2 million in its third weekend for a domestic cume of $174.5 million and $211.1 million worldwide. On Sunday -- thanks to Brave and The Avengers -- Disney becomes the first studio this year to cross the $1 billion mark in domestic grosses.

Steven Soderbergh's male striptease dramedy Magic Mike fell 60 percent in its weekend to an estimated $15.6 million for a stellar domestic cume of $72.8 million.

At the specialty box office, both Moonrise Kingdom and To Rome With Love made a strong showing, coming in No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.

Woody Allen's To Rome With Love landed on the top 10 chart in only its third weekend. Expanding into a total of 806 theaters nationwide, the Sony Pictures Classics' film grossed $3.5 million for a cume of $5.3 million.

Focus Features' Moonrise Kingdom, from Wes Anderson, is an indie hit, grossing $4.6 million in its seventh weekend for a cume of $26.9 million.

Fox Searchlight's critically acclaimed Beasts of the Southern Wild grossed $375,587 as it expanded into a total of 19 theaters in its second weekend, grossing $375,587 for a location average of $19,768 and cume of $745,376.