New Fox unit to produce christian films

[n2doc]

New Fox Unit to Produce Christian Films
The studio plans to produce as many as 12 movies a year aimed at religious audiences.
By Lorenza Muñoz, Times Staff Writer
September 19, 2006

The company that brought TV viewers racy and irreverent programs such as "Nip/Tuck," "Temptation Island" and "The Simpsons" has found religion.

In the biggest commitment of its sort by a Hollywood studio, News Corp.'s Fox Filmed Entertainment is expected to unveil plans today to capture the gargantuan Christian audience that made "The Passion of the Christ" a global phenomenon. The home entertainment division of Rupert Murdoch's movie studio plans to produce as many as a dozen films a year under a banner called FoxFaith. At least six of those films will be released in theaters under an agreement with two of the nation's largest chains, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. The first theatrical release, called "Love's Abiding Joy," is scheduled to hit the big screen Oct. 6. The movie, which cost about $2 million to make, is based on the fourth installment of Christian novelist Janette Oke's popular series, "Love Comes Softly."

"A segment of the market is starving for this type of content," said Simon Swart, general manager of Fox's U.S. home entertainment unit. "We want to push the production value, not videotape sermons or proselytize." Hollywood has made religious-themed movies for years including such memorable titles as "The Ten Commandments" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told." But FoxFaith will target evangelical Christians who often have shunned popular entertainment as offensive.Fox might seem an unlikely studio to pioneer a religious label, given its history as a purveyor of salacious TV programming. Yet people in the Christian community say the company has gained credibility as the voice for conservative America through its Fox News Channel.

Still, courting evangelical Christians can be tricky. "If this is something Fox is doing only to exploit the audience — or if it's something they don't believe in or are doing cynically — then there could be problems," said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, a box-office reporting service. "There isn't a huge turnout for these films unless they speak to what Christianity is all about. People want a guide to life and Hollywood has ignored that by saying nothing or dwelling on vices." Over the last four years, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has quietly built a network to mobilize evangelical Christian moviegoers in an era of diminishing box-office returns. The network includes 90,000 congregations and a database of more than 14 million mainly evangelical households.

FoxFaith films, to be based on Christian bestsellers, will have small budgets of less than $5 million each, compared with the $60-million average. The movies each will be backed by $5-million marketing campaigns. Although that is skimpy compared with the $36 million Hollywood spends to market the average movie, the budget is significant for targeting a niche audience, especially one as fervent as many evangelical Christians.

more:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-faith19sep19,0,2405233.story?coll=la-headlines-business

[meegbear]

1. While I believe there is an audience ...

I don't think a good portion of them would go to the movies. I would they're gonna release them to the movie chains to get the exposure and make the sales thru DVD releases.

[KittyWampus]

8. these will be heavily marketed to church groups. Getting group rates etc.

That is their business model I am certain.

My concern is that whatever version of Christianity these movies portray does not end up being considered the de facto version preferred and practised by all Christians.

[Drum]

2. And the clouds begin to part.... nt

[joefree1]

3. When the studios see your popular movement as a market you're doomed

Witness what they've done to the Hippie movement, disco, Rock & Roll, and the popular family myth. I say let them go for it. Blood of Jesus cups coming soon to a McDonalds near you.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

4. Fox is pretty good about going where the money is. n/t

[Brewman_Jax]

5. All about the money!

[imfreaky]

7. that it is.

[SpiralHawk]

6. "Whatever makes profit. Sleaze, religion, all the same to bottom line."

- Faux family republicon values...

[C_U_L8R]

9. How about a movie remake of Davy & Goliath?

that was pretty faux

[patricia92243]

10. "A segment of the market is starving for this type of content" - I underst

understand that sentiment. That is the main reason a lot of us are at DU - we are starving for Democratic news - at least I am in my red state. :(


Good luck to them. I, personally, don't think it will go over, but at least they can try.

[zbdent]

11. I hear that there are a lot of people who "find religion"

well after a life of crime ... mostly while incarcerated - so that they can get out of jail more quickly ...

[Stalwart]

12. There is a Pattern Here

FoxFaith is using a tested pattern on a target audience for Fox's greater benefit. That benefit would support other Fox agenda. Agenda not necessarily in line with that of the target audience that buys the FoxFaith product. Where have we seen that general pattern used before?

A humorous example of computer related identification and use of patterns is in a book called "Dating Design Patterns" (To which I have no association or any other books mentioned here.)

http://www.datingdesignpatterns.com/

Actually, Pattern Design is an emerging technical product of our computer oriented age as indicated by the technical references here: http://www.amazon.com/My-UML-Books/lm/1R1NGJGUFK1ZT
More detail here: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/articles/design_patterns.html
and the .pdf at the end.

"Dating Design Patterns" spoofs the technical aspect of pattern design but if it gets results then is its value only humorous? It might be the basis of a future successful reality show. I will leave that potentially interesting idea to develop later. The point is that there may be benefit to a computer related Pattern Design view of looking at social systems.

The following book gives the non humorous presentation of design patterns: Design Patterns: "Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software" http://tinyurl.com/ezms5

Patterns become patterns because they work when applied to similar situations.
No need to reinvent the wheel. Simply apply what worked in similar situations to achieve similar objectives.

FoxFaith is using a tested pattern. Patterns have templates. Examination of the content of the information that fills in the blanks of pattern templateS reveals how it is applied to exploit a specific situation.

The Template categories are described in great detail by the book "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software".

I will only fill in the blanks of the Template to an extent that presents the idea and stimulates imagination. Realize that the template is merely the start of a complex system process detailed in the books. I quickly get lost reading the tech books but there is a forest to be seen for the trees.

Similar to "Dating Design Patterns", a humorous book could be written about "Selling to Christian Fundamentalists"

PATTERN TEMPLATE:

Pattern Name and Classification: Manipulate Christian Fundamentalists

Intent: Use Fundamentalist agenda to further Fox profit and agenda. Give them a hand full of beans in trade for valued return (money, market dominance, etc.)

Also Known As: Selling Salvation

Motivation: Fundamentalists will support FoxFaith product consistent with their belief structure. Potential Pitfall: Motivation beyond consumption that questions FoxFaith product based on belief structures beyond their own or application of revenue from this venture to production of Fox product contrary to their agenda. (Fox note: disassociate from "Idiocracy")

Applicability: Apply this design pattern in situations where faith dominates reason. This pattern is not most effective in situations where intelligent reason dominates.

Structure: Bible -- Man relationship, Fundamentalist implementation. (Develop full structural model here using UML methodology and graphic presentation)

Participants: Class: Christian Fundamentalists. Objects: Individuals, Churches, Preachers, Media, Political Parties, etc.

Collaboration: (How the participants collaborate and carry out their responsibilities, develop full Collaboration Model here)

Consequences: This pattern supports the objective of developing market share and revenue stream. Trade off: Target market recognition of manipulation and/or that revenue from this pattern implementation may in fact be used to produce product for what they view to be the evil side. Those that might recognize this within the Class of Fundamentalist are estimated to be few. Those outside the Class will be greater but not be listened to or turned to advantage. (Apply discredit pattern, Fox News Division)

Implementation: Production and distribution of "Faith Based" FoxFaith media.

Sample Code: (Marketing Division presentation of advertising campaign that programs Class Fundamentalists to buy but not critically think).

Known Uses: (Examples of the pattern found in other systems) Various successful manipulators operating from within the Fundamentalist organizational structure.

Related Patterns: Republican Party Fundamentalist Manipulation Pattern. Pattern Administrator: Karl Rove.

End of PATTERN TEMPLATE.

Social patterns operating in the world that might benefit from methods of pattern analysis as they are emerging from the world of computer design engineering.

I have climbed this tree to the moon to the top of my ability but technicians exist that could take it all the way there to give us a picture and a tools to better understand and manage our complex social systems. While the technicians exist that could do this there is a public learning curve challenge to understand their product. Perhaps humorous presentation pattern (Jon, Colbert?) might convey the validity of looking technically at our social patterns and learning to understand them in this manner. The technical way is hard.

More on patterns and templates:

http://www.developer.com/design/article.php/3309461

Security Template:
http://tinyurl.com/psm2a

[Tinksrival]

13. HOLY CRAP!

Literally!