The Ministry of Motion Pictures Podcast

Making one or two movies per year is huge effort. In 2020, the year of COVID, indie filmmaker, Travis Mills, shot 12 westerns in 12 months, and in …

He was at one time on of the youngest directors with a feature film on Netflix. Writer and director Rob Smat is with me to talk about his film The Last Whistle and a soon to be released documentary.

Rob made his feature …

Legendary screenwriting professor, Richard Walter, is with us again in part two of my conversation with him.

Richard was professor of the UCLA …

My guest today is the legendary screenwriting instructor at the UCLA Screenwriting Program, Richard Walter. I’ve been reading books on screenwriting …

Jason Campbell is with us today to talk about microbudget Christian filmmaking. His company is scheduled to release 20 films this year alone and will …

Literature  professor, Dr. Karen Swallow Prior joins me to talk about novels,  story, and Christian film. Given that Christian films tend to be very  message driven, I was interested in learning at the feet of Dr. Prior …

13 years in the making, and I don’t mean 11 years shopping the script around and 2 years of production. This no-budget film was 13 years in production. Writer and director Nathaniel Sims is with us to talk about his …

In this episode, my guest is a well-known Nigerian filmmaker named Obi Emelonye. Two of Obi’s films have been on the top ten list of the most watched Nigerian films of all time. Those films are Mirror Boy and Last …

The Nigerian film industry is the second most prolific film industry in the world, and their faith-based films, that they label as evangelical themed …

What is this country that has this titan film industry? If you haven’t guessed, I’ll give you another clue. It’s a country in Africa. It’s industry …

The Content 2022 Film Festival and Media Summit will be held at Capernaum Studios in Poolville TX next week – starting on Feb 28th and wrapping on …

If you’ve been involved in the faith-based community you will be familiar with Kappa Studios in Burbank CA. Kappa began as a post-production house, …

Pastor/theologian Scott Christensen talks about story from a very unusual vantage -- that of the problem of evil and the sovereignty of God. He wrote …

As this podcast approaches the 50th episode, I thought it might be interesting to create an episode of highlights, some of the best moments. The guests who were the most surprising, most unexpected, and who had the …

You may not know his name, but this writer-director-producer has made more faith films than the Kendricks and Erwin Brothers. His name is Chris Dowling, and he's been at this for nearly two decades. As a screenwriter, …

Christopher Shawn Shaw is the director of the movie Church People, which was written by the film's lead actor, Thor Ramsey. Church People is Shaw’s feature directorial debut. Christopher is no stranger to acting or …

Writer and director Matt Green began his career making music videos and produced the faith-based film No Greater Love for Lions Gate, directed by Brad Silverman. Matt is also a professor at The Master’s University where …

Documentary filmmaker Stephen McCaskell is best known for his work on the Media Gratiae films Puritan, Luther, The Church, and a series he made with Tim Challies called EPIC: An Around the World Journey through …

My guest in this episode is an old friend. Though he has worked in film and radio for over 30 years, his primary passion has been the theater. He’s a …

Dr. Ted Baehr has been an undying champion for the Christian faith and values in Hollywood for almost 5 decades. You may know Dr. Baehr for his …

We are living in a very exciting time to be a filmmaker. An industrious filmmaker can build a powerful production package of equipment for very …

John Grooters is a Michigan-based filmmaker who has traveled the world making films and media content that promotes the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with …

We have an exciting episode today, and one that may be marking a very interesting development in the film industry. Would you ever consider a faith …

I love filmmakers who are bold and think outside of the box. My guest, Stephanie Quick is a producer who has done just that. In fact, in the past 7 …

Ben Howard was the driving force behind Sony Provident for a great many years, and has recently formed his own media company called Third Coast Content. Some little known facts about Ben, he began his career as an …

We have a fun episode here with my guest, Kevin McCreary, the young man behind the YouTube Channel -- Say Goodnight Kevin. Kevin is, what I would …

Andy Peterson is Senior Creative Media Executive of Aspiration Entertainment where he has helped launch dozens of feature films and series projects. He is also leading Aspirations documentary initiative called …

My guest is Bob Elder, the Chief Impact Officer of Collide Media Group which specializes in helping creatives bring their projects to market through …

My guest in this episode is Ben Yennie, the founder and CEO of Guerrilla Rep. Media, which is a consulting firm for media producers, helping them …

I love film history. Last year I interviewed Dr Terry Lindvall who wrote two in depth books on the history of Christian film. Today's guest, professor, critic and podcaster, Tyler Smith, has also contributed to the …

How do you survive losing your lead actor half way through a production, in a difficult location, with half your production budget spent, and it's …

My guests are the filmmakers behind 40: The Temptation of Christ, which will release tomorrow. Tuesday April 8th. This Douglas James Vail's directorial debut, and he joins me with the screenwriter, Reed Lackey.

Very …

It's back to film history class today as we travel east to look at the third largest movie industry in the world. It's a cinematic culture which …

Indie Film Hustler Alex Ferrari is with me again in part 2 of my interview with him. In this episode we talk about his new bookThe Filmtrepreneur -- which you need to get into your hands. The Filmtrepreneur is a …

My guest in this episode is not a faith-based filmmaker, but he is an independent filmmaking force -- a hustler (as he calls himself). He runs a highly respected indie film website called INDY FILM HUSTLE, which I have …

Dallas Jenkins is the director behind The Chosen, an episodic series on the life of Christ as told through the eyes of others, namely, the "chosen." …

Tim Keesee is the executive producer, and host, of the documentary series of videos Dispatches from the Front. In this ever growing series, Tim takes us on a tour to visit pastors and congregations of churches …

Dr. Gary Bettinson, a lecturer in film studies from Lancaster University in the UK is with me to talk about an era of film history that is often overlooked, especially by someone like me because -- this the era of …

My guests in this episode are the filmmaking duo of Rafael Kalamat and Jason Barbeck. Both are actors, writers, directors and producers. Together they formed a production company called The Reel Deal Guys and produced …

At only 4-years-old, The Canadian International Faith & Family Film Festival is fast becoming a significant player among Christian film …

When I first saw Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life I knew I was watching the work of a brilliant filmmaker and storyteller. This film was a …

Dr. Terry Lindvall is with me again to continue talking about Christian film history. In this episode we zero in on the subject of his latest book, God on the Big Screen which considers the correlation between cinematic …

The Christian film movement has a historian -- and his name is Dr. Terry Lindvall. Dr. Lindvall has written two books on Christian film history. Sanctuary Cinema chronicles the history of Christain film in the silent …

Brett and I talk about our shared love for the films of Terrence Malick, and how his work demonstrates, what Brett calls, a sacred aesthetic. What is a sacred aesthetic and how can filmmakers reach for this. Brett also …

Brett McCracken is a senior editor of The Gospel Coalition, overseeing content related to culture and the arts, and his favorite art form is film. …

Brian Mitchell is the Chief Operating Officer of The WTA Group, formerly known as Working Title Agency, which helps creatives develop, finance, produce and market films, books and other products to the faith market, and …

After Grace Unplugged was released Brad chronicles his experience through a long dry period and recounts God's faithfulness during that time as he …

Brad Silverman is the writer/director of No Greater Love, Grace Unplugged, and the soon-to-be-released film, Selfie Dad. Brad is a filmmaker who has …

If you've been around some of the more reformed circles of Christian ministries you will be very familiar with the ministry of 9 Marks. 9 Marks is devoted to equipping local churches to be healthy churches. I've …

Rich Peluso of Affirm Films talks about the exciting developments for faith-based productions in a streaming environment, what he hopes to see happen in the next five years, and he gives us ten success factors that he …

Affirm Films has been one of the most significant players in the modern faith-based movement since the rise of the Kendrick Brother's films. At the helm of Sony's faith-based imprint is Executive Vice President Rich …

We're going to do something a little different in this episode. We're going to get a practical crash course on The French New Wave. I know some of you are asking why. But the reason is simple. The French New Wave, in my …

Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer discusses how the dramatic nature of doctrine can be a helpful framework in the creation of Christian films. This metaphorical …

A few years ago I got on an airplane with a book called Pictures at a Theological Exhibition. I thought I'd be able to get through 5 or 6 chapters. I …

What are some core values that Christian filmmakers should strive for in their work? According to Dr. Mark Coppenger, who supervises the doctoral …

What place should Christians have in the cinematic art form? It seems in the not-so-distant-past, Christians and their institutions considered going …

Have you ever wondered why the church, particularly in Protestantism, has historically had a hands off position when it comes to the arts and …

Screenwriter Sean Paul Murphy has more than a decade of experience in the Christian film industry. In this episode he gives us his hard-hitting, …

Screenwriter Sean Paul Murphy continues to chronicle his decade-long career in the Christian film industry. With 12 produced films under his belt, …

With 12 Christian films under his belt, and more than 10 years working in the Christian film industry, Sean Paul Murphy has a valuable perspective on …

We embark upon a journey to engage with Christian filmmakers and the landscape of the Christian film genre, to understand what has shaped Christian …