Ted Baehr - How to Succeed in Hollywood: A Field Guide for Christian Screenwriters, Actors, Producers, Directors, and More

HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD

WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL

TED BAEHR

HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD

WND Books

Published by WorldNetDaily
Washington D.C.

Copyright 2011
Ted Baehr

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Written by Ted Baehr
Jacket design by Mark Karis
Interior design by Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-936488-278

Library of Congress information available.

Printed in the United States of America

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With love and great thanksgiving, this book is dedicated to:

Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior,
My wonderful wife, Lili, and our faithful children, Peirce, Jim,
Robby, and Evy.

Also, I want to thank:

Sandra Bell, Joseph Farah, Tom Snyder, and all our contributors,
directors, supporters, and friends.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:1

Father in Heaven,

Thank you for giving us good news to proclaimthe news of new life available to each of us through your son, Jesus the Christ. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, our Teacher. Bless all who read this book. Grant us, as your people, the ability to communicate your truth more effectively to the world through all the media. Help us to reveal your Word to those in need. Help us to lift up your Holy Name, Jesus, through the power of your Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable, so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

I will open My mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Matthew 13:3435

One day more than 70 years ago, two literary giants in England stood talking about language, stories, and religion. In the middle of the conversation, the taller gentleman blurted to his slightly balding companion, Heres my point: Just as a word is an invention about an object or an idea, so a story can be an invention about Truth.

Ive loved stories since I was a boy, the other man admitted. Especially stories about heroism and sacrifice, death and resurrection. But, when it comes to Christianity well, thats another matter. I simply dont understand how the life and death of Someone Else (whoever he was) 2,000 years ago can help me here and now.

The first man earnestly replied, But dont you see, Jack? The Christian story is the greatest story of them all. Because its the Real Story. The historical event that fulfills the tales and shows us what they mean.

About a week later, Jackalso known as C. S. Lewis, the author of the classic books Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia (among many other works)announced his conversion to Christianity to a friend. Lewis attributed much of his decision to his conversation with J. R. R. Tolkien. Of course, Tolkien is the author of one of the greatest books of the twentieth century, The Lord of the Rings, which has been transformed into a magnificent movie trilogy by director Peter Jackson. Although Tolkien, a Roman Catholic, didnt always see eye to eye with Lewis, who was more inclined toward Protestantism, they both understood the truth of the ultimate story.

As Tolkien and Lewis said so long ago, stories matter deeply. They connect us to our personal history and to the history of all time and culture. Human beings are meaning seekers and meaning makers. We strive to connect ourselves to our experiences and the experiences of others. We are addicted to those aha! moments in our lives when we see meaning, purpose, and significance.

Stories help us do this. They bring us laughter, tears, and joy. They stimulate our minds and stir our imaginations. Stories help us escape our daily lives to visit different times, places, and people. They can arouse our compassion and empathy, spur us toward truth and love, or sometimes even incite us toward hatred or violence.

Different kinds of stories satisfy different needs. For example, a comedy evokes a different response from us than a tragedy. A hard news story on the front page affects us differently than a human interest story in the magazine section, or a celebrity profile next to the movie and television listings. While different kinds of stories satisfy different needs, many stories share common themes, settings, character types, situations, and other recurrent archetypal patterns.

Many stories focus on one individual; often a heroic figure who overcomes many trials and tribulations to defeat evil or attain a valuable goal. We identify with such heroes because we recognize that we are each on our own journey or quest. How a heros journey informs and illuminates our own journey is significant. We look for answers in stories.

Every story has a worldview: a way of viewing reality, truth, the universe, the human condition, and the supernatural world. Looking carefully at a story, we can examine the motifs, meanings, values, and principles it suggests. For example, a story with a redemptive Christian worldview shows people their need for salvation through a personal faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Conversely, a story with a secular humanist worldview explicitly or implicitly attacks Christianity. By examining a storys worldview, we identify the cultural ideals the story presents and the emotions it evokes. We also determine the moral, philosophical, social, psychological, spiritual, and aesthetic messages the story conveys.

Whether you want to be in pictures, just enjoy watching them, or even just want to complain about them, it seems almost everyone is interested in the mass media and entertainment industry. Movies and television programs are certainly the storytelling media of our age. How to Succeed in Hollywood will tell you what you need to know about: telling stories through the mass media of entertainment; how to use your faith to change the culture of Hollywood; and how to make a creative contribution to the whole world. This book will show you how to develop your screenwriting, acting, directing, producing, and behind-the-scenes interests, to make Hollywood and the world better places for our children and grandchildren.

Many chapters in this book contain tips from the best and brightest minds in the entertainment industry, sharing behindthe-scenes secrets on producing great blockbuster movies and hit television programs. The list of contributors is an impressive and highly successful one: series creators, writers, directors, producers, animators, studio executives, actors, and even a television network owner. Each contributor addresses an important aspect of the entertainment industry, spanning from development to agency representation, writing, financing, production, and distribution. Each contributor shares his or her personal keys and secrets to success. Some contributors also share their faith and spiritual insights on the entertainment industry from a Christian perspective. Each chapter includes succinct and valuable information on the key principles necessary for effective communication through film and television from a Christian perspective.