In 2000, God’s Army was released, bringing a new awareness among members of the Church to movies for and about Latter-day Saints. Several other films followed soon after, touching on various genres, including comedies, missionary films, dramas, mockumentaries, etc. Some were good, others not so much. And just as suddenly as these movies seemed to appear, the interest disappeared, or at least greatly diminished.
In the early days of LDS film, movies would come to theaters and then be released on DVD, selling over 100,000 copies in a relatively short period of time. Some sold as much as 400,000 copies, but with the release of each new film, that number diminished. Today, a successful DVD sells around 50,000 copies, and even that can be difficult to achieve.
As a result of the economics of making movies for a small niche market in a declining DVD market, fewer and fewer LDS movies are being made, which brings up the question, “What’s the future of Mormon cinema?”
There are different models in place right now. There’s the big budget (by LDS and independent filmmaker standards) model, complete with the Hollywood look, such as The Work and the Glory series, The Other Side of Heaven, Legend of Johnny Lingo, and Forever Strong. These are good films that have good actors, some of which are recognizable. Some were filmed in distant locations with great scenery and sets. These films have a polished and high end feel. These types of films have been well received for the most part, but most likely, we won’t be seeing films in this category anymore. Even though these films were made for modest or tiny budgets by Hollywood standards, they are too expensive to be profitable in the small LDS market. The budgets for these films range from $4 – $8 Million, and even with good theatrical runs and strong DVD sales, the investors have not recouped their investment to date. So unless someone wants to fund another movie in this category for philanthropic purposes, it’s unlikely we’ll see additional movies in this budget range.
The next category is the medium budget category that offers a good look although usually without all the polish and name recognition of actors that the big budget category offers. Some of the LDS films that would fall in this category would be God’s Army, Singles Ward, Saints and Soldiers, Baptists at Our Barbeque, The Best Two Years, Pride & Prejudice, and many more. These films have ranged in budget from $300,000 to just under $1 Million. Most of them have recouped their investment, while some have gone on to have tremendous success, both theatrically as well as in the DVD market. A few of these films have not been profitable, but at least have made some of their money back.
The final category is the ultra low budget category. These are movies that vary in look and polish, mostly because of more compressed shooting schedules and much smallers crews and equipment. These films range in budget from $50,000 to $200,000 and include movies such as One Man’s Treasure, Errand of Angels, Beauty & the Beast, and Once Upon A Summer. The challenge for these films is that they typically won’t compete with the look and feel of Hollywood movies, but they tend to be safer financial bets. Due to the smaller budgets, they are more likely to be profitable than more expensive films today. Some of the films in this category have been profitable, but unfortunately that now seems to be more of the exception than the rule.
One thing that filmmakers tend to ignore is the cost to distribute a film. If the movie goes to theaters, there’s a large cost for making prints (whether film prints or digital prints), marketing to the audiences, shipping expenses, posters, trailers, etc. Then when the movie goes to DVD (after the theatrical release or when it’s direct to video), there are costs for marketing/advertising, DVD authoring, DVD replications, retail placement fees, fulfillment charges, shipping expenses, etc. Typically, distributors will recoup their expenses first, followed by their distribution fee, and the remaining amount goes back to the filmmaker. So depending on the category a film falls into, the budget for the film can be difficult to recoup once these distribution costs are factored in.
So now, to get to the point, what’s the future of Mormon Cinema? We’ve already seen the number of LDS films diminish to only a couple a year, if that. Most likely, that will stay around that level and possibly decrease even more. Unless someone with substantial money comes in that wants to “donate” their money to make a film, the budgets will continue to be in the ultra low budget category. The economics of LDS films doesn’t make as much sense as it did in earlier times, and as a result, filmmakers and investors coming in this late will either have a rude awakening, or need to make sure they have a good plan in place to make their project financially viable.
Distribution models are constantly changing in film in general, and those will most likely translate to the LDS film market as well over time. More and more people are renting DVDs instead of buying them (this is true for Hollywood movies as well as LDS films). Fewer people are going to theaters to watch LDS movies, so most of the time, having a theatrical release is a money-losing proposition that filmmakers may want for the “glory” and for exposure. However, internet streaming, internet movie downloads, Video-On-Demand, and other distribution methods are being explored by Hollywood to see which ones can bring in enough money to be viable. This should carry over to the LDS market as well, but in the meantime, anyone who wants to make an LDS film should be sure to have a solid plan in place.
This is truly sad. I try to purchase as many of the LDS DVDs as possible, to help support these people, and to get the message out there that we need more of this type of film. And although I often encourage others to purchase them as well, I’m only one person, and I can only purchase one copy per film.
I think part of this is also the economy, and when that picks up, people might start purchasing DVDs again.
I know that part of the reason people rent instead of buy is that it is much cheaper to rent a movie for $1, than it is to pay $20 for a smaller-budget movie, which is what they are running, instead of the $10 for the bigger budget films. This is due to publishing in volume, so the bigger budget films recoup their costs a lot faster than the smaller ones do.
Just my two cents.
The sad thing is that a lot of members of the church do not know about LDS movies….I didn’t for a long time and I have been a member since 1970′s.
I think that Relief Society and other organizations need to make members aware of these products. A flyer could be posted on boards at the church, if that is allowed.
It is disturbing to me that members go to the movie and complain about the profanity and other aspects that make a movie distasteful but do not support this cause.
Maybe we need a wake up call.
Suggestions?
Thanks for the great post. I think Mormon filmmakers are getting increasingly savvy to the market conditions, not just for Mormon films but all indie films in general. DVD won’t recover with the economy–it’s a waning technology–but you’re right to point out purely streamed distribution as the wave of the next few years. This is the avenue LDS film will have to take to remain economically viable, with perhaps one or two four-walled screenings in a theater as a sort of launch event (but not a whole week’s worth of screenings!). Like we saw with “Jer3miah,” LDS filmmakers are starting to think outside the box office, as Jon Reiss says, and I expect we’ll see some really innovative distribution models in the next twenty-four months. That’s what we’re trying to do with the upcoming film/transmedia property “Saints,” and developing the business plan and distribution strategy is just as exciting as working on the film itself. (Check out the blog to see what we’re doing.)
Also, it’s nice to know that LDS film has been around a lot longer than “God’s Army” (over a century longer) and that Mormon filmmakers have worked their way through tough economic situations before. We’re seeing a shift in Mormon film, but not its demise.
(And, Lynda, maybe what we need is a distribution venue like Hulu or Fandor dedicated specifically to low budget Mormon films. Since I like ultralow budget films better than costlier pictures anyway, I think this could be a very vital service…)