We here at Glowing Nose get a lot of questions. Some of the most common include:
How do I break into Christian films?
Will you read my screenplay?
Do you want to partner with my film company?
Should I go to film school?
How does an actor get into the movies?

In an effort to curb some of these questions and still be helpful, we have pooled a bunch of resources to help you out. Please feel free to contact us if your question is not answered on this page, but also help us out and go through everything before you contact us.

Podcasts About Filmmaking

Filmmaking Advice

Piracy – Is Piracy Wrong?

On Cloud 10 with Andre Van heerden

The Business End

Film School?

“How To” Videos

Written Advice

Download printable version
So, you want to be a Christian filmmaker? How do I know? What steps do I take?

• What are some basic things to understand about before choosing a career?
o One cornerstone of our lives is to have no regrets. If you think you might want to try filmmaking (or being a pastor!), intern. You may find, like a lot of people, that it’s not for you. But at least you’ll know.
• You only have one shot at life. If you are going to do it, now is your best opportunity.
o Filmmaking requires a lot of time and money.
• You will probably only have more responsibility in the future. If you want to be a filmmaker, now may be the best time.
o Do not make career decisions based on money or time.
• You’d be surprised how little money a person can live on. Make a budget of the bare necessities and stick to it.
• If you don’t try it now, your life will most likely get more complicated, or else, you’ll be too set in your ways to change.
o Do not let your parents keep you from the desires of your heart.
• If you are an adult, you must make your own choices.
• People move away from home all of the time and are just fine.
• If you are a parent, understand that the greatest gifts you can give a grown child are freedom to fail and support when they need it.
o It is TREMENDOUSLY beneficial thing for you to be unmarried, have no children, and own no property when you are starting out. Those items are not deal breakers, but are great assets. If you are only dating someone, wait to get married. If you are about to get married, make sure your spouse is supportive of your desires. If they are not supportive, strongly reconsider marrying that person.

• What do I do if I don’t know if I want to be a filmmaker?
o Pray a lot.
o Check your motivations: do you want to be famous or do you want to make films?
o Intern like crazy. Filmmaking is not glamorous at all. If you get into it and see how much work it is, you may find yourself wanting to go elsewhere.
• Intern on a feature film if possible (unless you are a teenager and can’t move away, avoid local TV, news, etc unless that is specifically what you want. Filmmaking is far less stable and, therefore, a smarter choice. You are working for free – get the best education you can). It also looks better on a resume than local news.
• Check out postings on Christian filmmaking websites.
• Also look on craigslist, mandy.com, and in trade magazines. Call your film commissions.
o Realize the cost of being a filmmaker:
• Long work hours (approx. 12 hrs/day is a SHORT day)
• Low pay (hard to provide for a family in the first 5-10 years. Expect $100/day on a good day)
• Inconsistent employment
• The reality that you may need a second job for income
o Most importantly (after interning) make something yourself. Legally.
• Even if it is a short film, write, cast, produce it. Get actual legal clearance to shoot in your locations. Get permits. Rent good equipment.
• Accept your mistakes. This is an educational process. You’re doing this in order to make mistakes.
• Don’t break any laws. If you do, you will be cheating and your educational experience will not count for as much. This is to learn if you can take the heat.
• An example of a law: it is often illegal for a civilian to stop traffic without police assistance. If you need to stop automotive traffic, get police permission (often a simple process, especially in a small town).
• Do not use logos, copyrighted music, movie references, or found footage.
o If you have interned and made something yourself and you STILL like it, welcome aboard.

• What are some common misconceptions about the film world?
o Major studios have not had their own crews, actors, technicians, or laborers in well over 50 years. It is cheaper for them to hire independent contractors.
• The sooner you can free yourself of the traditional idea of working for one company, the more effective you will be.
o That said, almost nobody in the film business is full-time. Most people work job to job.
o It is not glamorous. At all.

• What are some common misconceptions about Christian filmmaking?
o The vast majority of Christian filmmakers have other jobs.
• Some people are pastors and are paid by their churches
• Many are involved in distribution of other people’s films and/or online store sales.
• We have a variety of other seasonal jobs we do.
• Most companies cannot hire people to do anything in the day-to-day operations because they can’t even afford to pay for themselves.
o Just because God calls you to something does not mean He will make it easy (read a lot about Moses for examples).
o Christian films are not in constant production. Even if you were to get hired on every paying Christian film shoot in the year, you would still spend a lot of time out of work.

• Should I go to film school?
o Intern first. Move to LA, NY, or another city where films are big and start offering to work for free.
• If you are not willing to move to a big city, realize that your options are greatly limited. You will almost certainly have to be producing your own films by yourself. Mobility is key.
• NYC and LA are huge selling points when people look at a resume. Films can be made anywhere, but that mystique still carries a lot of weight.
o AFTER YOU’VE INTERNED, if you like the work, but want time to hone the craft, find a film school that shoots on film.
o We have no recommendations on schools to go to.
• Avoid trade schools because they can pigeonhole you into a role in filmmaking that you don’t want.
• DO NOT go to a film school where you only do one job. You MUST force yourself to learn every task on the crew. The less mystery you allow in the process, the better equipped you will be to understand the tasks of the rest of the crew.
o Other classes to take in a film school:
• NOTE: ALWAYS double major. Get another non-filmmaking related degree that will help you out. Business, Computer Programming, and Teaching are all useful and related studies.
• Computer programming classes (especially web based)
• Professional writing
• Business classes, especially anything to do with bookkeeping and running a small business.
• Basic office programs for spreadsheets
• Graphic design and layout classes
• Marketing
• History (to get good ideas)

• How do I break into Christian filmmaking?
o The same ways you break into normal filmmaking:
• Make your own film
• Intern/ work for free and meet people (find listings online or by asking around. Ask good questions about the content of the film before you agree to help out so as to avoid working on objectionable material).

• Things to keep in mind when contacting a filmmaker to partner with them:
o Filmmakers are often approached by lots of people. So many, in fact, that when you approach them they might try to brush you off because you are one in a thousand others. You must stand out in a positive way. In other words, you must come with something to offer.
o Have something to offer other than just a screenplay. Any nut can write a screenplay. Most Christian filmmakers are auteurs and have screenplays.
o Most Christian filmmaking companies have no money to give you to make your project.
o Christian filmmaking is, for the most part, independent filmmaking. You generally cannot get away with being one thing. In other words, you will not get away with being just a screenwriter or just a director. You’ll most likely have to be able to produce, find locations, fill out paperwork, know something about sound recording and lights, and your way around a camera.
o Offer money, a big name actor, major distribution, or expensive equipment
o Answer the question: what tangible item (i.e. something beyond your good work ethic and ideas) can you bring that filmmaker that they don’t already have?
• What is the first step for someone who wants to make an independent film?
o Without a doubt you should work on someone else’s film. Learn from them.

• Will you read my screenplay?
o No. Due to legal reasons we cannot read your screenplay. It risks our insurance AND our livelihood, not to mention years of exhaustive work.

• Can you make an exception?
o No. See above.

• My child is a good actor. How can I get them involved?
o Honestly, you shouldn’t. The media world has nothing positive to teach them. The best education for your kids is a normal childhood. They can never get that back. Most parents of child actors that we have met are trying to live vicariously through their children. Check your motives. If your motives are pure, keep in mind that the best actors are rooted in reality and have stable lives. If you can teach your kids that, they will be well on their way once they are old enough to make good decisions for themselves.

• How can I audition for you?
o All of our auditions are put out via our email updates list, which you can sign up for on our site. The same is true for crew positions. We will also list them on our site. We do not hold any other kind of auditions and we do not save headshots or applications for the future.

• Can I make a living as a Christian actor?
o If you hope to only work in Christian media, the answer is “most likely, no”. That is, unless, you become an actor in some major TV program.
o If you are willing to do commercials, print ads, and secular projects then you certainly can. It just means always asking detailed questions about the scripts you will be working with and having high standards. Be prepared to turn work down. You will be turning down work, so be prepared to be frugal with your spending habits.
o Do not get into any kind of debt. Avoid buying new furniture, cars, eating out a lot, and any kind of credit card debt. Acting work dries up with no warning, so have at least three to four months of living expenses sitting in the bank for emergencies.
o Live in NYC or LA and be willing to travel where the auditions are.
o Find other work to do that you can freelance in. Maybe writing or selling items online. That way you can be flexible to go on auditions or be gone for weeks at a time.