I am considering starting a movie discussion small group for anyone in my local church community who may be interested. The idea is that we will meet for some general fellowship and prayer, then watch whatever movie we have selected for that week, and then discuss it afterwards.

The reason I am posting is because I've never done anything like this before. Does anyone have experience starting and/or leading a small group like this? Does anyone have advice/questions/comments?

I (or anyone else who wants to) will lead the conversation with questions intended to provoke discussion on issues such as: How does (or doesn't) the movie embody Christian principles and values? Does the movie contain any religious symbolism or themes? Do the characters act as a Christian should? If not, what should they have done differently? Etc.

I would like the group to be a combination of having fun and fellowship while watching a movie, along with some depth and discussion about how to approach art from a Christian perspective and how to apply the lessons we might find there into our lives.

Any advice that you could provide would be helpful.

Thanks!

An admirable ministry to begin. I don't know what criteria you'll be using to pick films, but there are certainly some lists on this board that will give you plenty to choose from. There are many books and cirriculum choices around, too. For example, the Reel to Real series from Abingdon, which is designed for youth, but would serve well to identify some films and even some areas of discussion.

I like that you'll be watching the films together, rather than everybody watching on their own then coming to discuss. This way you have the film available look at during discussion, especially if you use DVD, and it is very fresh.

Great topic -- I've done this for years, although I'm not doing it at the moment.

I've got some resources on my website, http://moviesmatter.com/, especially in the "Resources" area. *some* of the movie links (particularly The Green Mile) have discussion guides and other resources. The goal of MoviesMatter.com is to provide resources for exactly what you're trying to do. Submissions are encouraged. (In a month or two [after upgrading this board] I'm going to devote more attention to building out my website in these areas. Did I mention that submissions are encouraged (e-mail movies AT moviesmatter.com).

I'd also recommend some of the materials on CT's new movies website, and the Damaris website.

Weekly may be too often to do it well; I'd recommend no more frequently than biweekly to give you an opportunity to prepare. I'd also recommend a weekend night. Sara Anson Vaux's book has some great practical advice for running such groups. (review here) BUT, it's out of print. I'll see if I can cull some information this evening. You might be able to get it through a library.

I've been having a film night for teens twice a month for about 18 months now. These are mostly kids who are not active in church, and I developed a name (complete with logo) and a purpose statement that went something like:

who?
we are a group of friends who have been invited to join the crew and have done so in order to make a contribution and eat pizza.
what?
the film crew exists to explore and enjoy the art of film-making through watching, critiquing and making movies.
where?
someday, hollywood. for now, the willson’s basement.
when?
usually the second and fourth saturdays of each month, but may be re-scheduled or cancelled as required. stay tooned.
why?
films and other visual media have become a primary method of communication. we want to become discerning consumers of the medium and contribute to its better use.

I have tried to deepen the range of their film experience, with a combination of modern and classic films from many genres. We have watched

Signs
Tuck Everlasting
Antwone Fisher
Catch Me If You Can
Donnie Darko
The Third Man
Life as a House
School of Rock
The Princess Bride
Dirty Pretty Things
A Wonderful Life
Lost in Translation
Stevie

Discussion has suffered when I try and bring a list of "lessons." The best conversation comes when I hear what they found interesting, then help them search for meaning in those issues. For example, in Antwone Fisher we got talking about his triumphant report that he had finally slept with his girlfriend. It was clear that they were a little shocked at the notion of abstinence and my own success in that regard as a single man earlier in life; I realized that just sharing my life and my story was of primary importance, beyond any insight into film. So I try to let the discussion go in unplanned directions, and trust the divine spark to light whatever wicks we encounter.

Suggestions:
-balance education and entertainment (it can't be boring)
-read about a film ahead of time, or watch it with the director's commentary: the group looks to you to give them the scoop
-have special guests from time to time (film-makers, critics, musicians)
-bring food!

QUOTE

Do the characters act as a Christian should? If not, what should they have done differently? Etc.

Nothing wrong with these questions per ce, but a few problems come to mind when forcing a film into this sort of box: 1) it often never occured to the filmmakers to put this demand on the characters, so this can force the analysing of the film in a direction alien to the film and in a direction it is not designed to sustain. 2) Often, characters not acting christianly create problems for themselves they otherwise would not have and find interesting ways of getting out of them and that is where the lessons can be found.

These things vary with the make-up of your group, but when I did something like this with folks from my church, we found it best to have watched the movie on our own and then come together to discuss it. When we watched the film together and then discussed it the same night, the discussion time was inevitably shorter, and without some time to mull the film (even unconsciously), we often didn't have as much to explore together.

But it's important to have the film fresh in mind. So we would have the movie with us, and viewing key scenes together was a great stimulus to discussion. The leader can prepare by noting where various scenes occur in the film, and as well as choosing a few segments that can focus the discussion on various aspects of the film, they'll also be ready to find other scenes that others may bring up.

It was most successful when we didn't view all the scenes at once, but showed a scene, talked about the things that flowed naturally out of that section. And then when the discussion lagged, show a different section that would stimulate the discussion in a new direction.

Another thing that can help stimulate discussion is to bring quotes from some reviews, which can provoke agreement or disagreement among the participants, OR take them deeper into the topic.

One last discovery. We found we got the furthest into a film, and found the discussions the most enriching and substantial, when we started the conversation by simply talking about what we had seen - not interpreting the movie, not interpreting its theology or dissecting its worldview or criticizing the performances, but simply saying what we noticed. Important lines, recurring images, strange relationships, important moments, interesting aspects of the sound design, whatever. Save the interpretation until people have harvested a whole lot of specific observations: it puts the focus strongly on the movie itself, and helps avoid (or at least postpone) tangents and position-defending arguments.

My own experiences as a movie discussion group leader saw diminishing returns -- due to my own lack of effort I think -- until I ceased with the events over a year ago. But I've thought about trying again.

So it was a pleasant surprise to find myself at the local independent bookstore today, looking to spend my $13.86 CD refund check on some new music, and to come across a new book about leading a film-viewing group. It looks like a pretty light read, but for $12.95, minus my 20%-off coupon, I couldn't resist picking it up. It's called "Films and Friends: Starting and Maintaining a Movie Group," by Maryanne Vandervelde, Ph.D.

I haven't delved into it yet, but my expectations aren't too high. The paperback cover kind of screams "chick lit," with its pastel colors and goofy illustration. I could be wrong, though. The back cover refers to the author's Web site: www.brookbaybooks.com. I guess I'll go check it out, then crack open the new book. Who knows? Maybe it'll provide the kickstart I need to re-initiate some group movie-watching.

[UPDATE: The Amazon entry for the book includes a harsh Publishers Weekly review, along with a vague endorsement from Michael Medved. Two readers give the book 5 out of 5 stars, but you know how "objective" those reviews can be... Looks like this wasn't the wisest purchase. Oh well. Sometimes ya gotta take a chance.]