As in any ministry, the first step upon the path
must be the discernment and seasoning of one's call. In this, I
can think of no better guide than Samuel Bownas's 18th century classic,
Description of the Qualifications Necessary to a Gospel Minister.
Bownas gently but firmly leads the reader through "infancy, youth
and adulthood" in ministry, with the tests and discernment necessary
to each. It is neither necessary nor appropriate within the scope
of this paper to provide a detailed treatise on Bownas, but it is
important to contextualize Quaker media ministry within established
Friends practices for discerning all ministries. These practices
start with-and are constantly renewed by-spiritual preparation:
"The tree must be good before the fruit can be so; and right
and true ministers are to be known by their fruits." [19]
Any number of careers in media may indeed be good
and useful work, but they are not necessarily ministries. One must
discern whether this calling is undertaken in accord with Divine
guidance, or whether it is based in self-will. Bownas admonishes
the prospective minister, "Mind that thee, without being inspired,
undertake not this work of preaching, neither in thy own time and
will, nor by thine own contrivance." [20] The media culture is virtually
defined by excesses of vanity and ego, and it is extraordinarily
difficult not to be led into any number of destructive forms of
self-regard, no matter whether one is going to make documentaries
to "save the world" or commercial features-"whatever ye are addicted
to," Fox reminds his readers, "the tempter will come in that thing." [21]
Friends believe that true leadings will stand the
test of collective discernment, grow stronger with time, and show
the promise of bearing "fruits of the Spirit."[22] Lloyd Lee Wilson
observes that they are also "risky business": "The individual who
does not feel stretched by her calling, who does not feel to some
degree exposed and made vulnerable by the act of ministry, is not
likely to be surrendered and accountable to the true promptings
of the Holy Spirit."[23] This sense of risk, this essential humility
must be the producer's constant companion-not only at the onset
of one's ministry, but at all points thereafter; indeed, the more
"successful" in the world's terms one might become, the more one
must ask: To whom do I answer? To whom am I accountable? "He who
speaks on his own does so in order to gain honor for himself, but
he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth;
there is nothing false about him." [24]
Pre-Production
A
Spirit-led media practice will fly in the face of prevailing
norms more often than not. Before deciding to undertake any
given production, Friends would be well-advised to spend adequate
time in spiritual discernment, assessing not only the worldly
criteria of what the production will cost and who can be persuaded
to pay for it, but whether the project is divinely inspired
or "an imagination of thy own brain,"[26] and whether the leading
is in fact for you or for someone else. (Wilson recalls that
"when Moses needed the gift of public speaking to carry out
his leading to Pharaoh, it was given to Aaron."[27] )
A minister is called to work in God's time-kairos-not
in the world's time-chronos. This will certainly be frustrating, to
you and to your colleagues, and you may perceive that you miss professional
"opportunities" by acting with greater deliberation and prayerfulness.
The call to humility may feel more often like humiliation, as you
see others achieve "results" or garner accolades which you might have
|
"Here
is therefore great need to be cautious and try the Spirit;
that is, not to receive anything for inspiration or revelation
without being well satisfied in thyself that it is such. This
cautious fear will not be displeasing to God, but thee will
find thy doubts removed, and thee will be confirmed that what
thee has of God, and
thee will stand."
- Samuel Bownas, 1767
[25]
|
wanted for yourself. You will come to find a fundamental difference between being a minister and a professional, that goes far deeper
than whether one is paid for one's work, or what that work looks like
on the surface-and in that difference, worldly notions of success
and failure shall have no dominion. "Earthly reason will tell you
what you have to lose. Hearken not to that, but stand still in the
Light." [28]
The minister must contend with the "feast or famine" nature
of work in media not only on the world's level, but on the spiritual
plane as well. Bownas writes: Thee may find thyself as this day drawn
forth and greatly enlarged in thy ministry, but tomorrow thee may
be shut up, barren and poor, having but very little to say, and that
but very brokenly, as with a stammering tongue, which may seem very
uneasy to thee so to appear; and under such a condition thee may be
tempted to go beyond thy commission. This ought to be watched against
... If thee has but little to say, say little; and if thee has nothing
to say, be silent." [29]
"Being silent" seems like facile advice for Friends,
but it is difficult to sustain for media professionals, where success
is defined by a continuous churn of projects. The temptation will
be constant to seek and accept work that is not in keeping with
Truth, just to stay "in the game." Bauman cites early Friends' warning
against becoming "false ministers [who] did not 'speak as the oracles
of God', but in their 'own will' or 'as they are ordered by men,'
preaching on subjects of their own choosing, without concern 'whether
it be fit or seasonable for the people's condition or not.' ....
Thus corrupt, the false ministers were in fact incapable of speaking
the Truth."[30] If you maintain an attitude of worship and consecration
in your work, these choices may not be easy, but they will be clear.
Assessing a leading to undertake a production is,
essentially, assessing a leading to speak in vocal ministry in worship,
and is subject to the same tests. One might, for example, profitably
ask whether the message is for you, or for the meeting. Just as
one hesitates to speak in ministry if the message seems purely personal,
a Quaker media ministry will tend to be outward-focused and of benefit
beyond one's own spiritual, professional, or artistic development.
The video diary and personal cinema forms can certainly speak to
the conditions of a wide audience, but the Quaker minister will
have that intent in mind in making such work rather than leaving
it to chance and hoping for the best. Educator Paul Lacey is adamant
that "self-centeredness, willfulness masquerading as originality,
laziness hiding behind creativity must be challenged, especially
when they claim the authority of the inner voice."[31] Although, as
in vocal ministry, it is certainly wise to speak from your own experience,
you might ask whether you are truly called to this work if your
experience is so limited that your only plausible subject is yourself.
The Holy Spirit is moving in the world, speaking through history;
a minister will be irresistibly drawn, with true evangelical fervor,
to bring this to light.
This brings us squarely to the matter of accountability,
the core of the practice of a Friends minister. First and most fundamentally,
a minister is answerable to the Divine, but this is never an individual
undertaking. "An Abraham may sometimes start out alone, but his
leadings must then be woven into a community covenant."[32] The communities
to which a media minister will be accountable will be multiple;
these communities are necessary to bring the minister's prophetic
witness into full fruition. A minister should not hesitate to call
upon her monthly meeting for regular spiritual support, clearness
committees, oversight, and eldering. On occasions where contact
with the meeting will be irregular, such as shooting on location,
one might consider how to sustain the mutual responsibility of the
meeting and minister. Early traveling Friends went out in pairs,
with an elder accompanying the minister, as a way to take care that
the minister did not outrun her light. You and your meeting might
consider how to practice the same loving discernment in your own
situation.
The "subject" is the next community to whom the
minister is accountable. Here I will speak directly of documentary.
The "auteur" model of a filmmaker coming into a community from outside,
shooting a "good story," and then leaving, is an utterly bankrupt
one, which should play no part in the conduct of a Friends minister.
If you find yourself blessed with a leading to document some aspect
of the life of a person or community-regardless of how divinely
inspired you feel yourself to be-the subject must have a deciding
voice in what you will shoot, how you will shoot, how the film will
be edited, and under what circumstances it should be seen. The community's
discernment must take precedence over your own. A camera is a powerful
thing, and they don't call it "shooting" for nothing. You are called
into a relationship of trust with your subjects: just as they must
trust you to tell their story with sensitivity and truth, so must
you trust them-and the Inward Teacher leading you both-to discern
what that story is and how it will be brought to light.
This notion may seem unrealistic and self-defeating
(as it were) to those wedded to classic forms of cinematic practice.
Happily, there is a long and honored alternative tradition of collaborative
work, exemplified and in many instances pioneered by documentarian
George Stoney.[33] For over 50 years, Stoney's work has been rooted
in a quiet faithfulness, although he would consider it the height
of pretentiousness to call it a ministry. Describing himself as
"a very happy collaborator," Stoney observes that "filmmakers are
used to playing God. ... Now we are saying to them, 'Let the people
tell you what they want to film. Listen to them. The film is going
to be their film."[34] To claim the prerogatives of artistic license
in such a context is a kind of ranterism, or spiritual egoism, that
is anything but Spirit-led. "The apostle Paul said that 'where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom' (2 Cor 3:17); but that
freedom is not license to do as we please in the name of the Lord
and the Holy Spirit."[35] In the very name of the Holy Spirit, the minister
is privileged to bring gifts of technology to communities bringing
gifts of story. Potluck: the only Quaker sacrament.
Just as an individual Quaker is an oxymoron, a
solo filmmaker is an illusion. The next community to whom the minister
is accountable is the community making the production: the crew
and, in the case of a narrative, the cast. In pre-production, the
minister is called to exercise equality in all areas of hiring and
compensation. The abusive hierarchies between almighty producer/director
at the top and production assistants (known as "slaves" on more
than one shoot) on the bottom have no place in the Kingdom. The
work of each person is equally necessary and worthy and should be
treated as such, without exception. "The eye cannot say unto the
hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I
have no need of you."[36] Prospective production members should be made
aware of, and be in substantial unity with, the distinctive discipline
that will govern the production. Jack Willcuts notes that "the only
authentic leadership in the Friends Church is divine 'fellowship'"[37]
-this will likewise characterize the conduct of a Quaker minister
in establishing leadership in the new production.
Finally, the minister will be accountable to the
audience of the work. Before you shoot a frame, ask who desperately
needs this information, who will be transformed by it. You may have
no idea what the ultimate impact of your work will be-and many times
it will flat-out amaze you-but you cannot wait until the work is
edited and screened before these questions occur to you. Insofar
as you can identify a "primary audience" for the work, involve them
in the project from the beginning. Remember, you are not the "owner"
of your leading if you wish it to have a life in the world and not
be limited by your own small measure of light. Seeking the early
discernment of the people you most want to reach with your work
will ensure that it can be "woven into a community covenant that
is inherited, renewed, and reformed by succeeding generations."[38]
It is necessary to discuss one remaining level
of accountability, very much of this world. In seeking financial
support for their media work, Friends should exercise great discrimination.
Sources of funding are few, and compromises to integrity are abundant.
"The one who pays the piper calls the tune": how will your work
be served or damaged by your choice of paymaster? Will you be able
to maintain the integrity of your leading in business dealings with
your financial backers, particularly as they affect your relationship
with the subjects of your film? These will often be difficult questions
to answer, particularly if turning away funding seems to endanger
your ability to undertake the project. At such times, be mindful
of how your choices in the scale of the production have affected
the projected costs, and endeavor to maintain simplicity so as to
avoid financial entanglements that will estrange you from your Guide.
Part 1: Introduction
Part 3: Production & Postproduction
Part 4: Distribution & Media Literacy For Friends
Pamela Calvert is an itinerant
televangelist currently studying media
and theology at Pacific School of Religion.
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