Dear friends in Christ,

For more than forty years, Hollywood has produced a number of films which have served to erode the moral fiber of America as well as the moral fiber of other western nations. Please consider helping us in our effort to reverse that trend. 
 
The evangelical film series “The Exile” has been designed to appeal to both Christian and secular-minded viewers. By bringing to life the events recorded in the Book of Daniel in a state-of-the-art production, we hope to entertain audiences for several hours with this engaging story before making it abundantly clear why Jesus Christ died for humanity—the crowning glory of His creation. (Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” proved to be a huge success having drawn millions of Christian viewers to see it. There are those, however, who feel it did not make clear the purpose of Jesus’ death on the cross.)

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Pastor, could you or a member of your congregation review the 12 page summary (screenplay treatment), to ascertain that it remains within boundaries of Biblical truth? If it meets with your approval, could you refer this ministry to other pastors?

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By gathering approval from a significant number of Christian clergy that the story remains within the boundaries of Holy Scripture, we hope to demonstrate to those who finance independent films, the potential “The Exile” has for drawing Christian audiences. “The Passion of the Christ” was highly successful because it remained within the boundaries of biblical truth, prompting millions of Christians to see it—and pay the price of admission.  Conversely, “Noah” was a sensational flop simply because millions of Christians declined to see it, having been forewarned the story strayed too far from biblical truth. The greater number of Christians who see “The Exile”, the longer it will remain in the theaters, increasing the probability more un-churched people will also come to see it. That we are trying to raise money for missions from profits generated by the film might also help encourage Christians to see it.  Although Christians already know (or should know) the true means God has provided for their salvation, the story of “The Exile” will help to broaden their understanding of the Book of Daniel (II Timothy 3:16,17). 

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For those who might say, “If I we comply with this request, we will be obliged to comply with future requests similar to this.” The answer to that would be: “‘The Exile’ is the prototype; if it becomes a blueprint for success, then why wouldn’t Christians wish to support the next viable film epic based on the Bible, designed to reach millions with the Gospel message while raising money for evangelical missions.” 

 

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Business Plan for The Exile Trilogy

 

Phase One: Gain approval and prayer support from as many Christian pastors as practicable by circulating this presentation articulating the scope of this ministry, while encouraging them to review the 12 page treatment representing the screenplays for “The Exile” trilogy. (Please understand that “The Exile” is an independent film project therefore the storyline content as per  the screenplays cannot and will not be altered without the expressed permission of the author/executive producer. Conversely, major studios often purchase the movie rights for a book or screenplay, allowing them to alter the content of the production at their discretion which they often do.)

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Phase Two: Raise through crowd-funding $500,000 (est.) for development money which will be used in part to attach a director and/or an A list actor(s), and also for covering any expenses associated with raising money necessary for actual production. The ROI (return on investment) generated by these funds will go to a trust established for supporting evangelical missions and ministries such as Samaritan Purse.  

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At this point, a project will usually start to draw the attention of independent film investors. (General Rule of Thumb: for every 400 movie scripts, only one will eventually make it to the silver screen.) Certain investors are always looking for viable film projects however, because there are only so many hours in a day, they will consider for review only those projects which have acquired a degree of support such as those having a director or actor already attached, and/or other investors already committed.

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Phase Three: Raise money for production from conventional sources which fund independent films. Another possible source to consider would be donations from individual congregations. The ROI generated by this approach would also go to the aforementioned trust with each participating church receiving a grant from the same trust equal to the ROI generated by their contribution.  
(ref. Matthew 25:20-23). 

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Phase Four: Produce “The Exile” as scripted and as envisioned in a state-of-the-art motion picture production. 

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Phase Five: During post-production, produce a documentary about the Book of Daniel using selected footage from “The Exile”. Air via cable outlet(s) such as History Channel etc.; this would help to spur interest in the upcoming theatrical release of “The Exile” while generating money for missions.  

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Phase Six: Release “The Exile” for distribution initially through domestic and international theaters, then distribute through ancillary mediums (DVD, Netflix, Pay-per-view, HBO etc) at the optimum time to maximize viewership. Encourage the greater Christian community to see it, making no secret that the profits generated by donations made to the crowd-funding effort or those made through the churches, will go to the trust supporting evangelical missions worldwide. The author/producer has dedicated his share of the ROI toward the same trust. The money raised for missions from these approaches could be substantial.

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(Phase One would be the optimum period for seeking trustees from among those pastors who might feel called to serve in that capacity. In our attempt to recreate the past as authentically as possible, we wish to do so without offending Christian sensibilities while at the same time, we wish to avoid “sugarcoating” the events comprising the story. Therefore, we also plan to enlist members of the clergy willing to help us reach a happy medium by guiding us through production for both the film trilogy and the documentary preceding it.)
 
The western nations have served as the bastion of Christianity for the majority of the church age. It is both sad and unfortunate that Christianity is in decline where it had once thrived for so long. It is time for a much needed world revival. Let all Christians be reminded that Jesus Christ desires unity among His followers as evidenced by His prayer to His Father at the last supper (John 17:11; 20-23). We are hoping you will join with us in helping make this happen. 

In His service,
 
Michael