Independent Writers Caucus (WGAw) : Member

Film Independent : Member

Austin Film Society : Member

The Mind Behind the Mockumentary: A Filmmaker’s Approach to the Mockumentary Form

'Peregrinations, Ruminations, and Regenerations: A Critical Approach to Doctor Who' examines the famous BBC science fiction show as a cultural artifact in dialogue with other science fiction, with politics and religion, and with the culture at large, both in terms of how it reflects and comments upon that culture and in terms of the audience and the peculiarities of its response. This book enables researchers in film and media to make historical, industrial, aesthetic, and ideological connections between and among 'Doctor Who' and other shows and historical events since its inception in 1963. This volume is a new entry in a relatively new area. As the young fans of 'Doctor Who' have matured, and as many have become scholars, they are returning to the show to consider it from a scholarly perspective. It is also of use in the media studies classroom to address directly the issues presented by the longest running science fiction show in the history of the medium. 'Peregrinations, Ruminations, and Regenerations' considers not only cultural ramifications and connections, but audience studies as well.

Ruminations, Peregrinations, and Regenerations: A Critical Approach to Doctor Who

Over its long history, the Doctor Who series has dealt with such large issues as Time, Space, Good, Evil, History, and Myth. Such reflections cause the television show to often drift into areas that overlap issues of Faith. And many of the stories work almost as parables, offering the viewer (who has eyes to see) insights into Christianity. Through a series of essays by a variety of scholars, this book unpacks some of those sci-fi parables and demonstrates that fiction can often illuminate deep truths of the Faith. Just like C.S. Lewis did through his Narnia books, when Lucy reminded us that, ." . . a Stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world."

Bigger on the Inside: Christianity and Doctor Who

Craig Detweiler's collection of up-to-the-minute essays on video games' theological themes (and yes, they do exist!) is an engaging and provocative book for gamers, parents, pastors, media scholars, and theologians--virtually anyone who has dared to consider the ramifications of modern society's obsession with video games and online media. Together, these essays take on an exploding genre in popular culture and interpret it through a refreshing and enlightening philosophical lens.

Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God

Although considered a relatively new genre, the mockumentary has existed nearly as long as filmmaking itself and has become one of the most common forms of film and television comedy today. In order to better understand the larger cultural truths artfully woven into their deception, these works demonstrate just how tenuous and problematic our collective understandings of our social worlds can be.In Too Bold for the Box Office: The Mockumentary from Big Screen to Small, Cynthia J. Miller has assembled essays by scholars and filmmakers who examine this unique cinematic form. Individually, each of these essays looks at a given instance of mockumentary parody and subversion, examining the ways in which each calls into question our assumptions, pleasures, beliefs, and even our senses. Writing about national film, television, and new media traditions as diverse as their backgrounds, this volume’s contributors explore and theorize the workings of mockumentaries, as well as the strategies and motivations of the writers and filmmakers who brought them into being.Reflections by filmmakers Kevin Brownlow (It Happened Here), Christopher Hansen (The Proper Care and Feeding of An American Messiah), and Spencer Schaffner (The Urban Literacy Manifesto) add valued perspective and significantly deepen the discussions found in the volume’s other contributions. This collection of essays on films, television programming, and new media illustrates common threads running across cultures and eras and attempts to answer sweeping existential questions about the nature of social life and the human condition.

Too Bold for the Box Office: The Mockumentary from Big Screen to Small

Baylor University, a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, provides a vibrant campus community for more than 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship.

Baylor University 

Chris Hansen is an award-winning writer and director. His feature films have screened at festivals throughout the United States and Canada, have been released theatrically in Los Angeles and New York, and have been reviewed in the LA Times, The Village Voice and the LA Weekly, among many others. His films include The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah, Clean Freak, Endings, Where We Started, and Blur Circle.
 
Chris resides in Robinson, Texas with his wife and their four daughters. You can read more about his work in film and screenwriting at his website, (http://www.hansenfilms.com).

Directing and Filmmaking

Film Industry

Screenwriting

Faculty Profile

Hansen Films

Film : Where We Started

Film : Ending

Film : Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah

How the 'Pulp Fiction' Poster Became a Dorm Room Staple

Hansen Named Alum of the Year for Lee’s Language and Literature Department

Local filmmaker among Deep in the Heart Film Festival screenings

Plano-based Cinemark responds after Warner Bros. decides to stream new films in 2021

But like all movies, good word of the mouth is the best marketing of all.

Studios find new ways to sell faith-based films

Chris Hansen, M.F.A., associate professor and chair of Baylor University's film and digital media department, is a featured expert in this Marketplace story by Adriene Hill about the marketing of faith-based films. During the interview, Hansen discussed how Mel Gibson’s 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ” – which made more than $600 million worldwide – helped kick-start Hollywood’s interest in faith-based films. "Once ‘The Passion’ came out and did that kind of business, Hollywood was all over the idea of making films for this audience,” he said. 

Baylor Film Expert Featured on NPR's Marketplace to Explain Marketing of Faith-Based Films

The latest in the seafaring franchise is a case study in blockbuster bloat and incoherence.

‘pirates of the caribbean: dead men tell no tales’ review: entertainment walks the plank

Prior to seeing the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, audiences are introduced to a flurry of previews for upcoming films -- big-budget sequels centered on blockbusting standards: warring apes, animated cars,  web-slinging and hammer-bearing superheroes, and space-based lightsaber battles between forces of good and evil. 

Chris Hansen, M.F.A., independent filmmaker and chair of the film and digital media department in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, is available to talk about the market for big-budget sequels and the challenges for original screenplays. 

Is there any hope for the original story?

“One of the biggest considerations in determining which movies get made, from the studio’s perspective, is marketing,” Hansen said. “That process is made much easier if the intellectual property already exists in the minds of the general public. People know who Batman is. People know who The Avengers are. Half or more of the marketing work is done. When the intellectual property is original, the studio’s marketing arm has to spend a lot more time and money acquainting viewers with the concept and generating interest.”

“It’s hard to say what people are really interested in seeing. They say one thing, but they often vote differently with their box office dollars. This sometimes comes down to an economic decision for audience members. They have less disposable income than they used to, so they see fewer movies in the theater. And if they’re going to have to choose between several movies to see in an actual theater, they’ll often choose the one that has more spectacle, because there’s a feeling that it’s more ‘worth it’ to see something like that on the big screen, and that smaller movies won’t suffer from being seen on the TV in your living room.”

How many more Superhero and Pirate movies can they make? Film expert available to talk about the market for big-budget sequels

Directors need to be creative but also be able to make a movie in the style that is already established. 

"star wars" movie directors are more brand shepherds than auteurs

Film expert Chris Hansen, M.F.A., professor and chair of Baylor’s film and digital media department, is quoted as an expert in this Marketplace story about the Star Wars franchise and the challenges directors encounter with the established brands. “I feel like Star Wars films have what you might call a ‘house style,’ and they want someone to work creatively within that, and they want to push that a little bit, but they still have to stay within that house style,” he said.

Baylor Film Expert Discusses 'Star Wars' Directors, Challenges with Established Brands

Chris Hansen, professor and chair of film and digital media, Baylor University

silver-screens-big-screens-and-small-screens-awardwinning-baylor-filmmaker-shares-how-he-hopes-people-watch-experience-his-movies

Chairman and Professor for Film & Digital Media

WACO, Texas (May 13, 2019) – The movie-watching experience continues to evolve. And while directors wish all people could experience their movies on the silver screens in theaters, they know most people these days will be watching on the big screens in their living rooms or on the small screens in their hands.

The movie-watching experience and the takeaways matter, said award-winning filmmaker Chris Hansen, M.F.A., who serves as professor and chair of the film and digital media department in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences.

“As a director, I want people to engage with the story and the characters. I want you to be able to put yourself in the characters’ shoes and see the world from their points of view so that, whether you agree or disagree with their actions, you understand where they’re coming from,” Hansen said. 

Hansen has directed five independent films. His most recent project, Seven Short Films About (Our) Marriage, is now in post-production.

In the following Q&A, Hansen shares thoughts on how we – as audience members – can do our part to get the best movie-watching experience and what he – as the director – hopes we take away from that experience. 

Q: As a director who puts in countless hours and organizes a team that puts in countless hours on a project, what do you hope audiences take away from your film? A: Film critic Roger Ebert once called films “a machine that generates empathy.” I see my films falling within that description. I want to generate empathy in the viewer for these characters and their situations, and I want audiences to come away talking about and thinking about their struggles.

Q: So much goes into making a movie. There’s the script, cinematography, setting, dialogue, music, costumes, etc. Is there any one thing you hope your audiences notice? A: I hope that I, along with the other artists who have collaborated on the film, have created an experience where none of those things stands out above the other, except that they create a moment or moments that move people. If you’re thinking, “That was great dialogue,” then that can take you out of the world of the movie.

Q: Your films are all available on various streaming platforms, which means that people are most likely watching them on televisions in their homes. What are your thoughts on the home viewing experience? A: The quality of the home viewing experience has gotten better and better over the years. We now have (or have access to) better and larger television screens, terrific audio systems and movies available in high-resolution formats. On the flip side, the home does not afford the best viewing environment because it’s not immersive the way a theater is. The experience of the theater provides fewer interruptions and allows the viewer to be fully immersed in the world of the movie, although even that environment is being disrupted by people using their cell phones in the middle of a movie. Still, it’s better than the home viewing experience, which gives the viewer many distractions and interruptions.

Q: When you watch films at home, what steps do you take to limit distractions? A: As a person with a wife and children, I try to plan viewings of movies around their schedules, so I can watch uninterrupted when I know people won’t be home. And I try to control my own distraction level, but the “always on” nature of email and texting are hard to resist. My preference would always be to have people turn the phone off, turn the lights off and turn their attention solely to the screen. That’s hard to get people to do at home. 

Q: What are your thoughts about people watching movies on their smartphones or tablets? A: Very few filmmakers I know would express a preference that people watch their work on smaller screens. It’s just not ideal, and there are so many carefully planned details that can be missed. Having said that, I’ll admit to having watched films and TV shows on my tablet, especially when I’m traveling. The truth is, given the changing nature of the world we live in, people are going to watch in whatever way is most convenient for them. But watching on a screen as small as a phone means you’re getting a much more utilitarian experience of the film. You can say you watched it and can probably recount the plot accurately. But you will often have missed the fuller experience of seeing the film on a larger screen.

Q: When students come to you and say, ‘I want to make movies!’ what’s the first thing you say to them? A: One of the first things I tell people is that the best way to learn how to make movies is to make movies. You learn by doing and getting critical feedback from someone who has done it and understands the form. And of course, in our program at Baylor, we also teach the theory side of things. We believe in a solid balance between theory and practice. We teach our students how this is done, but then they just actually have to do it and learn from their successes and their failures.

Q: Do students in Baylor’s film and digital media program have the opportunity to work on your films? If so, in what ways?   A: Students in our program do indeed have the opportunity to work on faculty-led projects. We make our films in the summer and offer the opportunity as a credited course so that they can have a lab-like learning experience. Students rotate through crew roles while working under professionals who help them understand their jobs. Some of our students have called this one of their best learning experiences in our major because it takes all the things they learn in the classroom and puts those to the test on a project that’s much larger in scope than what they’ve been able to experience before. And being a crew member on a film set can be a stressful experience. We’re dependent on the weather and limitations of time and money. It’s a great way for them to understand the ups and downs of the process and how they’ll respond to the pressure.

Q: What can you share about your newest project and where can people find your previous films? A: My latest film, currently in post-production, is a feature film called Seven Short Films About (Our) Marriage. It’s the story of one marriage that unfolds over seven episodes over a number of years, as this couple struggles with the common issues that marriages face and try to make their love last. My films are currently all available on various streaming platforms. You can find Blur Circle, Where We Started, Endings, and The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Messiah either on Amazon Prime, iTunes, and in some cases, on Blu-ray disc via Amazon and other outlets.
 


Silver Screens, Big Screens and Small Screens: Award-Winning Baylor Filmmaker Shares How He Hopes People Watch, Experience His Movies

baylor-film-expert-discusses-star-wars-directors-challenges-with-established-brands

Film expert Chris Hansen, M.F.A., professor and chair of Baylor’s film and digital media department, is quoted as an expert in this Marketplace story about the Star Wars franchise and the challenges directors encounter with the established brands. “I feel like Star Wars films have what you might call a ‘house style,’ and they want someone to work creatively within that, and they want to push that a little bit, but they still have to stay within that house style,” he said.

Source:  

how-many-more-superhero-and-pirate-movies-can-they-make-film-expert-available-to-talk-about-the-market-for-bigbudget-sequels

Prior to seeing the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, audiences are introduced to a flurry of previews for upcoming films -- big-budget sequels centered on blockbusting standards: warring apes, animated cars,  web-slinging and hammer-bearing superheroes, and space-based lightsaber battles between forces of good and evil. 

Chris Hansen, M.F.A., independent filmmaker and chair of the film and digital media department in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences, is available to talk about the market for big-budget sequels and the challenges for original screenplays. 

Is there any hope for the original story?

“One of the biggest considerations in determining which movies get made, from the studio’s perspective, is marketing,” Hansen said. “That process is made much easier if the intellectual property already exists in the minds of the general public. People know who Batman is. People know who The Avengers are. Half or more of the marketing work is done. When the intellectual property is original, the studio’s marketing arm has to spend a lot more time and money acquainting viewers with the concept and generating interest.”

“It’s hard to say what people are really interested in seeing. They say one thing, but they often vote differently with their box office dollars. This sometimes comes down to an economic decision for audience members. They have less disposable income than they used to, so they see fewer movies in the theater. And if they’re going to have to choose between several movies to see in an actual theater, they’ll often choose the one that has more spectacle, because there’s a feeling that it’s more ‘worth it’ to see something like that on the big screen, and that smaller movies won’t suffer from being seen on the TV in your living room.”

Source:  

Filmmakers Chris Hansen & Daniel Beard walk the red carpet at the 2021 Deep in the Heart Film Festival in Waco, Texas.  Chris and Daniel talk about their film SEVEN SHORT FILMS ABOUT (OUR) MARRIAGE and the Baylor University film program.

Select Inquiry Type