THE BOOK OF ACTS (AND ACTORS!): Got this press release from Barbara Nicolosi, the very cool director of ActOne, a training program for Christians seeking work in the movie industry:

01/10/03 – Hollywood, CA: ACT ONE: WRITING FOR HOLLYWOOD, an interdenominational training program for writers from the Christian community, is now accepting applications for its four-week summer program. The ACT ONE curriculum provides an overview of both film and TV writing, with an emphasis on writing for film. We also offer a specialized TV track for those writers seriously considering a career in television.

ACT ONE Director Barbara Nicolosi notes that the goal of ACT ONE is not to produce “religious” scripts, but rather scripts that reflect a Christian worldview. “A great movie is a harmony – images, performance, music and sounds, all coming together in a miraculous unity,” says Nicolosi, “A beautiful movie not only harmonizes all these elements, but does so around a story that is True, a theme that is Universal. ACT ONE equips writers to bring together mastery of craft and depth of content for movies and television. In embracing their vocation to beauty, these artists will also be Christian apostles of love and grace in the heart of the entertainment industry.”

A comprehensive training program for scriptwriters with a concern for content, ACT ONE covers everything a writer needs to know to competitively enter the film and television industry. Emphasizing professionalism, artistry, prayer and excellence, our impressive faculty is made up of over fifty working writers and producers who serve as instructors and mentors, including Angelo Pizzo (Rudy, Hoosiers), Ralph Winter (X-men, Planet of the Apes), Barbara Hall (Judging Amy), David McFadzean (Home Improvement), Lee & Janet Batchler (Batman Forever), and most recently, Academy Award nominee Randall Wallace (Braveheart, We Were Soldiers).

In only four years, ACT ONE students are finding success in many levels of the entertainment industry’s creative community, landing writing and producing jobs at DreamWorks, CBS, HBO, PAX, MS-NBC, and FOX, among others. Alumnus David Hansen claims “the amount of scholarship, the degree of professionalism and the keen wisdom of the ACT ONE program is simply an unparalleled gift to burgeoning script writers. I can hardly believe it exists.” Featured by CNN, CBS, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, and The Chicago Tribune, ACT ONE has been hailed by industry veteran Ron Austin (Mission Impossible) as playing “an indispensable roll in bringing young Christians into the mainstream of Hollywood.”

ACT ONE can only accept thirty students into its summer program. The application process is very competitive, so interested writers are encouraged to begin the process as early as possible. Notes screenwriter and faculty member Janet Batchler, “ACT ONE is by far the most thorough, most inspiring, intensive screenwriting program I’ve seen anywhere. You can waste years of time tiptoeing around the edges of the entertainment industry, or you can come to ACT ONE and learn what you need to know in four weeks.”

For more information about ACT ONE, check out our website at www.ActoneProgram.com, or contact Zena Dell Schroeder, Associate Director, at 323-462-1348. Applications will be accepted from all Christians who are serious about a career in script writing.