For quite some time, I’ve been thinking of ways to expand Cinematic Doctrine without adding more work. One of the biggest struggles when working with a podcast is learning to game search engine optimization (SEO), and working in an entirely audio-based market limits the amount of SEO you can achieve. Fact of the matter is, SEO loves text, and without more text, you can’t increase your SEO.
All that to say, starting late March, Cinematic Doctrine will begin unveiling semi-regular blog posts pertaining to film and film culture (I say semi-regular on the basis that blog posts are supplementary to the main content we offer: the podcast). However, as most listeners of the podcast have come to know, we’re less concerned with movies themselves and far more fascinated by what they represent culturally, historically, artistically, and spiritually. As such, while a movie may remain the primary inspiration for a post, the subsequent post itself will likely cover, well, virtually anything.
But don’t worry, we have some ideas on how we’re going to venture into the Blog-O-Sphere, and in this post we feel we should start with expectations. As such, we’ll elaborate on two things you should not expect from the Cinematic Doctrine blog, followed by three things you should expect from the blog.
What you should not expect
1. Rigid consistency
As the podcast is our main offering, the blog will always come secondary. While there will always be ideas for blog posts, there may be periods where the blog remains dormant. Although, at minimum, our projection is 1-2 posts a month.
2. Overt professionalism
Although we like to think our podcast is relatively casual, Daniel and I do take our work seriously. However, as the intent with the blog is not to add on too much work, we’re looking to keep things… business casual. That said, we will seek a level of readability and reliability. Don’t worry, we’re not animals!
What you should expect
1. Companion Pieces
From time to time, certain episodes will receive a companion piece featured within the Cinematic Doctrine blog. These may contain a brief transcription from an episode, or secondary thoughts not featured in the main episode. In other words, repurposed cutting-room-floor content that’s still worthwhile.
Example:
In the episode on Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, I speak about the fear of obsolescence and how Psalm 1 encourages the Christian to recognize that all things have their season. A companion piece to this episode may include the importance of friendship during such hardship and how the encouragement present in fellowship helps one persevere during tough seasons.
2. Podcast Updates
Cinematic Doctrine is a one year old at this point, and like anything that grows, it changes. With that in mind, certain updates or changes to the podcast will be expressed plainly through a blog post. Included in the post will be the reasons for those changes and the hopes we have for them. Any major changes will also receive a special episode of the podcast so that listeners who do not use the website will still be notified.
Example:
Cinematic Doctrine started by reviewing movies in an audio-essay format. In other words, the process is far more than sharing quick thoughts on a film. It’s more like a thought-piece that is built by research, writing, editing, recording, editing again, etc. With that in mind, and with the growing busyness of our personal lives, a change in format has occurred, as we’ve transitioned from audio-essays to discussion panels. These changes could lead toward multi-episode topic discussions and all other kinds of offerings. If an update beyond our standard offerings were to occur, that update would be shared through a blog post, and likely a special recording for the podcast, too.
3. Semi Off-Topic Posts
As we’re multi-faceted individuals, Daniel and I like to do many different things such as read, write, enjoy the outdoors. So, you may often witness our musings within the Cinematic Doctrine blog. These will be far from frequent, as we’re not interested in broadening Cinematic Doctrine’s subject matter beyond film related topics. That wouldn’t advance our mission statement in the least (that mission statement read here), but it goes without saying: if we read a book with a film adaption, We’ll want to talk about the book.
Example:
On principle, based on the portrayal of the content there-in, I have never watched Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. I’m sure I never will. However, I’ve read it’s source novel, and author Anthony Burgess himself has shared very interesting thoughts regarding not only the film adaption, as many are already aware, but his own novel. This self-criticism pursued in hindsight of ones own creation is not only ironic, regarding the novels main theme, but also highly relatable, as the Christian life is often wrought with self-criticism and self-evaluation (for better or for worse).
Onward!
Before closing out this initial post, we want to remind our followers that it is our hope for Cinematic Doctrine to be a blessing for anyone who listens, reads, and has kept up with us over the last year. It is our hope to encourage and equip Christians to engage and reform the culture of cinema. Whether that’s watching a movie with biblical discernment and discussing it confidently with their friends and coworkers, or working on a film project with a Christ-centered lens in the hope of glorifying our righteous king, we’re here to help as much as we can!
So, until next time, stay cool!
Consider supporting Cinematic Doctrine on Patreon! As a bonus, you’ll gain access to a once-a-month movie poll where you decide a movie we discuss on the podcast, as well as early unedited episodes of the podcast!!
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