Dirt Conference; a recap

I’m sure that there are those who would lump all Christian conferences into the same category… I used to be one of them. After two days in Little Rock, Arkansas, I can’t say that anymore. This conference was an amazing gathering of people who are passionate about media, methods and the madness that sometimes drives us to do what we do. While many may have thought that this would be a great opportunity to hear about new technologies and techniques, for me the biggest surprise was just how deep we were drawn in spiritually.

Wait a minute… you were surprised by the depth of spirituality at a Christian conference?

Yes… I knew that it would be a chance to meet great people and to talk about what we all do and how we do it, but the corporate worship and main sessions just blew me away! On day 2, the early labs were nearly interrupted by the extended time of communion and worship. We were privy to teaching from Rick Bezet, Neil Greathouse, Anne Jackson, and Dino Rizzo that was challenging at a level that I think most people were taken back by. They all hit us right in the heart..

• Don’t lose the confidence of your calling
• God wants us to experience HIM for ourselves
• God wants your heart so much more than he wants your talent
• Don’t let the potential for many keep you from your passion for one
• Bottom line: None of us gets a free pass into God’s presence simply because we work or volunteer for churches!

I made amazing connections with some incredibly talented people… I had my head rocked by some innovative thinking… but nothing compared to the reconnection I had with my God, the One who gave me the desire to make videos and tell stories in the first place. For me, at the core of Dirt was a call to not rely on our talents but to always press deeper into God.

I’m sure that the top minds at Dirt are still evaluating all that happened in this inaugural event, but if they choose to do it again, get your whole creative team there… you won’t be sorry.

The Road to Dirt09

Oh come on… you knew there had to be some cheesy video…

Dirt Conference – Wheels Up

I’m heading out for Little Rock, AR this morning… time for the Dirt Conference! While there is much to be discussed in the way of technology and methodolgy, I’m most looking forward to the connections with others who do what I do! I’ll be posting updates as I am able. If you’re attending, track me down… I’d love to meet you! Watch for twitter updates with the hashtag: #Dirt09

Friday Funny 11/6/09

Sometimes, they need no set-up at all… this is just FUNNY!

Moving Pictures – Clips

Don’t get stuck in a rut.

I remember the first time I heard about a church using a clip from a movie as a sermon illustration… I thought it was a brilliant idea! There are a lot of very good moments in countless movies that will preach, so why not? In the years since then, I’ve seen movie clips used very well… and I’ve also seen them miss the mark horribly. I worked at one church where, as we would look at the week’s sermon topic, inevitably the pastor’s assistant would turn to me and ask, “What movie clip do you think we should use?”

Umm… didn’t we just use a clip last week… and the week before that too??? (I didn’t work there long)

There’s a problem; when something is perceived as “cool in church”, it can just as quickly become an over-done pattern of irrelevance. I’m not saying that churches should stop using movie clips, I understand that in some places that those clips might be all the media that is available. In those instances, pick and choose your clips wisely… just don’t default to it because you’ve done it in the past.

Using movie clips is a great way to get started at thinking “visually” …now how can you start to do your own illustrations, sermon bumpers, and stories?

Friday Funny 10/30/09

This one is just RICH! Enjoy!

Moving Pictures – Some Psychology

Today’s topic is all about the “who”. This is an element of story-telling that may seem uncomfortable for some, but one that can be a very important factor in conveying messages: there will be times when who you use to speak can make or break the viability of a video piece.

As is often the case, these posts are motivated by something that I’ve recently dealt with in my work with Seacoast Church. We are currently in a series where we are studying the book of Acts; in the 7th chapter, we see the first instance of harsh persecution of the early church. As our Creative Team discussed how we might add value to the message via video, we came up with the idea to do a short piece about how there is still plenty of persecution of Christ-followers in the world today. After some research, we put together a script… and after a quick drive, a good location was determined. The final decision to make: who would be our subject in this slightly emotional, 2+ minute educational piece? The quick and relatively easy call was Megan, one of our team members who is half Korean.

Why? Because we felt that using anyone Caucasian in a piece about so many non-Americans might seem disingenuous. After the piece ran, we got so much great feedback that we felt that our choice was even more justified.

While this was a piece that contained heavy subject matter, I believe that choosing the right person should be considered in simpler things as well. If you’re doing a video promotion for an upcoming women’s event, never use a man to speak about it… or, who better than a well spoken teenager to talk about the upcoming youth lock-in? This is a small decision that can have a big impact on how your message is communicated and received.

Friday Funny 10/23/09

While these days are WAY behind me, it seems that half of the people I work with just had a baby (or twins!) or are expecting. To you, my friends, via this Friday Funny, I SALUTE YOU!

Come on, admit it… that was a BLAST!

Moving Pictures – Images

I love beautiful images… I also love seeing a guy who really loves his wife and kids… here is a wonderful example of both. You don’t have to watch long to see how Ryan Black really sees his family through the lens of a camera.

Friday Funny 10/16/09

OK… I’ve had a cold this past week… I HATE colds! The scratchy throat, the headaches, and especially the near-constant SNEEZING!!! So, as a sick-sort-of-tribute, I give you today’s Friday Funny:

God bless you.