Notes from Boot Camp | Visual Media

To those who attended my breakout session on visual media at the BCMD Worship Team Boot Camp on Feb. 25, thank you so much for attending! I hope the day was as much a blessing for you as it was for me. As promised, here are my notes from the session.

1. Role of technology/Visual Media in a worship setting
   1. To create an environment
      1. Visual Worship Leaders
      2. What is a worship leader?
         1. A worship leader can’t make people worship, and it’s not our responsibility
         2. Two things we can do:
            1. We can and should respond to God with worship.
            2. We can and should speak, sing, play, create, and use technology in such a way that the people we hope to lead receive every opportunity to respond to God with worship.
      3. What is a Visual Worship Leader?
         1. Oversees, curates, prepares the visuals
         2. In a very real sense you shape the direction of the service
         3. It’s your job to help everyone know where they should be:
            1. Congregation: What words am I supposed to sing right now?
            2. Band: What words am I supposed to sing next?
            3. If you don’t go at the appropriate time, you can cause a bit of chaos
         4. At times, you have a greater influence on the environment of worship than anyone else
         5. Choices you make impact the flow and experience of the service in significant ways
         6. Be vigilant, always listening, always watching, always learning
   2. To serve the Word
      1. Four load-bearing walls of Worship Service (Constance Cherry)
         1. Gathering
         2. Word
         3. Table/Response
         4. Sending
      2. The Word is the focus – everything points to it
         1. Message over media
            1. Don’t do something just because it looks cool – does it serve the message?
            2. Example: structure visuals around the sermon
               1. We create graphics for sermon series
               2. Those inform our visuals throughout
   3. Band and pastor can’t do their job without you
   4. Not a job you can do without preparation
2. General Pointers
   1. Backgrounds
      1. Not too many colors
      2. Not too much motion
      3. You’ve got to be willing to delete stuff that looks cool
      4. Not too many changes
         1. Every song doesn’t have to have a different background
         2. Same goes for slides in the sermon presentation.
            1. Keep the background and use foreground images
   2. Text
      1. legible
         1. common font and size for songs
         2. slightly smaller font size for message
         3. create a style that you think looks good, stand at the back and make sure you can read it.
      2. comprehensible
         1. how much is too much at one time?
            1. less is more
            2. the great serif debate (serif or sans serif)
               1. sans serif all the way baby! (it’s less cluttered and therefore easier to read in a worship setting)
            3. concise idea onscreen – not multiple ideas – specifically in the worship context
               1. I usually shoot for no more than 2-4 lines per slide in a song
               2. 4-6 lines per slide in a sermon presentation
         2. care for orphans and widows (in text)
         3. Punctuation & Phrasing
            1. relax, it’s just poetry
               1. rules of sentence structure don’t necessarily apply
               2. commas and line breaks dictate phrasing (but you don’t have to SHOW the commas)
               3. I don’t include punctuation at the end of a line except for quotes and questions
      3.  Lighting
         1. Use light to define spaces
            1. Example:
               1. Smaller lit area during preaching
               2. Larger one during music
         2. Be conscious of the emotional impact of color and light
            1. DO NOT USE RED
            2. Think about your house lights
               1. Up or down?
         3. Don’t be afraid to go black
3.  Resources
   1.  Books
      1. An Hour on Sunday: Creating Moments of Transformation and Wonder by Nancy Beach
      2. The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services by Constance Cherry
   2.  Websites
      1. visualworshiper.com – blog
      2. http://www.sundaymag.tv/lighting-color-theory/ – great article by Camron Ware about the emotional impact of color
      3. lukemcelroy.com – articles
      4. judkossum.wordpress.com – my blog
      5. Visual Media
         1. shiftworship.com
         2. twotp.com

Well, there you have it! If you have any questions, feel free to comment here.