Andy Crouch, writing for Christianity Today, writes about the rise of the image in our world. He writes specifically about the power of the still image.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/june/21.62.html
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Wing Clips
I just met these guys at the National Outreach Convention yesterday. They offer a digital download service of feature film clips for pastors and teachers. They have a premium service ($14.95/mo) and a free service. Check them out.
www.wingclips.com
www.wingclips.com
Thursday, October 11, 2007
A Visual Story to Reach 1 Billion Women
"Magdalena: Released from Shame" is a new feature film being released by Inspirational Films. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to have been a part of this project from beginning to end as Co-Executive Producer. Tuesday night was a celebration screening for the cast and crew at Paramount Studios.
Based on the track record of Inspirational Films,it is expected that one billion women will be impacted by this film in the next ten years!!! The film is already having an impact where it has been released outside the U.S. Women often leave the theater in tears as they understand there is a God who sees and cares.
With all the recent speculation of Mary Magdalene’s role in the life of Jesus, this film beautifully portrays her as a faithful follower and first-hand witness of his miracles and teaching. “Magdalena” reflects accurately and artistically the biblical record of Jesus’ care and concern for women. In our present day, his example and teaching are radical for the way he treated women with love, respect and compassion. Consider how much more so his esteem toward women was radical in his own context. Read A Thousand Splendid Suns (#9 on Amazon as of today) by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner) for a gripping glimpse into the lives of women whose status is still no better than property.
To learn more about the film and find out how to order the DVD when it releases next month, go to www.magdalenatoday.com.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Visual Storytelling: Mission Possible
I had the privilege of participating in the “creativEDGE Artist Network: A Night of Film” Saturday evening. The Grove Center for the Arts and Media, the Damah Film Festival, Project 168, Coast Hills Community Church and the Veracity Project assembled a program of four award winning short films Saturday evening. In one of the largest ever faith-based film events in south Orange County, California, 750 people came out to see the films and hear the visual storytellers (filmmakers) describe how the films were created and how their faith impacted their craft.
“Freedom Within” (Eric Albertson), “Select Fit” (Daniel Roemer), “Most” (Billy Zabka) and “Max” (Jim O’Keefe) were showcased. The passion and creativity of each storyteller to translate his idea to the screen were a challenge to all who’ve thought of creating a visual story, but feel it can’t be done. Billy Zabka and his partner ran out of cash with a full crew hired when God provided an investor in a last second meeting in the London Heathrow airport. “Freedom Within” became a reality after Eric Albertson’s wife told him to stop talking about making a film, and to figure out what it would take to DO it. Jim O’Keefe saw a team of 107 people rally around his production for the 168 hour time frame given by the Project 168 film festival.
We live in the era of the possible. Visual Storytelling is accessible to each person who will dare to act on the desire God places in his or her heart.
Monday, September 24, 2007
A New Generation
It seems I meet a young, aspiring filmmaker every few weeks. Megan understands the power of “visual story” through film. When she was in 6th grade, she watched a movie that was a fictional account on the return of Christ. The power of the message turned her heart toward Christ in a significant way. She now desires to see people of her generation reached with the transforming message of Christ through film. Megan is now a 17 year old senior in high school who plans to have a career in film. The Visual Story Network will help equip this generation to tell powerful stories and encourage them to reflect the kingdom of God in their work.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Bypass Hollywood
Here is a great story of a dramatic series about reluctant missionaries in South America made and distributed entirely outside the Hollywood system. Touted as "the world's first completely open, online casting call for a drama series," it is made by Dutch missionary kid Helmut Schleppi.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/dcc/revfeat/internet_converts/
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/dcc/revfeat/internet_converts/
Monday, September 10, 2007
Participation, Not Just Presentation
There is a very insightful article by Jodi Adams that was recently posted at Faith Visuals on evaluating how we use media to draw others into God's redemptive story. Participation, Not Just Presentation draws on two categories of our worship experience, presentation and participation. She notes that, "communion is participation; media is presentation." Here are some excerpts:
Media pioneer William Bernbach was once quoted as saying, "In this very real world, good doesn't drive out evil. Evil doesn't drive out good. But the energetic displaces the passive."You can read the rest of the article here.
Videos and images can provide windows into common human experiences.
Media has the great potential to move worship from passive personal experience into energetic community participation.
Monday, August 27, 2007
It's Still About Story
It was a college writing class and I eagerly took my seat. My enthusiasm quickly diminished when the topic was announced: Documentary Writing. Documentary? I like stories! Documentaries are non-fiction, right? Slow pans over photos of the War of 1812? Talking heads? My brain started to go to the place usually reserved for advanced math. But was quickly pulled back to the classroom with the Professor's opening statement: "The best documentaries are stories." What? The Professor went on to explain that even with non-fiction the most important thing was to create characters that the audience could identify with. He said that no one wanted to watch a show about facts and figures. That just like in storytelling, it's the characters that matter the most.
I think that as we look and communicate the "facts and figures" of the gospel, we must remember that it's characters in story that STILL matters.
I think that as we look and communicate the "facts and figures" of the gospel, we must remember that it's characters in story that STILL matters.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Young People today Handicapped in Storying
First the point, then the background.
THE POINT
In empahsizing short film, mini stories, we are appealing to a dark side of youth culture. Young people like stories but they have a mentality that has no habit of connecting stories into larger truths. We will have to teach them to make stories and the teaching will have to involve improving their worlsdview.
THE BACKGROUND
I give my students an assignment to pick a Fable (like Easop) that has a dialogue between two characters (think the Hare and the Tortoise) then use motion type to enhance the story's meaning. I use Fables because they are compact but meaningful stories (have all the components necessary for a story: context, characters, conflict, resolution). Some of them whine a bit about the content so I have expanded the Fable restriction to include short joke instead. Again, most jokes have a story structure. This year they asked if they could choose a movie dialogue instead. I said maybe, but warned them that a dialogue is not a story, it is a fragment of a story. Here follows an excerpt of my email telling one of my students why he couldnt use his proposed dialogues:
FROM MZ EMAIL TO STUDENT
"Most of these are too fragmentary to make sense. The first one from 28 Days Later for example, suddenly introduces “Frank and Hannah” but we know nothing about them and therefore their relevance and meaning for this dialogue is meaningless, and therefore disruptive. The third one from Ed Wood has little meaning because the user knows nothing about the characters, Ed and the Producer. Why would they say these things? Why is Ed so careless with details and how might that matter to anything.
Context is key to meaning. Finding or having meaning is the quest of life. These fragmentary dialogues may (or may not) make sense in the context of their films, but cut out they are not very meaningful, or interesting. My life is too short to spend on disconnected meaninglessness... Which may be why I don’t watch TV news!
I am not attacking your interest in movie dialogue at all. What I am pointing out is how important context, in these examples, the context of character that has been developed throughout a film, is for understanding, meaning and enjoyment."
END OF MZ EMAIL
Young people today have smorgas board mentality toward truth (they pick what seems attricative to them),
have no awareness that there might be an overarching truth (metanarraive) it's just not a possibility they even know exists,
are content (resigned) to live in a work of disconnected, disassociated 'facts' (pseudo data - sound bytes).
The internet supports this. The multi-tasking they are so proud of evidences this. This worldview makes story telling difficult. Good stories have conunity and result in meaning. Young people today are unaware that there is meaning and are content with collections of sound bytes.
This is driving interest in mini narratives, but if we aren't careful we will feed them another potpouri of disconnected narratives and leave them in the dark about meaning - God - the ultimate metanarrative.
THE POINT
In empahsizing short film, mini stories, we are appealing to a dark side of youth culture. Young people like stories but they have a mentality that has no habit of connecting stories into larger truths. We will have to teach them to make stories and the teaching will have to involve improving their worlsdview.
THE BACKGROUND
I give my students an assignment to pick a Fable (like Easop) that has a dialogue between two characters (think the Hare and the Tortoise) then use motion type to enhance the story's meaning. I use Fables because they are compact but meaningful stories (have all the components necessary for a story: context, characters, conflict, resolution). Some of them whine a bit about the content so I have expanded the Fable restriction to include short joke instead. Again, most jokes have a story structure. This year they asked if they could choose a movie dialogue instead. I said maybe, but warned them that a dialogue is not a story, it is a fragment of a story. Here follows an excerpt of my email telling one of my students why he couldnt use his proposed dialogues:
FROM MZ EMAIL TO STUDENT
"Most of these are too fragmentary to make sense. The first one from 28 Days Later for example, suddenly introduces “Frank and Hannah” but we know nothing about them and therefore their relevance and meaning for this dialogue is meaningless, and therefore disruptive. The third one from Ed Wood has little meaning because the user knows nothing about the characters, Ed and the Producer. Why would they say these things? Why is Ed so careless with details and how might that matter to anything.
Context is key to meaning. Finding or having meaning is the quest of life. These fragmentary dialogues may (or may not) make sense in the context of their films, but cut out they are not very meaningful, or interesting. My life is too short to spend on disconnected meaninglessness... Which may be why I don’t watch TV news!
I am not attacking your interest in movie dialogue at all. What I am pointing out is how important context, in these examples, the context of character that has been developed throughout a film, is for understanding, meaning and enjoyment."
END OF MZ EMAIL
Young people today have smorgas board mentality toward truth (they pick what seems attricative to them),
have no awareness that there might be an overarching truth (metanarraive) it's just not a possibility they even know exists,
are content (resigned) to live in a work of disconnected, disassociated 'facts' (pseudo data - sound bytes).
The internet supports this. The multi-tasking they are so proud of evidences this. This worldview makes story telling difficult. Good stories have conunity and result in meaning. Young people today are unaware that there is meaning and are content with collections of sound bytes.
This is driving interest in mini narratives, but if we aren't careful we will feed them another potpouri of disconnected narratives and leave them in the dark about meaning - God - the ultimate metanarrative.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Shadyac on Story and Humor
If it is a trend, it's the oldest trend in the world: Tell a good story, tell a human
tell an entertaining story, and people will come see it. And if it happens to be about subject of faith, God and man and relationship, all the better. I don't think Hollywood's ever been afraid of faith-based movies. I think they're afraid of bad movies.
It's a highly spiritual act to tell a hysterical story. If you create laughter, I think you've created something very spiritual. You've for a second brought people back into a childlike state. That's a high calling. But I want a movie to have another layer that engages people in thought, discussion.
For the complete interview: http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/tomshadyac.html
tell an entertaining story, and people will come see it. And if it happens to be about subject of faith, God and man and relationship, all the better. I don't think Hollywood's ever been afraid of faith-based movies. I think they're afraid of bad movies.
It's a highly spiritual act to tell a hysterical story. If you create laughter, I think you've created something very spiritual. You've for a second brought people back into a childlike state. That's a high calling. But I want a movie to have another layer that engages people in thought, discussion.
For the complete interview: http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/tomshadyac.html
Transformation through Visual Story
Meagan, a 11 year old, watched one of those 1970's end times films just a few years ago. She was riveted and amazed. It became a turning point in her young life; she gave her life to Christ and hasn't looked back.
She is now in high school and wants to create visual stories that will touch her generation.
I haven't seen any of those films, but I imagine the production value would be laughable today. Yet, there was something in the story (no doubt some fear factor) that reached inside and caused her to evaluate.
How much more is possible today as tell great visual stories through hhe power of visual media?
She is now in high school and wants to create visual stories that will touch her generation.
I haven't seen any of those films, but I imagine the production value would be laughable today. Yet, there was something in the story (no doubt some fear factor) that reached inside and caused her to evaluate.
How much more is possible today as tell great visual stories through hhe power of visual media?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
New Blog URL
You can use http://www.visualstorynetwork.com now to get this blog. Change you bookmark, signature files and other information you send out to the new url http://www.visualstorynetwork.com.
Friday, June 22, 2007
With Apologies to Cameron Townsend
Cameron Townsend said:
“The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner."
I suggest, then, that the second greatest missionary is contextualized media. It needs no furlough, never gets discouraged, plays the message back each and every time despite circumstances and, if properly contextualized, will have come from the hearts of the people who are watching.
“The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner."
I suggest, then, that the second greatest missionary is contextualized media. It needs no furlough, never gets discouraged, plays the message back each and every time despite circumstances and, if properly contextualized, will have come from the hearts of the people who are watching.
Why Visual Story Network Matters
1.
We understand more of the world around us through visual perception than all the other senses combined.
From Richard L. Gregory, "Eye and Brain, The Psychology of Seeing", Princeton 1997
Seeing is the primary means God has given to understand the world and gather information about its nature, including truth about Himself. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
(Psalm 19, NIV)
+
2.
“Stories are one of the most basic modes of human life.”
N. T. Wright, "The New Testament and the People of God", Fortress, 1992
Narratives are one of the most common and ancient ways of communicating. Not the only way as the following might as first glance suggest, but a significant way. “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.” (Matthew 13:34, NIV)
+
3.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17, NIV
It is a truism that people through interaction can improve each other, in their work and even their character. The metaphor of sharpening implies improvement: making a tool more fit for its purpose. Sharpening however involves removing metal: implying at a minimum friendly sharing of information ranging through perhaps advice and even constructive criticism.
The Visual Story Network can be for the people of God 1. + 2. + 3: a means to improve our skill at telling stories visually. From the above it is self evident that this is a good thing to try to do. I believe it is also self evident that Clyde Tabor is eminently gifted and qualified to build just such a network. I’m hoping to devote some of my time to see that it happens and invite others to join in the work.
Let the sharpening begin.
We understand more of the world around us through visual perception than all the other senses combined.
From Richard L. Gregory, "Eye and Brain, The Psychology of Seeing", Princeton 1997
Seeing is the primary means God has given to understand the world and gather information about its nature, including truth about Himself. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
(Psalm 19, NIV)
+
2.
“Stories are one of the most basic modes of human life.”
N. T. Wright, "The New Testament and the People of God", Fortress, 1992
Narratives are one of the most common and ancient ways of communicating. Not the only way as the following might as first glance suggest, but a significant way. “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.” (Matthew 13:34, NIV)
+
3.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17, NIV
It is a truism that people through interaction can improve each other, in their work and even their character. The metaphor of sharpening implies improvement: making a tool more fit for its purpose. Sharpening however involves removing metal: implying at a minimum friendly sharing of information ranging through perhaps advice and even constructive criticism.
The Visual Story Network can be for the people of God 1. + 2. + 3: a means to improve our skill at telling stories visually. From the above it is self evident that this is a good thing to try to do. I believe it is also self evident that Clyde Tabor is eminently gifted and qualified to build just such a network. I’m hoping to devote some of my time to see that it happens and invite others to join in the work.
Let the sharpening begin.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Faith Visuals
Thanks Doug for passing on this good article. Here is a interesting article on Visualcy http://faithvisuals.com/help/articles/visualcy.html This is a great site do you know who's behind it? http://faithvisuals.com/
Tell a story in 5 frames (Visual story telling)
Check out a great site/community within the Flickr website: http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/ as the title suggests participants are challenged to create stories and submit them for review in only 5 frames. Good stuff.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Munyurangabo (Liberation Day)
A group of YWAM folks made breakthrough progress with Munyurangabo (or Liberation Day). It was selected in the "Un Certain Regard" section of the Cannes Film Festival. This is the first time an American director made it into Cannes with a directorial debut! Go Lee Isaac Chung!
Read more at: http://www.festival-cannes.fr/index.php/en/archives/film/4432194)
Read more at: http://www.festival-cannes.fr/index.php/en/archives/film/4432194)
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Jim Green on VSN and Clyde
Thoughts on the Visual Story Network & Clyde's leadership
Story is the foundational way that information is passed on in every culture of the world as evidenced by the fact that around the world parents and grandparents tell their children stories. Films are visual stories in sight and sound. Studies indicate that the majority of people in the world come to faith before they are out of their teens and that films, TV, internet and music are the primary influencers of youth in our day. In the western world the average young person is watching 120 films per year. They are making their life decisions and choices based on what they see in films. Research further indicates that the world is rapidly becoming younger with some populations as high as 70% under the age of 30. In order to influence this generation it is necessary to communicate God’s love and forgiveness through visual stories using the appropriate technologies that will reach them.
My vision for the Visual Story Network is to bring together a collation of Kingdom strategists and creative visual story tellers to intentionally work together to create, find and disseminate the visual stories necessary to help build God’s Kingdom. It is evident that there is great convergence taking place and that God is raising up creative people in the film industry, many of whom have a desire to help build the Kingdom of God. At the same time there are many mission strategists who see the need for using visual story to touch this generation. The Kingdom strategists need the expertise of the creative film makers and the creative film makers need the expertise of Kingdom strategists in order to effectively touch this generation and help to build God’s Kingdom.
I believe the Visual Story Network has the potential to impact the whole world with the greatest story every told, God’s story through the powerful medium of sight and sound, Visual Stories. As Kingdom strategists work together intentionally with creative film makers, people in ever nation will be impacted with God’s story through visual stories that will result in transformed lives in every place so that everyone will know someone who truly follows Jesus. Millions of believers around the world will be equipped to lift up Jesus and make Him known leading to transformed lives who are truly following Jesus as a way of life.
I am so excited that God has so obviously touched Clyde Taber to give leadership to the Visual Story Network. One day as a group of us were discussing the Visual Story Network, God clearly impressed me, to the point of tears, that Clyde should be the one to give leadership to it. I am so grateful to God that in His time He confirmed this calling to Clyde personally. I believe that God has his hand on Clyde and that He has created him, wired him and prepared him for this task. In addition to his giftedness in networking, partnering, speaking, vision and serving as a spokes person for this initiative, what gives me most joy is Clyde’s close walk and dependence on God. In my several years of working closely with Clyde I have found him to be a man of God who truly seeks God and His will in everything he does. I believe that God has raised him up for such a time as this. I can confidently recommend him to you for your prayers and support. I believe that this initiative will impact the whole world for Christ and His Kingdom.
Story is the foundational way that information is passed on in every culture of the world as evidenced by the fact that around the world parents and grandparents tell their children stories. Films are visual stories in sight and sound. Studies indicate that the majority of people in the world come to faith before they are out of their teens and that films, TV, internet and music are the primary influencers of youth in our day. In the western world the average young person is watching 120 films per year. They are making their life decisions and choices based on what they see in films. Research further indicates that the world is rapidly becoming younger with some populations as high as 70% under the age of 30. In order to influence this generation it is necessary to communicate God’s love and forgiveness through visual stories using the appropriate technologies that will reach them.
My vision for the Visual Story Network is to bring together a collation of Kingdom strategists and creative visual story tellers to intentionally work together to create, find and disseminate the visual stories necessary to help build God’s Kingdom. It is evident that there is great convergence taking place and that God is raising up creative people in the film industry, many of whom have a desire to help build the Kingdom of God. At the same time there are many mission strategists who see the need for using visual story to touch this generation. The Kingdom strategists need the expertise of the creative film makers and the creative film makers need the expertise of Kingdom strategists in order to effectively touch this generation and help to build God’s Kingdom.
I believe the Visual Story Network has the potential to impact the whole world with the greatest story every told, God’s story through the powerful medium of sight and sound, Visual Stories. As Kingdom strategists work together intentionally with creative film makers, people in ever nation will be impacted with God’s story through visual stories that will result in transformed lives in every place so that everyone will know someone who truly follows Jesus. Millions of believers around the world will be equipped to lift up Jesus and make Him known leading to transformed lives who are truly following Jesus as a way of life.
I am so excited that God has so obviously touched Clyde Taber to give leadership to the Visual Story Network. One day as a group of us were discussing the Visual Story Network, God clearly impressed me, to the point of tears, that Clyde should be the one to give leadership to it. I am so grateful to God that in His time He confirmed this calling to Clyde personally. I believe that God has his hand on Clyde and that He has created him, wired him and prepared him for this task. In addition to his giftedness in networking, partnering, speaking, vision and serving as a spokes person for this initiative, what gives me most joy is Clyde’s close walk and dependence on God. In my several years of working closely with Clyde I have found him to be a man of God who truly seeks God and His will in everything he does. I believe that God has raised him up for such a time as this. I can confidently recommend him to you for your prayers and support. I believe that this initiative will impact the whole world for Christ and His Kingdom.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Rob Hoskins Endorsement of VSN and Clyde
Communication grows more complex everyday. The advent of global visual media, precipitated by television, movies and the internet is challenging the churches ability to effectively communicate. There is a massive cultural shift towards the visual over and against the oral and textual, and it continues to accelerate. Increasingly, to engage your audience means creating a visual story experience. In a world being addressed through picture and image the church can ill afford to not better understand the visual revolution and use it to proclaim Jesus and Scripture. The Visual Story Network is a ministry that arrives just in time to mobilize the church towards collaboration and action in a field that has had too little attention. By helping empower the talent of visual story artists around the world and harnessing the global distribution channels that the church possesses the Visual Story Network could be the catalyst for one of the most significant spiritual movements of the early 21st century. Clyde Taber has been uniquely prepared to facilitate this strategic initiative. His rich background in global missions, insight and passion for the visual arts and networking talent have positioned him to be the chief advocate and architect for the Visual Story Network.
New Media will shape the world in which we live, the reality is turning out far stranger and more interesting than we might have imagined. The social implications of this change could be staggering."
--Will Wright, designer of SimCity and The Sims
New Media will shape the world in which we live, the reality is turning out far stranger and more interesting than we might have imagined. The social implications of this change could be staggering."
--Will Wright, designer of SimCity and The Sims
Friday, May 25, 2007
Paul Eshleman on the Visual Story Network
We must go beyond “preach” and “print”…to “portray.” The kingdom is ripe for a revolution in the way we communicate the Gospel and disciple new believers. Visual story must penetrate everything we do in Christian missions. It is far more powerful than what we have known. It is the future of the Church. The success of the expansion of the Church will hinge on how well we personally demonstrate and visually portray who Jesus is and what impact He can have in our lives.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Communication Challenge
The heat felt particularly heavy that July afternoon. The air conditioning inside the bank made it easier to breath. I shifted my weight, waiting my turn to talk to the young man with horn-rimmed glasses. We were new in town and I needed some cash. “I would like to cash a check” I said. He cocked his head and mumbled something I didn’t get. I repeated, more slowly, “I-would-like-to-cash-a-check," pointing to my check to make myself clear. His eyes creased and he rattled off something I still didn’t understand. After a third attempt, being very aware of the line of restless people behind me, I closed my checkbook, bowed my head and left the building frustrated and embarrassed.
The rupture in communication was not the fault of the annoyed clerk. It was mine. In the summer of 1993 we had been in France for only three weeks and I only knew a few dozen French words. I couldn't communicate with the locals and it hurt. I came to offer these people the transforming power of Jesus, but I couldn’t even manage an over-the-counter bank transaction. I still had a lot to learn.
The body of Christ today in a media saturated world reminds me of my early experiences in France. Christians do not fluently speak the “visual media” language of the people around us. In the last ten years, the Western world (and increasingly the developing world) has become inundated with thousands of messages a day through movie, television, laptop, cell phone and iPod screens.
Yet we still primarily communicate the beauty and truth of the Gospel through 40 minute Sunday sermons…to an audience that won’t come to the theatre where the sermon is playing (a church building, that is). The sermon is necessary, but no longer sufficient. People are starved for hope, meaning and purpose. Its time for God’s people to connect with them like never before through the power of visual story...to offer them not only what they need - but what they have yet to dream of…life and life abundant.
The rupture in communication was not the fault of the annoyed clerk. It was mine. In the summer of 1993 we had been in France for only three weeks and I only knew a few dozen French words. I couldn't communicate with the locals and it hurt. I came to offer these people the transforming power of Jesus, but I couldn’t even manage an over-the-counter bank transaction. I still had a lot to learn.
The body of Christ today in a media saturated world reminds me of my early experiences in France. Christians do not fluently speak the “visual media” language of the people around us. In the last ten years, the Western world (and increasingly the developing world) has become inundated with thousands of messages a day through movie, television, laptop, cell phone and iPod screens.
Yet we still primarily communicate the beauty and truth of the Gospel through 40 minute Sunday sermons…to an audience that won’t come to the theatre where the sermon is playing (a church building, that is). The sermon is necessary, but no longer sufficient. People are starved for hope, meaning and purpose. Its time for God’s people to connect with them like never before through the power of visual story...to offer them not only what they need - but what they have yet to dream of…life and life abundant.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Benefits of participating in the network
Here is a list of benefits for network participants.
What is missing?
· Strategic insight into present and emerging products and best practices of visual story worldwide
· Able to leverage the your organization’s best products and practices through present & emerging influence leaders
· Access to the latest research in trending in visual media
· Benefit from unique equipping opportunities with the world’s best visual story practioners
· Unique platform for missional partnership and collaboration with present and future network participants
· Be a “first mover” (for the first 30-50 participants) catalyst by building and shaping the move of God’s Spirit in visual story
What is missing?
· Strategic insight into present and emerging products and best practices of visual story worldwide
· Able to leverage the your organization’s best products and practices through present & emerging influence leaders
· Access to the latest research in trending in visual media
· Benefit from unique equipping opportunities with the world’s best visual story practioners
· Unique platform for missional partnership and collaboration with present and future network participants
· Be a “first mover” (for the first 30-50 participants) catalyst by building and shaping the move of God’s Spirit in visual story
Friday, May 18, 2007
Visual Story Database
I'm thinking that a hyperlink database that would allow us to profile not only product and strategies as Clyde has produced but also a profile of any group, ministry, production company that has product or strategies could list them under their 'organizational' template that could list any product or strategy under their org. template. That way information could be listed both ways and make it easy to inventory what everyone has available in the way of 'visual story' content and make it easy to navigate between product and strategy and who has produced them and what else they may have available. That way for instance you could find 'Beyond the Gates' but click on Bearing Fruit and discover what other product they have and also their new visual story web experience. This would also be a great incentive for new groups to join and keep the database updated with new content...Thoughts?
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Biblical Storying Definition
Here is our working definition: Any thoughts?
"Combining narrative and visual media in communicating the message of Jesus and Scripture illustrating a biblical world view"
"Combining narrative and visual media in communicating the message of Jesus and Scripture illustrating a biblical world view"
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Why Visual Story
Are the big issues really the following?...
THE WORLD
The world is rapidly growing more media saturated and sophisticated. “Visual literacy” is accelerating in both developed and developing nations.
Media’s dominant role in shaping the worldview of billions of people.
The rapid increase of “visually literate” primary oral learners (those untouched by writing or print).
THE KINGDOM
Visual literacy is not being addressed by the body of Christ in a broad, strategic fashion with a clear kingdom agenda. The Church is in the infancy stage of understanding visual storytelling. Creative, relevant and compelling communications are needed. Great opportunities exist for His people to leverage new forms of communication combining missional strategy and visual storytelling. Few tools exist to leverage the power of visual story. There is a tragic lack of advocacy and awareness among Christian leaders about the opportunity.
We no longer awaken and empower “called” visual communicators. We’ve lost the paradigm for the visual communicator and their medium and message in furthering the kingdom. We need to identify, equip and encourage a new wave of these messengers. We must increase the kingdom capacity to use visual story to engage lost people and godless culture with the truth and beauty of Jesus and scripture.
We do not know how to rapidly and effectively deploy new forms of media.
THE WORLD
The world is rapidly growing more media saturated and sophisticated. “Visual literacy” is accelerating in both developed and developing nations.
Media’s dominant role in shaping the worldview of billions of people.
The rapid increase of “visually literate” primary oral learners (those untouched by writing or print).
THE KINGDOM
Visual literacy is not being addressed by the body of Christ in a broad, strategic fashion with a clear kingdom agenda. The Church is in the infancy stage of understanding visual storytelling. Creative, relevant and compelling communications are needed. Great opportunities exist for His people to leverage new forms of communication combining missional strategy and visual storytelling. Few tools exist to leverage the power of visual story. There is a tragic lack of advocacy and awareness among Christian leaders about the opportunity.
We no longer awaken and empower “called” visual communicators. We’ve lost the paradigm for the visual communicator and their medium and message in furthering the kingdom. We need to identify, equip and encourage a new wave of these messengers. We must increase the kingdom capacity to use visual story to engage lost people and godless culture with the truth and beauty of Jesus and scripture.
We do not know how to rapidly and effectively deploy new forms of media.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Private or Public
I found out I can make this blog private, 'invitation only', would we prefer this? Please weigh in...
Artists in the Church
I had an interesting dialogue with my friend Jim Hanon, Ethnographic Media to day, he writes,
"In many ways I approach all this in what could be called the naive or idealistic view of an artist, and certainly not with the depth of a trained anthropologist. There is a key element that I respond to in ethnography, (and inherent to anthropology) and the one word that would sum it up is “listening”. In the broadest sense it has empathy at its heart, and encompasses watching and understanding. This is where anthropology and art intersect and some deeply common elements are seen.
One of the Georgia O'Keefe quotes I really like is, “I paint what I do not have the words to express.” Can the Bible be translated this way? Would it be accurate? Would theologians agree? In many ways we are treading into the territory that has long kept the arts and artists at bay in the church. Youth today understand media language better than the Church and they are lost in the same translation that artists were in previous times. If artistic expression is not accurate to the truths of the Bible then it does far more damage than good. How well I know this fear, for it has occupied my heart and mind in some fashion or another all my life.
"In many ways I approach all this in what could be called the naive or idealistic view of an artist, and certainly not with the depth of a trained anthropologist. There is a key element that I respond to in ethnography, (and inherent to anthropology) and the one word that would sum it up is “listening”. In the broadest sense it has empathy at its heart, and encompasses watching and understanding. This is where anthropology and art intersect and some deeply common elements are seen.
One of the Georgia O'Keefe quotes I really like is, “I paint what I do not have the words to express.” Can the Bible be translated this way? Would it be accurate? Would theologians agree? In many ways we are treading into the territory that has long kept the arts and artists at bay in the church. Youth today understand media language better than the Church and they are lost in the same translation that artists were in previous times. If artistic expression is not accurate to the truths of the Bible then it does far more damage than good. How well I know this fear, for it has occupied my heart and mind in some fashion or another all my life.
Monday, May 14, 2007
New Name
Clyde thought it would make more sense to call it Visual Story rather then Storying. I think it may sense. The only community that uses -ing is the missions Chronological Bible Storying, so with a broader audience I like Clydes take. Thoughts?
Beta site for VSN
This is for us all to start communicating new ideas, sharing our inspirational stories and helping Clyde lead this exciting venture.
Clyde I like your idea to do a couple interview sessions with historical VSN success stories. A roundtable for example with Jesus Film, GodMan, Carmel Ent. church exhibition model etc.
Clyde I like your idea to do a couple interview sessions with historical VSN success stories. A roundtable for example with Jesus Film, GodMan, Carmel Ent. church exhibition model etc.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
