Storytelling in Christian Education

Thanks to Brad Stutzman, a Film and Christian Ed major at Biola University, for contributing an article to the VSN community. Storytelling is critical teaching device for long-term memory. Go to Resources tab and scroll down to the the General section to download the article.

Regent University

I spent a great day this past Friday with David Hurtado and David Garcia of the Regent University Cinema and Television program. Great guys with great vision. They have built an exceptional program. Great job!

VSN India

VSN participant Obed Tewes and I had a great skype conversation yesterday. He has a desire to create connections among visual innovators in India. I know several of you live in that part of the world. Look him up on the Members page and send him a message if you want to know more.

Media Training Movements

We had seven global innovators in the area of media training from four countries meet today. Very inspirational! Check out the different organizations in the Media Training Movements group that we launched today.

Top 5 Filmmaker Mistakes

CJ Powers exposes the most common filmmaker mistakes. 1. Wearing Too Many Hats. 2. Sparing Your Favorite Scene. 3. Networking to Name Drop. 4. Thinking Production is King. 5. Message over Quality. Check out the fill article under the Resources / Download tab.

Empowered21 Team

A huge thanks to the team who represented VSN at the Empowered 21 gathering in Tulsa this past week! Abby Chilton led the team of student volunteers that included Lauren Rockett, Brettley Ruggles, Austin Anderson, Amanda Bernard and Alecia Jackson. Great job on setting up, staffing, and breaking down the booth!

Back from Break and Loaded with Macbook

I took most of last week off to be with my family during spring break. Empowered21 went very well according to Abby Chilton and her team. Thanks for representing VSN! David Nixon's "Letters to God" opened on 900 screens this weekend. With the help of Andy Lara I made the switch from PC to Mac! Still feels awkward.

Empowered21

Special thanks to Abby Chilton, Don Eland and the ORU student volunteers at the VSN booth at Empowered21!!! It runs April 8-10. May God annoint the gathering. http://www.empowered21.com/

Resurrection Changes Everything

We contemplate Christ's purpose and suffering this week. He knew where He was headed and what He would accomplish. I love the line from the Passion, "Mother, look, I'm making all things new" (love the present tense use). He did not stay dead and that makes true transformation possible. Be inspired by this in your life and your storytelling. Christos anesti! Il est ressuscité! He is risen!

Too Much Media

It's disturbing to think how much of the world will follow this American example. American youth now consume 10 hours and 45 minutes of media each day (http://bit.ly/7O5QHo). If you have children, please don't let this be your household. Starter tip: Don't leave the TV on all day.

Staying Grounded

I just got back from a 24 hour personal retreat. Once or twice a year I get away to be alone with God. I'll spend the time reading scripture, playing the guitar, prayer walking, napping, journaling and listening. God always meets me in transforming ways. I encourage you to be sure that you are abiding in the Vine.

Prophetic Imagination -- Transforming Culture

I just got off the phone with Christine Gunn-Danforth. She has a PhD in Biblical Studies and another one in Communication Media. She has taken Brueggemann's idea of the "prophetic imagination" and applied it visual story telling in her book "Transforming Culture: A Model for Faith and Film in Hollywood." I just ordered it from Amazon.

Bonhoeffer

We watched "Bonhoeffer" the other night as a family. A man who loved Jesus. The pastor who tried to kill Hitler. So much for cheap grace. http://bit.ly/bp7gwA

Distance Mentoring

The VSN Distance Mentoring program is underway. Thanks to mentors like Jeff Holder, Brian Bird, Rick Eldrige. This is a trial run to see how we can connect those in the early phase of the visual storyteller journey with those further down the road.

Top Ten Redemptive Films

I love the annual Top 10 Redemptive film list from Christianity Today. There are usually 1-2 sleepers. http://tiny.cc/a28dT

500th Member: David Couchman !!

David Couchman is the 500th person to join the VSN Global Social Network !! Glad you are here David.

Media Training Programs

We're looking to identify short-term (6 months or less) ministry focused media training programs. We'll be pulling together leaders of these kinds of programs to help them share ideas, resources, learnings etc. Already we've got Media Village, Global Short Film Network, Media Light and IMM. Any other suggestions? Email me at clyde@visualstory.org

Strategic Planning Weekend

Thanks for praying for the team that met in Dallas this past weekend. We had a God-annointed time and have a clear sense of the priorities we need to focus on in the next 6-12 months. Check out the Downloads page under the Resource tab for the VSN Strategic Planning Diagram and a great devotional given by Rob Hoskins.

Pray for us in Dallas

19 of us from across the US are gathering in Dallas this weekend to plan and pray for God’s direction for the growth of the visual story movement. Pray for us as we prayerfully plan!

Tim Burton's Failures

Seth Godin on Tim Burton: When I was at MOMA last week, I saw a list of director and artist Tim Burton's projects. Here's the guy who's responsible for some of the most breathtaking movies of his generation, and the real surprise is this: almost every year over the last thirty, he worked on one or more exciting projects that were never green lighted and produced. Every year, he spent an enormous amount of time on failed projects.
A few: Catwoman, Conversations With Vincent, Dinosaurs Attack!, The Fall of the House of Usher, Geek Love, Go Baby Go, Hawkline Monster, Lost in Oz, Mai the Psychic Girl, Mary Reilly, Superman Lives, X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes.
One key element of a successful artist: ship. Get it out the door. Make things happen.
The other: fail. Fail often. Dream big and don't make it. Not every time, anyway.
Tim got his ideas out the door, to the people who decided what to do with them. And more often than not, they shot down his ideas. That's okay. He shipped.
Next!