All posts tagged service

Free Motion of the Month – May ’13

by Kendall Conner on May 6, 2013 in Freebies with No comments
TCP-Free_Motion-May_13

This month, we’ve teamed up with Centerline New Media  and they’re hooking you up with an awesome motion that will work perfect in your services this Spring/Summer. It comes from their nature-meets-geometry service pack called “Creation’s Wonder” that’s been a favorite around our church.

This download includes HD and SD versions for PC & Mac, as well as JPEG stills.
This motion is free to download, but please do not redistribute. (Please link back to this page.)

To get this free motion, simply subscribe to receive our blog posts via email. You’ll receive your download link via email within the hour.

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Using Still Images To Create Focus

by Kendall Conner on April 30, 2013 in How-To with 1 Comment
TCP-Post-Stills_Focus

This past Sunday, I had the privilege of visiting Church of the Highlands for one of their many incredible weekend services. If there was one word that I could use to describe their approach to ministry, it would definitely be excellence.  It was almost dumbfounding to see the level of attention that their staff and volunteers gave to making every single detail radiate quality. Needless to say, I took a few notes. Here’s a quick snapshot that I grabbed with my phone, but it comes nowhere close to portraying the wow-factor that came with stepping foot inside the auditorium.

Highlands-Pic_Thumb

There’s no question that COTH’s excellence rolled right over into their weekend media, as well. I was on the lookout for any budget-friendly techniques that I would be able to take home and apply in our church. I ended up picking up an idea from a very unexpected area, though. In between their first and second songs, while their campus pastor took the platform to welcome the congregation, I noticed that their motion background transitioned into a still graphic version of the same background. This immediately caught my attention because it did a fantastic job of adjusting the tone of the stage to better accommodate speaking rather than music. (Motion without music quickly becomes distracting rather than beneficial. Using a still image leads the crowd’s eyes to the talent.) Later in the service, I noticed that they would use this technique anytime that their worship leader exhorted (especially in the transitions between songs). Since my media team has been simply fading to our church logo during these moments for years, I was a little surprised by this method, but I quickly became a fan. I’m looking forward to trying it out this Sunday!

***Note: It’s important to point out that they did not merely press the pause button on the motion causing an abrupt halt. Instead, they faded (5 sec) into a still version of the same motion. This made for a smooth transition that was practically unnoticeable to the crowd.

Have you ever tried this method? Why not give it a try this weekend?

Mother’s Day 2013 Artwork

by Kendall Conner on April 29, 2013 in How-To with No comments
TCP-Latest_Designs

Mother’s Day is approaching fast! This has historically been a popular day for visitors at our church, so we always try to advertise in advance for our congregation to get their whole family together for this day of celebrating moms. I was really impressed by all of the awesome pictures that Lightstock had in their library to suit this occasion. Not only do they have photos that I haven’t seen on every Mother’s Day advertisement in the past 6 years, but they are very creative and in tune with current art styles. So definitely check out their new mom collections as you’re designing your graphics for the holiday. Here’s some inspiration from the advertisements that I put together for us.

Announcement Slide:
Mothers_Day_Post-Ann_Slide

Facebook Cover Photo:
Mothers_Day_Post-FB_Cover

Fonts:
Museo Slab
Lavanderia

Photos Used:
Small Boy With His Mother Hugging & Smiling
Mother Hugging Her Daughter
Mother Reading The Bible To Her Daughter

What do your graphics for Mother’s Day 2013 look like?

I Just Bought A New Computer

by Kendall Conner on April 22, 2013 in Articles with 5 Comments
TCP-Post-New_Computer

It had been a long time coming. My early 2008, 15-inch Macbook Pro had definitely seen better days when I finally decided to make a move to a new machine. Through my own experiences and those of colleagues, I’ve learned that with most technology, it’s best to go ahead and spend the big bucks upfront. This has proved true for me in several areas. For one, while my 2008 MBP might not have been as “production worthy” as I needed it to be for Sunday morning media or able to keep up with my rendering needs, it’s still a pretty kickin’ computer. Since its replacement, we’ve still been able to use it for all of the design work for my wife’s invitation business. I credit that to purchasing it with excellent specs upfront. On the other hand, I cannot tell you how many cheap laptops that I’ve burnt through that only lasted a year because I went for the “good enough” option. 5 years vs. 1 year….you do the math.

The only problem with “spending the big bucks upfront” is that it requires those big bucks. And my wife and I are Ramsey-er’s, so financing isn’t really an option for us. However, after some hard saving and a generous tax return, I was ready to make the investment! And it sure paid off! I’m now the proud owner of a new 15-inch Macbook Pro with Retina Display! (Specs below) Before buying, I had read several discussions online where people had expressed issues they were having with this machine, but I can tell you that it’s worked fantastically for me. I’ve been running ProPresenter 4 and all of the CS4 Production Suite almost everyday with no trouble at all. It was a big relief for me that it could handle my current software without having to spend more money right out of the gate on the latest software.

Complete Specs:
Macbook Pro
Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013
Processor: 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5
Storage: 512 GB flash storage
Connections: MagSafe 2 power port, Two Thunderbolt ports (up to 10 Gbps), Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps), HDMI port, Headphone port, SDXC card slot

I was asked by a friend if I would recommend this computer to a church looking to purchase a new video setup. While this new machine has worked wonderfully for our church (I’ve used it for the past three Sundays at our theater campus), it’s not necessary for every church. I purchased this computer to be able to handle heavy graphic and video design for years to come while also remaining portable. It’s not likely that most churches would need this much horsepower in a mobile form. However, if your budget permits and mobility is a necessity, this may be your best bet.

My ultimate recommendation for churches who are looking to get started with media in their services or overhaul their current video setup is Apple’s iMac. Five years ago, our church made the purchase of an iMac that was only slightly upgraded beyond the base model. (A total of a $1,500 investment) At that time, we were an inner-city church of only about 250 attenders, so it was a pretty hefty purchase for us. However, it has provided us with five years (and counting) of top quality media on Sunday mornings and never had to be repaired. In the very beginning, we determined that this computer would only be used for media during services. This was not a machine to be used for random browsing or daily projects. Five years later, we’re still using that same iMac at our city campus. To be honest, it still runs like it did on day one. I would recommend this method to any church. You may not have any experience with an Apple computer, but I can testify that I have been through over a dozen PC’s and all the headache that came with them. You won’t regret buying a Mac. I’ve included the specs below of the iMac that I’d recommend. By no means are they concrete, but with these specs you’ll go far.

Recommended Computer:
21.5-inch iMac
Processor: 2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5
Memory: 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 512MB GDDR5
Storage: 1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Price: $1,499.00 (Always be sure to check MacMall for a lower price!)

What computer do you use for Sunday morning media?

Media That Matters

by Kendall Conner on April 15, 2013 in Articles with No comments
TCP-Post-Media_That_Matters

There was a time in the Church when pretty much anything projected during a service was considered progressive and beneficial, but that’s simply not the case anymore. In 2013, we’re a more visual, media-driven people than ever before. Media is everywhere and therefore average Joe’s now have standards. The common man may not be able to put into words what right looks like, but he can sure tell you when something looks wrong. And sloppy, unprofessional, or just plain ugly aren’t exactly the ways that you want people describing your church. This brings an interesting challenge to those of us who have taken on the task of leading people in “visual worship.”

In the same way that it would be painfully obvious to your congregation if your pianist, guitarist, or singers walked onto the stage unprepared, people are going to notice when you haven’t done your part, too. There is an art to playing music that is not only friendly to the ear, but that truly leads people into worship. It requires practice. It requires prayer. Church media is so much more than tapping a spacebar on Sunday morning. You have the opportunity to capture the imagination of a crowd and point their attention towards Christ. Imagery should be beautiful. Information should be clear. And it should all work in harmony with the other elements of the service to communicate one message.

Here are three critical things that I would challenge you to make time in your week to do before you ever touch the mouse on Sunday morning.

1. LEARN THE SONGS
It’s a must that you familiarize yourself with the lyrics and arrangements for the worship sets on Sundays. This can be as simple as taking a few trips to YouTube throughout the week or making a Spotify playlist for your ride to work. Communicate with your worship leader so that you know exactly where they’re going. Make a point to attend worship team practices as often as possible. You’ve got an entire crowd of people depending on your lyrics – they’re worth your time to get them right. When you’re confident with the songs, you’ll be able to actually enjoy your time in worship, too.

2. PLAN YOUR MEDIA BEFOREHAND
When you wait to the last minute to start choosing backgrounds, countdowns, and splash screens, you’re laying down a welcome mat for mediocrity. Invest some time in choosing your content before Sunday morning. Make sure that your colors and themes are a good fit for the current season, the worship setlist, and the pastor’s message for the day. Find backgrounds that compliment each other and create an consistent atmosphere during your time of worship. Rather than running media on the fly, make a clean playlist in your presentation software and assign backgrounds to individual songs.

3: PRAY FOR THE SERVICE
Never underestimate the power of prayer. Ask God to use you in the service to do more than simply project lyrics, but to create a distraction-free environment of life-change. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and keep your clicks graceful. Pray that you’ll keep a heart of service and an attitude that inspires others to do the same. Ask for quick recovery from glitches, bugs, and butterfingers – because they will come. Tell Him that all of your preparation, hard-work, and labor is for His honor and for His name to be lifted up. Mean it.

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