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IMAG strategies, foibles and fumbles

Excellence in the Arts, Media, Technology - by - May 26, 2009 - 15:00 Etc/GMT+5 - 1 Comment

We have worked hours on producing graphics for a particular moment in a service: an outline, a Scripture, the perfect illustration for a main sermon point. The time comes to put up the graphic, and the computer just won’t cooperate, the wrong button is hit, a popup freezes the screen… there is a fumble and a recovery, and the image is up in all its glory— but the speaker has moved on, and the image is no longer relevant. It distracts.

“I don’t know all the background activities that led to that moment,” shares a church tech. “But I want to share my personal struggle as a House Director. Once I miss putting up an image at the time it was to be up, I tend to want to make up for it, though late; at times I may even ask my video producer or the sound booth to give me a directive on the spot. I think for me personally at a subconscious level it may be driven by a desire to fix MY mistake, to redeem myself. At times there are also other voices in the room urging me to put it up anyway.”

What is projected in the worship center must always be a part of, an enhancement of, a support of the whole of the worship service and what is taking place at that time. The screen can be used to display a lot of different content: IMAG (that is, Image Magnification), song words, sermon notes, graphics, backgrounds, and video elements. It should always have a reason for being displayed, not just used because it is there or because we can. “[Knowing IMAG should be relevent] must restrain us from the desire to make up for what was lost. When it comes to IMAG, perfect timing is everything.”

It is likewise important to think about it from the congregation’s viewpoint. What’s missing will not be lost on anyone (unless the speaker is calling attention to it). If something is displayed that is not connected at all with where the service is however, this will draw attention to the screens. The focus will move away from what is happening in the worship center and draw towards the media team (“why did they put that up?”) causing a distraction from the corporate worship or from the Word being preached.
This past Sunday’s projector failure was a result of a choir member accidentally unplugging the machine, as the cords are all underfoot. It’s a perfect time for a reminder that there is a Projector Fund Drive to replace the blown out old projectors. The set up we have now was meant to be temporary.

» 1 Comments

  1. Mom2Boyz says:

    That’s exactly what I thought of when it happened. “Now maybe folks will see why we need to replace those old projectors.”

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