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Photo courtesy of www.ted.com
Cinema is all about storytelling. Each piece of dialog, set, lighting, sound, effect, and camera an-gle communicates something to the viewer. Of course, the screenplay carries an immense weight. But it's the supporting elements that either enhance the plot, subtly drawing a viewer deeper in-side, or leave us scratching our heads --- and certainly not scratching our heads in a good way.
Great films toy with our emotions using a diverse and carefully concocted potion of elements, many of which are used to support the background ebb and flow. Filmmakers refer to this as sub-text; subtle messages being conveyed without coming out and explicitly stating or referring to them. The carefully crafted musical cue, the delicate pacing of tone and voice, and an often over-looked element: lighting.
When filmmakers understand the impact lighting has on the effectiveness of a scene and mood within a film, we should take the same care in understanding how it applies to a worship service. Lighting is just as much a part of this storytelling process, guiding the audience on an emotional and engaging journey, supporting the various elements spoken and unspoken. Embracing a cinematic mindset can transform the experience and effectiveness of your services in a powerful way.
The Energy Continuum
Much like a film, a worship service operates in similar curve of emotions and energy. Take James Bond for instance: The opening scene typically involves our beloved 007 navigating through a chase of thrilling proportions; explosions galore, parachutes, time bombs, and every other Bond-esque trick in the book straps us into our seat, priming the internal adrenaline for what's to come. Although many worship services open with up-tempo music – thankfully void of explosions and helicopters – the energy acts in the same way.
Following the natural flow of a story plot, with its rising action, turning points, falling action, climax, and resolution, we see the same concepts at work in the flow of Sunday morning. From the music – both energetic and more subdued – to video content, the main speaker, and other elements, those in attendance feel the rise and fall of energy. Most of this happens naturally but is supported by many other factors as well – the subtext, if you may. And this is precisely where we, as production leaders, can fail to see the importance of our contribution, especially when it comes to lighting, Our job of supporting and enhancing the storyline of the service is much more powerful than we think.
Knowing The Curve
Now, before we get in a frizzy, excited for our chance to pull out every lighting trick in the book, we need to know where we're going, what the goal is, and what this service storyline looks like. For our means, let's chart out one potential service, a rough possibility of what energy levels look like for comparison. (see fig. 2)
This is not to say that one element is more interesting or important than another. But it's certainly not safe to assume an entire service operates at a flatline energy level the entire time. With this understanding of energy and storyline, we now have a blueprint for constructing our lighting cues – for building them in a way that not only supports the energy but the fluctuations within.
Building Your Cues
The most important tool any lighting designer has in their arsenal is their own mind and creativi-ty. If you were to give guitarist John Mayer a $200 student model instrument, he would still be able to smoke all of us with blues riffs galore. The instrument is merely a tool. How you use the tool is what matters.
The opening song in most services will be bright, uptempo, and energetic, so we need to match that with our lighting. One of the simplest ways to leverage energy is with fixture intensity. Sounds simple and that's exactly why it works. And in regards to color, bright pallets, pastels, lighter hues, and more importantly, higher intensity levels. Better yet, keep it simple. Impact doesn't always mean ecstatic visual eye candy.
From here we move on to a secondary song, often still energetic perhaps, but different in tone. This might be a good chance to introduce more color into your cues, incorporating a shift in in-tensity levels or areas of the stage you are highlighting. Again, move us as an audience to a dif-ferent place. Show us a delicate and natural transition that brings a contrasting feel and look.
Moving into our first speaker on stage, light that person and focus on them. After all, isn't that who we want our attention drawn towards? If a band or others are still on stage, find ways to mask them in color or removed from the same lighting intensity as the speaker. Of course there are a host of reasons this is not always possible depending on your space and lighting inventory, but the concept is worth pursuing. Make us, as an audience, feel comfortable. Give our eyes a break. Provide a warm and inviting background. The annual TEDTalks convention provides a brilliant example of this concept. (see fig. 1)
As we move into another song and video, this is where we need to be thinking about that down-ward curve. Transitioning into these emotional states takes effective use of time and pacing. Per-haps the announcements and following song share a similar color scheme, or at least transition with similarities. It's not about a specific color or look, it's the intent and thought behind the choices guiding the journey. When there's a powerful presentation on screens, often inexperi-enced lighting designers will leave the stage fully lit and exposed. While a full blackout is not always needed, focus our attention. Show us where to look and the fact that what's on the screen is the most important facet. Remove all other potential distractions in the room. It's a simple concept that's often forgotten or rarely implemented.
Obviously, the pastor or main presenter should be the main element on stage. Draw attention the speaker. Paint a warm tapestry around the stage and surroundings. Support the action with what's needed and nothing more. Remember, less is more. How each church approaches this goal will be different – especially if doing IMAG or broadcast. Regardless, the lighting should play a roll in providing each audience (live or remote) with a sense of comfort and focused relaxation.
Closing out the service, consider the tone and takeaway for the morning as a whole. This goal should always drive every decision in color, intensity, and ending impression. And with those principles in mind–simple use of structure, seeing the big picture, and understanding the story–we've been able to bring cohesiveness in a thoughtful and artistic manner.
Continual Improvement
When was the last time you watched one of the great movies of the past? Black and white films, in particular, offer a chance to witness the profound use of lighting and its dramatic effect on sto-ry and emotion. And even among the classics, a vast array of techniques are used. It's not about taking sides on which is right or wrong, but rather which does the best job of supporting the in-tent, the mood, and the emotion.
Too often we underestimate the impact of our lighting contributions to a worship service. And we often blame a lack of tools for our ability to provide necessary support. You may not have a large inventory of fixtures available, but that shouldn't deter your potential effectiveness. Be part of the storytelling experience. You will undoubtedly witness a profound shift in the effectiveness and engagement of the powerful story being told.