The 21st century has ushered in many advancements in cinematography, and along with it a slew of fabulous Hollywood films. But it also marked a new era in church media. With the advancement of personal computers as non-linear video editors and the rise of DSLR cameras, and the coveted “film look” achieved from them, filmmaking began finding its place in churches across the country. Early on, I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to ride the creative-church-media wave and take a front row seat in the start of my unassuming career as a church filmmaker.
Writer Josh Hancock recently returned from Costa Rica where he captured video of Tactica, a police training/evangelism/discipleship ministry.
There have been many articles written on the importance of creative media in the church setting, so I will not cover that topic in great detail. People love watching movies. So why wouldn't you use this tool to advance the Gospel? In short, your church should be making films, videos, sketches, interviews, whatever you want to call it.
As filmmaking goes, there are many different techniques, philosophies and methods involved in creating a good film. Churches across the globe are already doing creative media very well, and have been for quite some time. Several of those churches I look to for inspiration, and they are really knocking it out of the park when it comes to filmmaking and creative media.
Filmmaking in a church environment is different than, say, a Hollywood environment. Our message is different. It's of eternal significance, which means our approach to filmmaking should be different, too.
Our message is different. It's of eternal significance, which means our approach to filmmaking should be different, too.
Now, I hesitate to use the word filmmaking loosely, but for the purpose of this article, I will use the word filmmaking to encompass any visual piece of media that tells a story. Many churches, including my own, create many different types of media that range from promo news pieces, sermon illustrations, personal testimony interviews, event highlight reels, branding animations, teaching videos, comic sketches etc. All of these pieces are great as long as they meet a need in your church. Just remember that great films tell a story. Which brings me to my first tip.
1-Tell good stories
This starts away from all the cameras, lights, dollies and gimbals. This starts on paper.
People love a good story, and that's our job as church filmmakers, to tell great stories, really well. A great story shot on a phone camera is better than a mediocre story shot on the most expensive movie camera. The point is you can have all the best cutting-edge production gear, but if you don't have a good story to tell, then all that great gear is useless. This starts away from all the cameras, lights, dollies and gimbals. This starts on paper. Whether you're doing a narrative or documenting a person's life, great stories start with the writing. The best films always start on paper.
2-Audio separates the men from the boys
If you have a great story to tell and you can make it look good, then it's worth making it sound good too. Bad audio can just kill a good story and will take the audience out of the moment and sometimes actually make the audience want to stop watching and listening to your film. You can have the greatest story and the nicest camera, but if your audio is trash, you lose the impact. Invest in quality audio gear. Microphones, cables, recorders and quality headphones are necessary to get the audio quality your story deserves. If you can, always have a dedicated person on set just to handle audio using either a clip-on lav microphone or a shotgun mic on a boom pole running into a field recorder or into camera microphone inputs. You will thank yourself later. Of course there is also extensive post production involved in getting good audio on your films and this can be covered in a whole separate article.
You can have the greatest story and the nicest camera, but if your audio is trash, you lose the impact.
3-Know your audience
Church filmmaking can be quite challenging. I sometimes compare it to producing for television. You have a wide audience demographic watching once a week, and if you don't get good ratings, you could get cancelled. You usually only have one chance to get it right. If your congregation likes David Letterman, you don't want to give them Conan. You don't want to create artsy hipster films that might not appeal to a heavily baby boomer generation audience, and you're not going to want to try and engage a college age audience by recreating a Humphrey Bogart film. You want to create films that use messaging that is relevant and appeals to your largest target audience demographic. Whether you are creating for adult worship services, youth ministry, or children, know your audience and gauge what type of content is most effective in engaging them. Partner with pastors at your church and value their input. They are likely to know your congregation better than anyone. Typically the senior or lead pastor has heavy influence on the church culture and can be a good gauge on whether something will work or not. Films can also help cultivate church culture, especially when it comes to how people receive and react to emotions that a film can evoke. For example, if you attempt comedy (which is the toughest genre to get right) you will find that you have to develop your own church's sense of humor. There are many different types of humor and it will take some tweaking to dial in the humor that works and engages your particular congregation. You can also make a statement with films that can say to your congregation, “This is the types of films we make, this is what you can expect from us.” The more films you produce and air in services, the more you will get a feel for the type of films that work with your people.
4-Establish your style
I have found that this can be a challenge for new filmmakers, especially in the church arena, but the more films you produce, the more you learn how to put your unique spin or signature on them. Finding your visual style can also be challenging as your church grows and you start developing a team of filmmakers, each with his or her unique talents and styles. In the church world, it helps to decide as a filmmaker what style you are comfortable with and remain somewhat consistent to avoid alienating your church audience. A visual style can encompass many aspects, but the best filmmakers have a unique visual style they bring to their films. It would be tough to keep your audience engaged switching between Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel. Styles can also vary depending upon if your pastor communicates through message series. In many churches, these message series are branded with a style, and films in a particular series can be aligned with the subject matter, tone and visual style the series might take on. Some of the most effective churches coordinate their series branding and execution this way.
5-Be a people person
I generally consider myself an introvert. I'm quiet, reserved and laid back --- a typical creative daydreamer. But one thing that I have learned about myself is that when it comes to storytelling, I have to force myself out of my shell. I have to be a people person. Telling stories about people means that I actually have to talk to people and become interested in their stories. If you're a filmmaker who is telling someone's story, remember that this is an important job. To be a great storyteller, you must essentially fall in love with the story. Don't fall in love with the person, just their story. That means first and foremost, whoever is interacting with the “talent” telling their story, they must be fully engaged in hearing that person's story and they must be passionate about drawing out that person's story and whatever emotions are relevant to telling the story visually. In the interview, make them feel comfortable, give them undivided attention even if it means getting someone else to conduct the interview, have tissues and water for them and treat their story as if it were your child. Take good care of it and give it the attention it deserves. Being a people person when your telling a person's story is crucial, even if you're not a natural people person.
6-Remember, God is King
Beware of the temptation to make filmmaking about you. Even though you may feel called by God to work in ministry, filmmaking in church should not be about glorifying yourself or making it about what you created. It is about glorifying God, advancing the Gospel and ultimately telling God's story. Trust me, there will be great temptation to take credit for what you make and take the glory for yourself. In a church environment, there are not many things that can invalidate your creative work more than making it all about you and your portfolio or your reputation. There should be little room for personal creative expression or agenda when your work should be supporting the Gospel. You and your work are not the star. Glorify God and not yourself.
Beware of the temptation to make filmmaking about you.
Filmmaking is a process, and a career in church filmmaking is a lifelong progression if you are called by God and choose that direction for your life. It's important to be the best you can be at what you do for the Glory of God. Try not to get caught up and consumed in competition with other church filmmakers, comparing will only discourage you. Instead, try to look at other church filmmakers as inspiration and something to shoot for and work hard to achieve one day. You can certainly learn from others who have already been doing what you want to do. Inspiration is extremely important in this line of work, we all need it, and ultimately we are making films about God, who is the most powerful inspiration we could ask for. Most importantly, love what you do and consider yourself blessed to make a living doing what you enjoy. Now, go make a great film.
