In late 2003, the holiday movie “Elf” unexpectedly burst onto the scene, winning the hearts of critics and moviegoers alike. Part of the film’s magic was sold in numerous early scenes where forced perspective camera shots were used to tell the story of Will Ferrell’s “Buddy” (a full-sized person) interacting with other characters who appeared to be elf-sized.
Fast-forward to 2019, and the World War I epic “1917” was a critical hit, being nominated for seven Oscars and winning three others, including awards for Cinematography and Visual Effects. By using a one-take/single-shot filming technique that included no obvious edits, director Sam Mendes created a gripping drama that told the story of British soldiers from their vantage points.
In each instance, the movie would have been nothing without an excellent script and strong cast. But how the story was told through the camera lens added impact that may not have been felt otherwise.
As “Elf” and “1917” demonstrate, inspiration for church storytelling doesn’t just have to come from the ministry world. Documentaries, concert videos, and even movies are all a vast arena to learn from when it comes to improving one’s craft.
The ministry world, by comparison, is already blessed with an even stronger story and cast, thanks to the Bible, which contains the greatest message ever brought to humanity. But how we, as storytellers, choose to package that story can have an incredible influence on how well it’s received.
Each week, we desire to share the message of the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives, in various ways: through testimonials that inspire us, announcements that inform us on next steps we can take, and in a variety of other content pieces that seek to entertain us and bring fun and excitement to our church community.
So, are we using the tools at our disposal to tell those stories effectively?
“A smooth dolly could create tension before a big reveal. Or it could be a way to keep visual interest while pushing your story forward.”
—Peter Kim, Filmmaker, Willow Creek Community, Chicago, IL
Movement
While effective three-point lighting and shot composition/framing are really the start of any effective video shoot, movement is another feature that can be critical to telling a story well. And as Hollywood directors have proven, it’s a tool that new or aspiring storytellers should be willing to learn.
“Movement can be a great way to move the story forward for your audience,” notes Peter Kim, a filmmaker at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. “A smooth dolly could create tension before a big reveal. Or it could be a way to keep visual interest while pushing your story forward.”
Brandon Nazari, the media arts director at Central Christian Church, a multisite ministry based in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, agrees.
“Motion can help convey emotion,” he states, adding that “a slow push-in, either through b-roll or imagery, can help drive home or reinforce a point in the story. Or, if someone feels uneasy, then a handheld shot can serve the moment well.”
A case in point was a short film that Central Christian produced this year for its Easter opener.
“We utilize a very subtle push-in for the video's first shot to set the tone and showcase [the subject], who we introduce in a meditative state,” Nazari explains. “[An early sequence] contains the most unstable handheld moments and more cuts, but it's also the point in the story when [the subject] is experiencing fear and doubt.” He continues, “Compare that with the ending shot, where he is again running. In this, we don't use any cuts and are a little smoother to signify the hope and optimism his character is experiencing.”
Jon Peake has been the video producer at northern Minneapolis’s Constance Free Church for the last five years and regularly introduces appropriate camera movement in his projects. “I’m a big fan of a slow dolly in during an interview for an ‘A’ camera shot. It keeps your focus on the person who the camera is moving towards.”
He continues, “As a ‘B’ camera I usually would have it on a slider and in post, zoom in about 10% or so, and reverse the angle of the slider motion for the duration of the shot. You come up with a pretty cool parallax movement [and it] doesn’t take that much effort.”
Some movements may have a niche application and should rarely, if ever, be used outside of very limited applications, otherwise they’ll just detract from the story at hand.
Handheld
Not every iteration of camera movement has to feel structured or smooth, however. After all, it is a tool that can bring heightened attention to the emotion of the story at hand, and there are moments were the lack of “polish” in a shot can make the video more impactful.
Kim agrees, saying, “Handheld movements can be great way to inject intensity and energy into a scene or moment.”
Drew Young has been the director of video production at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, for just under a year, and he sees both sides of the coin.
“Locked-off shots on a tripod afford you more control, and they make the camera feel objective. By contrast,” he says, “handheld camerawork feels subjective, and the small movements that most viewers don’t even realize that they perceive help preserve some of the humanity in the video.”
Young continues, “For our Christmas Eve service, we asked one of our members to tell the nativity story, and I wanted it to have that relatable and welcoming feeling, so I operated the camera by hand. By contrast, a couple of weeks later, when we produced a video on the state of our church for 2021, the camera remained locked off. I didn’t think this video warranted the same feeling as the Christmas Eve video; in fact, I think for a video where we’re looking back on our finances, it benefits from feeling controlled.”
Easy does it
Young’s example is ideal for noting that not every shot needs to include motion in order to be impactful. And on the flip side, not every form of movement is effective. Some movements may have a niche application and should rarely, if ever, be used outside of very limited applications, otherwise they’ll just detract from the story at hand.
For instance, a “whip pan” or “swish pan,” where the camera pans so quickly sideways on its x-axis that it results in a motion blur effect, may not have many practical applications in a typical church storytelling setting.
Likewise, while a “Dutch roll” movement can work occasionally on a jib fly-in shot (think “American Idol”), there may not be many situations where it’s necessary in a ministry’s post-production shoot.
Peake wisely preaches caution and restraint when it comes to implementing movement. “Know when to use the motion to your advantage,” he says, and “use the camera [lens] to tell the story. Don’t fabricate an emotion by using motion techniques.”
Churches with limited staff and resources may not be able to execute these types of techniques “in the moment” while on a shoot for various reasons.
However, there are times when “fixing it in post” may be the best option for a filmmaker who is perhaps still learning certain techniques, or is maybe even having to make adjustments on the fly as the flow of a story changes as it’s being shot.
“I think the best thing you could do to leap forward is understand what you can control and what you can’t control when it comes to cinematography,” says Shades Mountain’s Young. “For instance, we shoot our projects at 6K resolution, but export them at 1080. I always compose shots how I want them to look while I’m capturing them, but what the extra resolution affords me is the opportunity to re-compose a shot if I change my mind, to keyframe camera movement, or to stabilize a shot in post.”
And while post-production clean-up is always an option to improve a story or to even clean up potential issues, it should never be the first resort for a good filmmaker. As Young cautions, “They should never substitute discipline in production.”
As “Elf” and “1917” demonstrate, inspiration for church storytelling doesn’t just have to come from the ministry world. Documentaries, concert videos, and even movies are all a vast arena to learn from when it comes to improving one’s craft.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but it’s important for each storyteller to work to find his or her own voice and manner of telling a story effectively.
“When developing, I believe it’s essential to experiment and practice (create content, edit, write, etc.) as much as possible,” says Nazari. “Always think through the story you wish to tell, and the rest will follow.”
