Lights Camera Action Prepared by Natalie Beaman The

Lights! Camera! Action! Prepared by: Natalie Beaman

The church must never change its message, however the methods we use to communicate the timeless gospel must change if we’re going to reach today’s kids. Why?

Multi Media • Today’s children are bombarded with multimedia. Nintendo or Play. Station game consoles, surfing the net, and watch Nickelodeon or the Disney channel almost daily. • Culture-watchers have said that what people are seeking today is "an experience. " • Children learn through experience. • So how can you use multimedia to reach and teach the children in your church and community–no matter what budget you’re working with?

The Basics • Low Cost- purchase a television, VCR, and prerecorded Christian videotapes, such as Adventures in Odyssey (Focus on the Family) or the Veggie. Tales series (Big Idea). This costs less than $500 excluding the tapes. • Gather children in the largest classroom in your church for a special showing of these videos. • Plan and facilitate a discussion time with questions about the video. For better discussions, have children meet in small groups. • While this isn’t the best method to use in teaching kids all the time, it’s one inexpensive and effective way to use media with your children occasionally.

• High Cost–Turn your largest children’s room into a theater or auditorium ( high ceilings are best) with enough space for 75 to 150 people. Then purchase a sound and lighting system for that room. • Build a small stage and risers out of plywood, then cover them with carpet. Build a booth for your sound and lighting equipment. A sound board that can control the volume for at least two microphones, a CD player, a cassette player, and a VCR will cost around $1, 000. • Use independent incandescent lighting. Turn the fluorescent lights off. With a good light system, you can control light to the room, the seating areas, and the stage. Cost can range from $500 to $2000 depending on size. • Good lighting is important to set the mood and help draw attention to the people on the stage. The final piece to the puzzle is to mount a large 32 - to 36 -inch television on the wall for video display. This costs about $900.

Creating Worship Videos • Christian Copyright Licensing, Inc. (CCLI) number for your church from the worship leader. This permits the copyright permission needed to use prerecorded worship music and lyrics. You can write to CCLI at 17201 N. E. Sacramento St. , Portland, OR 97230. Call 800 -234 -2446. Or e-mail sales@ccli. com • Select the songs.

• Microsoft Powerpoint and Power. Show (microsoft. com) or Gold Disk Astound (888 -427 -8686 or astound. com) on a multimedia computer, Create slides with the words to the songs. Astound allows you to add animated characters or video • Computer with RCA video outs. Special cards to do this on Macintosh or IBM compatible computers are available from ATI Technologies, Inc. (905 -882 -2600; or atitech. com) or Focus Enhancements (800 -5388866) for about $250. • Record the sound over the video. Connect the "audio output" from the cassette or CD player to the VCR "audio inputs. " Connect the "video out" from the computer to the VCR "video input. " Use the TV monitor to view all this. Start the videotape, and record the music as you record the visuals from the computer. Presto! You have a video you can use repeatedly for children’s worship.

PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS • Use a camcorder to shoot footage (worship, as they move about, or engaged in activities), the #1 mistake most amateur camcorderusers make? Overzooming! • Show clips to reinforce positive behavior, to encourage children to worship, or to illustrate a point from your lesson. • Interviewing- ask questions such as What do you think heaven is like? Who is your favorite Bible character and why? Later, show children’s videotaped answers to help teach that subject. • Interview children’s program workers and parents for recruiting videos

EDITING • Low cost–The least expensive way to set up an editing suite is to purchase two VCRs (with a shuttle control and flying erase head), connect them and do hard-cut edits from your raw footage. The cost to do this would be about $600 for the two VCRs. • Average cost–The next step would be to add editing equipment to your computer. You could add an entry level video editing card to your computer along with the VCR. A fast hard drive is also important. The approximate cost for these items is about $900 for the editing card, $500 to $1, 000 for the hard drive, and another $300 for the VCR. • High cost–If you have the budget to go first class and get a dedicated editing system, it can cost $20, 000 or more.

Having a well-thought-out purpose for using media or video will help you communicate more effectively with children and adults. Children will learn and retain more, and more adults will be interested in ministry with children.

USING CLIPS • Another effective way to use video is showing short clips from videos or movies. Show clips that illustrate the biblical narrative, values or spiritual truths • Video is a powerful illustration • Please note that if you show videos to children, consider purchasing the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) Umbrella License for the public performance of home videos. The license costs $95 per year, and it allows your church to show copyrighted videos legally. Their address is 5455 Centinela Ave. , P. O. Box 66970, Los Angeles, CA 90066 -6970. Or call 800 -462 -8855.

USING IMPROV DRAMA with Audience Participation • Drama gives the children the “experience” they are looking for in a lesson • With or with out scripts • With or with out sets • With or with out costumes • With or with out props • But not without some preparation! • It can be as complicated or as simple as your skill level, or training

TECHNIQUES FOR STORY DRAMA • Sound Effects Story- allow time for a group to rehearse the story, each member adding at least one sound effect. Appoint a narrator. Instruct the audience to close their eyes while the story is being told. • Music Story- act out a story with a lot of action to music suitable. Keep each “act” about 2. 5 mins long or so • Frozen Pictures-identify beginning, middle, and end and have several people act each still out. Have audience close their eyes between stills

• Moving Pictures- similar to Freeze pictures but adding action and dialogue • Echo Storytelling- the class repeats phrases, sounds, and movements the leader makes • Teacher-Led Drama- the teacher tells the story acting out key movements and the class follows along. Lead the class physically and vocally to prepare for the action to come.

TECHNIQUES FOR CHARACTER DRAMA • Statues- done in pairs, one person is the potter and the other “clay”. They move the other person into position to illustrate a character, reverse roles • Who am I? done like charades, the audience has to guess who the actor is • What’s the Story? Again like charades or mime and the audience guesses the story • Two Person Drama- two people improv a conversation between two characters

• TV Personality- where the actor tells the story as if they were in front of a TV camera, in the most dramatic way possible • Ace Reporter- done in pairs where one person interviews a character, reverse roles • See it, Be it- with eyes closed actors use their imagination to picture the back ground of a scene, leader asks sensory questions about the situation. After two minutes they open their eyes and act out the character • Visual Art Drama- using a picture or art to stimulate drama and dialogue

TECHNIQUES FOR THEME DRAMAS • Blind Walk- done blindfolded in pairs, when the other senses want to be enhanced or trust emphasized. • Mirrors- non-vocal, physical way to understand the leading of the Holy Spirit and exploring following God’s commands. Actors copy the actions of the leader. • One Word Circle Story- announce a theme and have actors improv a story one word at a time.

• Mystery Box- actors mime imaginary objects that come out of the box and link it to a story or character. Leaders give clues to the others (weight, movement, size, use) • Group Statues- have actors sculpt the others in a group to illustrate a struggle or success of a story line. This can be done in acts as well. • Machines- the students chose a specific action and sound, then repeat it, like a machine. (essence, disciple, Christmas)

Performance Suggestions • Reader’s Theatre • Story Theatre- Readers Theatre with props, costumes and/or dialogue • Sound Effects story- radio play style • Music Story- acts, and a narrator to tell the story and interpret movements for the audience • Moving Pictures- the narrator tells the story, as a group of actors act each scene

The FINAL SCENE • • Follow up with discussion Ask lots of open ended questions Ask for examples Give children life application suggestions and challenges • Most of all have fun with it, and show enthusiasm. • Be Dramatic!