Production Journal | videography • motion graphics • sound design

Doubtless, many of my church production counterparts are serving a congregation similar to mine: one with that touchy, fragile, traditional-contemporary divide. And doubtless, you and I are facing the same questions.

I’d like to encourage you with this: it shouldn’t be a battle. Such a divide shouldn’t be seen as a chasm of “old vs. new.” Rather, as I’m discovering, we need to treat these two distinct styles as two wholly equal forms of reaching two wholly different cultures.

If you’re tasked with providing creative content for such a congregation, I encourage you to see the blessings in this. While such a split may introduce a whole slew of disastrous disunity problems in your congregation, I promise you there are ways of approaching your church’s media needs without unhealthy compromise. In fact, it may be rewarding as you are challenged and stretched in new ways, as I have been.

Coming from a solely progressive church background, here’s how I’m approaching the divide:

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1) Consider the fundamentals of art.

The box we’ve packed ourselves into in the progressive scene is to rely solely on motion backgrounds and thematic short-plays to support the worship sets. Or worse, settling for static pictures that overtly represent the subject matter (nothing says worship like a sparkling Jesus, right?). For many of us, keying text over live video isn’t even an alternative, whether that’s because of technical or philosophical limitations.

We have to start looking at the fundamentals again: color, light, texture, depth, etc. A static image still needs purpose. Use light and texture to create a context for the song. Employ color to enhance the mood. Pay attention to transitions in the music and how you can support that visually. Subtlety can sometimes speak louder than any overt imagery ever could.

2) Evaluate the real issue.

The temptation is to shy away from using visuals just because they’re poorly received at first. But I’m confident the issue is not simply the use of creative content, but the manner in which they’re used.

A few months ago, a gentleman in the church gave a two-part presentation on our sanctuary’s stained-glass windows. His whole point was how these visuals weren’t there merely as eye candy, but to tell a story; to remind us; to engage us; to evoke some feeling in us we couldn’t get through the spoken word.

Chances are, if we’re using artwork just to fill empty space, we’re not really doing our jobs as visual communicators. Despite differences of tastes, the ‘lean-forward moments’ in the sermon and worship set still exist and must be supported.

3) Traditional doesn’t mean tasteless.

We tend to corner our creativity into either ‘trendy’ or ‘cheesy’ – generalizations I’m all too familiar with. I’ve come to realize that tastefulness does not have to sacrificed at the hands of ‘traditional.’ If I’m honest, I recognize that I’m only a narrow communicator when I appeal to one crowd. My job should be to engage all participants, not just the ones I naturally connect with.

Traditional does not equate with ‘out-dated.’ As such, it takes some guts to see that design embodying ‘Reverence’ does not have to die at the hands of ‘Modern’ – and as designers, we must learn how to translate that reverence without compromising our creative edge and tastefulness.

4) There is no happy medium.

I’d wager an initial response from most creatives would be to find a happy medium. Sure, managing two service types can possibly double our workload, but we need to weigh the benefit. If I look for the happy medium every time, everyone loses – the congregation, leadership, me. If I go to the extreme every time… well, I burn out and then everyone loses anyway.

So here’s my admonition #1: Be prepared to go the extra mile. Be careful trying to kill two birds with one stone, because you end up with generic and meaningless design. The music and environment speak to people differently for a reason – and the visuals are no different. Create two separate sets of splash screens, backgrounds, and bumpers if time allows.

Here’s admonition #2: Be prepared to compromise from time to time. If you’re in charge of video production, this means you can’t pick favorites. You might be sacrificing the Abrams-style handy-cam feel or the indie-filmmaker cutaways because – quite frankly, as I have discovered – it really confuses the older folks (spoken with tender love and care!). Two versions of a video just isn’t a possibility with most churches’ staffing scenarios and your deadlines.

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There are, of course, about twelve dozen other points to consider when it comes to producing content for two service styles. However, the four I touched on above were meant as encouragement from one troubled creative to another.

But, of course, every congregation is different. What are your considerations for designing for both traditional and contemporary?