I had a unique chance recently to help on set with a short by White Stone Motion Pictures. It was quite an experience. It was a four day shoot, the lead people were friendly, the crew knew what they were doing, and everyone had an attitude about them that made you feel like you were part of something. They’ve made a number of shorts that have won awards, shown at festivals, and made a spark in the film world. The Watchmaker’s Son in particular stands as one of my favorite short films in the media world. It tells a simple story in a beautiful way, and it has something to say.
What’s most interesting to me is the way Whitestone interacts within their church, 12 Stone. The Whitestone guys meet up with the group that plans the church’s series and events, and they figure out (far in advance) how to base the series around the theme of a short film that Whitestone then makes. These short films have infused an awesome amount of artistic breath in to the church, and it shows through how much people respond. They express a theme and a message subtly through good storytelling, and it’s able to come out because the church empowered good people with creative minds to make it happen (and for budgets a lot less than you might imagine). A good example of churches using media at it’s finest. Check out some of whitestone’s other shorts on on here as well as on their website: whitestonemotionpictures.com
About a week ago I went the NYWC (National Youth Workers Convention), and I must say it was pretty awesome. They had excellent music, Jeff Foxworthy made everybody laugh, and a good time was had by all. They also showed some powerful videos. In particular were Moment and Can You See Me. They both made use of innovative techniques and touching music, and the results clearly moved people.
Anyone worth their macbook knows that an interesting technique doesnt make a good video, but if you use them right and pour creativity into a good idea, amazing things can happen that stand out above the rest. Both these videos were made for the music and with the music, and the songs are just as good as the visuals. We’re trying to make work this good available for any church that thinks they can use it, and I think thats most of them. Just a couple more examples of how good media can be.
From time to time a producer comes along that really knows their stuff. FortyOneTwenty is definitely one of them, and they’ve just joined up with us and made their work available.
Churches realized the power of music forever ago, and most of them utilize it every sunday to set up a mood and tone for their entire event. And it works, wonderfully. A lot of the time I hear people talking about a church’s music just as much as the sermons, and in the end they enhance one another. So, what if you could take it one step further and use the potential of visual media to deeply draw people in?
FortyOneTwenty has succeeded in making visual poetry with deep moods, intricate camera work, and some really excellent musical scoring. They’ve also done a great job at integrating titles and words with an artistic quality. Check out Forsaken to get a feel what a visual can really do for a mood.
Or atleast the new one. Bigstufmedia’s been growing a lot in the past few months, and we felt like it was time to really start making this thing a community. There’s an insane amount of potential in the media world to reach people, stir up feelings, and communicate stories that make things happen in us. On the up side, there are lots of people creating media that does just that. The hard part is getting the media out to people, making the creation of this these pieces sustainable, and (especially) finding the good stuff within this sea of digital chaos. So that’s where we’re coming in.
This site is meant to be a bridge between the best of the skilled creative craftsman that make music and films to the people (and churches) that are looking for it and understand what good media can do. This blog is a jumping off point. It’s a place where you can check in every now and then to see what’s going on, leave your thoughts, and a be a part of this thing. A couple times a week we’ll blog about exceptional new pieces we get in, announce new producers that join our ranks, write about new creative ways people are using media around the country, and anything else that might fire you up or raise the stakes on communicating creatively.
We’ve got a creative God who’s instilled a bit of his spark inside us. This is a place to let it catch flame. Welcome to the site.
