LiveWire! is a cross-denominational, inter-church & even inter-faith media network. It is an organization with the hope that by linking up media artists in Malaysia & beyond, it would encourage & equip them with a greater experience & passion in their work, service & lives.

I’ve been helping out at LiveWire! conferences over the last 4 years or so and have seen astounding creative work emerge from it. Lives are transformed and creativity is unleashed. Last year, I was invited to speak in a rather different situation – it was to address the pastors of several churches and challenge them to use the Internet more and even dabble in social media.

Gasp – some of these pastors had no idea what Twitter even was! Nonetheless, I accepted the challenge and believe I was able to impart seeds that would germinate over time and show them how important harnessing modern technology is.

I suppose I did a fairly good job, as I’ve been asked to take 2 sessions this year, addressing pastors, ministry leaders and mission leaders on topics regarding improving presentation skills and more on tools & toys that can be used within ministries for the Kingdom.

These are some of the pastors I admire for their willingness to connect with their congregation using technology.

Here’s a flyer on the upcoming Shepherd’s Track that will be held on 17-18 March 2011. Do click on it to see it in its full-size. Or, sign up at http://bit.ly/cuc2011

Bearing in mind the average attention span of people is a mere 5 minutes these days, filling 120 minutes with power-packed juicy info can be rather daunting, but I had fun, and from the looks of the audience, they did learn a few tricks.

The objective was to give some insight into how the world is implementing digital campaigns, what the possibilities are and where they can go from here. The presentation slides that I used are embedded here.

For those who do not have the time to go through the presentation above, the key takeaway slides are also extracted below.

My recommended resource for anyone wanting to understand digital marketing and PR better is the book by David Meerman Scott, entitled “The New Rules of Marketing and PR”.

As such, I decided to try and help expose the group to the current trends and what tools can be used for God’s glory.

Free eBook: Facebook for Pastors by Chris Forbes
Great book / DVD on presentation methodology: Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds

Images and videos for free, or at a low cost for church presentations / illustrations
Please bear in mind, I support respecting the copyright of the image owners and NEVER use something if the image owner does not approve.

sxc.hu (free images)
everystockphoto.com (free images)
istockphoto.com (microstock images at a low cost)
images.google.com (free images)

bluefishtv.com (videos from USD$1.99)
ignitermedia.com (videos)
36parables.com (videos)
openresources.org (free videos)
youtube.com (free videos)

Tools and toys that I shared about were:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Streaming video: live and pre-recorded
• Online payment gateways
• Blogging
• Email newsletters
• Online forms to email
• Slideology resources

Tips for pastors starting out on Facebook

• Culture shock, do not judge!
  - You may encounter information about certain members that you never knew before. Be calm, and reserve passing judgment on them. The main purpose of connecting on Facebook is to achieve true friendship.
• Treat each friend as a real person
  - Though it may seem like a virtual relationship, each person behind every account is a real-life being who needs as much prayer as a person who walks into your church. Pray for them as you would every member in your congregation.
• Don’t get sidetracked
  - Facebook can be pretty addictive, really! Be careful not to spend copious amounts of time looking through photos and watching videos, if you should be focused on other tasks. Facebook can be a great communications tool, and it can also be a HUGE distraction.
• Ask for help
  - If you get lost, don’t hesitate to ask your children or fellow congregation members for assistance. Nothing works best than human guidance.

Videos I used during my presentation

Statistics on the Internet (as at 2008)

What Twitter is all about

Random photos from my session with the pastors

Here are some of the pastors from FGA, KL, SIB KEC, Miri and beyond.

The slightly more tech savvy pastors. Grinning at the camera is Pastor Thomas from Penang.

Thanks for these two photos, @sivinkit.

Here’s a sample of bad, BAD slideology. They’re slides I designed back in the year 2000 when presenting ideas to prospects. Urgh… proof that you CAN learn design! (or marry someone who is better than yourself for a quick shortcut like I did!)

Before I share some of my slides, here are the resources I mentioned during my talk that are relevant for you.

I was honored to be given the opportunity to record her live, and she even addressed me as “the camera-man“. This clip has not been edited to incorporate footage from another camera we had, due to time constraint. We felt it was timely to upload it as soon as possible for the viewing of all Malaysians.

Do share your thoughts on Yasmin Ahmad and how she has impacted you in some way or another, via the comments section.

In this short 15 minute talk, Yasmin humorously speaks of herself as a film dabbler and how she chooses actors and actresses, and turns nobodies into somebodies. I personally found it hilarious how Yasmin subtly pokes fun at the “Malay papers”, “idiot minister” and even her husband who is an “Apek from Teluk Intan” – so, so funny.

You will be missed by many, Yasmin. I too want to be a film dabbler like you.

It goes to prove that geeks are cool (most of us anyway…) and we have varied interests. There were sessions on how to Salsa, Espresso appreciation, sharing of holiday experiences, Kufi art and also a little about coding standards. Overall it’s just a gathering to network and meet others. A few interesting observations:

1. Everyone is on Twitter – am I correct? (Seems that way, ‘coz people were Tweeting from each session) – Follow me?
2. Many techies use Apple Macs – it’s rare to see so many Macs in one location!
3. Typical staple geek food is pizza – well, it ended that way yesterday…
4. Live streaming seems to be the in thing now

I found it interesting to “guess” and try to associate Twitter usernames to faces – very often, the little avatars don’t do a good job at all. Anyhow, the funniest incident was sending @thechannelc a Tweet saying, I’m behind you, the guy with the camcorder, to which she turned around several seconds later and shook my hand. Indeed, we’re all a connected bunch.

We also had live updates on the #barcampkl hashtag going on here. Great use of technology there.

I had a video camcorder with me, and recorded bits and pieces from the day, and put them together here. Enjoy! Are you in the video? If you are, add an annotation on YouTube with your Twitter / Facebook username by clicking here.

Music credit: Steve ALLEN (Robert Pieculewicz)

I attended a Christian media conference recently, which is meant to promote the use of media in the church context. There were 3 streams – live audio, photography and videography. I opted to improve my production skills and signed up for videography. It was an intense 4 days, where we were indoctrinated with the whole production process, from scriptwriting to camera work to lighting to directing and finally, to editing.

The team I worked with were really a fun bunch, and we worked together on working out the script, negotiating with other teams to borrow a team member (the older man is borrowed), and shooting the video. The edit process began at 9pm, and we finally finished the output at 3am! By then, 2 of our team members had slumbered already!

Areas to improve on: pre-production planning is vital – plan your shots well, and make sure the team members are performing their roles (we lost our log sheet of all the shots during the process! That wasted a lot of time in the edit room). Also, ensure you have sufficient lighting – some parts we didn’t have lights as they were in great demand by other teams.

It was a great experience, and definitely a fun one for anyone wanting to learn video skills. Now to put it to good use on The Backpackr!

The thingy at the end is called a cat tail

Roles in the Audio world

Boom Operator – holds the mic in such a way that it picks up sound

Sound Recordist – monitors the sound that is picked up by the mic. Usually the head for location sound.

Sound assistants help connect and set up different mics on the set or talent

Slate boy is usually a sound assistant that slates the scene. (Usually for a double system used mainly in film)

Respect

• Allow time for the on location sound team to set up – don’t hurry or ignore their requests. Don’t think the video team are more important than sound.
• Block / rehearse the scene so that the boom operator and sound recorder know how to set up. This is important so they know where exactly to set up, or whether the boom will be blocked by obstacles.
• Check with the sound recordist in between scenes to make sure there are no errors. Don’t get angry if you need to reshoot scenes, they can make mistakes too.

Sound Theory

Frequency – voice frequencies are between 300-3400Hz. Important to know as some recorders cannot capture certain frequencies.
Sound loudness are measured in decibels and the range of quietness to loudness is called dynamic range. Different pieces of equipment have varying dynamic ranges.
A higher signal to noise ratio is good. Soundbooth from Adobe is a software that has good noise reduction features.

Types of mics - dynamic (can be used for more daily use / rough handling), condenser (usually need batteries to power them)

Directionality in mics have different pickup patterns – we have to speak within the pattern.

Mixers are used practically to allow the sound recordist to be further away from the camera. It also allows for more inputs rather than 2 inputs only.

This is how you hold a boom pole

Choosing a mic

Factors:
Scene – if they move, you might want a wireless over a boom mic. If it is a tight location, a wireless might be good. Wide shots cannot have a boom operator
Budget – wireless mics cost more
Camera mic – last resort as it picks up everything

Lavalier mics – small sized – user for television or theatre – often taped to the body, or clipped to the shirt, preferably near the button for stability.
Shotgun mics – highly directional. Do beware that it does pick up a little bit of sound from the back of the mic.

Boom – a long pole where the shotgun mic is attached to.

Sound recordists

• Come early for the rehearsal, set up, equipment check and watch the blocking
• It’s usually acceptable when sounds to not overlap dialogue (dog barking, motorcycles passing)
• If there is a problem with sound of the scene, alert the director immediately
• Before changing location, do record the ambient sound – about 2-5 mins. We can add the ambient sound in post to have consistency for the scenes.

Moses, our hero of the day made 4 main excuses when called by God.

Pastor Victor, in his characteristic style preaches a witty sermon, peppered with fun-filled slides that engage the audience

Mark was chosen to be “God” and read the passage with a thundering, echoey voice.

Ex 3:11
Moses asked, “God, who am I?” He asked out of a lack of confidence and inadequacy.
God’s reply is “I am with you”. He didn’t directly answer Moses, but said that He is with us, which is sufficient for us.

Ex 3:13
Then Moses asked, “Who are you?” And God says, “I am who I am”.
He means He is an all encompassing God. Fill in the blanks: I am _____. Fill in with Jehovah Rapha, Nissi, etc.

Ex 4:1
He also asked, “What if…” – He kept looking at the possibility of failure, thus creating fear.
Yet, God replied, “I am going to do it”.

God is everything to us, whatever and whenever we need assistance, He will fit snugly in that time of need.

Ex 4:10,13
Finally, Moses asked, “anyone else?”
When God wants us, He distinctly means us. He has chosen us. “You can do it”, God says.

“What is in your hand?”
God will do it with whatever we have. Moses only had a staff, and through that he used it for miracles. With the staff, he parted the Red Sea, producing water from the rock.

He will use the smallest item we have, be it a mini-camcorder or small camera to do great things. In the Asian culture, we often feel inadequate, but let’s not dwell in that, for God will take a nobody and make him a somebody.

BUT, be humble – there may be times when the senior pastor asks that you be assistant to someone else, despite your experience. God will elevate you in the right time – before you can be useful, you need to be broken.

Today at the LiveWire Charge Up! Conference, he took a workshop on lighting and explained the concept of 3-point lighting.

Tips and notes from the workshop

• When working on a production, the camera does not see what the cameraperson sees – seeing through eyes and the lens is very different. Our eyes are a bazillion times better at seeing light than cameras do.
• There are two types of lights – hard light (lights such as red heads) and soft light (Kino Flos).
• Common type of lighting is 3-point lighting, because there are generally 3 sources of light – used during interviews.
• Main light is called the key light. This is the brightest light.
• Fill light brightens up shadows on the face – generally it is about 50% of the key light. You could use a reflector for this.
• Hair light lights the shoulders and hair . You want to light through the hair towards the camera. It is usually mounted high up – generally 50-100% of the key light.
• Set up the lights one at a time, then turn off, and go to the next until you’re happy.

Eric demonstrates the use of a red head, while Bob assists him with it (always use gloves! It’s HOT)

Kee Sitt sits  as a willing model for Eric as he demonstrates cool Kino Flo lights

Then it was our turn – go, go Team B!

And Eric ends with showing us how he executed the lighting on some of his projects. Man, he’s a creative genius at such things – way cool. That’s his Lifehouse – Everything video (watch it!) that Skyline SIB produced.

The conference features Power Up! sessions, which are across all streams and address the spiritual aspect of media fanatics. Oftentimes, those who are creative and in the media teams get distracted and lose focus of the core – God.

The first session started with Pastor Victor Wong and hearing the call of God.

When God calls, it is directive – it is specific and for you. The call is tailored for your life based on your skills and gifts. Examples are Abraham, Moses, Samuel and Saul). All of them had directive calls and based on what they were good at doing.

God’s call is progressive – when he calls, it’s bit-by-bit and when you are obedient, he will reveal a little more to you. When we make a decision, it leads to another step and yet another – all in God’s plan and timing.

God’s call is retrospective – we oftentimes don’t see the big picture when we’re going through it, but only later when you look back, you realise that God had a bigger plan for you. Sure we may complain throughout the turmoil and problems encountered, but really, it’s all to mould and build you up. Look back and see all the points in your life that scenarios were orchestrated that just “seemed to happen”.

It’s also prerogative – God’s call is not about you, but about Him. He calls you for his sake. As such, we should us our talents and skills for enhancing His kingdom.

A quote from Oswald Chambers states, “if you can tell where you got the call of God and know all about it, he wonders if you even got the call. A lot of the time, God’s call is something you cannot put into words”. Which I guess is true, many times, we don’t know where exactly we are headed, and what we are called to do – and it’s okay. The beauty of serving God is trusting Him, and not knowing what comes next – that is the adventure, or the journey.

Wake up, Mr Paul Sebastian – you’re looking too comfy there!