Content on screens – the great debate

Sunday, 14 Apr, 2006 0

Stuff to Ponder

What kind of content should go on the screens is a serious point of contention! While there are no absolutes for the “right way” (unless, of course, you do it my way 🙂 ), there certainly are some good rules of thumb about what you absolutely should not do. With that in mind here’s some thoughts I have on the subject, in no particular order:

    * No more yellow fonts on blue backgrounds! Said another way: NO MORE POWERPOINT TEMPLATES!
    * Better yet, no more PowerPoint! There’s worship software. Buy it. Use it. Now.
    * No more Clip Art. These are like Flannel Graphs – they need to die.
    * Four point fonts are great for copyright info, but not for announcement slides.
    * Please don’t use that “wavy” text trick. Hint: it’s no longer 1984.
    * If you must use color gradients, please learn about RGB color mixing. Purple and Orange are not complementary colors.
    * If you must use the “type writer” text fly-in, please make it spell out the words in less than 10 minutes. Seriously.
    * No, it’s not cool when you use the “Friends” font for everything that has to do with community outreach.
    * And while we’re on the subject of fonts, Courier New is from the Devil himself. Really.
    * If you are going to use IMAG (live video camera) on the screen, make sure that it’s bigger than the actual person on the stage. That’s I-MAG (MAGnification), not DE-MAG.
    * If you have an old Video Toaster, those falling sheep wipes and Kiki wipes really should be deleted from your bins. I’m not kidding.
    * When you use the same background in a sermon series, please keep the text consistent from slide to slide.
    * Just becuase you can use moving backgrounds doesn’t mean every moving background actually fits the song. I’m not at church to watch a demo for Digital Juice.
    * A blank screen isn’t a good idea. It makes me think a commerical break is happening.
    * Animated .gifs may work for your personal website, but they are almost always highly annoying on the big screen.
    * Just becuase you can type the entire song on one slide doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
    * Control of the screens is for the techie. Pastors, don’t be a control freak. Step away from the remote, slowly with your hands where we can see them.

And now for something you should do: If you’ve not done so already, invest in 16:9 projection and screens. Typing a song like it is sung will revolutionize your service. Trust me.

By Anthony Coppedge (http://www.anthonycoppedge.com/)

Anthony is a respected consultant who has committed himself to the church
marketplace. Sought after by today’s fast-growing churches, Anthony brings
a wealth of knowledge, experience and practical know-how to the table. By
focusing on helping churches develop Media & Communications technologies and
team-building strategies with clear upgrade paths, Anthony helps churches to
be good stewards of their resources and personnel.