Free Worship Backgrounds and Still Photos!

Right now, we're offering (for free) two excellent loopable Worship Backgrounds and three high quality Still Photo Backgrounds to all our new newsletter subscribers. Simply go to our homepage (www.eleven72.com) and sign up for our newsletter. You will then receive an email with a link to your free media package! Import them into Media Shout, Easy Worship, PowerPoint, or whatever you use and they're ready to go for your worship services or meetings.

Christmas Time's a Comin' (And our Christmas Content is here!)

My wife has an old Emmylou Harris Christmas album that she dusts off every year about this time. The first track on the album is Christmas Time's a Comin'. Now I think Emmylou Harris is great, but that album get's played over and over around here. And there's only so many times you want to hear about how Christmas time's a comin', you know? My wife's musical inclinations aside, we're really excited about Christmas around here.

I'd like to welcome our first time readers who found out about the blog through the newsletter we sent out late last night. If you don't yet subscribe to our email list, you can sign up on our home page (new subscribers get a free video!). Our newsletter helps us keep you up to date on what's going on at eleven72 and we also offer specials and discounts periodically to subscribers. If you got the newsletter, then this post is old news, but please scroll down and check out some of the other blog posts.

Here we are at the third paragraph. It would appear I've gone and buried the lead. Well, here it is anyway: I know a lot of you will be starting to work out the finer details of your Christmas services this week or next week or the week before :). I want to encourage you to check out our Seasonal Tab. We're really excited about our content this year. I've copied in the ad from our home page below. The ad features one of the great new Nativity still backgrounds we have available. There are 5 Sermon Illustrations on the tab, a series of Advent loops, and some great Still Backgrounds as well. Click here and you can head over to the Seasonal Tab and browse around. We hope you find something you can use this season.

A Tip On Using Countdowns
(if you don't know what a countdown is, see the note at the end of this post and hit this link to watch a few of ours).


When talking to people or reading comments left about countdowns, I often hear people say things like, "I would have used this countdown, but the music is too ________." The music is too slow for our church. The music is too quirky. However you choose to fill in that blank, don't despair. I have a very easy solution for you. If you like a countdown visually, but don't like the music, then don't play the music from the countdown and choose your own. How do you do that?

Depending on your A/V setup there are a lot of ways you can do this. Here's something really simple that most churches should have the capability of doing: Turn down the audio coming from the computer or deck where your video is playing and play a track you think is more appropriate from a CD.

This tip doesn't only have to apply to countdowns. If you find any video set to music that you like but the music isn't right for your church or service, simply mute the video and play your own song. You can play a track off a CD that you start at the same time you start the video like I suggested with the countdown. Or you can have your worship band play a song live on stage while the video is playing.

Don't be afraid to get creative with the media you purchase. It's a shame to let something like a song stop you from using a video that you think otherwise would be a great addition to your service.

A NOTE OF CAUTION: In our efforts to get creative, we have to take care, to the best of our knowledge and ability, not to break copyright laws. If you have questions about what you can and can't do with regards to copyright, it's always best to err on the safe side. Copyright is its own big hairy ugly beast and I'll have to save elaboration on it for a future post.

IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHAT A COUNTDOWN IS: A countdown is a three to five minute video, usually built around some kind of theme, with a clock visible on the video that counts backwards to zero. When the clock hits zero, the service begins. Many churches find this a useful way to let people know that the service is about to begin. And by picking a countdown that fits your theme for the day, you can use them to start focusing the congregation on what it is you want them to be thinking about that day. Click here to check out eleven72's countdowns.

Happy Thanksgiving !

eleven72 would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. We know time with family can sometimes be crazy, but we hope your Turkey Day is filled with fun, relaxation and good food.

For all you procrastinators, we still have some great Thanksgiving videos available for download on our Seasonal tab. Depending on your message, Giving Thanks, Pray With Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving to the Lord might make great visual additions to your weekend services. And you can kick off those services with our Thanksgiving Trivia Countdown or our Thanksgiving to the Lord Countdown. We've also got a Thanksgiving Volume that includes a sermon illustration, a countdown and three themed still backgrounds all in a convenient downloadable bundle. You can check out all the above mentioned videos at http://www.eleven72.com/media/seasonal.html.

And don't forget (click here to read all about it), our Seasonal tab will have all new Christmas videos on it this coming Tuesday, November 28th. We'll have four Christmas themed Sermon Illustrations, A series of Advent videos, and some great Nativity themed Still Backgrounds available Tuesday, so come back and check those out next week.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Christmas Content: Coming Very Soon!

We are extremely excited to bring you brand new Christmas content! All of our Christmas media will be available for download from our Seasonal tab this Tuesday, November 28th. Here's a break down of what you'll find on the Seasonal tab Tuesday:

Just Ask

We've all been given the opportunity, but how often do we actually step out of our comfort zone to invite a friend, colleague, or classmate to our church's Christmas service? Watch as one man imagines some crazy responses when he asks his co-worker to a Christmas Eve service. Great video for a pre-Christmas service.

Advent Intros and Stills

Each short Advent video and still is designed to be used during the lighting of the wreath and scripture reading portions of your Advent service. Use the short video as an introduction/transition in your service. Then simply put the text of your choice on the matching still for each video and place that still at the end of the video introduction. For example you might put up text on the December 3rd still that says, “A Season of Hope, Luke 21:25-36.” Then place the still ad the end of the Advent 1 Intro Video and transition directly to it from the video. It will match seamlessly and it will be a great visual addition to your Advent service.

Peace on Earth

Finding peace on earth while enduring the hardships of life can be a very difficult task. Several individuals share their story of surviving life. Is there peace on this earth? Find peace this Christmas in Christ.




The Nativity: All Too Familiar?

A man sent to fetch a Nativity from his Mother's attic wonders whether we've become so familiar with the Christmas story that we've forgotten what it really means. Who is this baby lying in the hay? And what makes his Nativity so important?



Nativity Stills(Click Here and Scroll Down Seasonal Page to see them)

This series of stills will feature gorgeous shots of a beautifully crafted wooden nativity set. Add a creative touch to your message with these wonderful still backgrounds. Perfect for your Christmas worship, sermon or scripture slides.

Introducing Media to your Church Part 3:
The Projector

(This is Part 3 in a series. To begin at the beginning, go here)

One projector, two projector, three projector, four? While four would be very cool, one or two will do. Whether you start with one or two depends on the size of your church and wallet. If you're small or portable or have a nice central place for a screen that everyone can see and read, then one is what you want. If you have a big sanctuary/auditorium with people sitting out to the right and left sides of the stage area, then two would be best.

As you start hunting for a projector, you're going to be bombarded with all kinds of specs. Pixels, Lumens, Contrast Ratio, Aspect Ratio, etc. Again, don't let all the technical mumbo jumbo get you down. There is some important information contained in the spec sheets. But what you need to know can be easily understood. So what is it you need to know?

LUMENS:
Lumens is a fancy word for brightness. How bright is bright enough? This, I think, is the most important consideration. A projector that's great for PowerPoint presentations in a conference or meeting area isn't necessarily going to be bright enough to use in your sanctuary. Your projector needs to put out enough light to cover the distance between it and the screen, be bright enough to overcome whatever ambient light exists in the environment, and has to display an image that can be seen by people from anywhere in the room.

When you go to the movies, the film is projected in a blacked out theater. When you go to church, on the other hand, there tends to be a lot more light present while the projector is being used. A lot of churches have windows. The stage is usually lit for worship or for the message. Oftentimes, there's a general light level maintained in the sanctuary for note taking, reading, etc. This light in the room, the light the projector has to be bright enough to overcome, is called ambient light. Your projector has to be bright enough to overcome the ambient light.

So how many lumens do you need? It depends. Price is going to make you want to go for something in the 1100-1500 lumen range. These projectors can be a good solution for small churches meeting in relatively dark rooms. But for churches bigger than 100-150 people or for churches meeting in a bright environment, 1500 lumens isn't going to do it for long. If you're only using PowerPoint and still images and you're able to keep the ambient light level low, you might be able to get by for a while, but the minute you want to start showing videos or movie clips, you're going to notice. Your video clips are going to come out looks dim and milky. In other words, they'll be hard to see and washed out looking. To be safe, I wouldn't purchase anything less than a 2500 lumen projector. If you have a pretty big auditorium, I would recommend you start somewhere in the 4000-4500 lumen range. Obviously, it's going to cost a little more and I know that is a very important consideration. But if you go bright enough the first time, you won't be kicking yourself for it in a few months when you realize that you didn't go bright enough and now you have to buy another projector (NOTE: I'm speaking from personal experience on this. I was the Media Director for a growing church and we went through this exact scenario where we bought two 1100 lumen projectors which worked well for a short while showing PowerPoint. But as the church grew and as we started adding more video, the small projectors quickly became inadequate for the task and we had to upgrade to 4400 lumen projectors).

CONTRAST RATIO:
After lumens, this is the next most important thing. Contrast in an image is what allows you to see all the subtle variations in color from black to white. Contrast is also what creates the illusion of depth in a two dimensional image. If you plan on showing video, whether it be I-Mag or film clips, the more contrast the better.

Contrast in the specs is shown as a ratio. You'll see something like, "Contrast Ratio- 4000:1." The ratio is a measurement of the difference between pixels that are fully illuminated (as bright as they get) and pixels that are essentially off or black. I read once that for a film to look good in a completely blacked out room, the projector needs to have a contrast ratio of at least 10,000:1. You're room isn't completely black, so ideally you would need more, but 10,000:1 is a good place to start.

BULB LIFE:
Bulb life is another important consideration for churches. Projector bulbs typically cost hundreds of dollars. Also, the brightness of some bulbs degrades or decreases on a curve over time. So, while the bulb may put out say, 1500 lumens when brand new, over time that output and the resulting brightness decreases. Eventually, you are forced to replace the bulb even though it technically hasn't burned out. So, long bulb life is a definite plus.

CONNECTIVITY:
Make sure the projector has the connection options you need to hook it up to your computer, DVD player, cameras, etc (If you're planning future audio/video upgrades, try and think ahead about future connectivity needs). Almost all projectors have the basic connections you'll need. VGA connections for a computer. S-Video or Composite connections for video. But more and more, people need connections like DVI for a computer or HDMI for HD. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, email me your questions or talk to the person you're buying the projector from.

RESOLUTION:
Resolution has to do with the number of pixels the projector can display. The more pixels, the smoother the image looks. You ideally want high resolution, but again, more resolution= more money. Proceed with caution on this one. Resolution is an area where creative marketing types spin out impressive sounding numbers that ultimately don't mean a whole lot. After a certain point, a difference in resolution is only discernible to a select few (especially when an image is being projected in a large room).

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
There are still a few things to consider. Where are you going to put the projector? Is rear projection an option? How are you going to mount the projector? What kind of mounting hardware do you need? There are a wide range of solutions available and they will all depend on your specific needs and environment, which brings me to my final and maybe most important point:

Don't buy a projector until you've set it up and tested it in the area in which it will be used.

Testing out a projector shouldn't be a problem. If the vendor you're trying to get the projector from gives you a hard time about testing the projector at your church, find another vendor. This is a really significant and important purchase and you need to make sure the projector you buy is going to work for you.

There are a lot of highly qualified people out there who can help you make this important decision. When I was a Media Director and we upgraded our projectors, we went through a company called Fowler Productions (Google: Fowler Video). They cater to churches and were very helpful in helping us find the right solution for us. Good luck!

Next Up: Part 4, The Screen.

New Programming Packs!
(for those following the series on getting started using media in the church, the next post in that series will be out by early next week)

Our two newest Programming Packs are now up and available on the Volumes page. Check out Money and Church Volumes 1. If you don't know what our Programming Packs are, I blogged about them recently here.

Money Vol. 1 features the hilarious Sermon Illustration, "How Much?" We were fortunate to have a couple of great actors and a talented crew to pull this off. And it really shows. Check out "How Much?" here.

This Programming Pack also features a great new countdown that contrasts the difference in the way Scripture and the World view money. We also have the first two of a series of Worship Backgrounds that we're really excited about featured on this volume. And it's rounded out by 5 original stills. We got some authentic, ancient Roman coins and were able to get some wonderful photographs of them that we think will provide a great backdrop for services on money, giving or tithing.


Church Vol. 1 is anchored by "The Body." Peopled with great characters like EYE, EAR and FOOT, this fun illustration is a wonderful reminder that the Body of Christ is made up of a diverse group of people, each uniquely created by God, and each needing the others to function completely. The rest of the Programming Pack keeps the fun going. The Countdown mixes and matches different people, literally, to illustrate 1 Corinthians 12. And the Still Backgrounds feature very usable and well designed silhouettes of hands, feet and a body of people. The entire volume urges us to "Be The Body!"

Thanksgiving is Right Around the Corner

We're really excited about our brand new Thanksgiving content. We've just put up a Thanksgiving Volume (pictured at left), three Thanksgiving themed Sermon Illustrations, two Thanksgiving Countdowns, and three great Fall themed Still Backgrounds. All conveniently located on our new Seasonal tab.

The Thanksgiving Volume features a brand new Sermon Illustration entitled Pray With Thanksgiving, our Thanksgiving to the Lord Countdown, and three new Still Backgrounds. Download or buy the Volume for $25 and you'll have everything you need for a great Thanksgiving service.

Introducing Media to your Church Part 2:
The Computer

(This is Part 2 in a series. To begin and the beginning, go here)

The Intel 486 that some well wishing parishioner dropped off (rather than throw it away) isn't going to do it. You're going to need more firepower than that to get those images up and flying through the air. If your church is portable, then a laptop will do fine, but if you have a permanent home, I'd recommend a desktop. You can get more desktop for your money and it's good to have a computer that's always present, hooked up and dedicated to working as your church media center.

To get started using media in your church, all you need is a computer that can run PowerPoint. PowerPoint is a good starting place because it allows you to get up and running in a hurry. Chances are you or someone you know is familiar with PowerPoint through work or school. So there's a low barrier to entry. But as soon as you want to start putting worship lyrics up over moving backgrounds and playing videos off the computer, you'll quickly realize PowerPoint's limitations. It's simply not designed with the worship environment in mind.

For that reason, I recommend that you start looking into buying an application specifically designed for use in a church worship environment. There are a number of good programs on the market. Three that come to mind are Media Shout, Easy Worship and Sunday Plus. Media Shout and Easy Worship offer a free trial version that you can download and try. And Sunday Plus will send you a demo version that you can try. If you want to go more in depth on choosing the program that's right for you, check out eBibleTeacher's excellent Worship Software Selection Guide here.

Quick Note: These programs might seem a little expensive up front, but what you get for the price is an incredible value. What these programs can do used to take a whole room of equipment with people trained to run it, and it used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, the power in these programs is well worth the price. With the latest software, you can import PowerPoint slides, put up text over moving backgrounds, and play video clips from different sources (including live sources such as a camera in your sanctuary). In other words, you can pretty much do whatever you need to now or in the future.

Wasn't this post about computers, not software? Yes, but in order to know what kind of computer you need, you need to know what you want to do with it. If you're planning on running video, you'll need a computer that can keep up. The last thing you want is the blue screen of death right in the middle that is supposed to set up your message. Each program will have its' own System Requirements, but if you get a computer capable of running one of the programs well, I'm sure it will run them all. Just to get an idea of the ball park, I pulled the Recommended System Requirements off of MediaShout's website. Here's what you need to shoot for if you want enough power to move forward into the church video age:

OS: Windows XP (Home, Professional, or Media Center Edition)
CPU: Intel Pentium 4, 2.4 GHz (or equivalent)
RAM: 512 MB
Graphics: One DirectX 9.0c Hardware Accellerated dual-head graphics card/display adapter with 128 MB VRAM
Other: DVD drive, quality sound card; video capture card or FireWire port (IEE 1394) for external video feed
I'd also recommend getting an extra 512MB of RAM to get you to 1GB out of the box. You can find great deals on computers online in places like tigerdirect.com, overstock.com, and Frys.com. And CNET is a great place to read reviews if you want to know more about how various computers rate with the experts.

Again, don't let all this tech talk get you down. You can do this. Looking past all the technical details you don't understand and the money you don't have to spend, the first step is hugely important. If you have a computer that can run PowerPoint and was made some time in the last few years, you've got the tools you need to begin. Just keep in mind where you're going and be thinking about the tools and resources you'll need to get there.

So you've got the computer. All you need now is a projector and something to point it at (aka a screen). Up next in this series of missives: Projectors.