clayton faulkner

blank-tech-script.doc

You’re welcome!

Communication is everything. And this is a valuable little tool that I use to communicate to our technical voluteers (audio, video, lighting operators) the flow of a service. This group of volunteers needs to be aware of every aspect of the service. They need as much information as possible in order to do their job the best they can.

Feel free to morph this document to your own needs. The first column allows you to list the elements of the worship order, including song titles, speakers, etc. The second column allows you to list directions specific to the video operator (Easy Worship, PowerPoint, MediaShout, etc.). You can put the order of song lyrics (vs1 ch vs2 ch br ch ch) as well as the title of videos to be played here. The third column is to give the audio person a heads up for each service element. You can list which channels on the mixer should be up, or even which vocalist or instrument should be mixed differently for each element. The fourth column is for lighting notes. The final column if for general comments and reminders.

I’ve been using this format for Sunday worship for several years now, and all the techs that have used it find it informative and easy to follow.

Many times, being a Worship Leader goes way beyond just picking out songs and playing a guitar.

You get to do things like graphic design, with or without any previous experience.

Graphic Converter is a free application for Apple that will get you started and lets you do basic photo editing on the cheap.

Discovered from Jonny Baker…twitturgies.

If hope at times is hard to hold, you are still God. If dreams are dashed and desires delayed, you are still God. Still me, God, to know you.

First let me say, I got my first issue of Collide today, and I think it’s a magazine you should know about. Their tag line is “where media and the church converge.” This issue has a great article about why you should twitter:

When a pastor is on Twitter, a two-way relationship can develop between the pastor and the congregation as each is privy to the unfolding narrative of the lives of the other. As a result, engagement offline can develop more effectively.

Mars Hill Church (Seattle) recently made the news for embracing Twitter during church services. They see it as a way for people to share their experiences with others and to dispel what some people may think about a church service. Mars Hill has also harnessed the power of Twitter to keep their congregation updated and connected. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/3534anq

Even some of the major denominations have joined the Twitter world:

The Church of England
The Presbyterian Church *USA*
ELCA

Which is also the same reason I stopped buying songs via iTunes.

Which is also the same reason I’m going to start collecting vinyl one of these days.

Tony Morgan gives his review of the newest Kindle, and I’m sure it’s a handy dandy little deal. And I’m not being anti-tech gadget here. I’ve got the iPhone, early adopter of the iPod, etc.

I just like books. I like the way they look and feel. I like having a bookshelf full of them (it makes me *look* smart). I like sharing relevant books with friends that have questions/issues. Every time I go into Half Price Books, I leave with some. I just like books.

Now I also like the convenience of having the favorite portions of my music library on my iPhone for listening at anytime. But I like even more the feeling of buying music and having something to show for it. I like showing off my CD collection. I like having the artwork in my hands. Ripping the music to my iTunes is a minor inconvenience. That’s why I went back to buying CDs.

I’ve played around with a Kindle before. I see the benefit in having one. I think they’re nifty. In my world, I’ll stick with books.

Great article over at blog.worship.com

You may find a lot of your past mistakes are now being exposed with a click or that your harmony you always sing is actually flat now that you have some accompaniment in the loop. There is also risk of computer melt down, but that’s why we only recommend Macs here.

Amen.

I have used a drum loop before in the song “All the Earth” by Charlie Hall. They are really easy to create in Garage Band – and then exported to iTunes and used in a playlist.

If you’ve got a couple of keyboards/synthesizers floating around your church, chances are one of them is a Kurzweil. The latest Rolling Stone (February 19, 2009) has an article about Ray Kurzweil – the guy who basically fathered everything we know about modern musical synthesizers. In the 1980s, Kurzweil used his knowledge of computer pattern recognition to create realistic orchestral instrument sounds on a keyboard (synthesizer).

What Ray Kurzweil is known for these days are his futurist theories. An excerpt (p. 57-58)…

In our lifetime, Kurzweil believes, machines will not only surpass humans in intelligence – they will irrevocably alter what it means to be human. Cell-size robots will zap disease from our blood stream. Super intelligent nanotechnology, operating on a molecular scale, will scrub pollution from our atmosphere. Our minds, our skills, our memories, our very consciousness will be backed up on computers – allowing us, in essence, to live forever, all our data saved by super-smart machines.

He also has developed a line of health supplement pills that he takes 150 of throughout the course of a day, intended to prolong his life “until we have the means to reverse-engineer the information processes underlying biology – giving us the power to ensure our immortality.” (p. 61)

I only bring this up (not to knock the man) to point out that some people believe immortality is possible apart from any traditional faith system.

The iPhone has pretty much changed my world. I’m more connected than ever before. And I’ve got more information at my fingers while on the go than ever before. I’ve found some apps that are particularly beneficial to worship leaders and musicians:

Metronome – Never have to guess what 88 bpm feels like in the middle of rehearsal again.

The Bible – Put out by LifeChurch.tv. All the major translations are available. Includes a daily reading option.

Pandora – Create your own customized radio station based on your favorite artists.

JamBase – Find out local concert listings; syncs up with your map to get you to the show.

Shazam – Instantly identify any song being played anywhere.

Concert Vault – Huge database of live concerts from the 60s to present.

ProPresenter Remote – Allows you to view or control presentations made using ProPresenter.

But the day I start twittering, I get my first follower…