Crossroads Church 2009 Easter Production

OK, so it's been a while since I posted.  So sue me.

I've been wanting to post this video, but I couldn't get it down under Blogger's 100MB limit.  I had to take out the altar call to cut it down.

Our Easter series was called "Proof," and we did a really neat and SIMPLE production. We all thought is was very effective, which goes to show you that you don't always have to spend all kinds of crazy money and time creating that "wow factor." Sometimes the "wow factor" can be created in a simple, real, and effective way.

Here it is:

Busy Easter Weekend?...

Here's our promo for our 2009 Easter Production.  The series we'll be in is called "Proof," which actually starts the week before Easter.  Once that sermon intro is done, I'll put it up.

By the way, If you're in the area that weekend, I'd love to meet you in person!

New Products at Crossroads Creative

OK, first of all, let me say "thanks" to all of you who contacted me about the videos I've posted here. Your kind words are truly appreciated. So on my 100th post, I thought I'd give a little back...

Several of you have asked when some of these will be on our site. Well...now they are!

Here are a few links to new videos I just uploaded today:

Annual Church Business Meeting - The Board Member (four in all)

Girls' Getaway - Beverly (this one is pretty funny)

Just Between You and Me (hot off the presses)

Betrayal BUNDLE (a great Easter production on a budget!)

Muchas Gracias (a piece on thankfulness)

Planks and Specks (criticism, love, etc.)

There are about 19 new pieces in all, and we have around 135 total on the site. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy them. Please send all your pastor friends my way!

OK, about my 100th post. Any purchase on Crossroads Creative is 50% OFF with the following coupon code: POST100. This offer is good through March 1st, 2009.

Busy Day

Yesterday was a really busy day for the Crossroads Media Dept. I got to work at 8:00 am, and began setting up for a shoot. We did a commercial for our Annual Church Business Meeting. We used a 1K in a light bank, two ARRI 300W Fresnels, and an ARRI 600W open face. We were lighting a conference table for the spot.

We began the shoot around 9:45 am and got done around 11:15. The spot will be around :60 long, but it will have four different endings, and I'll post them as they're done. We're using a different ending each weekend for four weekends. When we're completely done, we'll put three of them on Crossroads Creative, and possibly the other reseller sites (the fourth one won't be understood by anyone other then our own congregation).

After that shoot, my pastor and I drove over to a local park, where we shot a promo for his 5K jogging small group. We're doing a small groups expo the last weekend of the month, but he'll be on vacation, so he'll promote his group via video.

After that shoot, he and I headed back to his office to shoot opens and closes for our TV show, Crossroads. While we were on the 5K promo shoot, my assistant lit his office. We started around 1:00 pm, and we did opens and closes for four shows.

We got done about 1:45 pm or so, and we tore down and got ready for a meeting in his office for our 2009 Easter Production. The series we'll be in is called "Proof," and our production will center around a college professor who once was an atheist, but is now a Christ-follower.

OK, so the meeting was done around 3:30 pm or so, and I began capturing the opens & closes. I did a few file transfers, then called it quits at 4:45 pm.

Oh, yeah, and I didn't even stop to eat lunch. Some days are just that way.

What about you? do you have days that just move and move and move, with absolutely no dead time?

2008 Easter Production

Well, here it is, as promised:  the Crossroads Church 2008 Easter production...

I'd love to know your thoughts. All of the video was created by our in-house production team, Crossroads Creative, and the intro will be offered for sale on our site. My wife and I wrote the script, and I did all of the post-audio work.

OK, here's the disclaimer:  the first couple of minutes of Judas' part were not tracked, so I had to use the live audio feed, which was noisy. You'll notice that it cleans up a LOT just before the first song. I guess you can't have it all...

To purchase the sermon intro, betrayal videos, and script, go here.

The Numbers Are In

I just got the numbers for this past weekend's services at Crossroads Church. We had over 3300 in attendance (we normally run around 2200-2400), and there were over 100 first-time salvations. Praise God for the great harvest!

BTW, I started doing the post-audio work on the production, and I think I'm done. I'll give it another listen tomorrow, and hopefully have a post of the production soon.

Great Weekend

It was a great weekend for us at Crossroads Church. Our production went off well, despite the fact that our "Peter" character made an entrance 30 seconds late in our largest service (yes we actually rolled back the tape and timed that late entry!).

I don't have the final numbers of attendance and decisions, but when I find out, I'll post them. All I know is that these numbers are large. It may have been a record for us.

Once it's all post-edited, I'll put it up on the site. But be patient...I still have to do a  shoot to replace some video in the sermon opener, and SEVEN songs to remix!

I hope you all had a great holiday!

It's Pretty Much Over...

I just got home from a 4-hour rehearsal for our Easter Production at Crossroads Church. Our current series is entitled "Betrayal" and we're doing a Judas vs. Peter thing. The twist is that most of the live acting takes place behind a huge hound's tooth scrim.

It holds significance for me, because my wife and I wrote it. She wrote all of the live drama stuff, and I wrote the scripts for the videos.

Our two videos include one where we see four different people who are about to betray someone, either a boss, a spouse, a best friend, or an expecting girlfriend. The other features the same four people, except we realize that they did not commit betrayal after all.

We've even worked in Hoobastank's "The Reason," and a revamped version of the 25-year-old "Judas Kiss," by none other than Petra.

Anyway, after our two run-throughs on Saturday, it's out of my hands. I'm just a spectator at that point.