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Be sure to check out our new TWO HATS FAN PAGE on facebook where we’ll be posting behind the scenes footage soon! Like it, suggest it, comment and tell us why you’re excited to see TWO HATS!

I’ll be Watching “Courageous” at the Cinema and Here’s Why…

I am a Conservative, Independent, Fundamental Baptist. That description scares some people, and rightfully so. The media has done a number to the reputation of “Fundamentalists” by exploiting every rock-throwing, gay-bashing, funeral-protesting idiot who calls himself/herself by the same title. I do not identify with these people. I believe people have a right to be upset at them! But just because there is a handful of people out there who tarnish the name that best describes my personal body of beliefs, I am not going to jump ship.

All that being said, I want to make it clear that I am not a Baptist because I was raised to be, nor am I a Baptist because my Alma Mater taught me to be. I am a Baptist because the doctrine that is taught, and the philosophy that is practiced is more closely lined up with Scripture than any other religion I’ve seen. But Baptists are not perfect in every way. As a whole, we often make the mistake of turning our “personal standards” into doctrines, and we beat people over the head when they don’t do things the way we do. One such culprit is that of (scary music cue) THE THEATER!

Please don’t take this the wrong way. I am not criticizing anyone for having personal standards. I am coming down hard on people who have made their standards into the law. This is the heart of the article – The Bible never says don’t go to the theaters, it says not to set any wicked thing before your eyes (Psalm 101:3). Look beyond the surface. What we believe and practice should stem directly from biblical principles and not from the standards themselves. I was talking to a close friend of mine recently who is an assistant pastor at an Independent Baptist church. He has never been to the movie theaters himself, yet he had the wherewith to say “We as Baptists have illigetimized our reasons for not going to the theater.” That pretty much summed up how I felt.

I am going to list out and analyze all of the major reasons people have given me for not going to the theater. All I ask you do while reading this is think:

“Abstain from All Appearance of Evil”
This must be the most common reason given. It also must be the most hypocritical (in most cases). Just think for a minute here. How is walking into the theater more of an appearance of evil than having a smartphone? There is untold evil available to people these days and it’s hanging right on their hip! I know of pastors who would never step foot in a theater but have an Apple TV right in their living room. I know of staff members who aren’t allowed to rent from Redbox so they have a Netflix (Qwickster) subscription instead. For some strange reason beyond my comprehension, there are many pastors who’ll take their families to the IMAX but would never darken the door of the multiplex. That one is a head-scratcher. These are glaring examples of inconsistency and a lack of adhering to higher principles.

“Lack of Control”
This one is a little trickier and there is definitely some truth to it. When you’re sitting in the theater with a large audience you don’t have the remote control (or “clicker” as my wife calls it). Something may come up on the screen that you didn’t want you or your kids to see. Then you’re faced with the awkward decision of whether to walk out or not. This is further complicated if you’ve gone to see the movie with someone else who may not have quite the same standards as you. This is why I HIGHLY recommend researching every movie before you see it. There are websites that literally spell out every area of concern for the current films playing. Here is a very thorough site:
http://www.movieguide.org/
Unfortunately, there is no way to know which trailers will play before the film. The trailers that play are usually relative to the content and rating of the feature presentation, but not always. If you’re worried about all of the posters hanging on the walls, believe me, you’re bombarded with way more offensive stuff when you stroll through the mall.

“It’s Expensive”
Yes, it is. This is really a matter of priority. Golf is also expensive. So is eating out. If a movie isn’t worth $10 a ticket to you, then don’t go. But some people may really enjoy the experience of watching a film on a giant screen with a lively audience. This is just personal preference. I don’t think I need to address those that say they “don’t want to give their money to the world.”

“I Don’t Want to Cause My Brother to Stumble”
Now this is a Biblical principle! Romans 14. If this was your only reason for not going to the theater it would be honorable. I know pastors that give this as the reason for not attending the theater and I find it very refreshing. I have had the opportunity to travel all over the country and see a lot of different ministries. In some places, going to the theater is a big deal, in others it’s not. I happen to attend a church that does not make an issue of the theater itself, but rather the higher biblical principles behind the standards.

There are many other reasons people give not to go to the theater. Some I’ve probably never considered. But the four I mention seem to be the most common.

Please don’t take this article the wrong way. I am not trying to make anyone upset, only trying to challenge you to think. If you disagree with me, that’s alright! I also don’t want to come across as an apologist for all things movie-related. I think Hollywood is mostly trash and not worth your time and money. Occasionally there is a film that comes along that IS worth it. Today is the opening for the new Sherwood Pictures-produced “Courageous” (http://www.courageousthemovie.com/). I will be watching this film with my wife and my parents. My dad is an assistant pastor and the godliest man I know. He is also the most consistent and balanced man I know.

I am thrilled that Christian films have come as far as they have. We need more films like this to be made. I think it’s sad that many Christians will not go see “Courageous” and show their support for wholesome Christian films because they are tied down to an outdated, inconsistent standard.

Food for thought.

Two Hats – a COMPLETED film on mission life in PNG

We are excited to announce that Second Mile Films has finished it’s first feature-length film, Two Hats! We watched the entire movie all the way through for the first time on September 20, 2011. Praise the Lord!

We sent it out to a test audience of about 30 people to review and give feedback. Everyone loved it! Some changes have been made based on a few of the suggestions and the movie is even better than before! The film will be released earlier than we had planned – probably November. Today it was sent off to Vision Forum where they will decide if Two Hats is to be shown at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival in February.

In the meantime, please help us spread the word! Grab our button on the side bar to share on your blog or website!

In other Christian film news, the new Christian film, Courageous, comes out in theaters tomorrow! Join us in going out to show your support of clean edifying films!

GoPro @ Camp

This was one of the most fun shoots I’ve done. I got to spend a full week at Camp CoBeAc. I made heavy use of the GoPro camera for the activities and competitions and was able to get shots that I would never attempt with my GH2.

 

The Importance of Sharp Design for Church Ministry

This is a guest post by graphic and web designer, Benjamin Smith . You can find his links and contact info at the end of this article.

Graphic design and other forms of media are becoming a large part of the modern church in both evangelical and conservative circles. It’s important to note that the message of the Gospel of Christ hasn’t changed, but people sure have. People today have shortened attention spans and are more media-driven than those in previous generations. I view graphic design and other forms of media as a tools for evangelizing. In a way, the graphic designer is an evangelist in that he is a specialist providing tools for the growth of the local New Testament Church.

I grew up with a very conservative Christian background. I remember that most materials in my church’s bookstore were not very well designed. The church tract rack had lots of tracts that were white with black and red text crammed onto the page with lots of clip art. Then there were the early church websites when the web first came out; usually a textured background, text of every color of the rainbow, fonts all over the board, animated gifs, and last but not least the annoying music file playing over and over in the background. What’s unfortunate is that many churches today continue to represent the gospel of Christ with outdated graphics and media. Many refuse to embrace new media such as social networking and other such forms of communicating the Gospel.

As for the churches that do, we have this massive gap between content creators and technologists. What will it take to jump this gap? How can we encourage pastors and content creators to jump in the game and start realizing what they can truly accomplish with these tools? How do we empower scores of people who are already skilled in using these tools to start sharing the Message?

The reason sharp design is so important is the relaying of God’s Word to a media-driven world. It’s all about the Great Commission. For example, if you don’t embrace social media, which is a key component to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), when people go to look on Google for a church in your area they are not going to find you. If the design of your tracts and brochures for your church don’t convey God’s message in a way that is relevant to the problems people face in life today you are going to lose their attention quickly. What we have to realize is that Jesus is the answer for the world’s problems. We just need to communicate that to people. This new media-driven world is an opportunity to spread the good news of the Gospel on a mass scale. Any church that embraces these tools can have a world impact for Christ no matter what their size or location.

I want to leave you with this : what we (designers) do is not just some business skill for the church. The work designers do is not mere work, it is a vital ministry of the church in seeking and saving the lost. We are the marketers and communicators, designers and editors, volunteers and assistants – and we are the evangelists.

Benjamin Smith

www.ifbdesign.com
First Chair Designer Creative Department- Reformers Unanimous Recovery Ministries
bemilysmith@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/BenjiASmith
http://twitter.com/#!/Ben_A_Smith
http://www.linkedin.com/in/benjiasmith

Twin Falls Book Trailer Shoot

Tell me you aren’t at least a little bit intrigued…

We spent the day shooting with this author in the big empty Twin Falls hospital…a little eery. I think it helped capture the tone of the book though.

Second Mile Design

We don’t often do design work as we’re trying to establish ourselves as an exclusively video production company, but we made an exception for some friends who just finished writing a couple books. The Kindle edition of Faith and Finance is available for purchase on amazon and 15 Simple Steps to Loosing Your Salvation will be available soon.

Here are the designs by Andrew Garcia:

 

 

 

 

 

Shout Out!

If you haven’t yet checked out some of the links on our blog roll please do! They are some of our favorite resources for inspiration and encouragement!

For those of you who want to get into After Effects, VIDEO COPILOT is an AMAZING resource and our primary After Effects guide.

Andrew Kramer,

creator of the titles on the TV series Fringe, opening 3D visuals for the new Star Trek movie and trailer titles for JJ Abrams latest, Super 8, hosts the site and has an unending supply of tips and tricks to share with the video world.

He gives free tutorials on using the program and has a wealth of knowledge on visual effects and motion graphics! Keep in mind that this is not a Christian resource. Not all that Andrew Kramer shows or says on his site is endorsed by Second Mile Films.

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Media Ministry blog is hosted by Bro. Michael Moyer of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, CA. Bro. Moyer provides inspiration, advice, encouragement and thought provoking articles on all things Christian media.

Just start clicking around and you’ll find all kinds of useful information for your ministry’s media department. Get free video dowloads, information on how to live stream you church services and tips on creating a ministry logo.

Their latest free video download has a missions theme and would be great for a kid’s program or missions conference. Click here to view: http://www.mediaministryblog.com/2011/07/free-missions-video-to-download/

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Ministry 127 is a resource made available by Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, CA. The site contains information and inspiration on several ministry subjects – pastoral leadership, children’s ministries etc. and also has a section dedicated to media and technology. You can find help on website development and other ministry media subjects. Our own Andrew Garcia wrote the article entitled “Taking Your Video Ministry to the Next Level”

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Courageous is the next big Christian film coming out in theaters September 30th of this year! Mark your calendars and go show your support for Christian films!

Each day on the Courageous blog from now until September 30th there is a daily verse, a prayer request for families in general and a prayer request for the new movie. Go check it out and join us in praying for the producers of Courageous at Sherwood Baptist Church!

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Get off of YouTube! It is no place for filmmakers. Vimeo is where it’s at. Even if you’re just getting started and only have a couple videos to share, create a vimeo account and get networking with other people who are serious about filmmaking. YouTube has its place but if you’re really wanting to get your name out there and get serious about your ministry video department create a vimeo account asap. When you do,  add Andrew Garcia as a contact!

We hope these sites will be a help to you in the future. What are some of your favorite resources for ministry media inspiration? Leave us a comment.

FREE VIDEO!

Visit the main Second Mile Films website for instructions on downloading a free video and flyer for your 9/11 service! September 11th of this year marks the 10th anniversary of the tragic event and a perfect time to honor first responders in your community. Check back often for more free videos! Here’s the video that is available for download:

Shine

Finished this video a few weeks ago. It was a collaborative between myself and the Straub brothers who are a couple of up and coming filmmakers from North Carolina.