I’m sure War Horse is a wonderful play, and it’s easy to see the movie’s roots: Things fall out neatly into scenes and acts, and it has dialogue that was almost certainly lifted directly from the stage version, since for some reason, the medium of live theater lets you get away with cheesy melodramatic dialogue much more easily than the medium of film.

War Horse follows the life of a horse born on an English farm, raised and trained by a boy, then sold to the army to save the farm and support the war effort at the outset of World War I.

Then the horse goes on many adventures, becomes a sharpshooter, picks off Nazis, and saves the war for the Brits.

Okay, I lied about that last part, but it’s a heartwarming movie about a boy separated from his horse in a time of war, so you can fill in the blanks however you want, knowing that you’ll never change the ending.

The movie actually does shine for one long battle sequence of trench warfare, reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan, and showing that Spielburg has a deft hand when it comes to creating tense scenes of brutal carnage followed by moments of incredible humanity.

But then we return to the farm, to the strange outdoor lighting and color treatment that looks like Gone With the Wind, and to the cardboard archetypal characters that seem more at home in a children’s book than an adult’s film, which, as you may have guessed, is where these characters lived even before they made their stage debut.

RATING: Worth 3 of my 7 run-on sentences.

While there certainly is a plot and extremely good acting, this is a movie with visual images so rich and beautiful to look at, almost everything else is secondary.

That said, Hugo tells the story of an orphaned boy in the 1930s (played perfectly by Asa Butterfield) who has the job of keeping all the clocks at the Paris train station running, all the while evading an evil Station Inspector (Sasha Baron Cohen) with a penchant for hauling orphans away.

We also find the boy in possession of a broken Automaton, a human-like mechanical device that his deceased father (Jude Law) acquired from a museum.

In his quest to repair the broken machine, the boy crosses paths with an older man (Ben Kingsley) who runs a toy store, and, in ways spelled out a little too clearly, we find out that it’s more than the Automaton that needs fixing.

The second half of the movie moves into historical fiction, as it’s revealed the owner of the toy store is in fact Georges Méliès, the real-life film maker from the early days of the medium, and Director Scorcese becomes Professor Scorcese, showing through flashbacks what a creative and revolutionary filmmaker Méliès was, and teaching us how important film preservation is (something very near and dear to Scorcece’s heart).

This movie (Scorcese’s first 3D film) is a remarkable work of art, with a production design and beauty on a scale that few can match, camera moves and subtlety that delight, performances that pull you in, but a plot (being super picky here) that this reviewer wishes had maybe been left to pure fiction instead of turned into a teaching moment.

RATING: Worth 6 out of 7 of my run-on sentences.

What’s YOUR rating? Join the dialogue, and comment below!

Photo by Amanda M Hatfield

I’ve been a part of a number of congregations over the years. Some have been clapping churches, some have not.

Today, I’m a part of 2 congregations. One, a very large Methodist church where I work, has a number of worship services. I attend the more contemporary ones in the evenings, and there is often applause after each song.

But I also lead worship at a Lutheran church on Sunday mornings. They’re a wonderful congregation, full of young families. They love the contemporary music our band plays. And yet, this worship service, other than the music and informal dress, tends to be very traditional. They follow a liturgy that never changes from week to week. They have communion every Sunday. The cross is carried into the sanctuary during the opening hymn song. It’s a beautiful service, with a melding of the old and the new.

And they don’t clap.

It was very odd for me, the first Sunday I was leading worship.  For the past decade I’ve been a worship leader, and I’m used to at least a smattering of applause after a song. So to have a rockin’ song finish up, hear the sound of the last drum hit reverberating off the walls, and then… silence… just felt really weird.

And then a little kid called out, “Yea!” Which received a lot of laughter.

All that is a long lead-in to an argument I’m going to make. I call it, the Case for Clapping. There are arguments I could make against it, too, but what’s the fun of laying out both sides of the argument in a blog post? I think the Case for Clapping is the stronger case, so I’ll just present it. I leave it to you, dear readers, to fill in the rest.

1. Clapping is a natural expression of joy. I see it in my children. When my 3-year-old daughter is delighted, she claps. I took her to a guitar store recently. She had never been. She has only seen me playing guitar at our house or in church. So her reaction to seeing a huge wall covered in guitars was one of shock, then sheer delight. She laughed, then looked at me, looked back at the guitars, her hands over her mouth, and then simply started clapping, laughing the whole time. The employee thought it was hilarious. So did the dad. As a recent news article noted, “It’s human nature. I mean if you agree with something or you approve you clap. It’s like laughing. A lot of time it’s involuntary.”¹

 

2. Clapping does not mean you’re applauding the musicians. 

Sometimes the fear is that people are getting the applause, not God. There can be a concern that the people up front are performing, not leading worship. There is a fear of inflating egos. But see point 1. And trust that your worship leaders are up there for the right reasons. If they’re not, trust me, your clapping or lack there of isn’t going to solve their problems. Humility will.
 

3. Clapping sometimes means you’re applauding the musicians.

Okay, so yes, I’m contradicting myself. But it’s my blog, so I’m allowed. But let me explain it like this: Sometimes it’s okay to thank people. Sometimes it’s okay to applaud the singer who just blessed you with an awesome song. Sometimes it’s okay to encourage the nervous layperson who just got up and told their story as a sermon illustration. The Bible tells us time and time again that we are to encourage one another. I’d go so far as to say that to not clap can be discouraging. I remember once I heard an incredible musical performance during an offertory. It was stunning and glorious. The congregation spontaneously rose to their feet applauding at the end, it was so moving. And I remember the singer, looking bashful, just pointing up to heaven. “It’s all for God, don’t applaud me,” she seemed to be saying, deflecting our applause heavenward. And I get that, I really do. But I felt a little gypped. Because while I’m eternally grateful to my God and my Savior, I was also thanking her, for her hours of practice, for sharing her gift with us, for making herself vulnerable before a crowd of hundreds. I wanted to shout out, “No, I’m really thanking you, too!”.
 

4. Sometimes not clapping feels strange.

I saw a performance of Godspell once. It was great. At the end, Jesus was crucified, and was carried out (up the aisle, through the audience) by His followers, who were singing softly, “Long live God… Long live God…” before breaking into a rousing “Prepare Ye The Way”. But this director, instead of letting the drama play out as anyone would expect, with a resurrected Christ appearing on stage for the curtain call, decided to make a statement. Maybe he didn’t believe in the resurrection. Maybe he just wanted to get a reaction. But after Christ was carried out, He stayed out. Everyone did. It was just over. And a bewildered crowd stood around looking at each other, wondering when we were supposed to put on our coats and leave. And again, I felt utterly gypped. I was robbed, robbed of my opportunity to express what had been bottled up in me for two hours. An audience wants to clap, needs to clap. And so, applied to church, I find that sometimes the silence is more deafening than any applause could be. It just feels odd. And everyone knows it.
 

5. God likes it!

I know, because He told me so. “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”² “Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy.”³ “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”⁴

So that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Sure, I can make some arguments against clapping in church, and I’m sympathetic to those arguments. But I think most of the reasons people don’t applaud come down to 1) Tradition 2) Decorum and 3) Fear of pride. And there’s some legitimacy to all three. But I feel that clapping is a natural expression of joy, and if we truly believe the message that Christ has indeed died for our sins and we can find hope in Him, then we should be applauding longer and louder than anyone.

1. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/03/taking-liberties-clap-off
2. Psalm 47:1
3. Psalm 98:8
4. Isaiah 55:12

As a personal one-man protest against the silliness, I got up and got a popcorn refill at what was intended to be the high point of an exciting school bus race (which, believe it or not, replaces the iconic tractor race from the original movie).

But surprisingly, in spite of the often embarrassing material, the actors are quite winsome and do well with what they’re given.

Julianne Hough plays Ariel Moore, the slutty daughter of a narrow minded preacher heaven bent on stopping kids from having fun, which includes drankin’, smokin’, and dancin’.

Kenny Wormald channels a young Johnny Depp / Ralph Machio / James Dean as Ren MacCormack, the Bostoner fish-out-of-water in the hick town who helps them kids realize “this is our time to dance.”

But the real surprise is Ren’s sidekick Willard, played by Miles Teller, whose ability to steal every scene he’s in almost makes this a movie I can recommend.

RATING: Worth only 3 out of 7 of my run-on sentences. What’s YOUR rating? Join the dialogue, and comment below!

Also, note the blog post right below this one. It has my tips for getting better interviews. And soon, I hope to post before and after videos from one of you! One of the conference participants came to my workshop. He had just finished recording an interview, then came to my workshop and saw how to better light and mic an interview. So then he re-shot the whole thing, and it played at his church just this morning. He said he’d share the before and after video with me, so hopefully I’ll build a whole blogpost around it.

Meanwhile, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you make better videos, and thanks for the great conference!

Though the videos we do fall into a number of categories from animation to drama to documentary, I often find myself doing some kind of interview. There are lots of reasons to do an interview, too. It’s the “satisfied customer” who becomes a great spokesperson. It’s the powerful story of a changed life. It’s the Ph.D. who has studied language development in children. Interviews are with real people, and can bring authenticity to a sermon’s message.

But conducting an interview isn’t as easy as it looks. I’ve conducted them for years, and I’ve discovered some techniques that help me get the most compelling stories.

The focus of this is going to be how to conduct the actual interview. There’s a lot I could say about the location, how to set it up visually, how to light it, and how to mic it. I’m just going to talk, though, about how to interact with your interview subject. Here’s what I do.

1) Help the subject feel at home. Joke about the awkwardness. I’ll say, “All of us are used to speaking into a bank of lights, right? You’ve probably done this three times before breakfast!” And I’ll joke about how everyone says, “Just act natural,” when sitting on a stool in front of lights and cameras is probably the most unnatural thing someone can do!

Offer them a glass of water if they need it. Have it just off camera.

If putting on a lapel mic, leave the room if a member of the opposite sex has to run a wire up their clothing.

2) Check the environment. Make sure all cell phones are turned off. Check mic placement, making sure jewelry isn’t making noise against it. Check to make sure lighting is hitting the person correctly. Look for extreme reflections in glasses.

3) Explain to them how the interview works. I say something like, “I know you might not have ever done this before, but this is going to be easy. We’re just going to have a conversation. You can just look at me, in my eyes, and we’re going to talk, okay?”

4) Have them do 2 things: I’ll put on my headphones and have them count to 10, then I’ll have them SAY and SPELL their name. This lets me do three things: I’m checking audio levels, it makes sure I’ll get their name right on a graphic, and also helps me remember, if I find the tape 5 years later, who I was interviewing.

5) Then I’ll pray.  It may not be best in your line of work, but for what I do at a church, it’s a non-negotiable. It reminds us of why we’re talking in the first place, helps settle the subject’s spirit, and is a reminder of whose glory it is for.

6) I’ll give them one final thought. I’ll say, “Okay, let’s begin. Help me out in one simple way, if you can. If it’s possible, include my question in your answer, since my voice will be edited out. In other words, if I ask you, ‘What’s your favorite color?’ and you answer, ‘Blue,’ the word ‘blue’ won’t make sense without my question. So answer by saying, ‘My favorite color is blue.’” People will likely forget this during the interview, and that’s okay. You may need to stop them at the get-go, and say, “I’m sorry, could you start that over, and say, ‘My favorite color is…’ at the beginning of it?”

7) Then start asking questions. Here’s the best starting question: “What’s your story?” Why is this a good question? Most people know why they’re there. They know why they’re being interviewed. And it’s their story, so they can tell it. It just gets them talking. Sometimes, this is the only question you need to ask! Some people just take it from there. But the best thing is, it gets them talking, and comfortable. They may not say anything usable, but it helps you get to know them, and gets them comfortable talking on camera.

8) Remember to ask open ended questions. “How old were you when the house fire happened?” is a closed question. It has a simple answer. Here’s a better question: “Tell me a little about what your life was like just before the fire.” Phrases like, “Describe for me…” or “Tell me about…” or “Could you tell the story of how…” get people talking. Guide people. Help them tell their story if they don’t naturally know how to tell it. Some people are linear. Some are scattered. Some speak in easy to edit soundbites. Some can’t say a complete sentence. It’s your job to help them find the words to tell their story.

9) Converse with your face. You’ve got to stay quiet while they respond. This is surprisingly hard to do. We naturally want to respond with various grunts and sounds that let the other person know they’re being heard. So let your face encourage them. Raise your eyebrows. Smile. Nod sympathetically. Try to have a conversation, even though it’s really a monologue. But let your face speak when your mouth can’t.

10) Have your final product in mind; you may need to circle around again. Occasionally, I’ll know that from our 20 minute interview, we’re needing a 30 second video. And if a person is rambling or I know it will be hard to edit, at the very tail end of the interview, I’ll say this: “I want you to try something. Just for kicks, let’s imagine this: We’ve been talking for quite a while about your story. Imagine you have only a minute to tell someone the gist of your story. Could you do that for me? Your story is really great, and it may just help me in my editing to have you saying your story in a different way.”

If there’s one important thing you really need them to say, and they haven’t said it, just ask them! Here, it’s okay to have a closed question, too, if there’s a really specific thing you’re wanting to hear. Often I’m conducting an interview that someone else has set up, and there’s a specific story or piece of data that they’re looking for. So if you haven’t heard your subject say it, just ask! For instance, “You know, we’ve talked a lot about growing poverty in Johnson County. I heard a stat earlier, and I was wondering if I could just get a quick and simple statement saying, ‘The percentage of children under the poverty level has increased in our county by 53%.’” And then the person will say it, and you can edit it in. But I usually save these “clean up” questions for the end. It’s best to just let someone talk naturally.

11) One good question to end with: “Is there anything I’ve missed? Is there a question you were hoping I would ask, or something you think is important to share that my questions might not have arrived at?” You’d be surprised. Often, someone gives an overall summary or a closing statement that’s pure gold. Sometimes, they shrug and say, “Nope, that’s it.” But asking this question allows that you may not know the whole story, and that blind spot may make you miss the best part of the story.

12) Keep rolling. So you’re all done. You’re wrapping up. You breathe a sigh of relief and say, “Thank you so much for giving us a few minutes of your time. That was fantastic. Thanks so much.” And then, a lot of times, someone will actually continue. They will say, “Well, you know, this was such a life changing event for me. I can’t believe what God has done here…” and it’s almost as though, once the “interview” is over, they just start talking freely! So after it’s officially wrapped and I’m just saying nice pleasantries, I keep the tape rolling. The subject will sometimes start speaking more freely or more concisely or more honestly than they have during the entire “official” interview time. The first couple of times this phenomenon happened, I had already stopped rolling tape. But I learned to keep recording, and to shut up if they keep speaking, and grab one or two more soundbites that might be great. It doesn’t always happen that I get anything usable, but it’s happened enough times to make me keep rolling until they actually stand up and have taken their mic off.

So there you have it. These are the things I find myself doing, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously. Your mileage will vary. But hopefully these tips will help you get the most out of the time you spend interviewing someone.

I took these pictures in Belton, MO. There’s a little train that runs there. They have an open car with picnic tables where the kids can get hot dogs and a train hat, and the train goes down the track for about 20 minutes, then reverses and comes back. All in all, good fun for the family. At the station, there are some other decommissioned engines and cars that one can photograph and explore, too. So I did. Click on the thumbnails to see larger versions.

My family on the train

(Wondering what HDR photography is? Here’s my page about it. )

This September 11, a Sunday, is the 10 year anniversary of September 11, 2001. Many churches will hopefully be doing something to acknowledge this awful day in American history. Scroll all the way down for links to versions of media you can use in your worship services.

At my church, the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS, we’re actually starting a series this Sunday, Aug. 21, called “Ten Years Later”. We always share our videos and graphics with any church that wants them after we’ve used them in worship. But for this year, it would make no sense to make them available after the fact, since this is a one-time anniversary event. So we’re making our materials available immediately.

Below is the video (conceived and directed by Alex Schwindt, with help from me and Jason Watson) that we put together to promote the series. It would also be appropriate as a bumper to start off a sermon. There’s an alternate version, too, that doesn’t have the text at the end, in case someone wants to add a different title. The idea behind this video was to reflect not on the horror of that day, but on how it inspired people to love and service.

Scroll all the way down to the links at the bottom for both HD and standard definition QuickTime versions of this. There are also links to the text-free version.

Also, there are 2 JPG still images based on the Polaroid concept that may be of use to you (one that says “Ten Years Later” and one that is blank).

Two more images (bulletinart and textbackground images, below) are also provided. These have a completely different look. These were images made from photos we took of a large beam from the World Trade Center. A fire station here in Kansas City acquired it, and we’re assisting with fundraising to build a 9-11 memorial here in KC that will have this beam as its centerpiece. Feel free to use these images in your worship services, as well.

UPDATE: There’s now a video of this beam, 30 seconds long, that you’re welcome to download. (Again, all links are at the bottom of this post.)

There’s another video I’d like to share with you, too. Years ago, for the one year anniversary of 9-11, I made a video set to the Alan Jackson song, “Where Were You WHen the World Stopped Turning?” I created it with a click track and performed it live while the images were projected. You can preview that video below, and also download a full resolution QuickTime movie at the bottom of this page. There is also a click track version, with the song in the left channel and the click track in the right channel.

Right-click on the links below to download media.

The story, set in the early 60′s, is about a white woman (Skeeter, played by Emma Stone) in Jackson, Mississippi, who decides to write about something that troubles her: The lives of black women in the South, known as “the help”, who take care of white families, feeding them, cleaning their homes, and raising their children.

But to write about them, she must get to know them, and two of the maids (played perfectly by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) courageously open up to her and provide her a gateway to seeing the world through their eyes.

The foil in all of this is the Junior League President, Miss Hilly Holbrook (played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who really sinks her teeth into this one dimensional role), an evil and manipulative racist.

The screenplay wisely streamlines the book, hitting the high points of the plot while minimizing others, keeping emotional depth and giving nuanced and at times riotous touches of humor. The biggest thing that didn’t translate to the screen was the abject fear that Skeeter and the maids had of their identities being revealed, knowing that, in the South in those days, it could lead to being fired, beatings, or even death.

Though the movie has a  lighter touch, it really works, carried by the incredible performances, and had the audience at my screening applauding the inevitable comeuppance due Miss Hilly, and applauding as the credits began to scroll.

Rating: Worth 6 of my 7 run-on sentences. What’s YOUR rating? Join the dialogue, and comment below!