Film and Video
The Jesus Film Media app is now available (currently in beta) for iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets.
It features the films JESUS, Magdalena, Story of Jesus for Children in full length and segments; the series Following Jesus and Walking with Jesus and catalog of short films like My Last Day.
Users have the ability to find resources by country, language name, theme and title of the film. Languages are being added, with the aim that users will have free access to films in over 1,100 languages. [more...]
"I realised that no translation was worth anything if my children didn't read it on their own because they wanted to. The burning question for me as a parent was how do I get my children into the word of God so that the word of God would get into them? As a professional illustrator the answer became obvious."
The Illustrated Bible - containing the historical books of the Old and New Testaments - is available in two formats: as illustrated pages and as video. Each Bible story selection contains the full Bible text with accompanying images.
The videos are made from the still images, with the camera moving over the illustrations, zooming in and out, and panning across. The images are realistic rather than using a cartoon style.
There are several free Bible stories and video clips to view online or download, as well as others to purchase. Translation and dubbing is possible into other languages. [more...]
The JESUS Film Project is developing a Digital Media app to make all of the JESUS films and related videos (Magdalena, Children's version, short films, discipleship films, etc.) in all languages available via smartphone and tablet apps.
"As revolutionary as Bill Bright’s original vision was to reach the world through the university campus, so the new Digital Media app could have just as much potential to transform the world. Tens of millions of people in closed nations will be able to see and hear the gospel on their smartphones or video tablets in their heart language─no matter where they live or how dangerous it may be for Christians there. And people can link anyone to the app through Facebook, a blog or a Tweet with Twitter."
You can find more details and an introductory video on the JESUS Film website. [more...]
Producer: Viña Studios, Sololá, Guatemala, Central America
Deditos is a video Bible story series targeting children between the ages of 4 and 14. Considering the challenges faced by children throughout the two‐thirds world, the stories are carefully chosen to reveal God's character, his dealings with mankind, and his never‐ending desire that we draw closer to him.
Each episode includes:
- the Bible story dramatized in roughly 23 minutes with real‐life fingers as actors, incorporating a song the kids can learn;
- PDF files of five dynamic lessons based on the story, including print and audio versions of the teacher’s guide and pages with interactive activities for the children.
The complete Deditos series will include 21 stories with a major emphasis on the Old Testament. The videos are being produced originally in Spanish, in sets of three each year.
Download the document below for more details, go to the Deditos website, www.deditos.org, or view the first videos at www.vimeo.com/deditos. [more...]
How do you get Scripture video into a format that people can watch and share on their mobile phones? You'll need a program that can convert video to 3GP and MP4 file formats.
In this paper, David Phillips compares three video conversion programs: Miksoft’s Mobile Media Converter, Acala 3GP Movies Free, and Any Video Converter.
Choosing the right video file type can take some trial and error with sample phones among your target audience. You might need to distribute mobile phone video in at least two file types. For example, H.263 3GPP (.3gp) video files are used for many low-end phones with small screen sizes and less powerful processors. MPEG-4/H.264 (.mp4 or .3gp) video files are what you'll need for higher-end phones and smartphones (such as the iPhone) which have larger screen sizes and faster processors.
There are all kinds of options to choose from (video and audio codecs, bitrates, frame rate, sampling frequency, screen size, etc.), so it can get complicated. That's why it's good to have a converter program that meets your needs and level of expertise, giving you the options you need but not too many to confuse you. [more...]
"For 1500 years the church preached. For 500 years the church has printed. We live in a transitional time in the history of the Church. Today we must preach, print and portray Jesus and His kingdom."
The Visual Story Network is a coalition of missional and creative Christians, seeking to (1) advocate for the need for visual story, (2) provide opportunities to connect and collaborate, (3) equip God’s people to create and use visual story, and (4) promote best practices and products.
The choice of medium can make a difference, and better artistic quality enhances any communication. However, the most important quality is how relevant the message seems to be to the lives of its hearers. If a hearer (or reader or viewer) thinks the message can make an important difference in his life, he will make an effort to listen, even if the quality is poor. Conversely, if he thinks it says nothing personally relevant, he will ignore even the best presented message. This principle of personal relevance is critical to communication.
Wayne Dye expands upon his third condition for Scripture Engagement:
Accessible forms: People are able to read the Scriptures or hear them from others or by listening to electronic media.
The article describes different ways of making the Scriptures more accessible: storying, literacy, local performing and visual arts, audio recordings, cell phones and video. [more...]
 | Matthew, John, Acts Published by: Visual Bible International Visual Bible International has produced film adaptations of Bible books on a word-for-word basis. Available are the Gospels of Matthew and John, and the book of Acts. [more...] |
Pilot programs have clearly shown that extensive word and concept explanations are often needed if a non-Christian is to understand the written text as read on a cassette. The explanations will need to be provided in a format that is appropriate to both the medium and the listening context. It may be... a dramatic series of daily readings, presented in the context of a village family, and a narrator who will provide the necessary help with background information so that the listeners can place the text in its geographical and cultural context.
Although written before much of the revolution in digital media, this book provides a lot of useful strategic input for those involved in media and Scripture Engagement.
It is divided into three sections:
- Foundational principles for use of media in church and mission – Biblical principles, communication models, research methods.
- Selected media descriptions – chapters on television, radio, video, audio cassettes, print, film, music, painting & dance-drama, computers
- Practical guidelines for media in church and mission – strategy, planning, production, testing, distribution, evaluation.
Renew World Outreach's mission is to assist missionaries and mission organizations with portable audio/visual tools to help reach the unreached nations of the world.
Their products include the Papyrus, a solar-powered audio player with impressive quality sound and volume.
They also have portable DVD players, solar powered presentation systems and portable projector screens - providing ways to deliver the message to large crowds, small groups or individuals. [more...]