Christmas Media Review ’05 by Greg Atkinson
Season’s greetings! Each year I like to review the new Christmas media products available to your church, as well as remind you about some that have been out for a while.

Last year I introduced a new company called Flashlight Films. This year I want to introduce two new companies: SermonVideosand The Work of the People.

Craig Lillard, founder of Visual Reality, has been producing cutting edge videos for a while now and has made Visual Reality a must-have resource for youth ministry. Now Craig has started SermonVideos to reach all ages with his quality work.

Travis Reed, founder of Highway Video, has been a pioneer, trail-blazer and an artist to watch for many years now. Travis has recently moved to Houston, TX and has started a new company called The Work of the People.

We are very excited about both new ventures, wish them the best and look forward to the fresh and engaging art they produce!

So, you ask, “What’s out there as far as Christmas resources?”  Usually, I would list off and review all the best stuff and then send you to 12 different websites. This year I’m very pleased that all the best Christmas media is available in one place. My hope is that this review will be a real help and timesaver to you this busy time of year. Let’s dive in!

HERE’S WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR:

• Digital Hotcakes: Worship Series VOL 6 - Holidays (20 loopable backgrounds for $50)
• Highway Video: Christmas Seasonal V6 (Contains 2 mini-movies and 13 editable video clips for $55)
• Flannelgraf: Christmas (Contains over 230 high quality images for $50)
• Flashlight Films: Incarnation (New video for $20)
• Igniter Media: Christmas V.1 (Contains a mini-movie, 5 motions and 8 stills for $25) and the Narnia Collection, which is WorshipHouse’s new House Collection (Contains a countdown, 2 loops and 5 stills for $25)
• iWorship: Christmas MPEG Video Library (Contains 8 music videos, including full, split and click track versions for $50)
• Midnight Oil: Rediscover Christmas (Full-featured holiday resource includes multiple versions of the same visual themes for worship and promotional outreach for $75)
• SermonVideos: Christmas Pak (Contains a new mini-movie, countdown and 12 motion backgrounds for $40)
• The Work of the People: Emmanuel video (New video for $15)
• Worship Films: Visual Christmas (Contains 2 countdowns, 10 loopable backgrounds, 1 Long Play and 3 mini-movies for $50)
  
  HERE’S WHAT I’VE USED IN THE PAST:
  
• Angelhouse Media: Mirrors: The Christmas Collection (A collection of 5 inspiring videos for $60). All 5 videos are cool. We used “Snow” at my church. Major props to Angelhouse for the way they did their “Winter Storm” video (it moves backwards the whole time) – like Jack Johnson’s video.
• Highway Video: Christmas02 ($55), Christmas03 ($55), Christmas 04 ($55) – every year is great. I love and still use the “Babe in the Straw” video from ’02 and “Silent Night” from the ’03 video. Last year’s video “I Repent” is a winner. Great song. Powerful video.
• Flashlight Films: Christmas Worship Elements (6 mini-movies and 40 high quality images for $60), Christmas Stock Footage (33 editable video clips for $100) – both are HIGH quality products shot on 35 mm film.
• Midnight Oil: Follow the Star ($75) – like their new product for this year, it’s a full-featured holiday resource that includes multiple versions of the same visual themes for worship and promotional outreach.
• Radiate Films: Xtreme Christmas Backgrounds (8 loops and 8 stills for $25) – I wore this out last year. I went on and on about the snow clips that I love and used at my church.
• Worship Films: Special Holiday Mini-Collection (Contains 5 Long Plays for $35) – This was one of my top picks in ’04. The “Nativity Impressions” got a lot of use from us last year. I’ve also used several things from their “Holiday Collection” and “Winter Holidays”.
• Worship Photos: Christmas Peace and Winter Serenity (Over 116 high quality images on CD for $95 or downloadable package for $80), Christmas Reflection and Winter Beauty (172 high quality images – CD/$95 or download/$80), The Amazing Christmas Story(Over 117 high quality images - CD/$95 or download/$80), The Christmas Mini Collection(24 backgrounds in a zip download for $30) – You get what you pay for. These collections aren’t cheap, but they don’t look cheap either.

 

Need a little more help searching through all the Christmas resources?

 

GREG’S TOP PICKS FOR

       Singles:

• “He Came” by WorshipFilms. This short film can be used in many ways. I would have this playing on the screen pre-service, as people are coming in. Yes, you can download this as an individual video, but the amount of resources (2 countdowns, 10 loops, 1 Long Play and 3 mini-movies for $50) you get in the “Visual Christmas” collection makes this volume the best value of the season. I really dig the “Christmas Countdown”.
• “Incarnation” by Flashlight Films. This brand new video is growing in popularity. I was impressed with the depth and realness of the video. This short film is available as an individual download for $20 or is free with the purchase of any other Flashlight Christmas volume, making this the best deal of the season.

Volumes:

• “Christmas” by Flannelgraf Pictures should find a spot in any church’s media library that’s tired of boring pictures and backgrounds and hungry for classic art. Though each picture is available for individual download, the entire volume featuring over 230 pictures for $50 is your best bet.
• “iWorship Christmas” featuring 8 Christmas songs and videos ready as is or to sing along with the split track or if you’re really confident in your band – go with the click track!

 

      Value:

• “The Christmas Mini-Collection” from WorshipPhotos. This collection of 24 high quality pictures for $30 rings true for every church budget.
• “Christmas Pak” by SermonVideos contains a mini-movie, countdown and 12 motion backgrounds for $40. You can purchase each element alone, as a whole or get the 12 motion backgrounds for $30. Your way, right away!

 

      Originality:

• “A Child Is Born” by Igniter Media shows the diversity and creativity of this company and its products. Made using flannel board graphics, this 3 minute vignette brings the Christmas story to life. The child narration is a nice touch.
• “Emmanuel” by The Work of the People doesn’t have a neat ending; it's something to show and then wrestle with like stories in the Bible. Not obvious, it’s something for your people to engage with and that makes it the most original piece of the season. The leader’s guide by EcclesiaChurch pastor, Chris Seay, is a great supplement, too.

     As always, I want to state that the above mentioned tools are simply that: tools. The message is paramount. The incarnation of Christ is what we celebrate this Christmas season – how God became man and lived among us.

     Because this story is so life-changing, so meaningful and important, I urge you to take the proclamation of it seriously. I review these products not to push a brand or company, but to encourage you and open your eyes to the many resources God has made available to His Church. Happy holidays!

 

© 2005 - Greg Atkinson

Greg Atkinson is the Director of WorshipHouse Media and Founder of MultisensoryWorship.com