Check out this less expensive alternative to neon lighting you can use in your stage designs. It uses LED lighting and is much more flexible…so it can be used in versatile ways. Continue Reading…
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Worship Visuals
When I look through Worship House Media‘s page (my favorite site for motion backgrounds), it takes me so long to root through all of the “churchy”, cheesy, or lame motion backgrounds…and I figured there are others with this same problem. So I put together a list of my favorite videos that I use during worship and a quick description of how I use them in worship. Hope this is useful! Continue Reading…
Dinosize Your Stage
Looking to put a giant, wooden dinosaur skeleton on your stage or in your kids’ room? Probably not…but maybe you should. Check out these awesome options you have for throwing a gigantic dinosaur skeleton on your stage. Could be a perfect option for a series on Creation vs. Evolution. Continue Reading…
Bottle Trees
Got a need for some modern art to spruce up a stage or a boring corner of your foyer? Steve Mullins from Barefoot Church came up with this inexpensive stage accent to spice up your real estate. Using 10′ lengths of 3/8″ and 1/2″ rebar from Lowe’s, he got his friend to weld various lengths together to form the branches of the trees. Continue Reading…
Light Boxes
Earlier in 2009 we did a series on worship called “That Thing You Do”. Our series graphics looked a lot like the poster for the movie, and I wanted to mirror that look on the stage. However, it was a short series, and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on stage props. So I found a cheap way to make light boxes that would also be cool during the music. Continue Reading…
Paper Lanterns
One of my favorite new stage design elements is paper lanterns. They are so inexpensive yet so cool…plus you can get them in pretty large sizes which work well for stages. We’ve started using them at the Summit Church to light the room, but here are some examples of paper lanterns used for stage designs:
Truss Your Heart
I love trusses…they’re just so expensive. When we bought our circular truss that we hang in the middle of our building…holding our projector and stage lights…we found the cheapest place to get it. We spent $1600 for a 13 foot diameter triangular circle truss. Pretty amazing, huh? Where did we get this amazing deal? I’m so glad you asked. Continue Reading…
Yo, Mondrian!
Mondrian was a Dutch painter in the early 1900s who used a certain concept in his paintings. Crossroads Community Church in Atlanta used this concept for part of their stage design. To create the Mondrian-themed pieces, they used 1″x2″ board bought from Home Depot or Lowes. They cut them into the right sizes, assembled the frames, and spray painted the frames glossy black.
Shoji…Oh, Gee!
Sometimes you want a really cool backdrop but don’t have a lot of stage depth to play with. Japanese shoji screens are a great way to add some life and texture to a stage without taking up a lot of space. You can buy them around $50 if you know where to look (like Hobby Lobby or Target), or you can spend a bit more depending on what types of shoji screens you’re looking for. They come in colors, patterns, or in plain white (my favorite). The thin translucent paper is perfect for both front or backlighting. Continue Reading…
Stage Drapery
John Weygandt, scenic designer at Willow Creek Community Church takes us through his favorite stage fabrics as well as giving us some ideas on hanging the fabrics. He talks a bit about the benefits of poly silk, nuvoile, and spandex (one of my personal favorites). The fabrics can be purchased at dazian.com and rosebrand.com. Continue Reading…
About the Editor
I write and speak about the creative process – especially for churches. Call me a resource for the church creative wanting to make their ministry better. Personal Blog - Twitter - Facebook