I remember when Sally wrote about using a clip of Elastigirl for Mothering Sunday a few years ago. What an amazingly apt image, fruitful for discussion! I have a keen memory of watching "Star Wars" (the real first movie) with a youth group and discussing courage after a loss, remembering that the Force of God's Spirit will always be with you. Then one of the girls in the group lost her father unexpectedly two days later.
In the comments, I invite you to share a time you used (or experienced) a movie used effectively, recommendations for film series, or even times you used a movie and it *didn't* work out so well. Feel free to link to a post on your blog, as I did above.
And if you'd rather discuss Oscar fashion, that's okay, too.
I am in the midst of a movie series. We watch the movie on Friday night (maybe a quarter of the people who will attend on Sunday) and then I use the movie as a secondary text. I really am enjoying it. I think some people like it; others don't. But isn't that they way everything is?
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ReplyDeleteWhat movies are you showing?
I've never had the technology available to use film in the midst of worship. Hopefully some day I will. I've seen it done well and not so well. (Joan may remember from The Church Across The Street when a rather frightening clip from Harry Potter was used in a worship service, visibly upsetting the children in attendance--who were there specifically because the pastor for families was preaching. Yikes.)
ReplyDeleteBut I use film references in sermons occasionally. I think my favorite that I can recall is the use of "Pleasantville" in a T-Fig Sunday sermon. The scene where the son is using gray makeup to help his Pleasantville "mother" cover up the fact that she is now living a full-color life.
Oh, dear, Jules. That does sound like a scary choice!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly would be helpful to have all the technology available for illustrations, so that everyone can "get" the image more easily--though I imagine you did a wonderful job expressing it in words.
Have not had the technology to show film in worship, until recently - and I'm walking slowly in that direction - not wanting to overwhelm the skeptical with too much. That said - I do often share images from movies in the retelling. Latest -
ReplyDeletedescribing the ritual cleansing of 'Kid Shaleen' from "Cat Balou" as he went from the highly 'tuned' drunkard to the finely tuned gunfighter who's ready to face-off against the hired gun of the 'powers that be.'
Hi, RevBug! Thanks for stopping by! I don't mind using an image from a movie; what I don't like is a major plot description. (Is it movie sacrilege to admit I've never see Cat Ballou?)
ReplyDeleteI love using film clips in preaching, but I don't do it as often as I intend to. Sometimes I find it difficult to use them it in a way where the clip serves the message, rather than the message ending up organized around the clip (the tail wagging the dog, so to speak). But that's not just true of film clips; often, I find that the "great illustration" that comes at the beginning of the preaching preparation has to be let go of in order for the sermon to come together.
ReplyDeleteIn January I taught an adult ed class about reading pop culture through a theological lens. We used clips from all kinds of movies, from Places In The Heart (old) to the latest Harry Potter movie, with Lord of the Rings, the Secret Life of Bees, Horton Hears A Who, Amazing Grace, the Pursuit of Happyness, and Kung Fu Panda thrown in. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe do have the technology to use video clips in worship (usually...you know how technology can be) and we use a clip about once a quarter or so. A couple of times I have used two clips in one sermon/service, and that presents more of a tech challenge... People here are used to having video clips, videos for announcements/moments for mission, and other tech stuff in worship. But we also use powerpoint for every service (including the "traditional" ones) so that may be why. The thing is, it has to be pretty obvious why you're using it and how it connects, or else people get distracted by how they haven't seen a charlie brown christmas in a really long time and isn't that a sweet program and whatever happened to those days anyway and could our children's choir sing that song and maybe I should take the grandkids ice skating....
newhousesfromoldbricks, thanks for your comment. That's a great point. It certainly happens to me with illustrations and I can see how a clip might be the same way.
ReplyDeleteTeri, Kung Fu Panda? Really? :-)
I took a class in seminary called "Theological Issues in Film" and it was a unique look at many of the films from a theological perspective. I frequently use movie clips as illustrations to my sermons, and 3-4 times a year we will have a "movie night" in which we will watch a movie for the purpose of theological discussion. I think it is important to connect faith and the world/culture we live in. When we can successfully redeem the cultural metaphor in a sermon, every time people see it in everyday life, they are brought back to the connection with God made in the sermon.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites involve dogs. Dog spelled backward is God and you would be surprised how many times the dog in a film brings reconciliation, guidance, redemption, etc. No kidding. In "As Good as it Gets" the dog acts as the reconciler between Greg Kinear and Jack Nicholson's characters. And I love the dog in UP! (unconditional love). So the next time you see a movie with a dog in it, figure out if the dog has a purpose and how it may be tied theologically to life.
Kung Fu Panda, really. :-) We used a couple of clips on the day the theme of the class was Faith and Doubt. We used the one at the peach tree, and the one at the end where Po tells the bad guy "there is no secret ingredient--it's just you" as he looks at the scroll and sees his own image reflected at him. We also used it to talk about belonging/community.
ReplyDeleteDon't think I can use it in worship, but it made for a GREAT adult ed discussion!
I think a movie or movei series with discussion is the most promising way to use film in spiritual formation. I am always frustrated when a preacher enamored of a movie ruins it for those who haven't seen it by revealing most of the plot (bad habit of one pastor of my grad school parish, an otherwise excellent preacher. Another priest there who taught in the grade school did the same thing with Narnia and other fantasy books). This is why I didn't spend much class time discussing Avatar earlier this term, other than to affirm some of the students' recommendation that it was an excellent illustration of the book on Goddess spirituality we were reading at the time--and comment on that as the real reason behind the Vatican condemnation.
ReplyDeleteThe one time we saw a clip used, of Yoda teaching Luke to levitate his spaceship, it was deeply painful...but I can imagine that it might work if carefully done.
My kids are pretty sure that I can find a sermon illustration in any movie ... and they may be right. But my setting doesn't make movie clips easy so I don't usually use them. However, I have been part of using clips during worship at camp. In that setting, we use G rated movies or, rarely, PG. And, incidentally, we used Kung Fu Panda to talk about "calling" even when others have different expectations or understandings. I love that we're talking about this!
ReplyDeleteMy late-in-the-week (OK, late-in-the-night) sermon writing habit prevents me from using too many film clips in worship or preaching, but I've done it once or twice. I am totally with newhouse, though. Sometimes the great illustration/film clip idea I had on Tuesday doesn't fit as well when I end up writing the sermon I'm writing. I've scrapped the idea of using a film clip more than once on Saturday night because it just didn't fit anymore.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm really bad at watching movies for preaching help. I guess I actually sort of like that because I just get to enjoy movies and not have that nagging wonder about how I will use them.
I've used clips much more often in teaching, partly because there is more time to engage them (the clips and the people) in conversation. Part of my problem using movies in sermons is the need I feel to set it up so well. By the time I do that and shown the clip it feels like I've eaten up most of my preaching time.
I like experiencing it when it's well done. I just don't know that I do it well.
I used Joan of Arcadia with youth a LOT when I did youth stuff.
I have been able to use movie clips on occasion - copywrite is an issue for small places...and it was really challenging to set it up and use it...more often I use illustrations based on a portion, a scene, or a the general theme, of a movie...
ReplyDeleteLove to use movies if I can. I guess it is because I am a movie nut. However it seems more recently the movies I see are children's movies. And yes I use them. Kids love it. I often look for a movie if I preach in our contemporary to use. I referred to movies in my sermons as well.
ReplyDeleteJoan, I love what you are doing. Would love to do that.
I'm blessed to have the technology to easily use video in a sermon and often show videos from sermonspice.com or similar sites.
ReplyDeleteI have used clips from movies successfully twice.
The first was the scene from Finding Nemo where Nemo and his dad have an argument, Nemo runs out to touch the boat and screams at his dad, "I hate you!" This conveyed that very familiar scene that every family has had without me having to use a vague illustration or share some teenage horror story - which I try to avoid since I am a 20-something pastor and don't need to reinforce my youth by telling a story like that from not too long ago.
The second was showing a clip from the "The Story of Us" where Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer argue and are on the verge of divorce.
In both instances the clips brought the right emotion into the room without my need to be self-revealing in inappropriate or uncomfortable ways.
Mompriest you can use wingclips.com either by the clip or a subscription. I paid for it myself and deducted it as a professional expense. Even as a student, when I've talked I've tried to use a movie clip.
ReplyDeleteAn effective one a couple of years ago was from the movie The Devil Wears Prada where the young woman tried to morph herself into someone that her boss and the fashion girls would like... and in so doing jeopardized all of her relationships. The scene was from her argument with her boyfriend over going to Paris (it was very effective.)
I don't have an active subscription right now since I'm blocked from preaching... but when I do again - I will pick that right back up.
P.S. Demi Moore - can you say "botox"????
A few years ago, we used clips from "Because of Winn-Dixie" throughout a women's retreat, and then on Saturday night we pulled out the popcorn and watched the whole thing; it worked beautifully. Another year, for one discussion, we used the scene from West Wing where Bartlett is in the Nat'l Cathedral and rails at God; that is a truly amazing clip.
ReplyDeleteWe don't really have the technology in church to use video; it is so cumbersome that it would be distracting. We are about to get a new TV in our parish library that will make it much easier for classes, youth group, etc. and we're all looking forward to that.
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ReplyDeletehmmm, think I'll pass on the viagra, comment above, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've never really been in churches with the technology to do films - tho' now I'm away on placements, I beleive my home church finally does have the technology. Looking forward to seeing if I get a shot at it over summer when I'm back there. Have used plenty of movies as sermon illustrations, but remember a minister who did so every single sermon - still, always knew what movies he thought were good, bad or just plain ugly... but it did end up becoming a distraction from the sermon in the end, as we all waited for Nev the Rev's weekly movie musings, lol!!
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ReplyDeleteSorry, Nik. The moderator has to sleep sometime!
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ReplyDeleteI don't want to use it in a sermon - but my Job Bible Study - absolutely: A Serious Man. Loved it. Part of it was that I was so relieved that it was funny (if you like the Cohen brothers' humor, which I do)
ReplyDeleteThe DVD just came out, I think.
Sorry you are dealing with so many auto-troll comments, Songbird... :P
ReplyDeleteCrumbs SB - there were a few nonsense ones weren't there! Keep up the good work ma'am :D
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