The Blackbar Podcast

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On this week's conversation, Zach & Caleb join a talented panel of alumni and faculty from the University of Valley Forge Digital Media Department. In a preview of the first in a series of live webinars focused on live-streaming and the online church, the group shares best practices, tips, tricks, and techniques on a variety of topics.

Join the "UVF Church Media Help Desk" group on Facebook if you found this conversation valuable and would like to join the UVF team for their next live conversation!

Also, check out the YouTube links below for the past three weeks of Blackbar's Live-streaming videos:

Fast and Cheap Ways to Livestream Your Church Service THIS SUNDAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWzRqf73zzg

FREE Ways to Improve Church Livestream Engagement During COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D75Cr4GtUik

Building a Better Church Livestream with OBS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2D4plluMZI

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http://discord.blk.bar/

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Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, many churches are finding it impossible to meet in person, and they are having to find ways to move their ministries online. Facebook Live, IGTV, and YouTube Premiers have begun to fill the church newsfeeds, and the faces of pastors attempting to preach their first iPhone message to the internet have become common place. So how does all this help you, the media professional who's trying to keep your own church afloat?

On the team's first (Facebook) live episode, Zach, Nick, & Caleb talk practical and tangible ways that their churches and creative communities are responding to this crisis. From livestream tips to best practices for interacting online, the guys try to share what they're actively learning is most effective in this crazy season.

Check out the YouTube links below for the past two weeks of Blackbar's COVID-19 videos:

Fast and Cheap Ways to Livestream Your Church Service THIS SUNDAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWzRqf73zzg

FREE Ways to Improve Church Livestream Engagement During COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D75Cr4GtUik

Click the link below to join the Blackbar Community on Discord:
http://discord.blk.bar/

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http://discord.blk.bar/

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Learning new programs can be pretty intimidating, and when you have a software as prolific and professional as Adobe Photoshop, it's easy to get discouraged. Even though there's tutorials all over the internet, it's hard to figure out where to even start in the first place.

On this episode, Nick & Caleb talk tools, tips, and best practices for designing in Adobe Photoshop. Caleb shares some of the best ways that he's learned how to use Photoshop over the years, and the guys talk about how to make effective learning stick.

Check out the YouTube link below for this week's Blackbar video:

Five Advanced Photo Editing Tips for Church Photography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEv8ChX1B5k

Click the link below to join the Blackbar Community on Discord:
http://discord.blk.bar/

Episode Resources:

Tech Soup
https://www.techsoup.org/

Gimp
https://www.gimp.org/

Canva
https://www.canva.com/

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In the world of video production, planning and preparation is everything. From developing your concept to understanding your allotted resources, a good production rises and falls on the effectiveness of the planning phase. In video-speak, this planning phase is called "Pre-Production" and should be the first of three very important steps for every single video project.

On this episode, Nick, Caleb, and Zach talk about the value of pre-production as it applies to the creation of video-content. They discuss the TBS trifecta (aka Time, Budget, & Skills), and how developing a good pre-production workflow is only going to help improve the success of your video projects. Caleb also brings back a truly genius concept from episode 1 to try and stump Nick and Zach as they apply pre-production to their process of promoting this event.   

Check out the YouTube link below for this week's Blackbar video:

What Your Church Can Learn From This Year's Superbowl Commercials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLZp0H6zxiU

Click the link below to join the Blackbar Community on Discord:
http://discord.blk.bar/

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There's not an advertiser alive that doesn't want a bite of your church's marketing budget. They all seem to have convincing arguments as to why their platform is the most potent and cost-effective. How can you tell which ones are actually the best for your situation?

On this episode, Nick, Caleb, and Zach talk about impressions, conversions, and mass media. They discuss the value of having multiple "touch points" in church marketing regardless of your church's size (or marketing budget) and how to best leverage the resources that you do have. They also share some of the marketing tools that have been most effective in their own church communities.

Check out the YouTube link below for this week's Blackbar video:

You Might Be Wasting Your Church Marketing Budget:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlOAEYStRoo

Click the link below to join the Blackbar Community on Discord:
http://discord.blk.bar/

Extra Links:

Rethink Communication: A Playbook to Clarify and Communicate Everything in Your Church by Phil Bowdle
https://cfcclabs.lpages.co/rethink/

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Graphic design is a staple in today's culture as it's effectively used in everything from professional business strategies to marketing for Tik Tok. We see time and time again that the culture around us is on the front lines of understand relevancy, leveraging innovative design, and creating trends. So what does that mean for the church?

On this episode, Nick and Zach play devil's advocate and ask Caleb a few questions about whether or not high quality graphic design is important for churches. They also discuss the value of understanding cultural trends and what being "relevant" could mean for the church. 

Check out the YouTube link below for this week's Blackbar video:

5 Fonts Your Church Should Stop Using:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGxZ4AM1uOM

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http://discord.blk.bar/

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On the second part of a two episode interview, the guys talk with their old college professor Dan Desrosiers, who is now the Creative Arts Pastor at Connections Church in Pennsylvania. During part 2 of the interview, Dan talks about the disconnect between creative roles & expectations, the prevalence of disenfranchisement specifically in church creatives, & the importance of being intentional in developing a legacy.

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http://discord.blk.bar/

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On the first part of a two episode interview, the guys talk with their old college professor Dan Desrosiers, who is now the Creative Arts Pastor at Connections Church in Pennsylvania. During part 1 of the interview, Dan talks about his background in media, his experiences in ministry around the world, and the importance of relationships within ministry.

Click the link below to join the Blackbar Community on Discord:
http://discord.blk.bar/

Join the Blackbar Discord to keep the conversation going:
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The church bulletin has been a staple of most modern Christian churches for as long as we all can remember, but is it really a good use of our time and resources?

On this episode, the guys talk about how Grand Rapids First killed their church bulletin. They discuss why they killed it, how they killed it, and how they managed to get a huge change like that through to their church's leadership. They also talk about the importance of developing trust and clear communication with leadership and how both of those things are vital to the success, and health, of any media-based ministry.

Check out the YouTube link below for this week's Blackbar video:

Why We Killed Our Church Bulletin
http://bit.ly/BlackBarEp5

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http://discord.blk.bar/

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When your paycheck is dependent on your creative output or your ministry is hinging on an "original" project, a drought of inspiration can set you back for weeks. Whether you're in ministry or not, we've all spent hours wasting away in front of a blank canvas. Not only is it frustrating, but it's also discouraging.

On this episode, Caleb, Nick, and Zach talk about how to break the "creative block" cycle and find inspiration in your own unique way.

Check out the YouTube link below for the Blackbar video that pairs with this week's podcast:

How to Never Have Another Creative Block. Seriously.
http://bit.ly/BlackBarEp4

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