When you think of a motion background, you probably think of a short, abstract loop that works really well behind worship lyrics. You may not always think of what’s called a Long Play background. These longer-form clips have a unique ability to add a deeper story-telling component to your backgrounds. (I wrote a post about some uses here).
A couple of weeks ago I was feeling particularly experimental, so I decided to throw a long play background behind the lyrics to a song we do fairly regularly (Beautiful Things by Gungor) to mix things up a little. I grabbed one of my favorites – CHIANG MAI SUNRISE by worshipVJ. After playing with it during rehearsal, I was really pleased to discover that the timing worked perfectly with our band’s timing. (NOTE: This is key when using Long Plays. A poorly timed background can be a huge distraction).
The 4:32 time lapse video begins in almost complete darkness and quickly progresses over several hours until the sun has fully risen over the city. This works great for the tone and story of Beautiful Things. We saw mostly darkness (with a few twinkling lights) as the song laments things like the pain and toil of our circumstances toward the beginning.
Then, a couple of minutes into the song, just as the worship team was about to begin their first refrain of “You make me new”, the sun popped up over the horizon and light showered over the city. For the next couple of minutes, as we repeated that line and praised God’s ability to bring life and beauty out of brokenness, the sun continued to rise over a once dark place.
It was super cool imagery, perfect for the song and the arrangement we played. I highly recommend giving it a try in your church!
