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How to Avoid 'Popcorn Time' in Worship

Does your worship begin with “popcorn time”?

What is “popcorn time” you ask? Good question.

Before 1955, there was a reoccurring problem at the beginning of feature films. Much like today, films began with credits introducing the cast and eventually the title of each film. The problem was that opening titles were basically devoid of creativity. In fact, audiences and projectionists resented them.

Film producers went so far as to imprint a note on film reels requesting that the projectionist “pull curtains before title”, as they’d often wait until the main title came up to open the curtains to reveal the screen.

As you can imagine, audiences would typically wait until the opening titles were over to pay attention to what was happening on the screen. It created an environment where moviegoers would spend the first several minutes of a film buying and munching away on popcorn, until a film’s title was revealed and the narrative began.

This all changed when “The Man With the Golden Arm” came out in 1955. It began in what was then an unconventional/paradigm-shifting way, where the titles were done not just with text, but with moving graphic elements. Graphic artist Saul Bass created for that film what is now know as “the title sequence”.  You can see it here:

Simple by today’s standards, this title sequence ushered in a whole new method of storytelling that has continued on into today’s summer blockbusters.

Saul believed that the opening titles could be used to set a mood that would invite viewers in to the underlying core of a film’s story.  He saw opening titles as a metaphorical extension of a film’s narrative.

Bass described title sequences like this: “I saw the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional resonance with it.”

While we don’t run credits at the beginning of worship, many of our services begin in the exact same way from week to week, often stuck in a rut of repetition and lacking much in the way of creative expression.

In working with worship design teams for over 14 years, and I often encounter reluctance to putting highly creative elements up front for fear that they may be missed by a large number of attendees. The response is often “people come late and will probably miss it. We should probably put it later in the service”.

Of course, they’re right when they say that. Many churches have created a popcorn time mentality by doing things the same way nearly every week. I’ve over heard people saying, “we’ve got time, we’ll just miss the singing” more than once.

Until the mold is broken, a sense of intrigue and mystery about worship won’t replace popcorn time. We’ll remain in our status quo methodology and will miss opportunities to really engage worshipers at a deeper level.

So how do worship designers go about losing popcorn time? Consider the following 3 ways:

Opening Movie Clip, Original Video or Animation

One of the most effective ways to get the attention of your congregation to begin with a Hollywood film clip. Hollywood film clips have great production values, address questions and situations that may later be addressed by the sermon, and can often create an instant point of connection for those who recognize the film, actors and so on. While it might be tempting to let clips reside in the sermon time, starting with a clip can usher people into worship in a powerful way. Obviously there are things to consider like ratings, copyright and so on, but these can all be overcome.

Original video clips are also a great way to begin worship. Since they are usually created with the rest of the service in mind, they can set up everything else that is to come. They also can feature familiar faces, settings and stories.

An opening animation can also be a great springboard into the rest of the service; especially if you work in series. They can both set up and remind your congregation of what the message/series is all about. Check out the Odyssey trailer below that I created for a series last fall at Ginghamsburg church in Tipp City, Ohio.