Reflecting the Glory of God Through Communication Arts
They created the stage backdrop and produced all of the videos shown during the Urbana 06 program. They spend much of their time creating videos for use on campus and in churches that speak to students about a variety of issues. They take the pulse of the student generation by conducting video interviews on timely subjects and they gather footage for InterVarsity archives.
They are “twentyonehundred productions,” the media division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, whose mission is to create communications tools that influence the hearts and minds of students and faculty.
Scott Wilson, director of communication for InterVarsity and director of twentyonehundred productions, said twentyonehundred productions “seeks to reflect back through the communication arts the glory of God.”
Twentyonehundred productions began in the 1960s when Eric Miller, a student at Fuller Seminary, and some fellow students used slides and music to produce an evangelistic multi-media presentation that they took to Nairobi, Kenya. In 1970, InterVarsity asked Miller and his friends to create a media show to use among college students. This show, the first of its kind using multiple slide projectors, was shown to thousands of people at Urbana 70.
They worked under the name Multi-Media Communication until they realized that the initials MMC were the Roman numerals for 2,100. They changed the name to twentyonehundred productions and it stuck.
Twentyonehundred productions has evolved into a team known for its quality films and compelling communication.
“We want to create pieces that sit along side the best,” said associate director Nate Clarke. “The quality of the work that we do reflects what we believe about God.”
At Urbana, twentyonehundred sent out three electronic news gathering crews (ENG crews) to do interviews and gather footage. The production team then edited and archived its work. Clarke said that by 10:30 p.m. the foundation for the daily film summaries was prepared, and by 1:00 or 2:00 a.m., the summary was completed.
Twentyonehundred productions also designed the stage backdrop, signs and other artwork for Urbana 06. Wilson said, “We began with the word of God and spent months studying it and thinking about it conceptually, and then we began to apply that to design.”
Twentyonehundred has been preparing for Urbana since November 2005, said Clarke. “We consciously made a decision at this Urbana to move toward story-based narrative documentary videos. As we created videos to equip God’s people to do God’s mission, we felt that story was the best way to do that.”
All the staff at twentyonehundred productions raise substantial support from churches and other sources. While InterVarsity gives them some money, most of this money goes toward media production.
Anyone who is interested in serving God through arts and media should know that twentyonehundred relies heavily on interns and is continually accepting applications. For more information, please visit the website at www.intervarsity.org/2100.
Darin Miller, a student at Grove City College, wrote the original version of this story, which appeared in Urbana Today.