NOOMA
Encyclopedia
NOOMA is a series of short films produced by Flannel promoting spiritual perspectives on individual life experiences. The name NOOMA comes from a phonetic spelling of the Greek word meaning "wind," "spirit," or "breath."
teaching pastor Rob Bell
. The NOOMA videos are subtitled in English
, Spanish
, French
, German
, Portuguese
, Mandarin, and Korean
.
or the Chicago area. However, NOOMAs "Today | 017" and "Name | 018" were both filmed in the Jacksonville, Florida area.
The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
is prominent in "Trees". A restaurant called The Rainbow Grill in Grandville, Michigan
was used for "Sunday". The Gerald R. Ford International Airport
is featured in "Luggage". The Van Andel Arena
is featured in "Bullhorn". A beach along Lake Michigan
is featured in "Kickball". "Breathe" is shot in the Lake
station on the Red Line
in downtown Chicago. "Open" was filmed at the new Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, Michigan three months before the hospital opened its doors. "Shells" was filmed primarily at the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University with several shots of Rob Bell sitting in the Steelcase Library.
The public can register to be an extra
on the Flannel website.
Since November 2002, Flannel has distributed the films through their website, NOOMA.com. A soundtrack featuring music from the first ten films (plus "Flowers" from 013) became available in December 2005 through NOOMA.com and digital music outlets.
started distributing the series, making it available to retail markets.
The entire look of the NOOMA series changed when Zondervan began distributing the films.
Previously, the first 10 NOOMAs had been available as DVDs in clear and light blue plastic packaging.
New packaging which accompanied the re-release of 001–010 and all subsequent episodes features a paper case and a 32-page discussion book. The books feature Scripture, stills from the film, questions related to the film's topic, and a single fun fact for each episode, usually about some production aspect of the film.
, both independent artists that are not employed by NOOMA.
Format
Each film is about 10 to 14 minutes of teaching related to real-life situations. Each short story covers a specific topic, usually by relating various experiences from a Christian perspective. Each NOOMA video features the teaching of Mars Hill Bible ChurchMars Hill Bible Church
Mars Hill Bible Church is an American non-denominational Christian megachurch located in Grandville, Michigan. The teaching pastor is Rob Bell.-History:...
teaching pastor Rob Bell
Rob Bell
Robert Holmes "Rob" Bell Jr. is an American author and pastor. He is the founder of Mars Hill Bible Church located in Grandville, Michigan and is also the featured speaker in a series of spiritual short films called NOOMA.-Education and ministry:Bell is the son of Judge Robert Holmes Bell, who was...
. The NOOMA videos are subtitled in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Mandarin, and Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
.
Notable locations
Most NOOMAs featuring are shot on location in Western MichiganWestern Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrarily selected region in the U.S. state of Michigan in its Lower Peninsula. There is no official definition for what constitutes "West Michigan." The area of West Michigan may also include parts Southern Michigan.-Definition:In general,...
or the Chicago area. However, NOOMAs "Today | 017" and "Name | 018" were both filmed in the Jacksonville, Florida area.
The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is named after Amway Corporation, which is based in nearby Ada Township.Originally known as The Pantlind Hotel , Amway Grand Plaza Hotel reopened in 1981 after extensive renovations done by Marvin DeWinter & Associates including the...
is prominent in "Trees". A restaurant called The Rainbow Grill in Grandville, Michigan
Grandville, Michigan
Grandville is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,263 at the 2000 census. Grandville is one of the oldest suburbs of Grand Rapids, and was incorporated as a city in 1933....
was used for "Sunday". The Gerald R. Ford International Airport
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
Gerald R. Ford International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately southeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan in Cascade Township. Originally called Kent County Airport and later Kent County International Airport; in December 1999 the airport was renamed for former resident Gerald R....
is featured in "Luggage". The Van Andel Arena
Van Andel Arena
The Van Andel Arena is a 10,834-seat multi-purpose arena, situated in the Heartside district, of Grand Rapids, Michigan. After a $75 million construction effort, the arena opened on October 8, 1996 and since has attracted over five million patrons. It is home to the popular Grand Rapids Griffins...
is featured in "Bullhorn". A beach along Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
is featured in "Kickball". "Breathe" is shot in the Lake
Lake/State (CTA)
Lake is an 'L' station on the CTA's Red Line. Lake is a transfer station between the Red Line and the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple Lines at the State/Lake station...
station on the Red Line
Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago , on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood...
in downtown Chicago. "Open" was filmed at the new Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, Michigan three months before the hospital opened its doors. "Shells" was filmed primarily at the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University with several shots of Rob Bell sitting in the Steelcase Library.
The public can register to be an extra
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
on the Flannel website.
Production and distribution
A non-profit company makes the NOOMA films. The company was originally called Fringe, but later changed their name to Flannel. The company is located in Grandville, Michigan. http://www.flannel.org/Since November 2002, Flannel has distributed the films through their website, NOOMA.com. A soundtrack featuring music from the first ten films (plus "Flowers" from 013) became available in December 2005 through NOOMA.com and digital music outlets.
New distributor, new packaging
In March 2005, ZondervanZondervan
Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association .- History :...
started distributing the series, making it available to retail markets.
The entire look of the NOOMA series changed when Zondervan began distributing the films.
Previously, the first 10 NOOMAs had been available as DVDs in clear and light blue plastic packaging.
New packaging which accompanied the re-release of 001–010 and all subsequent episodes features a paper case and a 32-page discussion book. The books feature Scripture, stills from the film, questions related to the film's topic, and a single fun fact for each episode, usually about some production aspect of the film.
NOOMA series
- 001 | Rain: "Things don't always work out the way we want them to."
- 002 | Flame: "What's up with the word love?"
- 003 | Trees: "Do our lives really matter?"
- 004 | Sunday: "Why do we do the things we do?"
- 005 | Noise: "Why is silence so hard to deal with?"
- 006 | Kickball: "Why can't we always have what we want?"
- 007 | Luggage: "It isn't always easy to forgive."
- 008 | Dust: "Does God believe in us?"
- 009 | Bullhorn: "Can we separate loving God and loving others?"
- 010 | Lump: "A lot of us have done things in our lives we are ashamed of."
- 011 | Rhythm: "What does it mean to have a relationship with God?"
- 012 | Matthew: "Suffering the loss of someone we love can be the most difficult thing in life to deal with."
- 013 | Rich: "Maybe God has blessed us with everything we have so we can bless and give to others."
- 014 | Breathe: "Our physical breath is actually a picture of a deeper spiritual reality."
- 015 | You: "Some of the central claims of the Christian faith are the source of many discussions and heated debates. But are we always debating the right things?"
- 016 | Store: "We all get angry about things from time to time."
- 017 | Today: "How much time and energy do we spend wishing things were how they used to be?"
- 018 | Name: "Why are we so concerned with what other people think, say, or look like?"
- 019 | Open: "What if there’s more to prayer than just God listening and answering?"
- 020 | Shells: "What are we really doing with our time?" (May 2008)
- 021 | She: "When we omit the feminine, are we missing a very fundamental part of God's nature?" (August 2008)
- 022 | Tomato: "Do we try so hard to live the perfect life that we miss out on how to truly live?" (November 2008)
- 023 | Corner: "Why is it that often when we get what we want, we still feel empty?" (April 2009)
- 024 | Whirlwind: "What do we do when there aren't nice, neat answers?" (July 2009)
Soundtrack
Most of the music from the first ten NOOMA videos were released the soundtrack NOOMA Soundtrack | Volume 001 in December 2005. The soundtrack is available from Flannel.org and on iTunes. It features Brie Stoner and David VanderveldeDavid Vandervelde
David Vandervelde is an indie-pop songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his solo work and his studio collaborations with Wilco's Jay Bennett....
, both independent artists that are not employed by NOOMA.
| Track # | Name | Artist | NOOMA Video |
| 01 | Rain | Brie Stoner | > Rain |
| 02 | History | David Vandervelde | > Rain |
| 03 | Indiana | David Vandervelde | > Flame |
| 04 | Yum Choi Bo Ram | David Vandervelde | > Flame |
| 05 | All My Prayers | David Vandervelde | > Trees |
| 06 | Son of Gold | David Vandervelde | > Sunday |
| 07 | Slaves | Brie Stoner | > Noise |
| 08 | Can You Love Me | Brie Stoner | > Kickball |
| 09 | Instrumental | David Vandervelde | > Luggage |
| 10 | Wait | Brie Stoner | > Dust |
| 11 | Cheap | Brie Stoner | > Bullhorn |
| 12 | Heaven Weeps | David Vandervelde | > Bullhorn |
| 13 | Flowers | David Vandervelde | > Rich |
Music from other NOOMA videos
The later NOOMA videos feature music that is not on the soundtrack:| NOOMA Video | Artist | Name |
| > Lump | The Album Leaf | Over The Pond |
| > Rhythm | David Vandervelde | Moonlight (Instrumental) |
| > Matthew | The Album Leaf | Window |
| NOOMA Trailer | Aphex Twin Aphex Twin Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"... |
Girl / Boy |