EVN Rest of Site Content | MV Development

***part 16: the shot list

Here's where it all comes together before you hit record.

Lots of previous sections in EVN have talked about your storyboard and referenced your shot list. A shot list is typically given to all the crew members on your set, and lists all the shots that are going to take place that day. After meeting as a team, choose one person who will act as director. He or she will begin to utilize the storyboard, along with the team’s input and notes on angles, lighting, and framing, to assemble a shot list that creates an order and direction of how the video will be created. And remember...

...the best filmmakers are the most prepared filmmakers.

How to use a shot list…

Top Line

If you and your team wish to have titles of Producer and Director feel free to fill in their names, but it may not be necessary for your production.

Scene Number

Your story board will help as you will number each scene (which can be called picture or frame). For instance, if you are planning to shoot at the church picnic, the cookout may be Scene #5 and have 3 different shots. Therefore, Scene #5 would be listed 3 times for each shot.

Shot Number and Angle

If you're filming parishioners BBQ-ing, how many different “shots” do you want? If you want to get footage of the hamburgers being cooked, do you want Shot #1 to be a Long Shot Profile of the grill masters? Shot #2 could be a Close-Up Frontal of the actual hamburgers on the grill.

Movement

It will be helpful to note if you're on a tripod or handheld here. Are you moving? Is your subject?

INT/EXT and Time of Day

Make notes here about natural and artificial lighting and location.

Shot Description and Notes

Important information about the shot is placed here. Do you want the camera to be hand held to create specific movement? Would you rather have it on a tri-pod? Do you need the grill masters to be laughing? Make notes.

Having your storyboard and shot list completed ahead of time will allow you to see your project before you even show up on set. You will be able to trouble shoot before an actual problem happens. Why? Because you saw it in your storyboard/shot list first.

***part 17: shoot like an editor

Keep a few things in mind while you're filming.

Another advantage of creating a storyboard and a shot sheet, even for a Welcome Video, is that you will know exactly what footage you need in order to create your story. If you know that you will only have a 5 second shot of children playing, then don’t spend 1 hour getting different angles of the tikes running around with Noah’s Arc. Find a couple angles that look exciting on your view finder, shoot 2 minutes clips from each angle, and move on.

Remember, once you are done shooting, you will upload all the footage onto your computer and then have to assess what makes the cut and what sees the trash. Options are good when you know exactly what you need. If you capture endless footage from various events, you will add hours to your time in front of the computer assessing which 10 second clip will best suit your needs.

Go get some great footage!

Try to remember everything you've learned so far about sound, lighting, framing, and storytelling as you capture your film.

***part 18: edit like a pro

Congratulations! You finished your shoot and now it is time to move onto post-production.

First things first, if you have NEVER edited before, all is well, but we would highly recommend watching a few online tutorials for either...

iMovie for Mac ...or… Moviemaker for Windows

Both programs are VERY user friendly, but the 10 to 20 minutes you spend watching a couple tutorials will save you hours in the long run. Remember, when in doubt, Google your question; someone has most likely written something about how to fix your exact problem.

EVN's Keys to Editing

before you begin...

#1 Get Organized

Once you have uploaded all your footage from your phone onto your computer via your editing program, peruse all your content and begin to organize it. This will help you to continue to clarify how you are going to craft your story and re-acclimate yourself with all available footage. If your software is sophisticated enough, make folders for different locations, sound bites, graphics, text, etc.

as you edit, remember…

#2 The Story

What story are you telling? Is your story that St Bede’s is full of ministries and good people? Is it that St Luke’s is an all inclusive and quirky community? Or, that All Saint’s is a contemplative space that is steeped in history? Hopefully, you have already made these decisions before you started shooting. Now you want to look through your footage and begin to choose which clips are going to best show off this story.

#3 Timing

Have a sense of the timing and style for the piece. How do you want your story to flow? Does it have a pace that is more staccato or legato? Look back at those original pieces you chose to be your models. These will give you inspiration and a source to emulate for your own work.

#4 Quick Cuts

Usually, you want to create a healthy balance of long and short cuts, but you will only have 2 to 3 minutes to show off your church. Choose your long cuts wisely. You are editing to create an effective tool of video evangelism, which is going to live in the wild world of the internet. This digital platform does not house the greatest levels of concentration, therfore it demands great skill from creators to compete for and attract millions of eyeballs. Quick cuts will facilitate eye movement through a quick and constant distribution of ideas and images, and hold your audience's attention.

#5 Transitions are Easy

“Fade to Black” is the one of the only transitions you can use and legitimately not look like a cable access program. Stay away from gimmicky transitions and fancy swipes. Your best option is to use no transition and just jump cut to your next clip. Watch any web video right now and you will see that this is the most popular. Check out a tutorial for transitions in [iMovie] or [Moviemaker].

as your film takes shape, think about…

#6 Stillness and Movement

When you are editing, you want to have a rich collection of moving and still shots. For instance, your interviews might be still shots. However, your coverage of the church BBQ might include the camera literally moving throughout all the attendees. Choose clips that will allow a balance of both. It creates a diversity of action for the viewer.

#7 Simple Text

Stay on Brand. You will be given multiple options from your editing program. Pick a font that best represents the feel and look of your church. Keep it to a minimal. Deliver the pertinent information (name, title, quote) and make it readable. [Here is a brief tutorial] on implementing text into your video.

#8 Music and Cuts

The overall key to editing is telling a complete story and finding a “flow” to your project, and music is a major tool for an editor to create this flow and lead the viewer through your story. An R&B beat can match longer clips that are possibly placed in slow motion, creating a feeling of sentimentality and thoughtfulness. A fast paced dance beat can match short and fast clips, creating a feeling of excitement and fun. [Here's a good tutorial] on editing with music.

and never forget…

#9 Feel It

Trust your Gut. If you think a clip is too long, shorten it. If it is too short, lengthen it. Your story- telling instincts will speak more loudly than any formal editing technique. Your ability to feel the movement of the story (Editing Key #3) will help you to trust your instincts and make the best decisions for the story.

Get other eyes on it.

Before introducing your video to the world, start first with sending a closed group link to trustworthy parishioners and outside voices. Make sure some of those outside voices are non-church goers, even non-believers. Often, they have the greatest nose for inauthentic or ecclesiastical messaging. Make the changes where you and your team seem fit and then share one more time with your trusted sources.

***part 19a: help them find it

Using good Search Engine Optimization will help drive traffic.

Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing your web content so people can easily find it when searching through sites like Google. You might create an incredible welcome video, but if you are not investing in its SEO; then, like many welcome videos, you will be stuck with 56 views after two weeks. Keys to creating a powerful SEO campaign can fill an entire manual. For the sake of the mission EVN, we will now review basic principles to move your video beyond the eyes of your congregation. Use as many of the tactics below as you can.

SEO content is any information created for the web with the goal of being consumed by the general populace. We will be focusing solely on developing a SEO strategy for your web based welcome video content, so these concepts may not pertain to helping with your rector's weekly blog.

SEO for Video Platforms in Action

There are plenty of YouTube videos that offer a easy to follow and simplistic guides to using Titles, Descriptions, and Tags to increase your search-ability. Click below to explore a quick tutorial on each one, especially the TAGS link.

[Title] [Description] [Tags]

Click the picture to download an SEO exercise, and get your team thinking about optimization.

***part 19b: help them find it

EVN's SEO Suggestions

#1 Word Placement

There are a few options of where to park your finished product. The easiest and cheapest way is on an established video platform like YouTube, Vimeo, or GodTube. These platforms offer 3 places to use words to increase your search-ability: •In the actual Title of your video. •In the description of your video. •In the Video's "Tags," which are a series of one to three word descriptions that flag your content.

#2 Tag Smart

Five types of Tags can help you get eyes on your video. Use as many as you can:

1) Specific: one word that describes your church video

2) Compound: Multiple words that describe the video itself (title of video, description of genre, style). Remove all articles and conjunctions.

3) Suggested: YouTube, Vimeo, GodTube, or whomever you are using suggests actual tags.

4) Generic: Very general single word tags

5) Misspelled: These are actually intentionally misspelled tags that potential users might errantly type in to find your church.

#3 Solve a Problem

When you encounter a general issue you need solving, the first words typed into your search key is either, “How do you…” or “Where can I find…” or “What is the…” You are in need of help and are seeking an answer. Your question to the internet leads hopefully leads to the right resource. Our goal now is to make sure that your video is laced with SEO strategy so it, too, can solve a church seeker’s problem. (Remember, your job is not to solve everyone’s problem.) Use Titles, Descriptions, and Tags to describe your video as a solution.

#4 Host on Your Site

Instead of giving away all of your web presence to a third party like YouTube or Vimeo, you can also host a video on your own site. Your SEO value will not be given away to a third party, and you will lead viewers directly to your site, instead of to YouTube, increasing the SEO value of your church’s site. Your video can then lead viewers to other valuable pieces of content on your website. Allowing others to embed your video on their page will also raise your SEO value. Then, you can use a 3rd party host with a condensed version of your video to [push people back to your site with annotations.]

#5 Stay Above the Fold

You want your video visible (whether embedded from YouTube or embedded directly to your site) in a place where the viewer does not have to scroll down to find it. Therefore, be cognizant of the amount of information before it on the site. Many users will skip it if they do have to scroll down to find it.

#6 One Video per Page

If you begin to create more than one welcome video or become inspired to create more, have them live on separate pages on your website. Too many videos, means more keywords, which leads to confusing those Google-bots. Less keywords mean more search-ability by Google.

#7 Provide a Transcript

This is SEO gold. It may seem laborious, but include every word that is spoken in the description section, whether you self-embed or use a third party like YouTube. By including the transcript, you allow a user to find the video based on the words spoken throughout the video.

***part 20: show off

SHARE, EXCITE, REPEAT

Your SEO tactics will help, but, at first, it will be up to a complete team effort to get the message out. During the announcements, have the rector make everyone pull out their smartphones, open up the video on-line, and then share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and any other social media platform. After a service, have an enhanced coffee hour with champagne and hors de oeuvres that will showcase the video on projection screen to garner some excitement. Get creative!

Tell EVN about your video!

[Contact us!]

<previous Table of Contents

***appendices

the EVN appendices

[Cell Phone Add-ons]

[Show & Tell Example Videos]

[Types of Shots]

Table of Contents

***Cell Phone Add-ons

Stands & Grips

[The Lollipod - $55 on Amazon]

This tripod for smart phones is very effective and worth the investment. You can use it for interviews, recording worship, or filming your Welcome Video! This one can dramatically make you life easier.

[The Joby Griptight - $18 on B&H Photo-Video]

Very affordable investment that allows you to attach the camera to just about anything its will wrap it arms around. Also, good to set up as a mini-tripod.

The Mobislyder - $70-190 on Amazon

Experiment with this gem to add interesting movement to your shots. Simple, easy, and keeps everything steady.

[Here is a video to show you the possibilities.]

SteadiCam Smoothee - $150 on Amazon

Very effective tool to help you with moving shots. For instance, if you want to circle around the subject for a 360 degree reveal, it will help keep your shot steady and stabilized. If you wish to walk with the camera, you will have a handheld stabilizing device.

Lenses

Smart phone cameras are getting better and better by the month. However, it does not hurt to upgrade the lens that comes with the phone. The following suggests a few upgrades that will increase the quality of your camera lens. If you have the budget, purchase one for your first shoot. If not, then wait until you wow your vestry with the first video and then ask for more money.

[Smartfocus 3 Lens Bundle - $70-120 on NewEgg]

A great bundle that gives you a case to create a more camera like grip and 3 lenses that will raise the quality of your shot: includes telephoto, wide-angle, and macro. ONLY FOR iPhones & customized for each iPhone model so choose wisely!

[Photojojo Lens Bundle - $20-49 on Photojojo]

These lenses can add a unique flair to any iPhone or Android shot. Be careful not to over do it: there's no need for a super-fisheye lens for interviewing your rector.

Phone Editing Software

You can even edit video right on your phone. Consider the options below if you feel you'll need to edit on the go.

[Filmic Pro App - $8 on iPhone]

Affordable software that will allow you to focus on different objects in the frame, increase resolution for a high quality picture, and add special effects. Turns your iOS camera into a broadcast worthy 2K HD video camera. It was the 2x Video Camera App of the Year that beat a $5000 and a $13,000 offering from Sony and Canon. Your price? $7.99

[Cinema FV-5 - $3 on Google Play]

A great app that allows you to adjust all the image sensor parameters that you only thought pro-video cameras had: exposure compensation, ISO, light metering mode (matrix/center/spot), focus mode, and white balance.

Microphone Add-Ons

This is another Achilles heel of church videos. You might capture great footage of a parishioner offering a powerful witness to the transformative nature of St. Bedes by the Sea, but it will all be a waste if she is not mic’d properly. The good news is that there are some affordable options to capture quality sound. NOTE: If you end up capturing bad sound, do NOT use it for an official video. It will do more harm than good.

[Rode Smartlav+ - $80 from ProAudioStar]

An affordable and good quality mic, the Smartlav+ can connect to your smart phone and attach mic to subject’s shirt. Purchase an extension cable ($29 on Amazon), or a splitter ($39 on Amazon) if you need them.

[Zoom H1 - $99 on Amazon]

This recorder can work independently from your smart phone, necessitating a downloading of the audio track onto your editing software and syncing the two. This will create superior audio quality. It can also pair with your lavalier mics, assuring optimal sound quality. If budget allows, this is a great addition.

*** Show and Tell Examples

[The Simple Show & Tell With Pictures (on Vimeo)]

This is easiest model, but, if it's done well, it can be very effective. The story is told strictly through a series of still images with no video. Music is placed underneath that supports the feel, rhythm, and experience of the story. Follow the link for Camp Kanuga’s simple but effective video by using narration and pictures.

[The Simple Show & Tell With Video (on Youtube)]

The story is told strictly through video footage. There is no script: meaning no interviews, narration, etc. Music is essential, and is played underneath to support the feel, rhythm, and experience of the story. Click the link above for a great example, and notice there is no narration, but it does not sacrifice the story of the salon.

[The Chronological Show & Tell (on Vimeo)]

This style tells a story through a “day in the life” of a community, using video or pictures that lead the viewer through a chronological progression. First person camera work can make the viewer feel like she is actually attending your church. Follow the link for an great example of a pre-school welcome video.

[The Interview Show & Tell (from Liquid Church)]

The interview video will cut back and forth between the speaker’s responses and video or pictures that support the response. Music can be placed underneath. In this example, notice that the pastor is not looking into the camera, which can make viewers more comfortable since they are listening, rather than being spoken to directly.

[The Testimony Show & Tell (on Vimeo)]

The target audience of this video becomes the person who is narrating. If you are looking to attract 20’s to 30’s, you will have a young parishioner who will give her story or “testimony” of why she attends your church. This is not a hard sell, but it MUST be authentic. If the subject is reading from a script or trying to sell the church, viewers click away.

***Shot Types and Framing

Wide Shots

Extreme Wide Shot

This shot tells you everything; it contains the most amount of information. It is usually used to establish the scene or be "the establishing shot." In this shot, we see the entire “world” that this scene exists in. Ex: This could be a shot of the entire neighborhood or city that your church is in.

Wide Shot

The Very Long shot may begin to reveal your subject but the focus is still on the surrounding environment. Ex: If you began your Welcome Video of the entire beach community surrounding St. Bede’s in the Extreme Wide Shot, you may then move to the Wide Shot to reveal the exact area where the church is located.

Long Shot

The subject of this shot is beginning to make a presence in the world introduced through the Extreme or Wide Shot. In this example, the woman is now fully visible and taking attention away from the environment. In your video, your subject may be your church or a parishioner.

Medium Shot

Medium Long Shot

As more focus is given to the subject, parts of the environment begin to be removed from the story. In this example, we begin to see what the subject is wearing, but we lose that she is standing on a street; we see more detail on her scarf and receive a suggestion of her surrounding landscape.

Medium Shot or “Cowboy” Shot

This shot is commonly called the "cowboy" since you close in enough to see the “guns” of the subject. (We have westerns to thank for this.) Ex: After showing Long Shots of your church and community, maybe it's time to get a Medium of your rector talking or more detail of the joy that the greeters offer at the door of the church.

Medium Close Shot

The camera is now introducing the most revelatory part of a subject: the eyes. The viewers can begin to read the “windows to the soul.” The subject is not the main focus with the background complimenting her. Ex: It may be important to have a married couple talking but still show the nursery in the background to emphasize their area of ministry.

Close-Up Shots

Close-Up Shot

The subject is now the centerpiece of the shot and the surrounding environment creates a nebulous background. Ex: If you decided to use a MS to introduce the rector of St. Bede’s, you might jump to a CU when the rector says an important line. This will add extra emphasis as the viewer can see the emotion of the rector in their facial expressions.

Big Close-Up Shot

The subject’s face is now the entire scene. The only story you wish to tell in this shot is what is being communicated from your subject’s eyes and facial expressions. In this example, we see not only a woman staring into the distance, but with the BCU, a pensive woman that may be looking for answers.

Extreme Close-Up Shot

This shot can be mysterious and revealing at the same time. Odds are that you will not need the ECU for a church welcome video, but perhaps you are utilizing the Testimony model. If it's a moving story, there may be extreme close-ups of the subject’s eyes or hands to reveal more of the story by seeing clearly the subject’s physical behavior.