Guide 7-15 | MV Development

***part 7a: show & tell

Choose your model.

You are now aware of the sensorial, aural, and visual experience you wish to portray in your video.

Let us now take a closer look at these videos you have watched and parse a common model found in most recruitment and welcome videos.

You have explored your creative juices through various exercises and even decided upon other professional videos that you wish to emulate.

This model will help you craft your script…

SHOW & TELL

The Show and Tell Model is the most common approach to welcome videos.

If you noticed in your research of various church videos, you saw some combination and/or concoction of a church showing their community through images and videos and then telling you about those images/videos through spoken or written words (that includes music).

These images may have been solely pictures or a mixture of pictures and videos. The words might have been in the form of testimonies, narration, or text on the screen.

Keep in mind, showing is better than telling.

Often, it will be more impactful to show and not tell. For example, don't ask your rector to say, “We are a diverse community of various ethnicities and age groups that enjoy recreation, the beach, calypso music, the outdoors, socializing, community meals, and laughing.” You could communicate all this information by showing, not telling. Let the picture say its thousand words.

Click the picture to download exercise seven's worksheet, and dig further into show & tell.

next up, we'll dig into the specifics of show & tell

***part 7b: show & tell

The Breakdown: ways to show & tell your story

What are ways to SHOW our story?

You can show your story...

•through still pictures.

•through videos.

•through animation or drawings.

What are ways to TELL our story?

You can tell your story…

•through narration.

•through testimonies.

•through typed words on the screen.

•through the words in music.

How can we combine SHOW & TELL?

#1 TELL by testimonies. SHOW by video of the testimony mixed with video or pictures of references made within the testimony.

#2 TELL by testimonies. SHOW video or images that relate or compliment the testimony. Click here for a good example. Notice that the video does not directly reflect what Shane is saying. Rather, it serves or is inspired by his message.

#3 TELL by narration (usually a rector or parishioner). SHOW, through video or picture, to what the narrator is making reference. This may include video of the narrator or just their voice.

#4 TELL by narration, but SHOW a sub-story through video/images (ex: the narrator is telling a story to the camera mixed with a separate story that pertains to narrator’s script.) Click here for an example. Notice how the sub-story fuels the narrator’s message but is not a literal representation of his words.

#5 TELL by music. SHOW through video or pictures. Click here to see a hair salon using this model. They also have the same footage WITH a narrator.

Let's take a closer look at some show and tell models to see which one may work for your team.

Click the button to explore the EVN appedix on specific methods of showing and telling your church's story.

[show & tell appendix]

***intermission 2

Take a short break to make sure you can answer:

What is the role of each member of your team?

What equipment do you have and will you buy more?

What is the message of your video?

What other video will serve as the basis for yours?

What model of "show & tell" will work for your project?

PERSEVERENCE IS STUBBORNNESS WITH A PURPOSE. - josh shipp

***part 8a: start writing

Let's apply our brainstorming and start scripting.

You got your canvas in place, and selected some colors. Now, what are you going to paint? This is a lot to keep in mind, but incorporate each tip well, and you'll start to craft something powerful. Within each of the show and tell models, there are some key pieces that make up a...

...winning script formula:

Communicate Brand/Message

Remember the sensorial exercise, elevator speech, and shark tank pitch? You want to communicate the look and feel of your message. It does not have to be complex, but keep those team decisions in mind as you make choices and decisions for what you wish to say and how you wish to say/show it.

Diversity in Shot Selection

Don't be afraid to shoot multiple angles of the same scene. We'll talk more about this soon, but keep in mind that changing up the camera angle helps keep your viewer engaged.

Diversity in Images

Maybe your primary shot is an interview with the rector. You can keep that same shot throughout the entire video as long as you interject images or video throughout it to diversify the visual story.

Under 3.5 Minutes

Some research will say that the best web videos are under 4 minutes and 11 seconds. Aim for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Remember, less is more. Leave your viewer wanting more and curious to actually see your church for themselves. No one wants to watch your Scorsese version of the church Welcome Video.

Call to Action

This is another achilles heal of the church welcome video. There are plenty of well shot videos that are beautiful to look at and even create an emotional response, but if there is no call to action or even a listing of service times, the video becomes a digital paper weight for youtube. Notice this first class video by St. Peter’s. It looks great, but then, what do you do once it is over? (Learn in part 9.)

Click the picture to download the exercise eight worksheet, and start thinking about a script.

***part 9: the call to action

Invite your audience with clarity.

What do you do once this video is over?

I'm not sure what's next...

That's because there was no "call to action." A viewer will not come to your church if you do not invite them or easily offer the address with clarity and obtainability.

Even if your storytelling and theology are compelling, the viewer can get dropped off after the video’s ride with no entry ticket or directions of where to go next. Don't assume that since the video is hosted on your website, you do not have to place a call to action since all the info is a click away. Remember, once your video goes live through youtube or vimeo, it may be shared on other platforms, meaning that viewers will not be watching it on your church’s website. Your video, therefore, must have a call to action that will engage them with your church.

What does a good Call to Action look like?

At the retail television network HSN, newly hired hosts spend 3 days training on their CTA. Why? Hosts can deliver a perfect product presentation, but if they cannot deliver a call to action, next to no one will call in to buy the product. The host literally has to tell the viewer to buy the product for a transaction to happen. If not, they are just entertainment.

The same applies to your welcome video. If there is no invitation, then you are just entertainment. There must be a moment where you literally invite the viewers to your church. Tell them to come.

Click the picture to download exercise nine, which will help you think about your CTA.

***part 10a: storyboard

Clean up the Narrative!

At this point, you have successfully created a story about your church, enhanced it through a sensorial exploration, and written an actual visual and audio narrative. Now it's time to refine your narrative.

Recruit someone on your team to clean up the narrative you've written. They will trim excess details that do not feed into the overall story.

Refine the story to embody the energy, pace, values, practice, demographic, location, and theology of your community. Make sure every artistic choice pertains to the Church's message.

Remember that you're not listing a series of facts, you're showing and telling a story. Less is always more to a web-surfer.

[free templates] Time for a Storyboard

What is a storyboard? Technically, it is a sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the planned shots and lines for a movie or television production.

It will be a visual outline that will help you organize, clarify, and prepare for you video. Even if you only have two to three scenes , it is still helpful to write it out and to get a pre-visual draft of your work.

A storyboard will inform visual organization. If you are shooting in multiple locations or have different camera angles, it will help you organize your shot selection and production needs.

Click the picture to download exercise ten, which contains some good storyboard suggestions.

***part 10b: storyboard

What did storyboarding teach you about your production?

Can you answer the following questions about making your video?

Who might be speaking and when?

Does your storyboard include locations in the parish hall and on the playground? Take note of which scenes are indoors or outdoors for lighting purposes.

Will you use text-card, swipes, or other transitions between your scenes?

How does your story flow? Quickly? Solemnly?

Need to get even more in-depth? Check out [this wiki-how] on storyboard creation.

***part 11a: script writing

Words! Words! Words!

You have finished a few writing exercises to develop the look and feel of your story. Now, it is time to think about the written or spoken words in your video.

Make notes about any spoken lines in your storyboard:

Is there an interview in your video? If so, what needs to be said?

Instead of an interview, is there narration to accompany your images?

Create Your Script

1. Number each frame of your storyboard.

2. Create a separate blank document for each numbered frame, which you will use to write the script for that frame.

3. Work through each frame and develop a few lines (when needed) that will serve the overall concept and narrative of your community.

Word count will be on the low side for most pages, unless sections of the script take a very narrative form.

Click the picture to download exercise eleven and see a good example script.

***part 11b: script writing

Storyboard and Script

You should now have two vital documents.

The Storyboard

Which shows main images in each frame with a slight description underneath. Transitions are noted between frames. Each frame is numbered.

...and...

The Script

That contains all of the spoken and unspoken words assigned to each frame, including words that will literally be placed on the screen as text.

Timing is everything!

•Time yourself saying the spoken or unspoken words for each frame. How long did it take? Write that number down next to each frame.

•Add up all the lengths of each frame (even if a frame might be split into multiple shots).

Having an estimate of length next to each frame helps your team understand how much footage is needed to cover all the spoken words, and a total will help you be sure your video is a good length.

***intermission 3

Before we start shooting, let's review what you have by now:

•Video team • Budget •Equipment

•Clarity on the ethos and theology of your community

•The story you wish to be told about your community

•A storyboard that displays that story through pictures

•A script that will accompany those pictures with words

BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE, GETTING READY IS THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. - henry Ford

***part 12: shot selection

Feeling ready to start shooting?

Great! But, before you load up your smartphone with some of the gear you've invested in, let’s go over some of the most basic video making skills. We'll start with, shot selection, then cover angles, lighting, audio, and editing.

To start, watch this great video by Wistia that will run down "10 BASICS of Shooting with an iPhone." It should give you a broad overview before we dig deeper throughout the manual.

Some basic tips for shot slection...

Shot composition and framing go a long way in illustrating a theme or mood. Make deliberate stylistic choices. Remember, diversity in shot selection and angles keeps the viewers engaged and tells a clearer story. (Close Ups emphasize intensity while wide shots are more relaxed.) Filmmaker Caleb Pike has a short and [simple video] that lends excellent advice and detail on framing your shot.

Click the button to explore an in-depth appendix on shot selection and framing. [shot appendix]

Three Basic Filming Techniques

These scenarios will help you gain more clarity for your shot and can be added to the descriptions in your "shot list," which we will discuss later.

#1 The subject moves & the camera is still. (Use any type of tripod to help stabilize your shot.)

#2 The camera moves & the subject is still.

#3 Both the subject and the camera move. (Utilize one of the hand held stabilizers suggested earlier in the [add-ons appendix]. The Steadicam and the Mobislider can help a moving shot.

What if both the subject and the camera are not moving?

I think that's called a photograph.

DO NOT RELY ON YOUR HANDS AND LEGS WHEN TRYING TO CAPTURE MOVING SHOTS

If you want to walk with the camera in your hand and you cannot afford the steadicam smoothee, use your Joby Grip Tight as a handle and grasp the three legs together. Or, get in a wheel chair with your cell phone and have another person gently push you. Millions of low budget filmmakers have come before you have done far more with far less!

***part 13: angles and more

The Five Horizontal Camera Angles

There are 5 key horizontal angles that you can use for your project; you can see them in the graphic on the right. These terms will be helpful when you are creating your shot list to your story board. You can add notes of how you want to shoot each scene. You can write next to a frame on your storyboard: (Frontal MS and Profile CU). That would mean 2 different camera angles: 1 that is shooting head on at a mid shot, and a 2nd that is shooting a profile of your subject for a close-up.

The Multi-Angle Interview, for example...

The easiest way to do this for your welcome video is to have two or three smartphones recording the same interview.

cam. 1 Medium Shot, Frontal

cam. 2 Medium Close-Up Shot, Profile

cam. 3 Close-Up, Frontal of subject's hands (Recording footage of the subject's hands or gestures allows for interesting footage to be used when you edit your multi-camera interview into one final product.)

(To get an idea of a multi angle interview, let's check out this interview with basketball player Kevin Love. Notice how there are 3 dominant camera angles, which match up with those above.)

Ideally, you will have multiple cell phones to capture all your desired shots at the same time. If not, you will shoot the interview multiple times, each from a different angle. You can then edit it to create the feel, look, and story you desire.

***part 14: framing

Create an Interesting and Compelling Picture.

How can you frame your subject that will maximize natural and artificial light and utilize a dynamic background? Maybe the mural in the parish center hallway would be a great background for that shot? Go shoot it and see! Ask Yourself: How can I paint a beautiful picture in this frame that will feed the story I am trying to tell?

Background - Staying away from flat and drab walls or dead spaces will help you find lively spaces.

Camera Placement - Think about the eye level of your interviewee to avoid them looking down or up with the camera creating an awkward presentation of your subject.

Look, Lead, & Head - Look room is the space that you leave in front of someone's face on the screen. Lead room is the space in front of a moving object so audience can see it has somewhere to go. Head room is the amount of space between the top of someone's head and the top of the frame.

[Check out Indy Mogul for quick examples of all three of these principles.]

The Rule of Thirds

Where do you look first in this image? The Rule of Thirds would suggests that by splitting your screen into thirds (horizontally and vertically), you create a map of intersections that can guide your viewer where to look. Do you focus on what's on the woman's head? That was intentional.

The most obvious effect of applying this rule is that the picture does not fall into the common trap of having the whole scene centered on the subject. By placing the subject (in this case, the stone structure) on one of these three intersections; tension, energy, and interest are created in the frame.

Want to activate the grid on your cell phone to use the rule?

[iPhone How-To] [Android How-To]

Other Places to Use the Rule…

Interviews - Thirds are great for setting up interviews. That Indy Mogul video has great remarks on using the Rule of Thirds for an interview. [Check it out here.]

Worship - Use these same guides when you want to frame musicians, preachers, and lectors. Avoid the “bulls eye” approach: placing the subject in the middle of the frame.

Church Building - When shooting an establishing shot of your church or other buildings. The Rule will help you frame the highlights of the architecture.

Remember: the Rule of Thirds is a guide, not a law. It can help you decide where to place your subject in the frame, which will deter you from placing your interviewee in the center of the shot. It can help you frame the background, by coordinating the horizontal lines of the grid with those of the surrounding environment.

You can frame your shot perfectly, but if it's lit poorly, no one will be able to appreciate your hard work. Let's talk lighting.

***part 15: lighting

Let's make sure your masterpiece is visible.

Let's start with a few videos. You'll notice that, in the first video, natural light comes highly recommended. The second video will walk you through the basics of using the sun for lighting.

What about if we can't use natural lighting?

Here are some thoughts on how to effectively position your lights. Whether you are using a formal lighting kit, construction lights from your garage, or just a bunch of lamps you “borrowed” from your son’s room, being aware of the Three Point Lighting Technique will help you light like the pro’s do.

Three Point Lighting

#1 Key Light - the main light on your subject

#2 Fill Light - opposite key light, secondary

# Back Light - behind the subject to separate them from the background

Three Point Lighting in Action

To see this basic concept in action, watch [this quick lesson from Life Now Video], which demonstrates the purpose of 3 Point lighting AND how one or more of your lights can be used for natural lighting. Steve DiCasi goes into a little more detail and will walk you through a 3 point lighting set-up and show the effect of each light and how it affects the mood, storyline, and revelation of the subject. You can watch his [in-depth video on Three Point Lighting here.]

Three Point Lighting may be for the ambitious, so know that you can achieve good lighting with a setup as simple as two desk lamps. [Check out how!]