Video

Types of Video

In the past, when we talked about video, we thought of VHS tapes. But now, video has extended beyond that. Now, the same video presentation can be "published" in these formats:

VHS tapes
DVDs (which you burn on your own computer, or have someone else burn).
Movies which people download from your website in one of the various formats available (Microsoft Movie Player, RealPlayer, Quicktime, MPEG, AVI, etc.).
Movies which are distributed on CDs (again, which you burn on your own computer or having someone else do).

What's the Video About

Many churches produce videos about the church. They can take various forms:

A "fireside chat" in which the pastor gives an annual message to the church constituents--his evaluation of the church's current position and his vision for where he'd like the church to go.
A video to promote a fundraising campaign (perhaps for a new sanctuary).
A video for membership classes.
A video about the denomination.
A general video about your church to give to visitors and inquirers.

It's hard to find a home nowadays that doesn't have a VCR for playing VHS tapes. Now, many homes have a DVD player, and computers increasingly have the ability to play DVDs. The various digital movie formats (RealPlayer, Quicktime, etc.) can be played on most computers with software that is free.

So, videos are a good way to communicate to people within and outside of your church. And since video combines pictures and sound, it can be very effective.

Programs like iMovie (from Apple) make it very easy to edit your own videos, with various special effects. But the quality, in the end, depends on the quality of the raw footage you have to work with. If you shoot junk, even the most expensive video editor can't do much with it.

Don't Try This at Home

You may have a camcorder, and your computer may have video editing capabilities. But that doesn't make you a video producer. If you want a really quality video--and with your church's image at stake, don't settle for less--leave it to professionals.

It's expensive to produce a quality video. You need plenty of up-front money for filming and editing. To do it right, figure on spending $1000 per minute of video length (that's $5000 for a five-minute video). Professionals will come with high-quality cameras and lighting (a significant and noticeable step above what can be produced on ordinary camcorders), plus an eye for what to capture on film.

Such costs are beyond the means of most churches. But the technology is getting closer to the grassroots.

Duplicating Videos

Once the master tape is ready, take it to a video company for duplication. You can have copies made for less than a couple dollars each. Depending on how many copies you want and how long the video is, it might take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.