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Introduction
With lockdown happening everywhere, some churches have decided to take their services online. This is often informed by pastors and congregants having co-morbidities. Some are live-streaming services and others are creating the service before the time, using members of the congregation or clergy to contribute. This mini-course will help you to effortlessly create an online service by pre-recording, editing and uploading it, to be watched on Sunday. |
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It helps to involve a few people to create the videos for the service as it create a sense of community and diversity. It is a good idea to get at least two tech-comfy people to act as video compilers. Also remember that this is not a quick process, so start early in the week!
It is important to plan who is going to be responsible for what when doing the online service. This will make it easier for the person who will be compiling the final video. Your church service can even resemble your normal face to face service!
Here is an example of a church service plan:
Here is an example of a church service plan:
Theme: God is faithful
- Welcome (by Liz)
- Prayer (Ann)
- First Song (Be Bold, link )
- First reading Genesis 13: 1-11 NIV (Mark)
- Second reading Luke 5: 4-8 NLT (Helen)
- Sermon: Liz Theme: God is faithful
- Second song: (Ps 23, link)
- Intercession Prayers (Ann)
- Blessing: Liz
- Final slide with credits
Normally the service plan is done by the person/pastor/reverent who will be leading the service. Here is a little action-list for the service organiser:
Action list
Action list
- Decide on a theme and the readings
- Choose the songs for the service ( You can either use pre-recorded song videos or pick a song from Youtube) share the link to the song that you want as part of the sermon, with the video compiler)
- Let the contributors know what they are going to be doing (prayers, readings etc) according to the service plan above.
- Contributors record their contribution (see the recording tutorial) and share their video (see the transfer tutorial) with the video compiler.
- Send the Service planner to the video compiler, along with the typed service if you have done that. This will help him/her to know who is doing what and which videos to expect from who!
- The graphic designer ( or anybody who can use PowerPoint /Google slides/Canva creates a Welcome page (picture) and an Final page (picture) for the start and end of the video and send it to the Compiler as well. Or this can be the Compiler's job! (Download the tutorial here)
- The video compiler check that he/she has all the video clips from all the contributors and download the music from YouTube if needed. He/she use a video editing programme to compile all the clips into one video. (See video compiling tutorial)
- The Video Compiler export and upload the video to the churches YouTube channel and share the link to the video with everybody.
- The marketing person (or compiler) share the video on social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, telegram, twitter) and embed the video in the church website or blog.
Resources
- Download Service planner and action list (Word doc):
| Service_planner__and_action_list.docx |
| How_to_create_church_graphics_using_powerpoint.pdf |
- Examples of a start page: (Date of service, Place, theme or topic)
- Examples of an end page (Contact details, web address, music credits)
You don't have to aim for perfection as we do want to hold on to the human element. So don't worry about minor mistakes. If your record your clip on your own, you will also be less stressed.
You can either use your cellphone camera or your laptop camera to record your video. Cellphones take great quality videos and the sound quality is often quite a lot better than laptops. So play around to see which one works best for you.
Things to take into account when recording your video:
Things to take into account when recording your video:
- Lighting.
Make sure that you eliminate as much light as possible, especially light coming from behind. Make sure that you place a light source in front of you, shining on your face, otherwise you may show up as a silhouette.
- Keep it steady
If you are using a laptop, you won't have a problem with keeping it steady. Make sure that you tilt the screen forward, so that it does not record all your many double chins from the bottom!
A good idea is to put it on a box (e.g. a shoe box). With your cellphone you can invest in a cellphone stand or use prestik to stick it against something (e.g. your coffee cup).
- Ensure that your whole face is visible and in the middle of the recording area.
How to record....
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Record using Zoom (the easiest way)
Zoom is a collective and collaborative video conferencing platform, that allows you to record the whole session. The idea is to ask everyone to prepare their section (reading, reflection, prayer) before the time and come and "present" it during the conferencing session, while the video compiler (host) record the session. At the end of the session, the video will automatically be saved on the video compiler's computer, ready for editing. Steps for recording using Zoom |
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- The host must make sure to join the Zoom meeting before everyone else, and let all the contributors in, by clicking on Participants and admitting everyone who is waiting.
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This will make it easier to send to others and upload. Size does matter!! It does not matter if it is a few clips ,as it will be easy to "stitch" the clips together when you/the compiler are doing the editing.
- Make sure that you do a few seconds of silence before you switching off or pausing your video. This will eliminate hand movements on the final video where you can cut the extra movements seamlessly from the final video. It is also much easier to find segments if there are silent pieces to skip to.
- You will be able to find your videos in your Gallery folder. ( Or if you look under Files->Videos)
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- Always check your video for quality. Is the picture clear? Can you hear yourself clearly? It is not necessary to strive for perfection, as the goal of creating a church video is to keep it real in spreading the word of God!! Also make sure that you listen to the last few minutes of the video to ensure that it is not cut off.
3 Gathering and transferring your video files
The video compiler person will need everyone's videos to edit all the clips into the final product. The contributors will need to send their videos to him/ her. If you have done your videos on your phone, or if the others have send it to your phone, you will also need to transfer the videos from your phone to your laptop for editing. There are various options available, we will look at some of the simplest ways of doing it.
Collecting videos is probably the most difficult part of the process as videos are usually bigger in size and therefore cannot simply be emailed. You must also remember that it will take quite a bit of data (and time) to share video files, so make sure that you are preferably on uncapped data. Upload speeds are normally much slower than download speeds. Give yourself ample time to collect the video's. So make sure that you ask everybody to send their videos to you at least by the Wednesday preceding the service.
Collecting videos is probably the most difficult part of the process as videos are usually bigger in size and therefore cannot simply be emailed. You must also remember that it will take quite a bit of data (and time) to share video files, so make sure that you are preferably on uncapped data. Upload speeds are normally much slower than download speeds. Give yourself ample time to collect the video's. So make sure that you ask everybody to send their videos to you at least by the Wednesday preceding the service.
Collecting video files from others
- Using Zoom (this is by far the easiest way!)
Zoom is a collaborative video webinar platform that you can use for everyone to collectively and collaboratively
- Using Wetransfer.com
Whenever you have to send bigger video files, Wetransfer.com allows you to share files up to 2 GB, from your cellphone or laptop, with someone else without having to register. It will upload your file(s) and create a download link for others to download it from. It will even send the other person(s) an email with the download link. They will have a week to download the files. Basic steps or see video below:
- Open www.wetransfer.com on your laptop or cellphone browser.
- Enter the person's, who you are sending the files to, email address as well as your own email address.
- Click on the + to select the folder or file.
- You can add a message (e.g. this is part 4 (the reading) of the service).
- Click on Transfer
- It will ask to verify your email. Go to your email and copy the verification code in the email send to you. Paste this code in the verification box. It will then upload your file.
- It will send an email to the receiver, where they can download the files (they have a week to do that). They will also have to verify their email by pasting the code in their email notification into the verification box before downloading.
- You will also get an email to notify you that they have downloaded the files as well as a link to the download files, which you can copy and share (e.g. via Whatsapp).
Transferring files from your cellphone to your laptop
If you are the video compiler you may also need to transfer the video files from your cellphone to your laptop, The easiest way is to do it using your data charge cable. Steps:
- Plug your power/transfer cable into your cell phone and laptop.
- Make sure that you check your cellphone screen (swipe down) for the message to allow file transfer.
- Look for your phone under My Computer in your Windows file explorer.
- Go to the relevant folder on your phone (Whatsapp-->video or DCIM-->Camera) and cut/copy the files to your working folder ready for compilation.
- Cut/copy the video file from your cellphone folder and paste in your work/compilation folder.
4 Compile and edit your video
Once you, the video compiler, has received everyone's videos and transferred them to a folder on your/his/her computer, it is time to edit all the clips into one video that can be uploaded to YouTube. It is a great idea to number the video clips in the order that they have to appear in the video.
Create start and end pictures for your video
It just looks more professional if you start your video with an introduction picture and end with a conclusion picture. The start graphic should have a date, who you are and the theme of the service. The end graphic should have all the credits for music and pictures used. Very important! You can create graphics using PowerPoint or Canva. To see how to do it using PowerPoint, download this tutorial sheet:
Download the editing Software
There are many video editors that you can use to compile and edit your video. For our purposes we will use Videopad by NHC, which is free for non commercial use. Install the software on your computer.
There are many video editors that you can use to compile and edit your video. For our purposes we will use Videopad by NHC, which is free for non commercial use. Install the software on your computer.
Using Video Pad video editor.
Here are the basics steps for editing your video, or see the video below:
- Make sure all the service video clips are in one folder, numbered in the order of which you want to add them to the final video.
- Open Videopad, accept the non-commercial terms and click on New project. You should see the interface above.
- Click on Open (top left 1), navigate to your video clip folder and select all the clips for your video.
- Drag and drop all the consecutively video clips onto your Timeline (see 2).
- Press the Play/Pause button and listen and watch the video (see 3). You can move The red play line to where you want to start listening (See 4)
- If you want to cut a piece of clip from the timeline, pause the video and drag/place the red timeline line where you want to split the video, and click on Split.
- Move (or listen, pause and move) the timeline to where you want to cut the video and delete the clip between the two split lines by clicking on it and Delete on your keyboard.
- You can have more control over where you want to split your video by enlarging the play area, using the + and - magnifiers on the bottom right.
- To insert a video clip at a place, drag it to the relevant split line making sure that it makes 3 arrows. You can also change the order of video clips on your timeline by dragging and dropping it in the relevant timeline places.
- Insert the start graphic and end graphic at the beginning and end of the video clip (see 1) and insert the music by dragging and dropping it from the video file panel.
- You can also add transitions to clips when you go from one person to another or to a music clip by clicking on the Transition Link button between clips and choosing your transition effect. Blur works well for services.
Export your video
You can directly export your video to your YouTube channel if you like, but I suggest that you first save a copy of the video on your hard drive.
You can directly export your video to your YouTube channel if you like, but I suggest that you first save a copy of the video on your hard drive.
- Click on Export in the top menu bar.
- Choose Video File (top left).
- Insert the video title. (Export file name)
- Choose a custom preset of Youtube 720 p and click create.
- You video will be saved in your computer video folder ready to upload.
Here is a video tutorial of how to do it:
5 Upload your video
Now that your video is final, you need to upload it to your YouTube Channel and set it as a premiere so that everyone can watch it together at first at your normal service times!
Create a YouTube Channel for your church
It is a good idea to have a dedicated place for your videos. Not only is YouTube the most popular social media platform, it makes sharing videos amazingly easy! If you have a google gmail address, you will automatically have a corresponding YouTube channel. All you have to do is to sign into www.youtube.com with your church gmail address.
Upload your video
Schedule your video and set as a premiere
It is always good to try to encourage church members to watch the service together at the normal church times. That is why you should schedule your Youtube video, rather than just post it, and set it as a premiere. A premiere is a first time showing of a video and will have a timer for the set date and time. It also encourage guests to click on the reminder which will send them a message when the video goes live. It also gives guests a choice to make comments during and after the service.
Spread the good news! Share, share share!!!
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- If you share it to Facebook/twitter, it will include a preview of your video start page. If your congregants/friends click on the video, it will open and play the video (or send them a reminder when it goes live)
Embed your church video on your website
If your church has a website or blog (online home), it is a good idea to keep a copy of the video there for your congregants to refer back to. They will then know that they never have to miss a service as it will always be available on the church website. It also means that even if they do not have YouTube or Facebook, they can watch it on your website. All the videos in this mini tutorial has been embedded. Watch how to embed a video in the following embedded video!