I have hired church staffers for decades, so I’m often asked what I look for when filling various positions. Today, let’s talk video content creators. I’m separating it from live video, even though the nature of church budgets often require the same person to do both (and possibly audio, lighting, IT, and perhaps worship, as well).
I have seen increasingly good video. Part of that is that video software and tools are going up in quality (and even occasionally down in price). A good chunk of it, however, is that the people shooting and editing the videos are becoming better at what they do. Digital video has become a “native skill” – many grow up with it, creating video content starting in elementary school (or even before).
A somewhat uncomfortable reality? Expectations are going up at the same time. That being said, most of the video I see is decent to high quality. Editors sometimes get a pretty solid end result simply by emulating other video that they’ve seen.
Audio is a different story. To be an excellent video shooter/editor, you need to understand the importance of sound quality (particularly in interviews) – this is a common weakness. A visually stunning video won’t make much of an impact if it sounds like it was recorded in a tin can.
So, what do I look for? The ability to be concise – more is not better. The ability to work quickly – services happen every week. An understanding of audio for video – put in the time and learn how it’s done well. And the ability to tell a good story – stories are how we remember best…
creativeworshipideas 