Kamis, 27 Desember 2012

Using Music in a Mission Trip Video

You have had a great experience on a mission trip, and now you are excited to tell people about it. If you went with your church youth group, you probably need to share the story of the trip with the congregation, especially since they most likely paid for much of it. And if they did not help with the trip, perhaps by letting them know about the experience, in the future they will want to help!

The two best ways to tell people about your mission or service experience are by telling them stories about it or by showing them a video with your pictures (You did take lots of pictures, right?) Since you have all of these pictures, and hopefully some video clips, you can combine them into an interesting and engaging video by making a movie set to music. What sort of music should you use in a mission trip presentation?

A fantastic music source is anything that you actually did on the trip. For instance, did your group work with kids in a VBS? Use video clips from that. Children singing are always cute (at least for a little bit). If you want to use professional "radio" quality songs, look for songs that have a message that is relevant to your trip. If you had a specific Bible verse used as a message for the trip, look for songs related to that passage. Or there are lots of songs about mission or service to use in your presentations. Another idea is to use recordings of worship songs familiar to your church's congregation members.

If you are using recorded songs, remember that you do not have to use the entire song! It is easy in any good video editing software, such as Apple's iMovie or Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker, to split up the song and use just the relevant verse or chorus if you want to do so. If you split a song, make sure you fade between the songs. Do pay attention to volume levels as well, particularly over segments with people talking.

Remember, the music sets the tone for the entire video. By using songs with different tempos, you can make the video into a journey that takes your audience or congregation with you through your experience. Using a slow, meditative song might put your audience to sleep, but using a passionate, emotional song could work well if you have lingering images of poverty, homelessness, or similar themes that you want the audience to respond to. Be careful when going for this effect to not slide into cheesiness though. Uptempo songs with a clear beat work well also if you want to put your audience in a good mood, sharing the fun and exciting parts of your journey. Again, a word of caution here: Make sure that the words are still understandable to the audience. If they can not understand what the lyrics are, they will not get the meaning you hope for them to receive.

Daniel Flucke is an MDiv student at Wartburg Theological Seminary with passion for effectively using technology in ministry. Visit www.danielflucke.com to learn more.

Dispelling The "Macs Are Bad For Video Editing" Myth

Some people believe that Macs are bad for video editing because they're way too expensive, and because PC's are more common. While these do have truth to them, it's important to put them into context.

Macs are going to more expensive, it's a fact. However, they're not two or three times more expensive. Depending on what model you get, (ignoring the outdated Mac Pros) there's going to be about a $200 - $800 difference between the two. While this may be a deciding factor to some people, I would by no means consider this as "way more expensive." With that extra money, you also get OSX, a great and stable OS along with Apple's great support. The added cost may be a downside, but it's ridiculous to completely disregard Macs for video editing because of $250 extra.

The major NLE's (Nonlinear Editors) run on Mac: Final Cut Pro X & 7, Adobe Premiere Pro (along with the whole Adobe Creative Suite) and Avid Media Composer. So, in terms of software, Macs are just as capable.

Hardware between Macs and PC's is almost identical in many cases. They have the same Intel Processors, 16GB's of RAM and almost identical graphics cards. Since the hardware between the two is so similar, Macs and PC's can both be equally powerful. While the Final Cut Pro X release is very controversial, (some people are calling it iMovie Pro) there still exists a selection of powerful, industry standard video editing applications that you can use. Not to mention the vast improvements Final Cut Pro X has undergone since its initial release.

With all the specific details aside, do what works best for you. If you're on a super tight budget and don't like Macs, then by all means don't buy one. However, Macs are powerful video editing machines capable of everything their PC counterparts are capable of. One advantage Macs have is iMove for beginners. It's far superior to Windows Movie Maker, and is extremely easy and fluid to use, giving beginners the ability to make good looking videos without much technical knowledge. For more advanced users, it really comes down to budget and personal preference; some people love Macs, others don't. Both Macs and PC's can be really great, or horrible for video editing, and it is my opinion that they are about even in the broad scheme of video editing. Whether you're a Mac person or a PC person, it's just incorrect to call the other side unfit for editing video, they're both great.

Conner Productions Video Effects specializes in making high quality video templates for Final Cut Pro X, to help beginner editors craft the perfect effect into their videos.

Take Advantage of Video Marketing

For the past few years, the cost of video production has significantly dropped. On the other hand, the video communication has grown on the internet. A brilliant video is the kind of video that will be able to convey the required information quickly, clearly and in an entertaining manner. As opposed to the more common print media, the use of video is easy as the video productions can be re-edited and updated easily to target a different audience. All these factors put together proves that use of video is now the best and cost effective media for any business communication.

However, even with all this advantages in support of video usage, one has to look for the best production company to make the business videos. The best production companies are the ones that ensure their clients take advantage of the reduced video production cost. The company should also ensure that the client benefits from the growing online community. Companies with vast experience in the market also offer the best production, as they know what exactly the audiences are looking for.

In the recent past, number of production companies has risen, and this has lead to everyone looking for the best company to handle their videos. A prominent company is the one that works with their clients at every production stage. They should also be able to offer advice to their clients on all the aspects associated with the video production. The advice should be based on issues like use of the video on social medias, creative approaches and the product placement. With all this looked, the clients can therefore sit back and relax while the production of the business video continues smoothly.

As video usage becomes popular, different clients require different video types. It is for this reason that the perfect company should not only deal with a specific video type but all the video formats. The company should be able to shoot any video format ranging from DV, 3D and high definition. This should all be done within the specified time to ensure the client's deadline is met.

Videos are not only for business, but almost everyone in the globe has some need for them. Many of the video production companies in the world and increasingly getting orders from different individuals ranging from sales promotion videos to TV commercials. They are those who want videos for the recent digital marketing within iPads and iPhones.

The reduced cost of producing videos in conjunction with the growing online community has created a lucrative advertising and communication media via videos. Thanks to the services offered by a video production company, makes it easy to reach online fraternity with customized videos matching the audience. Therefore, for those looking for the best means of advertising and communication online, video communication is the new trendy thing that everyone wants to see. Do not let your business remain back in the old media format but relocate to the new sensational media of video marketing.

Kris M. is an award-winning film/videomaker and photographer with over 10 years of experience serving clients in the film and photo industry. He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film & Television and officially started Kreative Mediaworks in 2003 as a small one man operation and has grown the company into a full service creative agency and video production firm. To know more, visit http://www.getkreative.com.