Fun with videography!

Well that was fun! A little intimidating, but certainly a good experience.

I'm talking about the video-shoot I did yesterday. My publisher has asked for a series of five 60-80 second videos based on questions from The unmaking of a Part-Time Christian. They plan to drop them into some kind of a chute that would take them into U-Tube, make them available on their bookstore website, include them with press releases, that kind of thing.

Not my comfort zone, that's for sure! I've learned how to speak to groups of people and have come to enjoy the interactive element of "live". It's an entirely different dynamic to that of writing - the emotional connections come from a whole other set of variables.

But video is something else! It's talking at/into/toward a camera. I had to imagine that there were actual people listening to me. My friend John Barlow is handling the videography. He has years of experience as a TV News cameraman, and his sense of what to do and how to set it up was a huge help. I told him his editing skills need to be even better than his shooting technique in order to create the illusion of competence when people hear me talk!

Essentially, we broke down every one-minute video into three or four sections. That way I had to glance at my notes less, and it added flexibility to John's view. John shot each segment several times, and changed up camera angles, close-ups, view etc. A few times he even walked with the camera, rolled it on a set of wheels, or had me walking toward the shot.

We filmed in the church prayer-garden, the library, and the sanctuary. Then, to go with the video about how media and busyness crowds into our lives, we set up on the side of Hwy 60, with heavy traffic, noise, and billboards in the background. Can't wait to see how that one shakes out.

No, I do not see a future for myself as an on-camera reporter! But I am very excited about using film media to get my message to more people.

Today, more than ever, I want to encourage everyone to live like they mean it. A sense of urgency, not in terms of anxiety, but in response to God's imperative to live - live out loud - live a life that is abundant in every way!