Video Post-Production and Delivery: An Overview
by John Chevalier
Let’s start with a quick definition of “Video on Demand”. Video on demand (VOD) is a system that allows users to select and watch video content when they choose to, rather than having to watch at a specific broadcast time. This can be available to people on some TV’s, computers, tablets and mobile phones.
Deciding what video you want to make available largely depends upon your intended audience. This series is not going to address this in detail; however, let me put a few things out there for you to consider. Possible video on demand for your church could include; complete services, partial services, such as a worship & music video or the pastor’s message only. Because people tend to not watch long programming online, you might want to create a service highlight video that has a link to the complete service. Other options are special videos highlighting any number of things, such as special services, information on specific ministries within the church or even short vignettes that communicate a certain message. The options are really endless.
Great video can be a great asset to a great church. But what is the most effective way to implement that video? It’s a key question to ask yourself as a church when deciding to produce videos. Going beyond the live service stream/record can enhance the reach and impact of your church’s ministry, but it can’t be done with a shotgun approach. Just pull the trigger and hope to hit your target. Creating a great video is not the same as utilizing a great video. In researching church videos for this article, I came across some spectacularly produced videos that had 100 or less views. These were created by churches with weekly attendance in the hundreds or even thousands. If the majority of their congregations aren’t even watching their videos, perhaps there’s something wrong with the strategy. Our churches don’t send teams to mission fields without hours of research and planning to make sure their resources are put to good use, so why would we do that with a complex, expensive and time-consuming video production?
