My week of vacation doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, but because I didn’t have to be in the office today I stayed up late last night figuring out how to make a video. It turns out to be insanely easy to learn how to use iMovie, the video editing software shipped with all Mac computers. So just for fun, I made a promotional video for First Unitarian, splicing in images I happened to have on disk, and adding a soundtrack I had made a while ago in GarageBand….
If the clicking on the picture above doesn’t work, try this: Link. (If you tried earlier and it didn’t work, try again — I uploaded a bad file at first.)
After I checked out some other videos on You Tube that promote Unitarian Universalist congregations. Most of the other videos take a documentary approach, with warm friendly shots of kids, choirs, ministers, etc. Most of their soundtracks use hymns, piano music, ministers talking, etc. From a sales and marketing standpoint, such videos are probably much better than mine. I guess maybe my video reflects a different understanding of Unitarian Universalism, more like that in the video for The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Second Life: Link (did Christine make that video?).
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what constitutes a good promotional video for Unitarian Universalist congregations. What demographic would you target? How would you get approval from your congregation’s Board (or would you even try)? Would you do a documentary, something more like a music video, or what?
Hmm, I can’t get the video to show any video using either link. (I’m using Safari on my Mac PowerBook.)
Chris — Problem now fixed — I uploaded a bad file. Thanks for the heads up.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your video!!!!
No, eck, do not a documentary. Eck pitoooie, eck. Yours is great.
The only suggestion I would have is to slow yours down just a tad. The text felt rushed.
But I love it! Now I am inspired to go out, get a stupid camera, get i-movie (can I
do that for a pc??) and start filming. Fun!!
sweet dude….
that’s wicked cool!
Jean — The fast pace is because that’s what I like to watch. “Windows Movie Maker” is the equivalent free video editing software included on Windows machines. By the way, you probably don’t need a new camera to try this out — most digital cameras have a “movie mode” which will get you about 30 seconds of video (depending on your memory card) and thirty seconds is a looong video clip (my promotional video is 1:44) — you might just new some new memory cards for your existing camera.
I liked it. A lot. parts were a bit rushed — the credits especially.
I have no way of knowing if it would “work”. maybe you need to do some market research?
kim — Market research costs money, which I do not have. Oh well. So I’m using my sales instincts honed from my days as a salesperson at the lumberyard, which probably means that people will come into our congregation looking to buy two-by-fours.