Once you have the foundation of a story to stand on and some simple rules to follow, you can now begin to collect footage, but the question I get, even from the most seasoned missionary, is “What do I capture?”

As I walk through what I think is important, you’re going to think, “That’s so obvious.” However, we often don’t think about “the shot” when we are experiencing the moment. That’s not a bad thing; as parents, we do the same thing all the time. We forget to capture the moment. What holds more value? Experiencing it once or reliving it in a video throughout your life? Sometimes when I review footage, I get so much more than I realized and more than what I was experiencing at the time.

Here are some things that can’t be found on a stock video site that I think you’ll need to include in your missionary video.

1. Faces

It’s so impactful to see a face. I have found fundraising videos for nonprofits that literally show faces for three minutes. Why? Because it’s not just a face–that person has a soul, and there isn’t a better way to capture that than in the emotions conveyed through their face. Close-ups of faces are awkward to capture, but if you can get a smile or even a tear, it will be worth it! You need to have a library of faces. You need shots of seniors, kids, couples, men, women, and teenagers from your area. You need shots of faces in your church. You need shots of faces in public.

2. People Doing Ministry

The ministry is why you’re there–it is the Great Commission happening right in front of you. It is a powerful image for your supporters, prayer warriors, and believers who care about doing the same thing. Someone very wise once taught me when people see other people moving, they are inspired to move too, so capture those moments. Isn’t that what we want? Don’t we want people to be so inspired that they want to experience it for themselves and surrender to go there?

3. Events

For all the same reasons as “People Doing Ministry,” but these are a lot more comfortable to shoot. People understand more if your video is about something special.

4. The Congregation

This is what will convey a scale of your ministry. It’s not always the most exciting shot if we have a prideful heart about it, and we are playing a numbers game. Some of the best footage we have at the Mission Office are shots of small congregations worshiping. It’s not about the numbers–it’s about the people. This is a great place to practice getting wide, medium, and close shots. Try to get a wide range of different things in the room: preaching from different angles (behind the speaker, facing the people is my favorite), people with their Bibles open, people singing, a choir, a musician, taking the offering, and people praying. Try to capture different things that tell the story of church planting and training nationals.

5. Buildings

Not my favorite subject. I say that because I feel like I have seen a lot of missionary videos that are primarily about buildings. Get a few angles of the church building and then move on. This should be the background for ministry and people. Don’t lose your audience with boring details about pouring concrete. Even if you want to talk about a building project, show a quick shot of the land but focus on the people the church will reach.

6. People Outside the Church

This is the lost world around you. How will anyone ever get the burden to reach lost people if you only show them people who have already been reached? Get shots of people who clearly aren’t church goers. Maybe talk about what the average family does on Sundays. Being a former MK to England, I would get shots of a family sitting outside at a pub, shots of a local soccer club, people on the high street, and shoppers or vendors at the local market. This is a great way to incorporate culture and maintain your story.

7. Landmarks and National Monuments

This may be the only thing that connects someone in the states to your mission field. Don’t make it all about this or your missionary video will look like a tourist video. My idea of the perfect shot would be getting the landmark with people in the shot. Maybe even keeping the landmark in the background and switching the focus from the landmark to the people.

8. Wildlife

It’s good to have something that makes a connection to the region, but again don’t spend valuable time making a wildlife documentary when it should look like a missionary video. If it’s something interesting, it may have some value in your introduction.

9. A Shot of the City, Town, or Village

Another great way to provide scale. Get a wide, medium, and close shot narrowing it down to a point of interest like the church building or a landmark. This will only be 4 to 12 seconds of your video. A good quality shot like this could be used for years.

10. Driving Through Your Area

You’ll want to try to keep the camera as stable as possible. Get the Osmo Mobile 2 and stabilize your phone. It will help keep the footage watchable without making your audience dizzy. This could provide your video with some good B-roll. I really don’t love the Go-Pro “fish eye look”; it will be obvious you’re using an action camera. Unless you’re jumping out of a plane over the city, save your money and get a much cheaper phone stabilizer.

11. Time-lapses and Drones

These are just some tricky shots you can research on YouTube. They take practice and the right kind of gear. A time-lapse of a sunset over a city to conclude a video, or a busy train station as a background for a population title would establish a sense of urgency. Drone shots are popular right now and they look amazing. You need to research laws, obtain permission, and understand the cost of getting a drone. Either one can be found on stock footage sites, but getting one specific to your area can be tough.

If you get this far, you’ll have more than enough footage for a GOOD MISSIONARY VIDEO or MINISTRY UPDATE!

Extra Tip: The best drone on the market is the DJI Mavic Air–the cheaper DJI Spark will get the job done too.