A filmed nativity can be done either in your church building, if guidelines permit, or families can record themselves at home. If recording at home, families can use phones or tablets to record their parts and send them to the person editing the video, ready for stitching together.
1. You don't need fancy equipment! Just phones or tablets will work fine. Software such as iMovie, Adobe Premier Pro, DaVinci Resolve 16 or Acapella could help.
2. Make sure you have the correct permissions to film people. Those who prefer not to be filmed could help in other ways – editing footage or making props and costumes.
3. For any children filming themselves at home, it is crucial that the track is playing through headphones while the child is being filmed so they stay in time and in tune.
4. There are tons of short troubleshooting videos on YouTube to help if you get stuck with anything in the editing software you are using.
5. If guidelines allow filming in your church building or other convenient location, ask people to arrive in their costumes to minimize any contact.
6. Consider using some outdoor settings, such as a front door for the inn scenes or a grassy area for the scenes with shepherds and sheep.
7. Try to stick to either horizontal or vertical filming for all of your videos so they look the same when you put them all together.
8. When you purchase It’s A Miracle! from us, we include an Annual Performance Licence which allows you to film your nativity and upload it to public websites such as YouTube and Facebook. We just ask that you include a credit and a link to our website.
9. Use what you have! Does someone in your congregation have great computer skills? Why not see if they want to help out?
10. Don’t forget to have fun! It doesn’t have to be perfect – in fact, we’ve often found it’s the wonky costumes and out-of-tune voices that make the most memorable performances!
VIDEO: Holy-Gram Prop
SONG: On A Journey
VIDEO: Camel Hobby-Horse Prop
