The following article contains instructions I give to individuals who volunteer to be interviewed on video for a ministry testimony or update:

Thanks for participating in our upcoming ministry interview taping. Our desire is to accurately capture your story, and to glorify God through the testimony you will share with us. There are several things you can do to prepare for your videotaping.

Your Dress and Appearance
Please dress casually but modestly. Wear a solid color top and solid color pants. Dark colors work best for video. Men, do not wear a white shirt or a necktie unless specifically instructed to do so by the video producer.

Do not wear tight clothing, shorts, a top that allows your midriff to show, a tank top, or a top with a low neckline. Do not wear a shirt with a company logo or slogan, or an imprinted T-shirt. Make sure you are well groomed. Your image when broadcast in our Worship Center will be over 15 feet tall--we can tell if you didn't shave or brush your teeth. You may want to bring your hairbrush and a mirror for a last-minute touch-up.

If possible, please wear a collared shirt that is either a button down or has several buttons on the front--these work best for microphone placement. Please keep jewelry to a minimum.

Inappropriate clothing and appearance will reflect negatively on your character and you will be asked to change clothes or brush up so that your appearance will add to and not detract from your testimony.

Interview Scheduling
Please arrive at 5-10 minutes before your scheduled interview. Please note that your interview may be taped as part of a series--we often tape several interviews at the same time because this is a more effective and efficient method of collecting video material. Please be prepared to wait as much as 20 minutes for your taping to begin. Do not wander away from the waiting area as the video crew may call on you at any time.

Getting Ready for Taping
Depending on where you will be taped, there will be a short period of lighting and camera adjustment. Follow the directions of the video crew. A taping will normally last between 10 and 20 minutes. During this time there may be some rather bright lights aimed at you--try to ignore them. Do not squint, hold your hands over your eyes or otherwise draw attention to the lighting. Yes, they are necessary and yes, we know they are hot.

The Interview
When we asked you to be involved in the videotaping, you were given instructions as to the topic of the interview. You may have been given sample interview questions as a guide. Please note that we may or may not ask these questions during the interview--they are merely to get your thought process going on a particular topic. There are three things we want to learn during your interview:

• What your experience or situation was like before your faith came into play.
• How God worked in your life or particular situation.
• What kind of difference God made, or what you learned from the experience.

The job of the video crew is to capture your story accurately, and to conduct themselves in a manner that allows God to speak through you, and subsequently to the audience who will view the completed video. We expect you to be open and candid about your experience. If you are uncomfortable with sharing your story, please do not volunteer to be videotaped--in fact, call back right now and withdraw your name. An unwilling subject will make a poor video.

It is not the interviewer's job to "talk the information out of you." Rather, you should come to the interview ready to tell your story, and allow the interviewer the opportunity to learn about what has happened in your life. If you've been given a specific topic, story or issue to talk about, come prepared. Think about the topic in advance and write down some thoughts you may have. Look up the topic in your Bible and see what scripture has to say about it. Spend a few minutes preparing for your interview and you will appear significantly more persuasive and knowledgeable.

A Conversation
It's best the view your videotaping as a conversation instead of an interview. The video crew wants you to do most of the talking. During your interview, there are only three things you really need to remember...

Be yourself. It is our job to make you look good. We will not embarrass you or use "bad cuts" of video. Relax, enjoy the experience. If you "mess up" don’t worry--we'll edit that out of the final video.

Answer in complete sentences. Try to answer your questions in complete sentences. For instance, if asked “Are you a Christ-follower?” answer, "I am a Christ-follower" instead of just "Yes." It's hard to make a video out of one word answers like "Yes."

Do not look at the camera. It is more natural in appearance for you to look just to one side or the other of the camera. Normally the interviewer will stand or sit to one side of the camera and ask you to look at him or her. Only look directly into the camera lens if instructed to do so.

The Final Cut
The video production team has the final say in all content used in ministry videos. We will tape much more footage than we can possibly use. Our goal in the final production is not to include everyone we taped or to "make the point" of any particular person we interviewed. Rather, our desire is to use the video to communicate a clear and biblical message to a larger audience within a set timeframe and parameters given to us by our ministry staff.

About the Author. Eugene L. Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications and technologies. More...