Summer interns create 100 new videos for the nations
When Isaac Mitchell decided to join OneWay’s Prayercast team as a video editor for the summer, he knew he would be helping with a massive task of creating 100 prayer videos. What he couldn’t have imagined is how his own heart would be changed in the process.
“Editing these videos has impacted me in ways that I never thought would be possible,” Mitchell says. “I have fallen in love with the work that I am doing, and it has given me an immense amount of joy that I never really thought was in me.”
Mitchell, a senior in Communications at Moody Bible Institute, was part of a team of 25 summer interns with an audacious goal of creating 100 Prayercast videos in just two months. The videos will rally believers around the world to pray for the lost.
“This summer’s work will lead people in fervent, strategic prayer millions of times over 180 countries each month,” said Chris Ruge, director of Prayercast and Mission Network News. “People who watch these videos will pray more often, more deeply and more knowledgeably than ever before.”
In its effort to rally prayer for the nations, Prayercast identified 83 nation videos that needed to be updated because of changes in those countries due to elections, natural disasters, conflicts and other events. The team created another 17 brand new Love Muslims videos that expand our ability to lead people in strategic prayer for even more Muslims. Many of them are focused on extremist and fundamentalist groups like Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Muslim Brotherhood and more.
The team enlisted the help of dozens of college students to find footage, edit video, create background music and produce each prayer video.
The summer interns were divided into three teams, each led by a producer. The three teams engaged in fun competitions to stay on track and meet deadlines.
What does it look like to create a Prayercast video?
The Prayercast team identified a believer from each of the 100 areas featured in the videos to record a prayer for the needs of that country or group of people.
After being assigned a video, the editor listened and prayed along with the words spoken in the prayer. Then he or she visualized clips that could be used to express the words being spoken. Next, a team gathered high-quality video footage that illustrated the content of the prayer.
Once all the footage was sourced, the editor put the clips together and added finishing touches like prayer points, credits and background music composed by the OneWay Studio team. The videos underwent an extensive process of critique from a producer, the Prayercast Editor-in-Chief, and eventually external review.
Every Prayercast video is reviewed by a group of experts on the respective country or topic to ensure accurate representation. Upon final approval, the video is scheduled for posting and ready to mobilize prayer for the nations.
Editors like Mitchell said his work with Prayercast broke his heart for the nations.
“I can see how broken humanity is, and I often have to sort through intense, even evil footage,” he says. “This has made me realize how truly blessed I am, and has helped me become more confident in my faith in God. Even when I encounter this dark, evil footage, I know that it is being used in prayer that will be seen by millions of people all around the world.”