Roughly one and a half million Americans go on short-term mission trips each year, and I would guess about one million digital cameras and camcorders go along for the ride. More and more churches are using video to help the entire congregation participate in these overseas trips. The entire congregation can’t go to Mexico, but a video can do a lot to help church members understand and appreciate a developing partnership in Tijuana.
Often a member from the church media team gets recruited to record the experience for the congregation back home. These videographers need to think as much about how they will shoot as what they will shoot. It’s not just about what they put on tape but how they do it.
What follows are three scenarios, loosely based on personal experience. I have learned the hard way that there is a cost to focusing solely on the technicalities of shooting overseas and ignoring the art of cross-cultural communication. Each of these stories shows how shooting in a missions context requires more care and planning than asking, “What equipment should I take?”
Scenario 1: The team arrives at a small school that will be their mission site for the next ten days. The first person to jump out of the bus is the videographer because he wants to get reaction shots of the team as they arrive. In order to set up the shot, he quickly slides through a large group of children and teachers waiting to greet the group.
One of the most important rules to establish while shooting short-term missions is that what is happening on the trip is more important than what you create with your footage. If we start with that rule, it makes life a lot easier. In the first situation the videographer is ignoring local customs that are not only important, but actually may make the shooting experience better if they are attended to. Not only that, the videographer is putting tension on the relationship between the host and the guests. Imagine if you are a teacher or principal of the host school. You have your children all lined up ready to greet these honored guests from the United States and out from the bus bursts this man with camera gear that costs more than four teachers’ annual salaries. He storms past you completely ignoring your extended hand and immediately sets up a shot and yells, “Action!” I think it would be understandable if you were a little perturbed.
But it is not just about paying attention to proper greeting customs. You need appropriate buy-in on the part of your hosts. Assuming a shooting project should be OK with those in a developing country is another form of paternalism. Yes, if you wait for permission, you might lose that first hug, but if your hosts are on board with your project you will find you will have access to much better opportunities later.
So in this situation, the most appropriate action would be for the videographer to exit the bus with the rest of the team (with camera equipment safely stowed) and greet people in a culturally-suitable fashion. Then, when appropriate, the team leader and the videographer can talk with the hosts and ask for permission to record aspects of the trip. Remember, your video might have a shelf life of about six months at most, but this partnership could potentially last for decades.
Scenario 2: As part of the team’s activities, they will be spending time with a group of women who are being taught to weave rugs. While all the team members sit for an afternoon with the women as they practice their craft, talking with them about their experiences and stories, the videographer focuses on getting “the shot.” He returns to the United States with good footage but has made no connections with the people the team visited.
The camera can work as an amazing filter. When you are looking through the viewfinder, it’s easy to separate your own experience and worldview from what you are shooting. There might be some great things that God wants us to learn and experience, but we get so focused on “getting the shot” that we can completely miss something incredibly valuable right in front of us. So how do we avoid that?
My recommendation is not to take your camera with you every day. Leave it at your residence (assuming it is safe) or with the driver. Experience the trip and your host culture along with your team. Believe it or not, your final product might be better because you will have a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and context of your hosts.
Scenario 3: Part of the team travels into a slum to visit a family connected with their host ministry. They bring foodstuffs as a gift and the videographer makes sure to get all the good shots of the giving of gifts and praying together. After leaving, the landlord shows up demanding back rent. He can’t understand how this family wouldn’t have any money. After all, the westerners with their fancy gear must have given them something of value.
There is no easy solution for this situation. In some instances the appropriate action will be not to shoot at all. Being an American in a developing country (and one carrying a $3000 camcorder) is like being a large ship in a narrow river. You may not be aware of the wake you are creating, but all the other boats around you sure feel it. No matter how much you might try, you can’t change the fact that you will stand out. But there are things you can do to avoid extreme attention. For example, try partnering with someone from the local culture that can gently tell you, “Hey, it’s not appropriate to sit in the dirt here, even if you are trying to get that shot.” If you can’t get someone local to help you, maybe people on your team can keep an eye on things and give you objective feedback like, “Hey, a lot of anxious people seem to be gathering around us. We might be attracting a little too much attention.”
Be aware that countries have different regulations on where you can and cannot film. For instance there is public land in Nairobi, Kenya, where you cannot shoot without prior permission. Being aware of such local regulations can save you some big headaches. Once again, a local partner can help you figure out what is appropriate and even what is legal.
Shooting overseas on a mission trip can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s great to be able to take the skills and talents you have developed in the States and put them to use in a missions context. Rogue videographers, however, can do a lot of damage if they are misguided or misdirected. Each culture is unique and different, as is each short-term mission trip, but if you approach your task with humility, openness to partnership, and expectation that God has something for you to learn, you may find a transformational experience in the art of shooting overseas.
Nathan Clarke is a filmmaker and consultant. He works for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s twentyonehundred productions, and he is the primary producer for Fourth Line Films—which partnered with Christianity Today International to create Round Trip Missions. The Round Trip documentary and curriculum are available at RoundTripMissions.com.
