Jun 15, 2020 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Church meetings changed abruptly and unexpectedly in March due to the mandatory quarantine decreed by the Argentinian government. Overnight we could no longer go to church and the only way to find corporate worship was online. But how could that be accomplished without much prior experience? Who would be in charge of all the necessary technical details for the transmissions? These were difficult questions, but God already had people willing to put themselves in his hands to serve with their gifts. One of them is Nicolás Cartacci.
Cartacci is 25 years old and a member of the church of San Miguel Centro, in the northwest area of Buenos Aires. A carpenter by profession, he works in a family business with his father and brother. Additionally, Cartacci is the invisible face of at least four major live broadcasts that have been held every weekend since the quarantine began. One is with his local church (the Sabbath service), and the others are for the Youth Ministry of the Northern Buenos Aires Mission (Youth Service, Adventurer Club, Pathfinder Club).
He is the technical director (as the young people who are the visible face call him) who puts dynamics, visual quality, interactivity, and professionalism into the broadcasts many enjoy from the living room of their house. Cartacci does all of this on a voluntary basis and with a cheerful attitude. We asked him a few questions to get to know this invisible face behind programming we love so much.
What were you doing in church before quarantine?
I am the youth director of my church, but I also collaborate with the communication and audio departments. My girlfriend and I enjoy working in multimedia, so this is more of a hobby that is also helpful to the church.
What are some things you’ve learned from your work with multimedia?
I started learning so that I could help the church more, and it has come in handy especially due to the limitations of the quarantine. These things take a long time to create. When you watch a video, you can’t imagine the time and effort that production produced unless you’ve done it yourself.
About 3 years ago, I picked up a camera to learn how to take photos. Then I started researching and learning more about video. To improve, I continued with the video editing, applying what I learned mainly in the church. We worked with the young people to make Christmas videos, did some work on the Caleb project, and other things. When it became apparent there was a need in the church for audio and multimedia skills, I started helping there.
At the beginning of the quarantine, the youth department told me that they needed help putting together live broadcasts, because there were churches not holding church services for their youth. I didn’t know anything about live broadcasting, but I started learning so I could help the youth. My knowledge on live broadcasts is only two months old, and I’ve spent a lot of time on it. There was a week when I stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning to be able to understand how to do it, since I was doing that project after a full day of working with my father and brother in our carpentry business.
Could you tell us the steps you followed so that they can help others?
- Find someone who knows: On YouTube I found the information I was looking for. I typed “how to make live broadcasts” and that’s where I started. There I noted the tools they recommended and then worked on getting them.
- Investigate several sources: I did not stay with a single source of information, but I looked at many to enrich and expand my knowledge.
- Practice the tutorials: If there are ever tutorials on what I’m looking to learn, I apply them and practice a lot until I can handle them well. Knowledge and skill come through practice and understanding; the more you practice, the fewer errors will arise when you go live.
- Consider the target audience: I wonder who will be watching this broadcast, to adapt it to their tastes and preferences. In my case it was something for young people so I wanted to make it dynamic.
- Stay current: In the world of multimedia and communications, you have to constantly update yourself on what is new and developing, as in any other area of life.
- Strive for excellence: I always wonder how what I do can best reach people. I’m not a professional, but I try to get as close as possible to what a professional would do. Personally, I want to do my best.
- Share: People from various churches contacted me asking for some advice and we are in constant dialogue.
What does all this mean to you?
One can never really know what it will mean to make oneself available to God and his church. I am happy to be able to help with the broadcasts because I really miss attending church on Saturdays. At the beginning of the quarantine it was difficult not to be able to go, but with this volunteerism I found a way to stay active and at the same time be able to collaborate with an area of the church that needs to grow. So I am active instead of being sad that I cannot congregate in the church. I like to make myself available to God, with my time and my skills.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Spanish site
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