If you’re in the Bay Area, let’s do this together; otherwise, you can add your part on your own. Think about it in two steps. First, you’ll record the audio. Second, you’ll record the video.
Once you understand what you need to do and have things set up, recording everything can take as little as an hour. Please don’t worry about it being perfect. Taking care, putting your heart into it, and being a little creative will go a long way.
First do the audio recording
Sound is probably the most important part of video so you want to get a good audio recording. I’ll edit it with the video you make later. First thing to do is get setup so look over these setup instructions.
Once you are set up, recording the audio part can take as little as 10 minutes. You can do it in one take because the song repeats a bunch, and we’ll only use part of the recording. Here’s an example my friend Lesley made. There’s repetition to allow for wandering vocal moments. We’ll pick the versions we like best. She’s a great singer. You don’t need to be.
Recording the audio
If you are all setup, hit record and follow the instructions below!
First, you just speak these words. You are praying for your own safety and strength so don’t hesitate to let your voice show your vulnerability. Hold the mic closer if you are speaking softly. Run through it a few times and then hit pause.
May I feel safe May I be happy May I be strong and free from suffering May I feel kindness for myself
Second, record while you sing along to this song. The words repeat six times. It fades up so don’t worry about coming in at the beginning. Sing it straight a few times through and then feel free to improvise and harmonize—whatever feels right—you are praying yourself out of pain. Feel free to feel. And don’t try to make it perfect. You’re a human after all.
Don’t forget to hit record!
Finally, sing along to this big-ass gospel song. The words repeat four times and then there’s an ending where the first line repeats twice. Hold the mic farther away because and sing your heart out. This is for everyone else in the world who needs it. Sing to them!
Here are the words. This time through sing You and yourself (not me).
And don’t forget to hit record!
May you feel safe May you be happy May you be strong and free from suffering May you feel kindness for yourself (4 times, then) May you feel safe, may you feel safe
Save your recording!
The next step is to upload your files here.
Second big step is to record the video
Go here if you are shooting the video yourself.