Making Your NTCUE Application Video

Several people have asked us what should be included in their application video. The short answer is: You and your ideas! The audience (who will be voting) want to see what sets you apart and why your project will impact your credit union and potentially the entire credit union industry.

Before preparing your application video, we suggest watching what others have done. Check out the archives and click on the thumbnail photos to see previous applicants, finalists and winners. We are not looking for carbon copies of these videos. The audience is looking to get to know about you, your career and your big ideas.

Video production may not be your thing, but try to do a little more than just turning on the web cam and droning on for a minute or two! Think about your setting. Is it pleasing to the eye? Is the background clean or messy? Think about your lighting. Are their strong shadows? Do you show up nicely? Can we see your face clearly?

Your audio is really important. While you likely won't have access to professional equipment, do try to find a location that is free from background noise. We want to be able to clearly hear what you are saying. If you choose to add music, remember that if you use a popular music track, you run the risk of the record label asking YouTube to strip the audio from your video. Instead, consider a royalty-free music track. The Vimeo Music Store is a great resource for very inexpensive music, plus there are numerous online sources for free tracks. Here's a helpful article from Social Times to get you looking in the right places: 10 Royalty Free Music Sites Every Online Video Creator Should Know.

Spend some time drafting a script of what you'd like to get across. Practice makes perfect. Don't be afraid to do multiple takes and then edit the best parts together.

Also, if you are going to use a smartphone to film your application, please record your video with your phone in the horizontal position. A vertical selfie YouTube video is not going to make you look like the professional credit union executive that you are!

Here's our past two winners' application videos to give you some ideas.

Ashley Kohlrus, 2012 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec winner