With the price of video cameras dropping, Image Magnification (IMAG)—where live video of the platform is projected on large screens in the same room—has become quite the rage in houses of worship. We've seen it done well; we've seen it done not so well; and we've left some churches wondering, “What on earth were they thinking?”
So we asked some members of the Church Technical Director Roundtable forum (www.ctdrt.com) to see what they had to say about the why's and how's of IMAG.
CPM: Why should a church do IMAG?
Probus: IMAG acts as an enhancement for larger rooms, to get the intimacy that you don't have in larger rooms. Doing it because ‘everyone else is doing it' is a horrible idea. I have often been in churches that have decided, ‘Hey, we have a camcorder, screen and projector, so why not?' It becomes a distraction when it is not done well.
Funderburg: The unwritten rule for IMAG is if your furthest seat is more than 80-90 feet from the stage you should do IMAG to create an opportunity for those in the back of the room to feel as though they are in the front row. Sometimes IMAG is used when there are obstructions or harsh site lines for those who can't see what's happening on the stage.
Sessler: A lot of churches are doing IMAG because they think it is the cool thing to do, or because NorthWillowLifeCrossBackPointe Church is doing it. However, the reasons for IMAG have a lot more to do with giving congregants a quality worship experience than what the church down the road is doing.
CPM: Are there reasons for a small church to do IMAG?
Chappell: I think most small churches should not do IMAG if the stage can be clearly seen. There are better places for the money can go.
Funderburg: IMAG can help in rooms of all sizes. In smaller rooms, however, IMAG can still be effective to direct focus and bring energy into the room. We try to create a similar experience no matter what campus an attendee may go to. This formula allows them to choose the Eagle Brook campus that is closest to them, knowing they are going to see and experience the same thing they would at a larger venue.
Sessler: I would question [why a small church would do IMAG]. If the venue is small enough for everyone to see the platform, why complicate things?
CPM: Does the desire to do IMAG affect the choice of video projectors you install?
Sessler: Yes and no. Some may argue if you're doing IMAG, DLP projectors are a better choice. I would suggest that most sufficiently bright LCD and DLP projectors are good enough for 90% of the churches in this country. I suggest buying the brightest projector you can afford and send it a quality signal from good cameras and a switcher.
Probus: I would also have to consider the processing of the projector. Does it [add delay to the video signal]? If so, how bad is it? Also consider looking at the images of the projector with a camera. Does it have any ‘stair stepping' or blocks around the person or object moving?
Funderburg: You want a projector with an SDI input or analog composite input. Every projector has some sort of scaling device in it, which is why you get a couple of frames of delay. Your ideal input is one that doesn't have to be scaled either in the projector or externally.
CPM: What do you look for in video cameras?
Chappell: We make sure they have CCUs (camera control units for remote control of the iris), good solid tripods, large on-camera monitors, and smooth controls, making it easy for people to operate.
Probus: It absolutely must have easy access to the iris control. So often lights will bleach out a person on the stage, and if the iris control is readily accessible, you can eliminate most of the issue with a simple button push or turn of the knob.
Funderburg: I would try and get your cameras matching, as it's easier to color balance and get the same look. I wouldn't mix a Panasonic camera with a Sony camera, as the two inevitably will look different.
For IMAG a good SD (standard definition) camera fits the bill. I work with companies that do large shows all over the world and they still use SD cameras because you can't really tell the difference on a projection screen. There are tons of excellent used SD cameras out there for sale at a great price because the major networks are dumping them to go HD. Don't feel that you have to run out and buy HD right away, because the average attendee can't tell the difference.
Sessler: IMAG cameras need to have a 2/3-inch image sensor, a CCU, rear zoom and focus controls, a studio viewfinder (high res black and white, please) and quality lenses. It's common practice to use newer, less expensive ½-, 1/3- or even 1/4-inch HD cameras for IMAG. I would rather have a high-end 2/3-inch SD camera with good glass on it than a prosumer 1/¬3-inch HD camera any day. Low light performance of the 2/3-inch chip will be vastly superior, as will the depth of field capability. Much of the time, HD is not really necessary for IMAG, and simply presenting the image in 16:9 will be sufficient to convince the congregation the image is HD.
CPM: How does the desire to do IMAG affect your lighting needs?
Funderburg: Lighting for IMAG is tricky, and I have only seen a few churches get it right. My church is not one of those. What I am looking for is a nice, even stage wash. Probably one of our toughest challenges when we initially changed over to IMAG was training our lighting engineers that they no longer drove the focus with lighting. Where they would bring lights up and down on people to shift people's focus, I could do that with a tight close up on my 26-foot-wide screen. They had to learn to light for video.
Chappell: I think lighting is huge, but often overlooked and done poorly. Even, well-balanced, three-point lighting is essential to IMAG and not that hard to accomplish.
Sessler: Dramatically. Without a sufficiently bright and even field of light on the stage, your video director or shader will be constantly fighting to keep the shot properly exposed. Good back lighting is important to separate subjects from the background, and the contrast ratio between the lightest and darkest parts of the stage needs to be controlled and within range of what your video system can handle. Even though our eyes can handle a range of shadow to highlight of nearly 20 stops, video is lucky to handle 5-7 stops before highlights are blown out or shadows get clipped. Color temperature is also a challenge. Ideally, all front light would be color corrected to the same temperature (somewhere between 4,000-5,000K seems to be ideal), and your cameras would all be balanced to that. Bring color in from the sides and back to create depth and contrast.
CPM: What is your directing philosophy for IMAG?
Probus: I direct with the idea that we are not producing a television show on the screens. I tell my directors on IMAG to keep it more on the simple side. We used to change camera shots quite often, [but now] I try not to distract by constantly changing shots. I have no problem staying on a waist to head shot for a while before going away from it. I am looking for the shots that best convey the feelings of the presenter. For example, if a soloist is singing, and with all her heart closes her eyes in a prayerful moment, I want to see that. It is bound to touch someone in your congregation in ways that you cannot even imagine.
Sessler: The types of shots will be largely dictated by camera placement and subject matter. The two main cameras will primarily be shooting straight-on medium and close-up shots. If we're shooting strictly for IMAG, then most shots will want to be head to waist or tighter. Any wider and we're back to IMIN. Occasional shots that start wider and zoom in are acceptable. Pacing and composition should be related to what we're shooting. A slow contemplative song should have well-composed, static or minimal motion shots switched slowly. A fast, rocking song can have more motion, a faster pace and more variety. If it's a speaker, keep them in the frame, lead them if they walk left or right and don't switch very often (it's distracting).
Funderburg: My shot selections range from tight close-ups to medium stage shots. One thing our worship leaders do is provide us their worship set in advance so that we can follow well. I see every verse and every chorus and can make notes during a rehearsal to use later in my directing. This allows me to anticipate where the action on the stage is and get a camera there so I can take that solo or vocalist when it happens. This allows the IMAG to be in sync with the hits—not chasing after the band.
