Photo courtesy of Hope Community Church, Raleigh, NC
Walking into the video room on any given weekend, you'll hear something like “Standby 1, take 1, check your focus 3, take 3, CG you're clear,” and so on. Our video room is in the basement - not directly under the stage, but close to it. It's a room where the only connection to the service is via speakers on the wall and the camera feeds on the monitors. This room has quite a responsibility though: creating an environment for several different groups of people. For us, there are congregants watching live in the auditorium who like seeing the larger-than-life image of the pastor via IMAG; then there are those who solely rely on video for their experience - our satellite campuses, video venue, and live stream. There is a lot of responsibility lying on one person's shoulders. The video director is in charge of making sure every screen in our church displays our services accurately and portrays the message we're trying to get across. The one glaring variable, though, is how the weekend video director's personal style changes the way someone experiences the service.
I have gone back and forth, trying to figure out where I stand when it comes to directing video. I want to remain neutral and give credit to all styles, but I also realize that being Switzerland here doesn't help anyone. My opinion on the present topic is ever-evolving, and this article projects where I am on the subject at this point in time.
Being the production director for my church, I don't actually direct video each weekend, I lead the team that does, and I experience the outcome. Throughout the week, I watch a lot of church services, either by streaming or on demand. I feel I have seen it all: from the single-camera, locked -down shot on the local cable access channel, to the high-energy quick cuts of handheld stage cameras at the mega churches. There is a time and a place for all styles, and knowing when to use them at the right moment is what makes for great video.
...live video is essentially a living, breathing thing.
Find some examples of other churches who you enjoy watching, and see how they're directing. In this case, stealing ideas and styles is not a punishable offense, it's a way of improving your technique.
Several weeks ago, a church I greatly admire and respect performed the same worship song for their weekend services, as we did. I created a side-by-side of their Vimeo video and our IMAG, then invited my whole team in to watch it. Our styles were quite different: while we pushed, pulled, and never stopped moving; they remained relatively still. I felt their approach enhanced the song, while ours detracted from it.
I think we've become a society afraid of silence or stillness. Blame Sesame Street and their short segments for kids if you want, but our society's attention span is dwindling. It can be painful for some to hold a single camera shot for too long (myself included). We counteract this by constantly staying in motion.
The key is to add to the experience of those in the audience. It is not the main attraction.
A few days prior to writing this piece, my church held a night of worship. Since I've been trying to pin down a specific video style that I prefer --- how much motion I can tolerate, and so on --- I purposefully paid very close attention to how our video director approached this unique evening service. I found myself enthralled with the worship because of the video directing. It drew me in, and I realized that live video is essentially a living, breathing thing. It can't be contained to a single style while retaining its effectiveness.
In order to keep your congregation interested and enthralled, you need to embrace different styles to match the context of worship. If you have only one trick up your sleeve, and you'll fail to be efficient in your message. It's imperative to create some sort of rhythm to compliment the action on stage, and not steal the “show.” When the band starts the service with an upbeat song, there's nothing wrong with using quick cuts to add energy to the room; but as the mood turns more relaxed and reverent, don't be afraid to keep the movement and transitions to a minimum.
Remember, with IMAG, the key is to add to the experience of those in the audience. It is not the main attraction.
