Image courtesy of Hope Community Church, Raleigh, NC.
If you are like most churches, the weight of planning Christmas services is upon us. Odds are there will be some new service elements that are out of the usual, more people will likely be on the stage, and new design elements will need to be lit properly. In other words, Christmas in all of its wonder, majesty and fanfare, is also a nightmare for whoever is overseeing the lighting. This article is here to help give a few lighting tips so that this Christmas can look better than ever. So, take a deep breath and get ready to change everything.
Before the panic starts, begin counting. Take an inventory and group your fixtures by function.
Tip #1: Take Inventory of What the Church Owns
It can be overwhelming to think about all the areas requiring lighting that normally don’t matter. Most churches only light the areas that have to be lit on Sunday, but Christmas lighting often requires more square footage to be covered. So, before the panic starts, begin counting. Count how many flood lights (wide lights) the church owns. Then count how many spot lights are in the building. How many LED washes are there? Group them by function. Is there gear collecting dust in a closet that has been forgotten about? List every type of light that is owned by the church. This helps gain a fresh perspective on what can be accomplished.
Once the lighting inventory is accomplished, do an inventory of the DMX cables and their lengths, and the power cables in stock. Other gear like dimmer packs and any bars/trusses the church has available should also be counted. Now it’s time to start your design.
Odds are that the church has more to work with than the tech team realizes.
Tip #2: Start Mapping Out How to Get the Lighting to Accomplish the Job
Pretend the church is a production company coming in with the gear they own in order to make the job happen, from scratch. Can the job be done if every fixture comes down and is reallocated? Most of the time churches think they have less than they have because they aren’t looking at their lighting with a blank slate. And odds are that the church has more than the tech team realizes. Then after that is completely mapped out, see what else the church needs. After this has been done, make suggestions for what else needs to be rented or purchased.
Tip #3: Start Wide and Work Towards the Spots
As the design process starts, make sure the larger areas are covered the best. Once the wider areas are covered, look at the small areas and consider what can be used to cover them. Can a lower wattage/brightness light be used if it’s hung near the subject being lit? Do more pieces need to be ordered to accomplish the service with excellence? These are all questions that need to be asked.
Now it’s time to start your design.
Tip #4: Make It Even, Not Perfect
One of the greatest issues churches have when they mix old lighting with new lighting to accomplish a big service is that older lighting may not be as bright as the new lighting. Oftentimes the tech director can’t (or won’t) adjust the standard lighting to match, and it looks uneven—especially on-camera. This can be fixed easily for a special service: Simply have a person walk between the darker and brighter areas on the platform, and turn up or down the individual light until they closely match. Then, adjust the camera settings to make it look as good as it can for video. While this isn’t necessarily the most sophisticated way to do lighting for video, it’s better to have consistent lighting on the platform, and this is an easy, low-tech way to achieve it.
Whatever happens this Christmas, remember, the imperfections that the lighting or media person notices are most often not perceived by the average person in the room. Don’t allow the chase for perfection to rob you of your Christmas spirit. Make it look as excellent as possible, grab some hot cider, and enjoy the Christmas service ride.
