Photo left: Christmas at Seacoast Church, SC. Photo right: Coastal Community Church, FL.
Christmas seems to be the one time on the year when most churches are willing to consider doing something “extra” beyond whatever their “normal” production value is. It’s a special time of celebration when having a little extra “wow” factor could be a fun way to delight and surprise the audience during a special service.
While there are many ways to add those elements of fun and joy, not all of them will work in every church environment, and they each would have their own subset of factors and considerations that would contribute to them working well.
Standard oil- or water-based haze, however, is probably the only “special effect” that churches typically might use on a regular basis each week. And while debate consistently pops up regarding its value and necessity, the important part with this, and any other effect, is that its usage supports the vision of the church that implements it.
There is such a thing as overdoing an effect to make it more distracting than special.
“It's always important to understand the vision of your leadership for your church,” says Jacob Scaife, the Lighting Director at Charleston, S.C.-based multisite ministry Seacoast Church. “Just because something is cool and impactful at one church, doesn't mean it's the right fit for another. Different congregations will respond differently to the same special effects things.”
While haze is generally used to help augment lighting effects so that beams (whether static or moving) are visible to the crowd with a more dynamic feel, the “more haze, more praise” perspective might not be the best. There is such a thing as overdoing an effect to make it more distracting than special.
“The perfect amount of haze is when it helps the beams become more visible in the air but doesn't form a cloud of fog,” Scaife notes. “One thing that helps me identify if there's too much haze is if the room looks really cloudy or if the amount of haze in the air makes the camera shots overexposed due to so much light reflecting off the haze.”
While haze in the air adds one dimension to the experience, low-lying fog is a similar (but different) effect that creates a different feeling on its own.
Snow machines during Christmas services are a great way to add some unexpected fun and joy.
Typically generated with a substance like dry ice and pushed across a stage with fans, fog is a great way to add a mysterious or almost ethereal effect in a service. Think of a dramatic Christmas production with a narrator, or maybe even a Dickensian “Christmas Carol”-type experience. Fog could add an extra layer of gravitas to a moment to make it seem more epic or important.
On the flip side of the emotional scale, snow machines during Christmas services are a great way to add some unexpected fun and joy, whether during a theatrical performance or during a musical element like congregational carols.
Coastal Community Church, Parkland, Florida.
Though the emotional result between fog and snow may be different, the two effects both have things in common: the importance of both testing and clean-up.
Kyle LeForge has spent the last decade as the Lighting Director at Coastal Community Church, a ministry with two locations in Southeast Florida, and is able to speak into the usage of and workflow for special effects at their services.
“Testing out any sort of ‘effects’ before an event is critical,” he cautions. “It allows you to have confidence that the equipment you are using is going to work as well as getting the best outcome out of the solution. Try different types of ‘snow’ fluid as well as different positions of the equipment to get the desired snowfall ‘look.’”
He adds, “We have had several occasions where we moved the ‘effects’ equipment to different positions to get the expected outcome from them because where we placed them originally would have not worked as we had envisioned or [been as safe].”
“Ideally, you want to position them high enough so that the snowflakes can fall naturally, giving a more realistic effect,” explains Rob Shawver, a former church LD who now owns Rob Shawver Designs. “Test them during rehearsals to ensure the snow doesn’t accumulate in unwanted areas and that it doesn’t become slippery, especially when used over stage. Additionally, check the machine's output so it doesn’t overwhelm the space or create a distraction.”
For something that can create a mess, such as snow machines, fog, or even confetti cannons (which can add a fun element to things like celebratory events or VBS-type kids events), it can be tempting to avoid any pre-show testing just to avoid all of the extra time and energy that has to go into perhaps cleaning a room several times as the testing occurs.
However, short-circuiting the testing process can lead to unexpected side effects.
Testing haze and fog is critical to understanding how a room’s temperature, humidity, and air flow will help the effect sit, move, or dissipate. Testing snow machines ensures that the snow gently falls instead of clumping and that, to Shawver’s point, it doesn’t create any safety issues on hard floors (the effect is commonly created using a base of a soap-like fluid). Checking confetti cannons ensures that they are aimed properly, not blasting into the front row, but also not being so high that they shoot straight into speakers above the stage.
Plus testing in advance also gives operational teams an idea of how much clean-up time might be needed, in case the auditorium or sanctuary needs to be quickly cleaned after one service ends and before the next one begins.
Cold spark machines and lasers create bigger “wow” moments that an audience wasn’t expecting.
Even though these elements are simple on the surface, integrating anything special into an event flow requires advance planning and research to ensure that it’s done properly and safely.
Cold spark machines and lasers, both of which tend to be available for rent or purchase from special effects companies or rental houses, are another way to ratchet up the production quality for special services by creating bigger “wow” moments that an audience wasn’t expecting. However, going this big creates even more of a reason to ensure that proper research and testing are involved to ensure that these effects are integrated safely.
“Compliance with industry safety standards is vital,” says Keithan Carroll, the Production Director at Tulsa’s Transformation Church. “Cold sparks and lasers can be hazardous, so proper setup, testing, and certification are essential to ensure they operate safely without posing risks to gear or people. Utilizing and consulting with trained and licensed techs ahead of time will ensure you know the required time and materials for a safe and successful service enhancement. Don't assume anything [and] ask detailed questions about set-up and reset timing needed.”
“I was contracted to do an event where they wanted to use cold spark machines,” Seacoast’s Scaife recalled. “I researched local fire codes and reached out to the fire marshal in the locality for advice and feedback on best practices. Even though operating these machines seems easy, there are safety factors that were outside of my area of expertise so I felt that it was important to bring in the professionals for advice. I'd hate for something to go wrong and be blamed for not doing everything I could to ensure that it was executed safely. In the end, at the decision of church leadership based on the guidance of the fire marshal, they decided that cold spark machines weren't the best fit for this event.”
Effects like lasers and cold spark often require a level of training and certification in order to use them safely and properly, and it’s common to also require the local fire marshal to be aware of (and perhaps even sign off on) their usage.
Haze and fog also run the risk of tripping particle sensors in HVAC systems that are designed to detect smoke and trigger a fire alarm panel, so if a church doesn’t have experience with those effects, it’s wise to also have conversations with local fire jurisdictions regarding approved, safe practices to potentially place an alarm panel in test or bypass mode for a limited period of time, and how to utilize a “fire watch” position to ensure the church is still in compliance with safety codes.
The last thing a ministry would want to do is to implement something it thinks is fun and exciting but unintentionally compromise safety and introduce insurance or criminal liability issues.
“Safety should be one of the most important things for your operators and attendees,” Coastal’s LeForge cautions. “I can't tell you how many stories I've heard about AV catastrophes happening with a safe solution only requiring a little bit more time and knowledge. Peace of mind is worth the few extra minutes every time!”
Shawver concurs. “Safety must always come first because special effects equipment, if not used correctly, can pose hazards. Whether it's electrical safety, fire hazards, or simply ensuring that the effect doesn’t cause harm to the audience or performers, thorough safety checks and proper training are critical.”
Plus, he adds, “Ensuring you have the proper certifications and that everything is set up according to regulations protects everyone involved. This might extend your pre-show schedule, but it’s essential for avoiding accidents and ensuring that the effects run smoothly during the actual event.”
Team training, local regulations, safety considerations, and advance planning time are all important components when discussing adding unique special effects in a service, not to mention the time and energy involved in setting up and loading out afterwards.
Haze and fog also run the risk of tripping particle sensors in HVAC systems that are designed to detect smoke and trigger a fire alarm…
But ultimately, sometimes the biggest factor is the simplest one, like in many other situations: money. An effect may be great, but is it worth the cost?
“Resources in church come from people's generosity, so this is something we should take very seriously,” says LeForge.” We look at how much this product would be used versus how much the product costs. This also includes maintenance and replacement parts if needed. Is this needed and what is the ROI?”
In some cases, it may actually be more practical to consider purchasing something instead of renting it, if there’s the possibility of it being used multiple times in the future. Could the rental cost be recouped in just a couple of years if it was purchased outright now? Maybe that speaks into a decision to go ahead and buy it.
Everything has a break-even point though. So while it may seem more monetarily effective to buy something now, what does the upkeep and maintenance cost look like, especially if that equipment may sit on a shelf unused for a long period of time and potentially deteriorate? How much manpower does it require to own and maintain, as opposed to a rental house doing all the work to maintain its upkeep? Plus, a situation many churches may face: is there even room to store it?
Like other technical challenges that may be faced in the production world, this may not be one that an individual tech has to solve by themselves.
“I would also encourage you to network with your local church production friends,” Scaife shares. “They may have a special effect that’s sitting in storage that you can borrow. We're all part of the same team trying to bring people to Christ. I'm happy to loan out gear as long as it comes back in just as good if not better condition, and if you feel so inclined, throw in a few rolls of gaff as a thank you or rental fee. We always need more gaff!”