BARNEY TONG
The dynamic worship experience at Saddleback Church can be experienced in person at the church’s main campus located in Lake Forest CA or online via Saddleback Worship Live Production. While each offers worshipers a moving experience, Jeremy Elder, Saddleback’s Live Video Director, and church leaders wanted the experiences to be more alike. This meant building a new cohesive look involving all the production elements of each service. Bringing the styles closer would include a new stage design, lighting, and graphics, as well as looking at their camera systems in a new way. Rethinking camera positions and shooting style facilitated by the addition of RED Digital Cinema cameras outfitted with Fujinon lenses ultimately helped Elder and his team meet the challenge and reach new levels of visual artistry.
BARNEY TONG
...the addition of RED Digital Cinema cameras outfitted with Fujinon lenses ultimately helped Elder and his team meet the challenge and reach new levels of visual artistry.
Balancing Technical and Visual
For Elder, landing on RED Komodo cameras equipped with Fujinon lenses was both a technical and philosophical choice. “Our technical goal was to bridge the cinematic look we had achieved in online services during COVID with what we were capturing in the live worship space,” he says. “We also believe that our efforts honor God and our congregation when we can offer the very best of our skills and artistry.”
BARNEY TONG
Elder’s team upgraded to 12 RED Komodos with a variety of Fujinon lenses chosen very specifically to best serve each camera's purpose and position. “The RED Komodo cameras offer larger sensors for higher light sensitivity and shallower depth of field, as well as progressive frame rates and very accurate color science,” he says. “And, they come in at a fraction of the cost of larger broadcast cameras.”
Saddleback Worship Live Production acts as the storytellers of our weekend service, delivering the images that pull God’s people into corporate worship.
A typical weekend service employs ten cameras: four at fixed positions in the worship center, two handhelds for the stage with two tripod-mounted cameras on stage, and one or two wireless gimbals on the floor. Two additional Komodos are reserved for field production with other cameras available to be shifted for field use when not assigned in the worship center.
BARNEY TONG
The primary teaching shots employ Fujinon ZK85-300mm T2.9-4.0 lenses, one with a Musashi OptMore TL-PLX14F 1.4x Super 35 extender, and one with an FFx2 2x extender. The popular ZK85-300mm T2.9-4.0 is a lightweight Cabrio Lens PL Mount lens with a detachable servo drive unit. When attached, the drive unit makes this lens operate like a traditional ENG TV lens.
A typical weekend service employs ten cameras: four at fixed positions in the worship center, two handhelds for the stage with two tripod-mounted cameras on stage, and one or two wireless gimbals on the floor.
In Saddleback’s new more cohesive production style, Fujinon lenses provide notable visual impact that inspires the team’s creativity. “I’ve been in cinematography and production since the early 2000s,” notes Elder, “And in that time, I have tested lenses from all the major manufacturers. Fujinon Cabrio lenses have always produced great results and have been one of my favorites.”
Something that Elder calls out is the feel of the color rendition, contrast, and sharpness of Fujinon lenses that can push the image into the cinematic realm without it becoming too stylized. “Fujinon Cabrio lenses are cinematic looking but neutral,” he says. “They have a very pleasing bokeh and do not change the contrast or color curves of the image too drastically. These lenses are also fast, durable, and, in some cases, more affordable than their counterparts.”
The Right Lens for Each Position
Choosing the right lens for each camera position is key to achieving a cohesive end result for Elder and his team.
The primary teaching shots employ Fujinon Cabrio 85-300mm T2.9-4.0 lenses, one with a Musashi 1.4x extender, and one with a 2x extender. The popular Cabrio 85-300mm T2.9-4.0 is a lightweight Cabrio Lens PL Mount lens with a detachable servo drive unit. When attached, the drive unit makes this lens operate like a traditional ENG TV lens, which is easy for operators. This mode is helpful in simplifying and reducing setup time since it is not necessary to use more complicated cine lens drive systems. However, the versatile drive can also seamlessly interface with wired and wireless cine control systems.
In Saddleback’s new more cohesive production style, Fujinon lenses provide notable visual impact that inspires the team’s creativity.
During the height of the Covid pandemic, Saddleback's worship services were held outdoors. Working in natural light offered unique challenges and opportunities for Saddleback's film and video production teams.
An angled shot from the position in the rear corner of the house left has the same Musashi OptMore TL-PLX14F 1.4x extender on a Fujinon Cabrio 25-300 T3.5 lens. A second camera is temporarily colocated in the rear corner house right and equipped with a Fujinon ZK19-90 T2.9 lens.
On stage, two handhelds capture the action using Fujinon Cabrio 19-90 T2.9 lenses, with two lock-off shots of instruments on stage through Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 lenses with a native RF mount. Both lens models offer nine iris blades for attractive bokeh. A wireless rig with a Ronin 2 gimbal is assigned to roam the house equipped with a Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 lens, along with an additional wireless shoulder-mount rig similarly outfitted with a Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9. Two cameras are reserved for field use and can have the same reliable Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 lenses mounted, but can also be outfitted with rented lenses to fit the style of the production. Other than cameras outfitted with the Fujinon MK 18-55 T2.9 lenses with RF mounts have PL mount adaptors.
The new production environment and vivid video capture with RED cameras and Fujinon lenses provide a new sense of continuity with services having a common look and feel whether worshipers are attending a service in person or viewing online.
To obtain a cinematic look and maintain broadcast control, each camera is equipped with a Multidyne Silverback V fiber camera adapter. The versatile unit can transport up to one 12G-SDI, two 6G-SDI, or four 3G-SDI signal paths from the camera to a Base Station along with one return path. Full camera control is provided by the camera manufacturer’s control panel via serial or a 10/100/GigE Ethernet path. Genlock, intercom, tally, and audio paths are also provided. Signals travel via SMPTE fiber to the video control room where a Ross Acuity switcher provides connection and switching ability.
A New Common Environment
The new production environment and vivid video capture with RED cameras and Fujinon lenses provide a new sense of continuity with services having a common look and feel whether worshipers are attending a service in person or viewing online. The new gear also inspires Elder and his team. When asked about the results, he says that reactions from the congregation and staff have been overwhelmingly positive.
Elder summed up what he and the technical production team have been striving for and why they undertook this impressive project. “As the broadcaster of Saddleback Worship services, Saddleback Worship Live Production acts as the storytellers of our weekend service, delivering the images that pull God’s people into corporate worship. By creating artistically compelling and technically excellent video, we elevate Jesus Christ through live music and teaching.”
