Wide shots are usually a crucial element to show to your live streaming audience. However, due to the shut down, it’s unlikely there’s an audience or congregation in the room, so they may be unnecessary and confusing to include in your live stream.
When talk of quarantines and sheltering at home began to enter our vocabulary, many churches were ready to go with systems already in place to stream services live or recorded to their congregations. On week one they dug into an existing infrastructure they were already very familiar with and held services.
Other churches were stuck. They either had a basic system they never really used or they had no system at all for streaming, much less a knowledge of the do’s and don’ts of how to make a streamed service engaging for a broadcast audience. Mark Tarbet, president of Ridge AV, an integrator specializing in custom audio, video, lighting, and control systems for the church and corporate markets near Austin, Texas, heard from many of these churches who were scrambling to deliver services to their congregations online.
“We began fielding a lot of calls for help from churches,” says Tarbet. “Pastors who needed help and those entirely new to streaming were all racing for answers and direction. The need was, and remains, incredible as over 40% of churches have never streamed before.”
When the corona virus caused churches to shut down for weekly services, some churches like this one just dug in and relied upon their existing infrastructure and experience. Other churches were stuck. They either had a basic system they never really used or they had no system at all for streaming, much less a knowledge of the do’s and don’ts of how to make a streamed service engaging for a broadcast audience.
Ridge AV is introducing a range of new online resources, including Streaming 101, an entry level series of short videos to address a range of production best-practices in lighting, staging, sound, stage craft and directing. A few of the tips found in the videos include:
- To improve the engagement and viewing experience, focus on the transitions between sections of the service -- for example, the transition between the end of the music and the beginning of the message. Avoid long transitions and let viewers at home see everything live attendees would see.
- Another word of advice has to do with lighting. The camera eye is much less forgiving than the human eye. So, things that look good to the naked eye won’t look necessarily look good on the stream. Adjust your lighting with regards to what looks good on the camera vs. your own eye. Better yet, buy an inexpensive light meter and make sure your lighting is balanced across your stage or altar area.
- Shot selection is very important for both your in-house IMAG and your streaming feed, but those feeds are for very different audiences with different perspectives. Under normal circumstances, wide shots are more crucial to mix into your live streaming audience, but may be unnecessary during the coronavirus shut down since it’s unlikely there’s an audience or congregation in the room. Regardless, medium and tighter shots help viewers and attendees connect emotionally. Super tight shots are not recommended for IMAG or live streams.
- Audio is arguably more important than video in your live stream, so separate your lives stream mix from your PA mix. Live sound is usually a mix of acoustical instruments (drums, live vocals and acoustic guitars, etc.) mixed with electronic instruments and compromises from the acoustics of the room. Streaming audio sounds drastically different. A live mix is for larger speakers and subwoofers, while your stream mix is for smartphones and headphones. For your live stream, route channels to a second mix and approach it like a separate monitor mix. Ideally the audio for your live stream will be mixed in a separate room with complete isolation from what’s going on live. Try testing a variety of audio recording and playback options throughout the week in preparation for the weekend.
Ridge AV also has free online chat consultations for church streaming questions. They’re also offering new turnkey streaming product packages that include everything needed to start streaming. Add-on packages are also available to improve existing systems.
“We want to go beyond just selling hardware. Focusing on the entire solution was our goal because hardware is only one part of the equation. Producing a stream worth watching requires the right hardware, technicality, and production skills,” says Tarbet.
The video series Streaming 101 is now available for technical tips as well as lessons for creating streaming content that will keep viewers feeling connected and avoid awkward transitions that distract viewers.
“Purchasing an encoder doesn’t ensure people will engage with your stream any more than buying a fast car makes you a Formula 1 competitor. It takes knowledge, the right hardware, and skills. Combined, we hope to be a valuable resource for churches during these socially distant days,” Tarbet concludes.
For more information, visit www.ridgeav.com.
The new video series is available at www.ridgeav.com/videos
The new turnkey pre-engineered streaming packages and add-ons are available at www.ridgeav.com/shop
