The use of video projection in church sanctuaries has skyrocketed in the past decade. Gone are the days of slide projectors. The advancement of technology coupled with the affordability of projections systems increases the use of screens and video every year. |
The first placement of video screens in an auditorium was dedicated for image magnification (IMAG). The pastor’s image placed larger than life on the video screens enabled the congregation in the rear of the auditorium to experience the pastor’s facial expressions as if they were sitting up close. Making every seat a good seat in the auditorium drove how the larger churches incorporated this technology. However, more and more screens are popping up all over the sanctuary. Creativity spawned entirely new uses for video screens on stage, adjacent to the stage, in the audience, and at the rear of the auditorium.
Teleprompters
A large teleprompter for the worship team’s lyrics is a great way to implement the use of an additional projector. A video screen at the rear of the auditorium works well. Position the screen in a location that will hide it from the audience and use graphics with black background and white text to enhance readability. This will help the worship team and minimize the distraction to the audience. Bright backgrounds with varying colors will cause lots of changes in light levels in the auditorium and draw attention. A more subtle approach is to place a large television in the first row of the audience. Display lyrics on this screen — again black background with white text is best. If the singer needs a quick cue they can glance down. This has the extra benefit of keeping the singer engaged with the audience. Instead of looking up and away from the audience, it looks as if they are communicating with those in the front of the auditorium. Most people will not even realize that the singer is glancing at the teleprompter. This television can be built into a cabinet or other form of furniture that will match the existing decoration of your sanctuary.
A quick note however, singers who know their lyrics will always be better at communicating with the audience. Please don’t let this become a crutch so that you or your team will not have to be properly prepared. For the pastor, scripture is often placed on these monitors. Be careful. This has a huge potential downfall. If the pastor has not memorized the scripture and the person changing the text is slow, it will make the pastor lose his or her momentum. The audience will cue into this awkward moment and disengage, causing the pastor to struggle to regain the audience’s attention.
Digital Flats
A large screen directly center stage is a great way to create a digital flat. Flats are often used on theater stages as backgrounds. An example is the back wall with a window that you see on old television news programs. Custom flats can be expensive and hard to store because of their large size. A center stage screen can take the place of those flats. Ridge Point Community Church of Holland, Michigan uses a large center screen in this manner. In winter they project a large church logo with snow falling as a looping video for walking in and out of the service. This is very welcoming, considering their congregation may have just parked their car in the cold, gray Michigan winter.
"With the need to produce programming for over 100 different services per year, each with a new and exciting stage design, I believe that ultimately the only viable option is to utilize virtual backdrops incorporating projected technologies which can be changed merely by replacing the images rather than the physical set." -- Andrew Taylor, volunteer, NorthRidge Church |
Jo-Ellen Ming, director of fine arts at Ridge Point Community Church, details why they began to use this setup. “We used to use the screen for lighting. We would wash the area with color. But because we are in a media-intensive society we wanted to use more images. The rear screen was the logical choice. The people in the auditorium got a better experience.”
The center screen will give you an unbelievable amount of flexibility. Each time you change the image, you have changed the stage.
Andrew Taylor is a volunteer with NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, Michigan. He adds, “With the need to produce programming for over 100 different services per year, each with a new and exciting stage design, I believe that ultimately the only viable option is to utilize virtual backdrops incorporating projected technologies which can be changed merely by replacing the images rather than the physical set.”
Motion Video & Still Images
Images for these screens can be either motion video or still pictures. The stage transforms from a worship environment to a location for your drama. A church logo can bring you to announcements, and a picture or two from the mission team will encourage your congregation about the work going on in a remote location. Do not forget to plan pictures or video for each element of your service. A black screen seems a bit strange because everyone will be looking at it. After all, it is center stage.
Working with a graphic designer is nice and you can get great images, but perhaps you do not have one on your volunteer team. Don’t worry. There are many places that you can purchase great quality pictures for your service. These can be chosen on the Internet and downloaded. There are some very popular sites with high-quality, inexpensive images, so you do not need to fear the cost of imagery. If you have an avid photographer in your congregation, ask if he or she will let you use some photos. This is a great way to expand the types of volunteering that your congregation can do.
Detail all the images you will need for your service. First, write out every piece in your entire service. Remember, you will need a picture when people enter and leave the auditorium. Perhaps you can use something like a church logo or a picture of your building. Next, you may have a worship song. Look through the song lyrics, what stands out? Is it about the glory of God? Use a nature video or picture of someone bowing. As mentioned, a couple of images during the announcements help tie your local congregation with those who are distant. However, video may not be a great idea during the sermon. A still image makes a nice background. Slow moving video behind the pastor can tend to cause people to feel a bit sleepy. If there is fast moving action behind the pastor, the congregation will tune out him or her trying to see what is coming next in the video. Therefore, a still image is an option and makes a nice background. The screen should support the message, not detract from it.
Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana has taken the center screen to the next level. By integrating their IMAG screens and extra-large center screen, they have been able to build a very large stage backdrop. This temporary stage design has transformed their space from an auditorium to a concert hall. It gives their space an entirely new feel.
According to Jeff Petersen, media and production director, “We are doing a U2 Christmas. We copied their [U2’s] heart stage and had volunteers build the runway.” Because seating is at a premium in their auditorium, they only built half of the heart. The second half is a graphic on the video screens. “In or- der to fill out the concert look we were going for, we brought in additional intelligent lights,” adds Petersen. They also have great flexibility in what they show on the three screens. They can show IMAG with song lyrics on the two sides and still or video backgrounds on the center. They can then change to play a video on all three screens. This flexibility keeps the design fresh when transitioning from service element to service element.
Video screens can also be integrated into traditional flats. Kim Graff, artistic director at NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, Michigan designs stages that combine both video and traditional sets: “In a highly image-driven culture, it’s time we engage the sense of sight. By integrating video technology into the design of stage sets, we’re striving to create an exciting and memorable visual where the ultimate purpose is to support the message.”
Graff designs three-dimensional structures that fill a large stage while maintaining the flexibility to change imagery. She can change the images to match worship, drama, sermon, etc. She uses a large volunteer team to build the sets. The stage is about 65-feet wide and 20-feet tall. This is a large area to fill. For one particular sermon series, she designed a street scene. On stage is a sidewalk and front steps that lead up to a video screen that is 40-feet wide and 15-feet tall. Images of Brownstone homes are projected onto this screen. Because this is a screen, the image is changed for worship and other service elements. The garage is a full, two-stall garage. The construction detail includes real vinyl siding and a shingled roof. During worship, the garage door raises to reveal a real garage band. After worship, the garage door is lowered and the stage is free of the visual clutter. Her attention to detail contributes to incredible stage designs.
Imagination is your only limit of what you can do.
Scott Storteboom has led huge teams of volunteers as a tech and video director in the large church arena. Now, he manages a team of artists and editors producing media for the church at AngelHouse Media. For more information, go to www.angelhousemedia.com.
