I believe that with practice a team of dedicated volunteer camera operators can outshine even pros. Why? Because unlike a “hired gun”, you will have spent time learning the nuances of your pastor, singers andmusicians. It will make anticipating the action easier so that in the context of the church, professional quality can be obtained by volunteer operators.
This article will point out, neither fulltime IMAG nor broadcast video should be entered into lightly or “on the cheap”. When you’re at a point in church growth where IMAG is necessary (as opposed to merely desired by a technical director wanting a new challenge or an ego-centric pastor) the finances should be in place for your church to take the expensive equipment costs in stride.
Since many churches have facilities small enough to allow for easy eye contact from the pulpit to the majority of seats in the room, full-time IMAG isn’t necessary or recommended. However, there will inevitably be infrequent times when a live camera shot of action is helpful. Because these smaller churches don’t need to invest in industrial or broadcast-level equipment, more consideration must be taken to utilize a consumer or prosumer video camera.
Live Video for IMAG
An excellent rule of thumb for adding fulltime IMAG is when the room seats 1,500 or more. There are some medium sized venues (800 - <1,500 seats) where sightlines are problematic due to large support columns or other room design issues. It is possible that adding IMAG could solve these issues if adequate ceiling height exists for the screen locations, and sightlines to the screens are unobstructed.
When using IMAG, it is only necessary to show medium (waist up) or tight shots for the majority of the live video content. This is because IMAG is to show the audience what they cannot see with their eyes. There is simply no value in showing a lot of head-to-toe shots or even wider shots to the audience, because the audience is already seeing a wide shot with their eyes.
There are several issues with obtaining these tighter shots. The first issue is the amount of zoom lens necessary to shoot from a location that is unobtrusive to audience members. Furthermore, most of the prosumer cameras will not allow for interchangeable lenses. Even with industrial-level cameras such as the JVC DV-550 or the Sony DXCD50 series, adding lenses can easily cost as much or even more than the price of the camera. When using a long zoom lens, more often than not you won’t be able to use the last 5% or so of the zoom due to the aperture difference. As a camera operator you’ll see this as the picture becoming darker at the final portion of the zoom. Some higherend lenses will allow you to set stops on the zoom control, ensuring that you don’t make this mistake.
IMAG has the additional complexity of tracking with the pastor, singer, drama actor or musician in these tighter shots. Fast action can often be very difficult to follow when a waist-up or tighter shot is needed. By using the “rule of thirds”, we are again able to remember that our framing must account for the negative space (lead room) in front of the direction the person is moving. By learning to allow the person to “fl oat” within the middle third of the screen, camera operators will be able to smooth out their pans (side to side) instead of trying to keep a laser lock on the person in the exact middle of the screen. I also recommend that churches consider utilizing two centerline cameras in a sideby- side configuration. This allows one camera to be on a “tight follow” and one on a “loose follow” shot. The tight follow is generally a slightly-above-waist-up to bust-up shot while the loose follow is generally a slightly-above-knee-up to almost waist-up shot. This is especially important when the person on stage is moving rapidly or erratically from side to side, as the director can easily cut away from the tight-follow when the action is too quick to follow so that the loose-follow camera operator can use the excess space to keep the person in frame.
Live Video for Broadcast
Broadcast directors, however, will not only need access to these tight shots but will also need additional cameras for obtaining visually interesting action. Typically, side cameras are positioned at a 30-45 degree offset from the center of the room, which allows these camera operators to frame their shots more creatively. For example, when the person is walking towards a side camera positioned at house-left, the lead room will be slightly on the left side of the frame. However, when the person stops and faces out towards the center of the room, this camera operator must smoothly transition the pan to increase lead room on the right side of the frame (towards the audience). In fact, side cameras often have the most difficult jobs because they also have to deal with the subject walking towards and away from them more than a centerline camera. This means that the camera operator must pan, tilt, zoom and focus all at the same time in order to maintain proper framing.
When operating a camera for a broadcast director, you need to use your eyes beyond the viewfinder. When your tally light (on-air indicator) is off, use your peripheral vision to find interesting shots and follow any action that might interfere with your shot such as someone walking up an isle towards the camera. Remember, the director only sees what the camera lenses can see, so it’s your responsibility to pay attention to the big picture and provide feedback when necessary.
Really, I believe that in order to maximize your camera abilities you need to learn the tools, the talk and the trade. The tools, such as the focus and zoom controls, are there to get the job done. Master them. The talk is the lingo you’ll hear over your headset from the director. “Push in” means the same thing as “zoom in” and “woof” can mean the same thing as “stop”. The trade is your church application. You must get to know the names of those people who are regularly on stage, as the director will likely call for “Jimmy on guitar”, and you’ll need to know that means the acoustic guitar, not the electric or bass guitar.
Use the Force – of Control
One of the best camera tools is tied directly into the lens technology. On higher-end zoom lenses, the controls go far beyond the typical rocker switch for zooming in and out. The ability to change the speed of the zoom servo, use a snap-zoom with a button push, and even set preset zoom markers are all features of high-end lenses. As a camera operator, you want to use controls, not fight them. By having adjustable controls like those pictured in Figure 1, below, your ability to create silky smooth zooms is made exponentially easier.
However, expensive lenses and great cameras are only going to be as useful as the quality of the camera operator. In fact, I believe that with mandatory practices at least every month, a team of dedicated volunteer camera operators can outshine even pros. Why? Because unlike a “hired gun”, you will have spent time learning the nuances of your pastor, singers and musicians. It will make anticipating the action easier so that in the context of the church, professional quality can be obtained by volunteer operators. When your church does have these training sessions, work on camera drills such as:
- Fastest shot – hear a director’s command, zoom all the way in to get focus and zoom out to set up the shot as called for by the director.
- Best slow zoom - By placing a small object on stage, zoom in or out to find the object with the smoothest and slowest zoom without speeding up or stalling.
- Focus follow – have a volunteer walk toward and away from cameras rapidly while on tight shots, keeping the person in focus at all times.
- The three-axis move – Start on a wide shot with the subject in a top corner of the screen and zoom in slowly, keeping the person’s head at the exact same spot as the image increases in size, then gently frame up the shot as it approaches a tight shot. Try this in reverse, too. This involves tilting, panning and zooming in a smooth, coordinated effort.
- Rack Focus – practice following the director's transition between two shots by having the tight shot blur the image by focusing towards the camera.
- The Stand Up – have a volunteer sit in a chair on the stage and stand up at varying speeds while the camera operator keeps at least a medium shot perfectly in frame without losing head room. Over time, your ability to master your technique on camera for IMAG or broadcast, at a remote shoot or in a studio will be honed to a point where you can achieve professional results.
Anthony Coppedge provides consulting to churches for developing and growing a media ministry, building teams, casting vision and even choosing the right equipment. He lives in Bedford, Texas with his wife and two daughters and can be reached at anthony@anthonycoppedge.com.
