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Good camera movement starts with body position—how you stand, shift your weight, and frame the shot matters just as much as the camera itself.
Live production can be fast-paced. Making sure the worship service sounds good, and looks right; there’s a lot to manage. But there is one job that often gets overlooked when discussing challenging positions in production, and that is the role of the camera operator. Most often the complexity of production is focused on audio or lighting but following someone on camera --- especially when it’s a lively pastor on stage --- can be a major challenge.
It’s especially important for production managers to remember that the role of the team is to support the church’s vision as best as possible with the resources available. Often, when it comes to following pastors or the worship team on a camera, there is a perspective to try and limit movement on stage so that it is easier on the camera operators, but that isn’t the greatest mindset. The best way to maximize a camera operator’s ability to follow someone on stage is to develop their skills.
There is almost always something that can tip off the camera operator that the pastor is about to move. Learn those cues.
Every church TD wants a spot where they can put a new volunteer into a role, and a stationary camera on a tripod is often that spot. However, it’s a big mistake to put a new volunteer on a camera without any real instructions other than, “make sure you keep the pastor in the middle of the shot.” People need to know how to follow a pastor and the best practices for how to use a tripod before they are handed the responsibility of capturing the pastor on Sunday morning. Here are a few training tips:
Stand when following someone on a camera
That’s right, don’t sit. While it can seem tiring, a camera operator who is sitting will become relaxed and begin to pay less attention. Some pros might be able to do it, but most volunteers will need to stand in order to follow the pastor consistently.
...smooth, fluid camera moves are less distracting to the viewer.
Use your Hips, not your arms.
Often panning across a stage can look choppy or bumpy, and that is because most camera operators are using one hand and then grabbing the tripod arm aggressively when they need to move. However, the most fluid following technique is to hold both tripod arms at all times and move their whole body left to right or vice versa while following someone on stage. It creates much more fluid starts and stops, and smooth, fluid moves are less distracting to the viewer.
Look at the screen or monitor.
Whether it’s the small LCD screen on a camera or a 7” monitor that's on the top, the screen needs to be where the operator’s eyes are locked in 100% of the time. Often camera people will start to look past the camera and watch the pastor like one of the other congregants in the room, and that is when the pastor walks out of the shot. Why? Because the camera operator will have a delayed response when they are not looking at the screen.
Pay Attention to Body language.
If a pastor is energetic or charismatic, they can be hard to follow. If they are Pentecostal, it’s almost impossible (I am a Pentecostal Pastor). However, almost all people who pace on stage have “tells” or “cues” that reveal when they are about to make a move. They will slightly shift their body before walking or pause in their talking to move. There is almost always something that can tip off the camera operator that the pastor is about to move. Learn those cues.
Mark the Territory
Some pastors may need to be shown where the lighting is and isn’t on stage. Tape on the platform, or some other type of marking can make a significant difference in where the pastor goes while preaching. This is not to limit the pastor’s expression, but to help him or her understand where they will be lit the best. If the pastor can use marks on the floor as a guide, the camera operator has a better idea of where the pastor will and will not go.
Following a pastor on camera can be tricky, but if volunteers are trained well, it can be an easy way to get people connected to production. This role can also become a great “first step” in getting them connected to the church production team.
