There’s so much time and energy invested in preparing for Christmas, and it would be a shame for the whole experience to go sideways because of a couple of small details that got overlooked. It’s so important to think through, talk through and walk through every piece ahead of time and communicate that plan repeatedly.
With a busy season of Christmas services right on our doorstep, it’s a good time to remember that it’s not just about creating a big event. Christmas services are big events, but in reality, they’re comprised of dozens of small actions and details that, if executed well, come together to create a great experience.
It’s easy to put all of our focus into thinking through the big moments: timing the snow machines to kick on at the right moment, or programming a great lighting effect with the Christmas trees onstage, or whatever. But those moments themselves are really the culmination of hours of planning and attention to detail.
Transitions can make or break a service, so there has to be some effort of intentionality put into the moments between big elements.
There’s never a good time to cut corners or take service details lightly, but for an event like Christmas, which for many churches is really a single big service with one chance to get everything right, it’s even more critical to spend time in the weeds.
As many ministries get ready to ramp up rehearsals, it’s worth having a quick reminder about how important it is to focus on some of the things that can tend to get overlooked.
First, Christmas services tend to have many moving parts, perhaps including having more talent on stage than usual, or even having people onstage who aren’t used to being there. So, making things as easy as possible for those people is critical.
It’s imperative to have a clear way of labeling all of the extra mics and beltpacks that may be used for the service, like using different colors of tape to help people know exactly who is supposed to use what item, and where it’s supposed to be placed backstage (the beltpack with the pink spike tape goes on the table next to the pink spike tape mark, for instance).
This can even translate to the stage by utilizing different colors of spike tape to mark out placement for different people or instruments, so nobody gets confused about which black tape mark they’re supposed to stand on.
Are backup mics readily available in case there’s an issue with a primary unit?
Furthermore, it may be helpful to add some extra rope lights or nightlights backstage to help provide some illumination for people coming and going. Again, those people unfamiliar with being on your stage may have a hard time navigating some areas in the dark, and helping them see clearly and safely could be an important way of giving them a hand.
And because there do tend to be so many moving parts, it’s common for churches to add someone as a “stage manager” backstage just to help coordinate the flow of traffic on and off of the stage. And while every church may not be able to afford adding intercom for that person, it’s critical that every ministry not only practice all of their transitions, but also ensure that plenty of details about those transitions are logged on paper for all team members to access.
Whether it’s through an online platform like Shoflo or Planning Center, or just in a Word or Excel document, there needs to be a clearly transcribed outline of who is supposed to be doing what, and when and where those things happen.
Have we talked about what the house lighting levels will be during walk-in?
So, between “O Holy Night” and “Jingle Bells,” when the ensemble comes off the stage and the handbell choir loads on, how is that transition being managed? What are the house lights and stage lights doing? Is there something on screen to serve as a distraction for the audience, so they can focus on that content instead of the army of people stomping around the stage? Do the handbellers have to wait to load the stage until after the ensemble leaves, or will there be foot traffic heading in both directions at the same time?
These are all questions that need to be answered. And not only do they need to be answered, they also need to be practiced beforehand. Transitions can make or break a service, so there has to be some effort of intentionality put into the moments between big elements. Many times our energy just goes into the big moment, but how we get in and out of that moment can be just as important.
So once those pieces have been discussed and rehearsed, a team can’t just assume that everyone is going to remember those details again in the moment of the show itself. Having them all written down is of utmost importance. Obviously this allows for an immediate reminder for each team member what they need to do, but it also allows a producer or stage manager to provide advance notice or guidance for what is about to happen, so the crew and cast can be prepared in advance as well.
The details of the technology workflow itself are critical also.
Will beltpacks and mics be locked on so the users don’t accidentally mute themselves? If so, the front-of-house (FOH) engineer may need an assistant (A2) to help offer reminders of what channels to mute or unmute on the console.
Are backup mics readily available in case there’s an issue with a primary unit? And who is in charge of replacing batteries before the show or service, just to ensure nothing goes dead during the performance?
Before doors open, there also needs to be an “audio for video” soundcheck, to make sure there are no issues with videos playing to screens and through FOH. And will there be a backup computer playing those videos in case there’s a failure by the primary machine? This can be critically important if the band is syncing to a video through MIDI or SMPTE timecode.
Have we talked about what the house lighting levels will be during walk-in? If we normally use Pandora or Spotify for pre-service music, are we concerned about any sort of ads popping up unannounced? Are we worried about all of the smoke from the candle lighting triggering an alarm somewhere?
There’s so much time and energy invested in preparing for Christmas, and it would be a shame for the whole experience to go sideways because of a couple of small details that got overlooked. It’s so important to think through (and walk through) every piece ahead of time and communicate that plan repeatedly.
Big things are comprised of dozens of little things, and when we sweat the small stuff, we can help make sure the big stuff becomes an amazing experience.
