If you're a regular reader of Church Production Magazine (CPM), you're probably well aware of the term IMAG, which stands for image magnification. Often explained as visual amplification, IMAG is used mostly where live video is captured via a camera or cameras and then projected onto one or more large screens. It's mainly used to show a close-up shot of the pastor or a speaker so that people seated farther back can see better; as a tool to enhance the message of the service through PowerPoint slides, graphics and imagery, or to engage the congregation's participation by displaying the words of a sermon or the lyrics of a song. IMAG can be a powerful tool that enriches the worship experience; the key is to keep it from becoming a distraction.
Recently CPM spoke with several consultants who design IMAG systems and have had success integrating this technology tool into houses of worship (HOW). We asked them about the current standards and trends, as well as where they see the future of IMAG for HOW applications. But before we look forward let's look back. IMAG, as we know it today, first came from the concert touring market. Many point to it having made its touring debut when the band Journey hit the road in 1983 with a purpose built IMAG system designed by Nocturne Productions. Large events and business meetings quickly adopted IMAG since it was ideal for speaker and graphic presentations. Around 20 years ago, IMAG started being used in houses of worship; becoming much more widespread in the past decade as projectors got brighter and more affordable.
Why IMAG?
Currently, many consultants see churches using IMAG primarily for sermon support. In some instances it works well, and in others it is an unnecessary distraction. “I do see IMAG being used effectively during worship, in order to lead people's focus to the different aspects of the worship experience,” says David McCauley, vice president/principal consultant for Fresno, Calif.-based Michael Garrison Associates (MGA). “Unfortunately, I also see a lot of keeping up with the Joneses rather than necessity. When the image of the person on the screen is the same size or smaller than the person on the stage you might need to re-think why you're doing IMAG.”
McCauley also suggests considering why you want IMAG. “A good priority for IMAG should be letting the audience connect with the speakers' facial expressions,” he says. “It is also a great way to keep information like words to songs or bible verses readily visible so people can stay connected to the service without shifting focus from the facial cues that help with the context of the message.”
At the design-consulting firm Acoustic Dimensions based in the Dallas area, Senior Consultant Ben Cating notes, “A high majority of our clients—95%—are dealing with IMAG. If not using it for the entire service, I'd say they use it for most of the service. There are some clients that will only project the pastor during the sermon; during music they tend to do full-screen graphics. We find that's a really good entry level for people with volunteer staff to have full-page graphics of lyrics during music and then transition to the preaching. People gradually get into showing more IMAG during the service, during specials or drama presentations; and gradually expand what they're doing.”
Consultant Chuck Walthall, principal of Walthall and Associates in Pensacola, Fla., also finds that just about every job they do includes some kind of visual reinforcement. He has seen a change in both gear and the use of IMAG over time. “I first put an LCD projector in a church in the early 1990s,” describes Walthall. “It was a Sharp projector, the size of two computer towers and 400 lumens. I'm on a project now where we have little bitty projectors that are kicking out 8,000 lumens. IMAG has taken a little bit of a twist from 20 years ago. It started out as presenting PowerPoint with some slides and occasionally about putting the pastor on the screen. Nowadays it can mean mixing the IMAG in with the feed for streaming the services. It's about a presentation that connects with the parishioners whether in the church or watching remotely.”
IMAG Considerations
Once you've decided that you want to incorporate IMAG into your church, you should speak with a consultant who can help you understand the considerations that will need to be addressed—considerations such as staffing. “Besides money, which is a very important factor, I would say staffing is a big deal,” Cating says. “If there's no video tech-savvy person on staff, it should probably be a high priority for the church to find someone to fill that position—even if it's just for three hours a week, you should have somebody that can get things ready ahead of time. You can't have a volunteer staff show up on Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. to make sure that all of the cameras are working; all of the graphics are loaded; and have it all up and running. It really takes a person—or multiple people—to get all of that ready and prepared.”
McCauley says, “Count the cost. There is a lot more to IMAG than just getting cameras rolling and piping it to a projector that's shining on a wall. There is an art to this; you may buy the best equipment but if you don't have the talent to run it, you are just wasting money. People need to look at the lighting and cameras as a package. I've seen some real nice cameras look bad because of poor lighting, and I've seen some pretty cheap cameras look pretty amazing with great lighting and proper camera set up and operation. Invest in professional-based products; HD-SDI is the standard for broadcast and professional workflow of professional HD products. I would never buy a camera for an IMAG system that does not at least have this output. HDMI is not a professional connection; it's a consumer connection.”
Walthall contends that camera considerations are very important. “Something that we try to determine right on the front end with our clients is, ‘are we dealing with robotic or pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) camera options or are we going to deal with volunteers and manned cameras?'” he states. “For our projects, the split between cameras is 60% PTZ and 40% manned. That decision is really determined by the size of the venue and the size of the ministry. Larger ministries, we see more manned cameras, because they have a bigger pool of volunteers to work with. Smaller churches, it's all PTZ.”
In contrast, Cating doesn't see that many automated cameras used in the HOW market right now. “I'm not seeing a lot of automated cameras yet; volunteers are a lot cheaper. The place that I've seen them, and where we put them, are on the platform where a church is sensitive to extra tech people. We do elevator tripods that go down to 36 inches and can bop up to 55 or 60 inches, so they can rise up behind an orchestra, pan around and get an orchestra shot and then go back down.”
IMAG Today
Today, IMAG users in the HOW market are getting graphic-savvy, Cating points out. “We're seeing people that are developing better graphics; I think having nice graphics can cover over a multitude of problems with video. When you have nice graphics you can ‘wow' them a little bit. The obvious leader in the industry for a long time now is Renewed Vision's ProPresenter software, which gives you an alpha key where you can add a transparency over the IMAG image. This gives you nice lower-third graphics.”
Cating is increasingly seeing multiple graphics machines in a typical system. “That is becoming more popular,” he comments. “You have different purposes, so you have one machine doing lower third graphics; one doing video playbacks full screen; and you could even have a third one, if you're doing Internet streaming, with different graphics.”
A trend that Walthall sees with his clients is streaming content, which sometimes shares the IMAG feed. Walthall believes that IMAG is getting more and more firmly interlinked with the broadcast system. “In the past, you had a broadcast system and a projection system,” he says. “Both systems were independent, but they could share their content with each other. What we're seeing now is—and I think that streaming has a lot to do with this—is that video in the worship center is primarily ProPresenter and then they'll switch and take the live camera feed during the preaching time. The production system is not only producing a streaming package, but it's also producing the in-house projection package. Over the past five years, streaming has become the new broadcast and it has become easier to produce a quality package to send out digitally and connect with people.
Future IMAG Trends
Where is the future of IMAG going? “I see more and more automation in the future,” McCauley says. “One of the biggest obstacles our clients [report to] MGA is that the cameras and the people running them block a lot of good seats, and are very distracting. This problem can be somewhat resolved by the use of automation, engineering, and an artistic touch. With remotely operated cameras—not the normal joystick-driven—that can emulate a real tripod operation only remotely. Automated cameras on disappearing floor tracks that glide around behind the band on stage but yet aren't a trip hazard. Jib cranes that seemingly appear out of nowhere; make the shot then disappear again.”
For Cating the future might well mean streamlining both operation and staffing. “Ease of operation will make it easier for one guy to operate the IMAG system; one guy that's doing the switching, doing the slide transition, and shooting the cameras. Having it all in one package, having the ability for one volunteer to do the whole show is probably where it's headed.”
Walthall sees IMAG continuing, but without projectors. “What's interesting from [the] technology side is to look at LED technology. How much longer are we going to be doing projectors? With LED, I can do a 3mm or 6mm LED video wall where there is no lamp and the cost of ownership drops. As that technology gets more and more affordable, I believe that we will see less and less projectors in churches.”
However you approach it, just remember the IMAG needs to support your message. McCauley personally feels that “IMAG needs to be done well or not done at all.”
“The potential for distraction rather than being helpful is huge. Don't take shortcuts, buy and use the proper equipment to achieve the end product you expect,” McCauley adds. “Train up or hire creative people that have a vision for this ministry, as they will be your best investment. Properly trained and talented people using good gear will do more for the overall quality than under-trained/non-talented people on the best gear.”
IMAG is absolutely a tool that can make your worship services more dynamic if, like any technology, it is used in a well-considered manner. Plan ahead and have your concerns and requirements laid out and on hand when you meet with consultants and designers. With proper planning and systems integration, IMAG will help your congregation see the bigger picture on the screen and in the message.
