A church video director needs to be on his or her toes, in control, ready to react with an in-the-moment confidence that spreads to the camera operators and through the video control room. For the team to get those split-second decisions right, video directors work to develop a sense for look and timing based on a vision of how the final product should look. That means that church video directors who are live streaming need to know what they are looking for and how to grab it when they see it--all at a pace that’s right for worship.
“It’s about understanding what’s happening in the room and sharing that experience,” says Brandon Marx, senior video specialist, live production for Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. “Our goal is to create the worship experience with video that’s understandable to an outside audience.”
Worshipper POV
Marx sees his video directors at Gateway’s broadcast campus in Southlake and at each of seven satellite campuses in Texas and Wyoming as being critical to his church’s mission. “A lot of people, for whatever reason, won’t or can’t make it to church on Sunday morning,” he says. “We are in a unique position to help, and it is a huge honor for us to use video streaming to make church happen for them. It’s very pastoral.”
Brandon Marx, Senior Video Specialist, Live Production, Gateway Church, Southlake, Texas
Marx reminds his directors that video streaming is a powerful medium. “Do it right and you can build tension and create suspense--actually create an amazing experience for viewers.” But to make it real his video directors must understand the experience like the people in the seats. “You can not catch it,” he says, “until you get into the position of an audience member--see what they see and hear what they hear.”
As standard procedure, Marx makes sure his video directors get out of the control room and attend worship. “Being in a video control room, by its nature, isolates you,” he says. “What we want to capture in a video stream is what people are feeling in the room. So we must go there.” Marx has his video directors regularly participate in worship, paying attention to not only what is happening, but how it makes them feel and what moves them. “We want our video directors to experience a Gateway service to figure out the experience for themselves, pray to see how the Lord directs them, and then share that special experience,” he notes.
Tools of the trade
At Gateway’s main campus, a Sony MVS8000 Multi-Format Production Switcher/Processor allows Marx and his video team to have multiple control surfaces that can effectively support inputs from eight cameras, including two jib-mounted and two handheld cameras. “The multiple control surfaces allow two video directors to share the switching hardware, one director for IMAG and one for live streaming,” says Marx. He trains Gateway video directors for both positions, but notes that directors must know that their objectives will be different based on whether they are cutting for IMAG or a video stream.
“Some shots don’t work for people in the room,” notes Marx. “Wide shots can help establish what's going on, but lack the detail of close shots. If wide shots are of something that the audience is already seeing, they aren’t useful for IMAG and can actually be distracting.” Marx reminds his directors that the purpose of IMAG is to aid what is happening in the room. Similarly, he cautions his broadcast video directors that some effects, like fading IMAG to black to support a dramatic moment on stage, would work well for an in-the-room audience, but leave a stream viewer essentially “blind” and confused as to what was happening. Deciding what shot is right is all about knowing who your audience is.
Consistency + pacing
Like most satellite campuses, Gateway satellite locations tend to have less hardware than the main broadcast campus. But Marx carefully checks color balance and has two hard-placed cameras with several PTZ cameras at every campus to provide similar angles. He works with his video directors to create an overall look that viewers can recognize. “It’s important for our church to have consistency. It’s our brand, if you will, with a look and feel that viewers can relate to,” he says. “We want worshippers anywhere to be able to look at our video stream and tell that it’s a Gateway service.”
One way Marx pushes for consistency is by controlling pace. “People who tune in to our service have high expectations based on programming that they are used to,” he says. “As a result, we go for a look that is more entertaining and not ‘churchy.’” For a pacing standard, Marx looks to popular broadcast shows that leverage higher paced cutting, like music awards shows and competitions. “These are high-quality productions that viewers are used to and identify with. Using them for reference makes our worship more compelling.” Marx refers to Gateway’s video style as proactive video directing rather than reactive.
Independent film director Tom Parr knows something about how pace can make live video compelling. He and his partner, Igor Kovalik at EXIT98 Films, have directed Emmy Award-winning video for the Detroit Pistons and have top-name clients like GM, Coca-Cola, FedEx, Doritos, Visa, AT&T, and Apple. “In directing live video, you need to apply all the elements of good storytelling,” says Parr. “You want to keep the viewer engaged--to feel both safe and be surprised. You’re in control as the director, but to make it work you need to have a plan.”
The plan
Before Parr begins a video project, he plans. “You need to develop a feeling for how your story will unfold. It’s no different for live worship broadcast.” For most projects, Parr relies on storyboarding to get a sense of what the viewer will experience, practice his timing, and to help refine his options for camera positions. “You don’t need to be a great artist, or an artist at all. Simple stick figures will do the job. The important thing is to have a plan from the perspective that the viewer will see.”
Tom Parr, Independent Film Director
From a video director’s seat, having a plan allows you to better control pace because you know where you are coming from and where you need to go next. Storyboards can certainly help if you have a new set or are changing up your style, but they can also give you a fresh look to improve your current video streams. “Storyboards help you to see worship as your viewers will see it--what works and what can be improved.” says Parr.
Having a plan is just a guide for video directors. It doesn’t mean that you can’t be flexible. “We know that things will change unexpectedly,” quips Gateway’s Marx, “so we also plan for times to not have a plan. You might have to hold a shot longer than expected or cut to something out of order, but those unplanned bits are often the best, when you capture the experience.”
