Even when I was growing up, the filmmaking process fascinated me. As soon as I’d finish watching a DVD, I would go back to the menu and find the bonus features—specifically, the behind-the-scenes clips. What always stuck out was the massive contrast between the BTS camera and the actual clip from the movie. Although they captured the same exact moment in time, they were drastically different.
A cinematic 24fps worship stream pulls viewers into the experience, while 30fps/60fps keeps sermons clear and distraction-free for IMAG.
Why The Cinematic Experience Feels Different
Obviously, a lot of factors contribute to the variance, such as color correction, lens and sensor options, sound design, and solid lighting…. But the most notable aspect is the frames per second (fps). Hollywood has defined the cinematic look using 24fps because it is slower than the speed at which our eyes perceive life. While our eyes don’t operate on a timed basis, we perceive the world at what feels like ~60 frames per second. That’s why watching a movie gives us that surreal, slightly glossy, smooth perspective—its “slower” than real life. With the introduction of videography and news, it made sense to develop cameras that capture at 60fps, because that aligns with electrical cycles (60Hz in the US), and it is more realistic.
Image courtesy of Wowza.com.
Cinematic vs. Broadcast: Which One Is Right?
So, which is a better frame rate for your church? That’s a trick question. Both forms of media (cinematic and standard video) can be artistic, but each creates a unique vibe, presenting you with an opportunity to steward your atmosphere.
The Rise of the Cinematic Church Livestream
Many churches have desired to capture their services “cinematically" — perhaps the biggest church production buzz word of the 2020s. It may sound like a fad, but this perspective holds validity. Think about the most recent produced worship music video you’ve seen from a captured worship experience. It’s highly polished, color corrected, and of course shot in 24fps. Then, watch that same church’s live stream on the weekend, and you’ll see it is vastly different. Shot in 30fps or 60fps, basic coloring from the camera, and not as polished.
Remember the BTS videos I mentioned? It’s the same dichotomy—same experience, but one feels so much better while the other feels utilitarian.
So, when it comes to your weekend service, how do you want your viewers to feel? Do you want to create an immersive stream that pulls them in? Or, do you want to have more of a docu-broadcast style stream that makes everything look extremely realistic? There’s no wrong answer. It’s important, however, to choose intentionally.
Mixed frame rates let your church’s livestream shine with cinematic polish while keeping in-room visuals distraction-free.
What About IMAG?
But wait, there’s more! We’ve discussed the livestream. What about IMAG? Glad you asked. IMAG presents a lot of considerations when it comes to frame rate because your audience sees both the stage talent live and the video feed on screens in real-time. When you’re watching someone in front of you move and then you watch that happen in 24fps on the screen, it can feel distracting—especially during a sermon. When it comes to worship, you can get away with a 24fps look because there’s so much going on, with less focus on a single person—or even the screen itself. During a sermon, on the other hand, the surreal look of 24fps on the screen with your human eyes on the subject on the platform can present an undesirable distraction. In my experience with IMAG, a sermon looks much better when capturing in 30fps or 60fps.
A Practical Workaround: Cinematic + Broadcast
Here's the best way to technically circumnavigate this challenge:
- Maintain a consistent fps with your video switcher/routing system. Typically, 30fps or 60fps are more common for broadcast/livestream/IMAG setups. We can start here.
- If you have the flexibility, choose a camera model that can output a different frame rate than it’s actually recording. While most cameras do not allow a different output and recording frame rate simultaneously, some have a “variable frame rate” feature. And there are some select camera models that do allow dual processing pipelines with proper configuration.
- These cameras are ideal for your frame rate changing setup: Canon EOS C series, R5C line (and more); RED V-Raptor, Komodo; Sony FX3/6/9, Burano, Venice, and others.
- Set the camera output to the same fps as your video system (e.g. 30fps)
- Set the camera capture/record profile to 24fps during worship
- Change the capture/record profile to 30fps during a video announcement/commercial break. Note that some cameras require a reboot or reinitialization when switching recording frame rates, so test your workflow before going live.
- Capture the sermon in 30fps
In this scenario, the camera has maintained a consistent 30fps output while creating a cinematic look with 24fps during worship and then back to a more realistic 30fps during the sermon. It’s a win-win.
Prayerfully consider your frame rate choice to align with your church’s brand and prioritize your livestream or IMAG audience.
When You’re Stuck With One Frame Rate
We don’t all have the luxury of cameras with these capabilities and, in many cases, we are stuck with one frame rate for the entire service. If this is your situation, I recommend you first decide which look aligns with your church’s brand, and then consider which audience is bigger: your livestream/archive or your in-room/IMAG audience. If your desired look is cinematic and your livestream trumps the in-room experience, then consider changing your system to 24fps. If your target is your in-room experience and you love the realistic look, maintain a 30fps or 60fps workflow.
With the right camera, you can record cinematic 24fps while outputting 30fps to match your video system’s flow.
Watch For Latency
Disclaimer: When a camera/switcher system (one or both) is set to 24fps, a higher latency can be introduced due to frame rate conversion, pulldown, or codec processing. So, you’ll need to have the ability to add delay on your audio system. This applies to IMAG and livestream, and oftentimes, the amount of latency differs.
Steward the Atmosphere on Purpose
There is no right or wrong here. Both the broadcast TV station and Hollywood films have merit to their creativity, even though they’re drastically different. It’s up to you how you choose to engage your viewers. Prayerfully consider the options, and decide as a church what is best for your people as you steward the atmosphere.
