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Sony PTZ camera at Prestonwood Church.
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PTZOptics PTZ at Oaks Church.
Camera coverage during the speaking portion of a church service, whether using manned or robotic cameras, generally has just one primary goal: to keep the presenter centered in the frame.
For worship, however, it’s nearly a blank canvas regarding the possibilities. While each ministry’s overall creative vision will ultimately define a look and feel of a directing style and camera shot selection, a broad spectrum of available technology can help any ministry have multitudinous options for how to fulfill that vision.
In the past, PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) robotic cameras and static POV (point-of-view) cameras were shunned by many ministries due to a perceived lower quality level and the difficulty integrating them into a system with other cameras because of limited color and contrast control.
The PTZOptics MOVE 4K PTZ cameras delivers dynamic shots at Oaks Church (McKinney, Texas) that would be impossible with a traditional camera setup.
Cost-effective and versatile, PTZ and POV cameras are changing church video strategy.
Now, technology advancements in PTZs and POVs have not only brought new options to the marketplace but have also made it even easier for ministries to rely on those styles of cameras for critical shots in places they previously wouldn’t have even considered them.
“For our ministry, the main benefit of PTZ and POV cameras is flexibility without adding more people to the booth,” explains Abner Cruz, the Media and Production Lead at Texas’ Oaks Church. “They let us cover multiple angles, capture the room, or focus in on a moment without needing another operator in the seat. They’re also consistent. A PTZ will hit the same shot every time you recall it, and a POV can always give a creative and more personal feel to worship.”
When ministries want to add additional dynamics to their capture of a worship set, the greatest limiter can often be space. There may not be a great way to add camera platforms in the audience for manned cameras, and doing so could affect sightlines for guests. The ministry may also have a small stage that’s already crowded with musicians and vocalists, making it challenging to explore adding handheld cameras.
That’s where PTZs and POVs can come in to add value, as in Cruz’ case at Oaks.
“Thanks to the flexibility of the system, we have our drums PTZ specific to drums, but our wireless and room PTZ shots are dependent on the moment of service we are in, focusing on singer, musician, or speaker,” he notes.
POV and PTZ cameras open up angles that handheld operators can’t reach.
Marshall's CV630 NDI PTZ in the Church Production Road Test at Stone Creek Church.
Adding a robotic PTZ camera near the drums, or mounting a static POV camera like those made by Marshall or BZBGear, can provide a shot that’s consistently available for the director to use at any moment necessary during worship, whether to highlight a drum fill or even to use as a quick cutaway shot.
A PTZ shot could include a rack focus or simple movement that’s stored as a preset on a camera controller, providing dynamics that a POV camera wouldn’t. But in both cases, it allows a ministry to get that important drum shot without having to staff a handheld camera operator or deal with the distraction of that person moving around the stage.
The same value applies with keyboards and guitars. Shots of each can add additional energy on camera during a worship set, and properly aimed and mounted cameras allow a director plenty of options to choose from during a song, with the benefit (as Cruz notes) of having guaranteed repeatable shots with the human variable removed.
Even though humans may not be needed on stage to physically run those cameras, there’s still a human element necessary behind-the-scenes to manage PTZs in a typical install.
“The congregation barely notices these cameras versus having a larger setup with (sometimes distracting) humans running them, and the low-profile nature of the robotics and PTZs means we can put them in locations where traditional camera setups would have been unacceptable,” states Bryan Bailey, the director of media at Dallas-area megachurch Prestonwood Baptist.
His ministry uses nearly a dozen PTZ and POV cameras during a typical worship service, which causes him and his staff to think differently about staffing. “One operator can run multiple cameras, allowing for better scheduling rotations,” he explains, “The biggest challenge was re-training volunteers who were used to manned cameras. The other main challenge is getting volunteers to think about multiple cameras at one time.”
Mounted cameras give consistent, repeatable shots every time—no guesswork.
Most PTZ controllers allow for multiple cameras to be connected and managed at one time, allowing a single operator to bounce back and forth between different cameras and use presets to recall certain shots, frames, and movement. On a more streamlined scale, this same thing can be done with a single camera, using presets to jump between different shots and give the impression of a larger camera allotment than is actually present.
In each case, the consistent variety allows enough different shots and angles to keep a worship set feeling fresh and energized. And with cameras able to be mounted unobtrusively onstage, there’s never a concern of a certain shot being blocked by a vocalist or a congregant who’s raising their hands in the frame.
The benefit is felt by multiple audiences. “People in the room, watching online, and watching on television are now able to get a completely different and immersive experience due to the new angles and movement,” says Bailey. And because there’s no added distraction due to onstage movement from camera operators, it also allows for a more streamlined and natural feel to a video cut.
For ministries that desire a dynamic video cut for either an in-room IMAG feed or an online broadcast, adding these cost-effective cameras as options might be a better path than adding manned ones, simply due to having a lower “overhead” cost.
One operator can run multiple PTZ cameras from the same controller, while POVs don’t need an operator at all, and both of these can benefit churches that have staffing issues but still have a specific vision they long for. The unmanned locations also eliminate the need for intercom and tally, bringing operating cost down, and their flexibility means they can be placed in spaces a human simply can’t.
But there can be downsides also.
Depending on where or how they’re sat or mounted on stage, it may be a consideration to have a “stage manager” strike those cameras during a transition from worship to speaking if the stage will be better lit and make those cameras more noticeable (or if they might be in the way of a speaker who moves a lot on stage).
Additionally, PTZ cameras that are wall-mounted can often have vibration issues from low-end energy during music. Mounting them on a concrete or steel surface will mitigate issues that might otherwise exist on a sheetrock wall, and anti-shock mounts may also be necessary to use.
PTZ cameras provide flexibility without adding more people to the booth.
Plus, with any camera on stage, its proximity to an LED wall used as a backdrop serves to make moire issues on camera more prevalent, and this is a potential challenge a ministry would be wise to explore and mitigate prior to making a camera purchase.
“Always demo the PTZ camera in your room and look at it with your LED wall (if you have one),” Bailey cautions. “Check for any issues with refresh rates that may cause ‘tearing’ of the LED image.”
As with any technology, there can certainly be downsides. But in every instance, when done right, there are also undeniable benefits to be realized, beyond just the added dimension of creative expression for the tech team running it.
“It can be a powerful way to communicate the emotions of the song or drummer,” says Oaks’ Cruz, “creating the possibility of a connection point to our online viewer, [then] creating an opportunity for the viewer to stay longer on stream which in turn can create a moment of salvation.”
