B E ST P R A CT I C E S
Best Practices for Church Streaming Shared By DeWayne Hamby
S
ince churches shut down in March during the COVID-19 pandemic, more congregations have relied on livestreaming to broadcast their services. A July workshop, “Enhancing Your Online Presence,” led by The Rev. Rob Goodridge of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Titusville, educated viewers on best practices, including tips on video shooting and equipment overviews.
Framing is important: People won’t continue to watch services that resemble a security camera, with only a wide, long-range shot of the service. “In movies, the establishing shot, the wide view of a scene, is only a couple seconds long,” he said. “The rest of the scene is waist shots and close-ups. Unless you move in, you can’t read the people’s faces.” He added that close-up shots allow viewers to recognize nonverbal communication, which is 53% body language. “We have a rare opportunity to provide intimacy with the viewer,” he said.
Goodridge, who was ordained in 2007, has 30 years of experience in broadcast media with such diverse outlets as MTV, feature films, Set cameras in front: syndicated television While many churches shows and local network have tried to hide affiliates as well as or disguise their corporate clients and cameras, Goodridge a stint at First Baptist advises churches not Goodridge Church of Orlando. to worry about where He acknowledged that while to place them. “With no one in The Episcopal Church had never our churches, we have a rare embraced online ministry, opting opportunity to put the camera for more personal connections, it is wherever we want,” he said. Don’t now forced to rethink that strategy. show empty pews or buildings, but instead focus cameras where the “How can we continue to reach out action is and give viewers a clear to the lost when we can’t let them shot of those who speak and sing. in the doors?” he said. “Fortunately, social media has opened a door for Use iPhones as cameras, but don’t us and for them.” hold them: iPhones, especially newer models, have great cameras Goodridge spent more than an and should be put to use in the hour offering advice and taking church. They can stream directly questions from viewers. Among to Facebook Live, but they can also some of the highlights: feed into third-party streaming
16
Central Florida EPISCOPALIAN
•
Sept / Oct 2020
and editing software such as Switcher Studio (subscriptionbased) or SlingStudio (hardwarebased). A stabilizer such as DJI Osmo Mobile 3 for $110 can take away the shakiness of holding a phone by hand and provide a more professional look. An app called FiLMiC Pro, which Hollywood director Steven Soderbergh has used, can enhance the iPhone cameras. Using stationary streaming cameras: Goodridge also discussed the Mevo camera, a streaming camera that allows for multiple shots from the same lens. It can be controlled by an iPhone or tablet and allows the producer the flexibility of performing other duties during the church service. This can be helpful for smaller churches that lack the staff or volunteers to produce content. Use a Vimeo Producer account: Go beyond the basic Vimeo account and pay $15 per month for a producer
level. This will remove ads, some of which are inappropriate to play during a church service. “[A recent] Eucharist at the National Cathedral had an insurance commercial between the readings,” Goodridge said. Prerecord and air later: Goodridge explained that his church records choir practices for two weeks at a time using an iPhone and Mevo camera. He uses Adobe Premiere Rush, available for $15 a month for nonprofits, to edit, and Canva.com to create graphics to promote it. “It takes about three hours,” he said. “I edit all day Saturday.” Whatever type of streaming style the churches choose, Goodridge believes complacency should not be an option. Instead, he advises churches to do better every week and continue to learn best practices. “Whatever you do this week has to be better next week,” he said.
www.cfdiocese.org
