Thumb Rules for Worship Leaders (while Going Online)

Thumb Rules to use Smart Phone for Live streaming - for Worship Leaders

Dear worship Leaders, we are not professionals in video production and broadcasting. But if we pay attention to a few significant aspects, we can create quality videos. Remember, a quality video is something that reaches the people without visual distraction. It is a Video that will retain the attention of the audience as well as fulfill its purpose. That means, a quality video helps the pastor to reach the members of the congregation to convey the message with minimal disturbances.

1. Keep the Purpose of the Video in Mind

§  Understanding the purpose is the important aspect in video production.

§  The purpose of our video production can be to produce a regular Sunday worship service, or an everyday prayer service.

§  The content that we produce would be stored online irrespective of the platform that we choose. Therefore, we need to plan and prepare to produce a meaningful and relevant content.

2. Decide about the Place of Shoot and Visual Setting

§  The setting and the place of shooting the video is significant because it directly communicates the purpose and objective the video content to the congregation members.

§  For example, if you are streaming a regular Worship Service and prayers online, the ideal place of shoot would be altar in the church. Set the altar and related elements properly as it is arranged for any regular Worship service. Because, any difference in the arrangement can distract your audience.

§  If the pastor or priest wish to make the video to communicate any important message or to do a pep talk to the members of the congregation, setting like home library or pastor’s office room with adequate lighting without any disturbances can be used.

3. Set the Angle and Orientation of the Smartphone

§  Angle in the video is one of the very important aspect. Just imagine that the camera in the phone is the eye of one of the members sitting in the pew. Set the camera accordingly.

§  Placement of Mobile phone is another significant aspect. Position the mobile phone at the eye level of the viewer with the 40% visual showing the subject (i.e. the pastor) and 60% showing the paraphernalia (i.e. the altar and other elements of the church).

§  Avoid zooming in and zooming out intermittently. However, use these functions judiciously.

§  Always remember that the mobile phone is an extension of our eye but not powerful and versatile as a human eye. You need to really look twice before fixing the angle for the production. (you may record a video and playback it before going live online.)

§  The camera has to be placed horizontally for video production. Vertical/portrait orientation is not suitable for collective viewing.

4. Set the Lighting Properly

§  Remember to maintain proper lighting on the object (both the person and the location). This is very important aspect of a good video production. Arrange adequate lighting sources to lit up the altar and the face of the pastor. (It does not necessarily need professional lights and equipment.)

§  The thumb rule is that good and adequate lighting lifts the tone and attitude of the video. The audience will be encouraged to watch the video if proper lighting is maintained.

§  Avoid pointing the camera directly to a powerful lighting source.

§  Our eye is the best judge to evaluate the lighting quality, be confident and make sure the visual has adequate lighting.

§  For advanced users, there are options to filter the light, adjust the intensity of the light in the camera menu (for android phone, options will be on the right-hand side of the main view screen, for apple phones options will be on the left-hand side)

5. Set the Audio to Optimum Level

§  Having a clear and quality audio makes our production acceptable.

§  Make sure that there are no audio disturbances while the production process is on.

§  We may use the in-built microphone of the phone or use an external microphone to record the audio.  It is also possible to connect the audio from the sound mixer to the smartphone using a splitter connector.

§  If you are using external audio line/eternal microphone to capture the audio, make sure that the audio levels are maintained in the optimum level.

§  In a simple set-up, you may place a speaker box next to the camera to ensure adequate volume and quality of the audio.

§  You may alternatively use a Bluetooth headset next to the audio source to capture quality audio.