Static Stage Shot

That's right, not one but two blog posts in the same week! I just wanted to share another change that we made in video this week. We now have a static shot from the rear stage floor pocket. Our first shot was over the drummer’s shoulder looking down stage. Below is a short clip of what this looks like from the DVD.

It is completely up to the video director where you position this camera. Feel free to move it from week to week to see what you may like or dislike. One other shot that I'd like us to try is aimed straight down the keyboard.

The camera does not produce the best quality as it is a simple Sony HandiCam and the lighting is not always ideal from up stage. However, I think the dimmer lighting actually enhances the affect and if you can time your use of this shot with a feature of the instrument you are aimed at, you just might find that the lighting is more than sufficient.

If you (as director) choose to move the camera, keep a couple things in mind.

1. You have 50 foot of cable so you can reach just about any place on the stage
2. Keep your cable run safe, tape it down if you cross walkways
3. Keep your positioning inconspicuous to the audience
4. Setup in a safe place where a band member will not knock it over
5. The feed is composite not S-Video (again, this speaks to the quality of the image)
6. You can come off of the front pocket instead, however you'll need to re-patch from the distribution panel to the switcher.
7. The Camera 4 input to the V440 allows both composite and S-Video. However, S-Video overrides composite. Currently the S-Video is unplugged so that we can pick-up the composite feed.

One other thing...or two, or three, this shot should be used for short periods of time. Try to time it to the music and keep it to 5 to 7 seconds. I'm not sure how this shot will look on the house display as I did not try it this past week. If you find yourself wanting to use it fro a special, just make sure you try it in rehersal first to make sure it looks alright.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there is another post that you probably have not read yet...and honestly that one is more important than this one, so please read on...and leave any comments that you might have. I'm looking for feedback.

Lower Thirds

We have now ventured into the next layer of quality in live video at Mainstreet. Thanks to Marv we are now displaying sermon notes as lower third rather than full screen. This is a good step forward in quality in that the view never loses visual connection to the subject. This works well both in the house and to the remote viewer.


There are some operational considerations that we need to continue to iron out. The slide transitions are now a little more involved now. You will notice in the clip below that we chose to go with two different camera shots. Shot A will be our regular Sermon close-up. Shot B will be roughly knees up so that Marty's chin does not appear as though it is attached to the slide notes. Alright, perhaps that is an exaggeration... Compare Shot A with a lower third and shot B with a lower third. It is my opinion that Shot B with lower third makes a much less awkward presentation. I welcome your thoughts.

Shot A

Shot B

I can almost hear the question rattling around in your head right now..."Why not keep shot B throughout the whole sermon?" That's a good question and is the approach that we attempted at first. However, we found that while Marty was seated, that shot B was ... less than flattering. Add to that the fact that the IMAG Marty is now much smaller in shot B, and the visual decision was made.

Please take a look at this clip as well as reviewing larger chunks of the sermon at Vimeo (http://bit.ly/DkQN6). I'd like feedback on our use of lower thirds. Is the camera transition distracting? What other thoughts do you have?

More on Did You Know...

...that John will sometimes post single songs or special packages on his youtube site: http://www.youtube.com/user/jauthen. Mainstreet sure is blessed with some great musicians!

Mainstreet Sermon Videos Now Online

Did you know that our handy work is now available online as well as by purchasing a DVD? You can watch past sermons by heading over to www.mainstreetlife.org. You can also catch a quick view of all past sermons at http://www.vimeo.com/album/115951 (I like this view because I will be able to tell how often Marty wears the same shirt). However, if you'd like to view future sermons, you'll need to study that new show "Flash Forward". I suppose you could also stalk the office but that'll start to turn weird really quick.