8 Tips for Directing Great Live Video - Church Production Magazine

Here are some great tips whether you are the director of your house of worships productions or part of the planning - planning and vision go a long way. Have you seen our recent pre-production checklist webinar? Check that out, too. We shared our process before going live. You can download our checklist and use it as a guide and modify as you tweak it to your specific production. Check it out here. From ChurchProduction.com

In the nine years I’ve spent in my current role as production director [at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Ala.], I’ve learned some tips and tricks that can be applied to any video directing situation in any church. Regardless of the goal of the finished product, I feel that if a live video director can focus on these simple ideas, it will help improve the end product.

1-Use consistent terminology

Few things are more confusing for a camera operator than to hear a mix of different words, or to hear certain words used interchangeably.

Since many ops will have to make quick decisions and movements in the moment, a director should keep his communication as clear and simple as possible to thus allow for quick reactions without a camera op having to do much thinking or deciphering.

Zoom in/out, push in/pull out, pan right/left, tilt up/down, and rack in/out are also standard camera directing terms. Ensure that you’re not mixing and matching the language and are communicating clearly what you want the ops to do. If need be, review your directing terminology with the ops before the show begins so they have a clear understanding of how you’ll be giving direction.

2-Understand some camera basics

While it’s not a requirement that a good director have previously been a camera operator, it can certainly help. Often, if an op has a problem during a service or show, the first line of defense is to get on intercom and tell the director what’s happening....read more