What do television and a Sunday church service have in common? While many people might think not much, the two actually have a lot in common. When it comes to AV, live production and broadcast, the worship market is a huge one. And professional broadcasts are no longer reserved for a handful mega churches. More and more of today’s churches are turning to television and live broadcasts to help spread their messages, keep their communities informed and reach new members. And thanks to advances in technology, it’s now more feasible than ever before.
People have also come to expect it. We live in a connected world where instant access, multiple devices and HD screens are the norms. So being able to deliver professional looking and quality content on a variety of platforms is essential to keeping viewers engaged and staying competitive.
Capturing the Energy
Let’s take my father’s church for example, NOW Church in Ocala, FL. Our online campus reaches a global audience each and every week, and our television broadcast set ratings records for our ABC affiliate. We have an energetic style of worship with rock concert-like presentations, so we needed a professional AV and broadcast infrastructure to support that.
In addition to overseeing technology for NOW Church, I own Proton Global Media Group, a systems integration company, specializing in camera systems for churches. My background is in media production and television broadcasting, and I have been honored with two Emmy Awards. So when we began looking to revamp our setup to help enhance our broadcast quality productions, we started with cameras.
Our budget was tight, and there were certain things we weren’t willing to compromise on. I found myself frustrated and searching for something different. One day my assistant and I were talking about how we loved our Blackmagic Cinema Camera, which is a digital film camera. It’s wide range of features and simplistic appeal are great, but we wished there was a way to hook it up to our ATEM live production switcher and convert it into a studio camera. Well, we did just that, and became one of the first churches to integrate these two different products. We then complemented our Blackmagic Cinema Camera by adding several smaller digital film cameras — Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras — which had just been released. We used Blackmagic HDMI to SDI Mini Converters to get it to the ATEM via long-run SDI cables.
Making the Workarounds Work
While there were workarounds, we still made it work, and the picture quality was crisp and clear. However, we still longed for more of a studio camera that had features geared towards live production and broadcasting, like the professional broadcasters use.
It wasn’t until several months later that the Blackmagic Studio Camera was announced at NAB 2014. Finally, an answer to our problems! Well, almost. Having been in this industry for nearly 17 years, I know there’s no such thing as perfect technology. Especially when you’re dealing with the first generation of a new product line, which in this case happened to be an outside-the-box approach to a studio camera. Nonetheless, we purchased two Blackmagic Studio Cameras HD right away, along with the Blackmagic ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K switcher. The Studio Camera and ATEM, combined with several Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras, make a powerful studio solution, especially for churches.
Let me explain why. The design is definitely a breath of fresh air when it comes to the look of traditional studio cameras. But don’t let the Blackmagic Studio Camera’s small and unique body style fool you. Under the hood, this camera is packed full of nearly everything you’d want in a studio camera, plus other features you wouldn’t expect at this price point. Having SDI and fiber out of the box was a surprise. The built-in 10-inch monitor is absolutely the perfect size for a studio environment. The range of selectable resolutions comes in very handy. Some of my other church clients use 1080p at 60fps to record regular services, then switch to 1080p at 24fps for concerts or special events, giving the visuals a film look rather than the traditional television standard.
Built-in tally lights are helpful, especially in dealing with a crew of mostly volunteers. Some of the coolest and most innovative features of the Studio Camera are only realized when you hook it up to an ATEM switcher. This step requires running a second SDI or fiber cable from the ATEM to the camera in addition to your regular SDI or fiber output cable. We use our Aux outputs for this with no issues. The second cable is crucial for bringing data back to the camera, such as tally, intercom, program monitor, plus our favorite feature, the camera control section. ATEM Camera Control comes free as part of the ATEM software and allows you to tweak your colors and better match your cameras, giving you the power of DaVinci Resolve primary color corrector built right in. If you have a compatible MFT lens, you should also be able to remotely adjust focus and iris as well. Keep in mind, the camera cannot power a zoom lens, with the exception of the LANC port, and only a handful of MFT lenses with powered zoom even exist today. For the lenses that do, our tests have shown them not working well in low light, and they have little to no ramp or speed control for the zoom. A few months ago, Blackmagic released a firmware that allows you to remotely control zoom via the ATEM as well.
Unfortunately, MFT lens options with the features needed for shooting in a church are very limited, and to me, the lack of broadcast-style zoom and focus controls is the weakest link. When searching for lenses, beware of outdated forums and misinformation online about compatible lenses. The MFT lenses around F2.8 look very sharp on the Studio Camera, yet manual zooming during a shot is nearly impossible. Last year, we had several failed attempts at connecting a 2/3-inch B4 lens onto the Studio Camera, even though we tried a variety of third-party lens adapters and 2X extenders. My hope is that we will see either lens manufactures introduce better MFT lenses with broadcast-style zoom and focus controls or that Blackmagic will announce an updated version of the Studio Camera possibly featuring a B4-mount that can power the zoom lens.
Synching the Content
The integrated features between the Blackmagic Studio Camera and the ATEM switchers are pretty incredible, and Blackmagic seems to be adding more all the time. Recently, they unveiled a macros feature that allows users to pre-program dozens of tasks and build their own automated sequences so that the press of one single button can do many things. We also love the way we can integrate Pro Presenter, which allows video bumpers, church news segments, sermon points and worship lyrics to link together. We purchased the Master Control Module on the Pro Presenter 5 software, which allows us to sync all slides, backgrounds and videos. The main Pro Presenter computer is set as the master, and our Mac Mini, also running Pro Presenter in the control room, is the workhorse. The Mac Mini runs dual screens with the second monitor output going directly to the ATEM via the HDMI input, and we make sure the output resolutions match the input sources on the ATEM. A few minutes before service, we sync Pro Presenter, making sure all content is loaded and in place. When sync is complete, we reformat the slides on the Mac Mini to a lower thirds template. Once finished, we go to the master and hit connect, and we’re linked.
Every slide or video cued on the master instantly follows suit on the Mac Mini without delay. What a great way to save manpower, especially when you have a volunteer-based crew. So, our Pro Presenter Mac Mini runs in the background with the ATEM software on the foreground. We then use DSK 1 on the ATEM for Pro Presenter lower thirds, removing the black so only the white text shows up as an overlay on top of our camera sources. To cut to full screen videos, we simply select the ATEM input we assigned to Pro Presenter. We then use DSK 2 for title graphics, online giving instructions, contact info, and more, which are all Photoshop files we created beforehand and added to the ATEM’s media bin. It’s an easy way to send graphics out to those watching on our online campus. Another great tip once you have your camera colors matched and your media bin loaded with graphics is to remember to save your start-up state as a template. This will allow you to start up in the same exact state you left your ATEM in, media bin and all, each and every service.
Blackmagic’s Pocket Cinema Camera really is an amazing tool. It actually features the same chip set that’s in the Studio Camera, and for the price, it’s hard to beat. I just wish they would update firmware to allow the camera to shoot in various resolutions like the Studio Camera. As an integrator, any client who wants to incorporate Pocket Cinema Cameras must first select either 1080p at 24fps or 1080p at 30fps, since those are the only two resolutions currently supported. Because GoPros only really look good as POV angles, these Pocket Cameras really do a fantastic job, especially with a wide-angle lens and mounted in strategic places throughout our auditorium. We do use GoPros for POV angles for the musicians. They are mounted on guitars, keyboards, over the drum cage and retrofitted into our pulpit. Integrating GoPro Hero 3+ Blacks was definitely a real challenge and quite a painstaking process, but we eventually got it. We tested six HDMI to SDI converters and several models of GoPros until we found the right combination that would work with the ATEM and our resolution.
The Current Setup
All in all, at NOW Church we currently run 15 cameras at a resolution of 1080p at 24fps. Two Blackmagic Studio Cameras HD on tripods, one Blackmagic Cinema Camera on a jib, four Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras, one of which is on a wireless Steadicam rig and another on a custom-built track, which is controlled completely wirelessly. Right now it runs off of remote control car technology, but we are currently putting the finishing touches on our second generation setup that features a pan and tilt head as well as a faster motor and longer battery life. This version will be controlled via IOS and offer customizable presets.
NOW Church streams live around the world at NOWchurch.tv and archives immediately. We chose livestream.com to handle our online campus and have been very happy. We recently had to upgrade our streaming computer to a new Mac Pro so we could take advantage of quad-band streaming. We stream mobile, medium, high and HD simultaneously using the Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Recorder, fed by the program out of the ATEM.
The vision for NOW Church’s online campus is to provide the best live experience possible, as if you’re sitting in the room with us, so our production value is high. It’s raw, it’s live, and there’s no do-overs, since we auto-archive everything and don’t go back to fix things. Our technical crew is filled with skilled volunteers who serve week in and week out. We try and make our viewers feel welcome and a part of the service, even live chatting during it, interacting with our members and guests. Our services remain unedited and archived in their entirety, including our powerful Praise and Worship mixed live on Avid ProTools.
Post Production
The last part of our workflow is what we do for post. And this may surprise some readers. For years, we used Final Cut Pro as our editing system of choice and loved it. Unfortunately, after so many changes over time, it’s not quite what it used to be. With that said, after shooting a music video last year for our worship pastor, Lindsey Seals, we decided to cut everything in Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve 11 for the first time and were absolutely blown away. It still needs a little work, but it reminds us of original versions of editing software that we so dearly miss. Recently my editor, Ryan Wiebe, finds himself opening DaVinci Resolve 11 instead of Final Cut. I can’t wait to see where Blackmagic is taking that application, and from the looks of it, they are headed in the right direction on several fronts.
Over the past several months, I have been bombarded with calls, emails, tweets and Facebook messages from churches around the world. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear from folks in places like Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, the Philippines and all over the U.S. And they all seem to be asking the same question: How do you like your Blackmagic Studio Cameras and how do you integrate them into your workflow at NOW Church? Why are these products from Blackmagic Design creating such a buzz and striking a chord in the church market especially?
First off, I think affordability has a lot to do with it. The effect the global financial crisis has had on local churches, non-profits and charitable organizations is no secret. Today’s churches are more streamlined and looking for more bang for the buck. To me though, that’s only part of the reason. I believe the innovation we see coming from Blackmagic is another big part of it, especially with the constant feature improvements on the ATEM family of switchers and the ever-expanding array of cameras. As a systems integrator, I have the daunting task of analyzing where my client’s technology and workflow have been and designing a system and structure that will help simplify their workflow using new technology that will support their future goals. On top of that, it must fit inside their budget, and since most of my clients are churches, it needs to be simplified for volunteers. That’s why I make my own church the guinea pig, so I can test all of the latest technology.
Ricky Perinchief, a two-time Emmy Award-winner with more than 15 years experience in media and broadcast television, owns Proton Global Media Group and oversees technology for his father’s ministry, NOW Church in Ocala, FL.
