live shots with worship words?

I had an interesting conversation today with Scott, our media guy. It all revolved around the use of live shots used during worship songs. We are in a 1400 seat room with great lighting, sound, and good (but limited cameras). We do not yet have the ability for clean overlays of words on images. When we use live shots we cut away from the words.

Some people say that video during the worship songs are distracting. Others say that they are engaging. I have my own thoughts but would love to hear yours. So, the question is: What engages you more – live camera shots or none?

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This post has 10 comments

  1. From a part timer worship leader\’s perspective, I find live shots with text over them distracting. I can also see how it might convey that it\’s all about the band.

    If it were up to me, I\’d eliminate live shots of the band (unless maybe the worship leader or someone was reading scripture or praying) and just go with text on backgrounds (maybe slow moving juice for backgrounds but nothing too fast).

  2. Scot –

    I would agree with Shawn that live video over text is distracting. (I attended Exchange when I lived in TH (for only 8 months) and never thought the room was big enough to warrant IMAG @ all. (my 2 cents)

    keep with backgrounds only….

    PS. Your flickr feed shows what appears to be a new screen? That looks cool. what are you guys using it for?

  3. I can see the point of the two above me, but I enjoy the text over the live shots. I remember when I first started coming to Exchange…I watched the screens as I didn\’t know the words, but would break concentration because I like watching the band also. Watching the band members engaged in the worship motivated me to engage myself. I would think \”newcomers\” might feel the same where if they could see the band AND the text on the screen, they may feel more engaged.
    Also, if someone (ME) would happen to get a DVD of the service, that someone (ME) might rather see the band then just words.

  4. I\’m the type who is easily distracted. I notice the look on someone\’s face, the angle of the camera…I have a more focused worship experience w/ words only. I think that…oh, look! A butterfly!

  5. My church has been trying out some live video. I actually messed up because I was watching my self play. The delay in the video meant my strumming was out of sync…

    I think live video would be very distracting for a slower, serious song. I like the idea for high energy songs, or pre-service songs.

  6. Good comments! I\’ll let it run a bit longer and offer my thoughts. Wes, we have been using the center screen for a few months. We use it for sermon notes and scriptures as well as static images during the songs. It is a FANTASTIC addition to the side screens.

  7. We have a 1000 seat room and two flanking screens, 12 by 21ft. We use three cameras and for our Saturday, more \”Edgy\” service, we do text over live video all the time. We typically do a lower third with two lines of song lyrics and with a cool moving graphic behind the text. On Sunday\’s, we just do text over still or subtle backs.
    I am experimenting right now with a larger lower section and four lines of text, and then adding a graphic/text only style for a slower, meditative song. We just did this with Mark Roach\’s You Are.
    I have mixed feelings about the issue being perfomance versus worhip oriented. I think a case can be made for either one being either one, depending on many factors. Ultimately, I am open to changing whatever I have to change to help people access God through any part of the services we hold.

  8. There are times I wish I could see the band reacting to the music when someone is standing in the way. Just my two cents!

  9. I think that live shots can be used well but I don\’t think that we need to limit the live shots to the band or worship leader alone…maybe have some live shots with the worshiping congregation. I\’ve seen and experienced both well used live shots and poorly used live shots. It can be distracting especially if you don\’t transition from camera to camera very well or sometimes too quickly. I believe this issue can go either way!

  10. I find it distracting as well b/c it tends to take away from the worship experience that the words bring.

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