Filming Guidelines

Firstly – thankyou for taking part in a service, we know this might be a little strange if you haven’t filmed yourself before, but it shouldn’t be intimidating. Below are some guidelines for you to follow to make sure everyone can see and hear you properly and we can use the video you create within a Sunday Service.

Even if you’re very familiar with filming yourself, please read the guidelines below as subtle changes can make a really big difference!

Before you start: setting up & choosing your location

  • If possible, rest the camera on something or use a tripod, rather than having someone hold it. This will prevent any distracting camera movement.

  • Position yourself so you are well lit (i.e the light is in front of you, not behind you). Natural light like a window is best if possible.

  • Consider background noise – you want your environment to be as quiet as possible. Close your windows to eliminate road noise, turn off any background music like the radio, and make sure other people in your house aren’t talking.

  • Choose a soft space if possible. Rooms with lots of hard surfaces (like kitchens with tiled floors) can create an echo with your voice, so if possible film somewhere with carpet/cushions or curtains like a living room or bedroom.

  • Don’t put the camera too far away – ideally we’d like to see from the waist up, if the camera is too far away, then the microphone will have trouble picking you up.

Filming/recording:

THE 5 SECOND RULE: Once you press record, wait 5 seconds before you start talking – imagine you’re waiting for congregation to be quiet. And at the end, don’t stop recording straight after you’ve finished, again wait a few seconds in silence, so we can fade into the next section. (Don’t be tempted to breathe a sigh of relief or look at the person behind the camera – imagine the congregation can still see you!)

INTRODUCE THE SECTION: Unless you’ve been instructed otherwise, introduce your section like you would if you were standing at the front of a service, and the congregation didn’t know what was coming yet.

I.e. PRAYER: [5 sec silence] “We’re now going to take some time to pray for the world around us. Let us pray…”

I.e. UPDATE: [5 sec silence] “My name is ______, and this morning I’m bringing you an update on…”

I.e. THIS TIME TOMORROW: [5 sec silence] “Hello, my name is _________ and I’ve been asked to share what I’ll be doing this time tomorrow…”

Submitting footage

Once you have completed your recording, please send the files to your contact person (i.e. whoever made initial contact with you). This should be done using wetransfer.com to allow the quality to be preserved. Please follow their instructions to guide you through the upload process. 

All media should be submitted by 5pm on Thursday of your week at the latest. This allows our editors enough time to put all sections together.

Finally

If in doubt about anything – just ask! We’re all learning together in these strange times, so don’t panic about anything, and if you’re struggling or not sure if you’re doing something correctly then just ask. The Pastors or service team will help in any way we can to help you set up, record or send your content so that we can continue to share in worship as a family in this new way.

Editing Guidelines

If you are editing your own video (I.e. adding music/pictures or combining video files) then here are some things that you should consider, so your video fits in with the rest of the service.

  • Audio levels of speech – no-one should have to turn their volume up or down during your video. So if you’re combining different videos, then you might need to increase the volume of some, and lower the volume of others so that the loudness matches. The software you’re using to edit might visually show you levels (in waves or bars that bounce up and down) so you can see where the loudest parts are. It’s also helpful to listen back to your video through headphones and speakers, to notice if any parts are too loud or quiet.

  • Adding music – again you will need to consider the overall volume, so if you’re cutting between music and speech, make sure that there isn’t a sudden change in volume, and avoid some sections being louder or quieter than others.

  • Avoid ‘jump cuts’ – this is where you cut 2 sections of video together, where nothing has changed (i.e – the background and camera position is exactly the same in both shots) this method of editing is often strange for an audience to watch. If you need to cut a section out, or join 2 sections that look exactly the same then it’s best to cover this join with another visual (I.e a photograph or verse that the person is referencing)

  • Interviews – the audience should be introduced visually to both parties in the interview (i.e we should see the person asking questions, and the responder). So if both people aren’t able to be on camera together (unlikely!!) then we should generally always see the person who is talking (or at least the first time we hear their voice), and ideally cut back and forth (. For zoom interviews it may be easiest to use gallery view and record both people side by side, as this is allows the audience to look back and forth between the faces as appropriate.

Ask questions!

If you’re unsure about any of the above, then please just ask! You can email or ask any of the team below about any aspect of editing, and we’ll do our best to help or point you in the right direction.

Stephen Pierce – stephenpierce25@gmail.com

Jonny Warke – jonathan@warke.org

Tim Davidson – tim@tim-davidson.com