A Good Place to Start: Getting the Word Out

Television Use At Its Simplest

The easiest place to start in using Community Television as an aid to ministry is as a method of getting the word out. The ministry of the Word is central to the ministry of all churches, and as congregational members age, or fall ill, attendance at public services can be a big problem. Television aimed at a very narrow group of people is called "narrow casting" as opposed to "broad casting". The advantage of this type of television is that you usually know to whom you are speaking, as they are already part of your congregation.

A simple conveying of services just the way they are presented in public can be of great help to people in the community. Some simple things can be done to upgrade the quality of such transmitted services :

• Clear sound Have two microphones, one for whoever is speaking and one for the congregational singing or participation. If the microphone built into the camera is used, the sound is not distinct and sounds hollow. The best is to have a radio microphone on the speaker going either to a mixer (soundboard) or else coming directly to the camera. Some cameras have two sound inputs. If the camera has only one microphone input, then a mixer from the cable company or else a cheap one from radio shack is a great investment. A second mike (at least one) placed to pickup congregational singing improves the quality tremendously. Just be sure not to place it too close to any one individual. Of course, more microphones can be added, but these two make the greatest improvement.

• Enough Light on the Speaker Modern cameras have controls which enable them to shoot in low light, but the picture is not as good as if there is ample light. Even a small light positioned out of the way to boost the light on the speaker is a great help. This can be shaded if PowerPoint is being used.

• Get in close most of the time. Most cameras do not have enough zoom capacity to shoot from the back and get a tight shot of the speaker (head and shoulders) so try to find a side position closer to the speaker but not in the way of other people.

• Make the whites white. Do a "white balance" at least in the position of the main speaker. There is a lot of colored glass and funny lighting in churches, so correct your camera to match the lighting, after it all turned on, but before the start of the service. Knox church is a good example. It has mostly blue glass along the top, lighting the congregation and making their faces all look sickly. The choir is lit by orange and red glass so their faces look warmer. The speaker has warm light behind and sickly blue light on the face, so is quite difficult to light. That is the worst I have seen but every church is different. Some are just very dark. You can start with what is there and slowly try to improve it over the weeks.

• Check out what other people do. Tape a few network services and watch what they do to cover speakers and groups. Watch their combination of shots, what they cut away to, how they shorten a speaker's presentation, how they do their lighting and sound. Look for things that would improve it as well as ideas you could borrow. Springs Church in Winnipeg has a three-camera operation at every service. Go there and sit behind one of the camera persons and watch. Talk with people who have done many services and get some ideas. Watch other kinds of speakers on TV and get ideas form them, especially for handling PowerPoint...when they turn all the lights out on you.

• Be very careful about showing the public in an identifiable way in Church services. Many do not wish to be shown on television in what they consider a personal time and space. That needs to be respected. If television is to be used regularly in services, discuss with the board issues like designated safe spots where people will be guaranteed not to be on camera, and develop a policy to address just what will and will not be shown on Television.

Other Ways to Get The Word Out

• One Minister in town has simply gone down to the studio and preached into a camera for an hour each week, separately from the service. He has done that for fourteen years. Sometimes he uses the same material as the Sunday service, sometimes he uses other material. This gives him the added benefit of two cameras, added graphics, good sound and lighting, and a blackboard. It is still a very simple operation, with very little extra work in that he has already prepared his material for the service.

• Another way to get the word out is through interviews. Often public speeches or presentations do not carry very well over television. Sometimes it is best to listen to the presentation of a guest speaker, and make a few notes about just what it is that the person is personally concerned about. Then sit down in a quiet room and tape an interview with the person about that subject, mostly letting the person talk. The advantage here is that there can be much better light, and a microphone can be placed on the lapel so that good clear sound is obtained. A second microphone on yourself is not needed if the material is to be edited, but having a second microphone does give you more options as both voices will be clear. If you sit just beside the camera and talk with the person, it looks quite natural. All this can be done with you acting a camera operator and propping the camera on a tripod beside you. Of course, it can also be done with someone handling the technical side of things.

Becoming A Bit More Adventurous

• Getting the word out can also be handled by making a series of programs on specific subjects. One-Shot specials or short series of three to five programs can give a quick idea of whether that is something you might like to do. For example:
  • Three programs on "learn to grow old", using some of the community resource people in town.
  • Five programs on how to handle money from a Christian perspective.
  • Four or five programs on handling grief, or forgiveness, or anger.
  • A series on how to select a career or get your life together.

• I once was in a church that had a youth group of only three teenagers. We enlisted them to put on a series of thirteen weeks of "Good News". They interviewed all sorts of people who came through town, reported on local happenings (of the good news variety), interviewed people in the community (young and old) who were doing interesting things, and so on. It was just for a specific number of weeks, but in that time they learned more than I could have dreamed possible. In that case, the cable company's studio crew handled the technical side, so they just concentrated on he content. By the end, several of their friends were involved in their show.

Brandon Ministry Issues Which May Be Addressed In Part By Using Media To Get The Word Out

Pioneer Philosophy : depict people living out co-operative and helpful lifestyles in the community; address issues of how city and town can work together as a region.

Sniff : Address the problem and the Christian solution of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

49/51% Racist : Do joint projects with a crew from different racial groups, and speak with your actions rather than your words about inclusiveness.

A Pass Through Center : Find out who is passing through the town and what their career needs are, then start addressing them (without identifying them of course). Involving them in making the program can be an indirect way of showing concern about an issue of importance to them, and in which they have some expertise.

Under High Economic Pressure : In addition to financial management shows (and be very careful here about liability in giving out financial advice it you work in this area), one way to address this problem is to insist on following all copyright regulations (and teaching them), as copyright is the legislation which enables people to live in small towns and make a living.

Aging Population : Providing services to the homebound; doing programs addressing issues of aging, and the elderly.

Silos of Excellence : Do a series of shows based on research methods and methodology, emphasizing excellence in work. There are many faculty and students in this town who are doing research constantly. It would not be hard to capitalize on the work they have already done, and celebrate its excellence.

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