Production Mindset

Planning Online Church With A Production Mindset

With church moving online (whether pre-recorded or livestreamed), we now find ourselves approaching church as a ‘production’ more than ever before. We’re needing cameras, livestreaming equipment, and different sound mixing just to ensure our services reach people. What’s more, pastors now find themselves needing to consider pre-recording schedules, sound, camera angles… this is a real adjustment that needs careful discussion.

While Music/Gatherings Pastors and tech teams have had to think with a ‘production mindset’ previously, the reality now is that everyone on the staff team needs to embrace this way of thinking to some degree.

But here’s the good news: it only takes a few small tweaks to cultivate a ‘production mindset’.

1. Runsheets are your friends

Have a runsheep that lists:

• Service segments (sermon, songs, Bible reading, a kids spot)
• Timings (length of segment)
• Who is responsible for the segment (eg preacher, song leader)
• Who is responsible for producing the segment (eg sound person, camera person, editor)

Then think through how each of each segment can be broken down into its component parts and equipment requirements.

• Music: we’ll have 4 songs, with spoken song introductions and a flow required across the songs.
• Music: we’ll have 4 songs, with spoken song introductions and a flow required across the songs.
• Music: we’ll have 4 songs, with spoken song introductions and a flow required across the songs.
• Sermon: A preacher may have a 25 minute sermon, and may need a lapel mic, a camera to film them, a backdrop…

You see where this is going? Naming requirements explicitly hopefully avoids that painful sentence: “Oh, I just assumed that you’d take care of that”. We’ve all been there!

You then need a clear production schedule:

• When and where are the segments being filmed?
• When must they be delivered for editing?
• What post-production will be required? 

At our church, we livestream most segments on Sundays from our church. But music is currently pre-recorded on a Wednesday afternoon at church.

So, break things down, write lists and then…

2. Over Communicate

Develop good communication patterns with a set group of people involved in the service every week. Whether it’s email or a Whatsapp group, make sure that it’s clear how people will be receiving the information, and when they should expect it by.

At our church, our first draft service runsheet is circulated on Monday afternoon, ready for discussion at our staff meeting on Tuesday morning. Tweaks are then made on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, with the service being finalised by the end of Wednesday at the latest.

What’s more, we’re all working remotely now. We can’t wander down the hall at the office and loop someone in on a change to Sunday’s service. So we need to be intentional in our communication, and when in doubt, over communicate.

3. Allow more lead time than you think

Everything in production takes longer than we think. Set ups, tweaking, revising scripts, lighting, post-production… recording the actual ‘content’ is only part of the process. As director Steven Spielberg says, “it’s not the takes that take the time – it’s the time between the takes that take the time.”

If you pre-record, having service elements filmed by mid-week is a good idea. That allows time for editing and any other post-production.

The bottom line is, making things look ‘natural’ and ‘effortless’ on screen takes a lot of time and effort.

In a Christian context, allowing extra time is especially critical. It enables us to slow down and show love to one another. When we are rushing, or merely in ‘doing mode’ all the time, we simply don’t have margin to love one another well. In God’s economy, how we do online church matters more than what we do.

4. Expect things to go wrong – and have backup plans

Where there are people, there is room for error.

Where there is tech gear, there is room for error.

And it’s not always things breaking or going majorly wrong. Often it’s just adjustments being required to a camera angle, or sound levels being tweaked.

What’s more, we need backup plans for when things go wrong. Because they will. Guitarists have spare guitars on the side of stage, because strings break. Sound people have spare mic leads ready to go in case one fails.

What back up plans do you have in place for when tech things go wrong, or you are unwell in this season?

When livestreaming music at the start of this online church season, I had a backup guitarist ready to go in case I was unable to make it on Sunday. We didn’t end up needing that option, but it was there.

Our preachers have also identified sermons they can preach at the last minute if called upon.

Don’t just think of your Plan A – always have a Plan B also.

5. Care for your team

Our Music/Gatherings Pastors and tech teams our now working in very different ways to help our services come together. We can be assured that they are doing their best. In the busyness and frustration of our weekly deadlines, we need to be especially attentive to caring for these members of our church. Perhaps a phone call to just say hi, shouting them a (socially-distanced!) coffee, or simply seeking to understand their jobs… these things all go a long way.

6. Keep the goal in mind

We are doing church, not a TV show. We have had this season forced upon us with no warning. We are all doing our best with the resources we have. We will refine week by week. So, we must be kind to ourselves.

The Word being read, preached, and shared through song and prayer are the key things we’re on about in doing church. The technology is then merely helping people connect to their church experience and community. Our church members will be so grateful to have church coming into their homes – they are not looking for perfection. They are looking for connection and authentic community. So in all we do, let’s further those goals, rather than chasing the unattainable and irrelevant goal of perfection.

Of course there’s much more that could be said – these are just a few ideas. Having a production mindset can be a shift at first, but in time it will become second nature. The end result is a more relaxing and enjoyable experience for all.

Greg Cooper
Turramurra Music Church Training; Gatherings
Music Pastor at St Judes Anglican Church in Melbourne