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MillimeterMark In
Oct 1, 2007 12:00 PM
Benny Hinn Ministries studio director's booth. TV Magic was involved in all stages of planning and buildout of its HD production studio.
Business Intelligence: The Modern Media Mission
By Pat Thompson, Senior VP of Sales at TV Magic
As media consumers grow accustomed to HDTV and become more familiar with web-based and mobile media technologies, their expectations of video in any setting grow more sophisticated. Thus, houses of worship are now exploring the transition to HD and harnessing the power of new distribution formats. While the overall mission of production may be guided by a unique vision, such facilities face the same fundamental concerns in planning for these transitions: budget, distribution, and workflow.
The budget for a new or upgraded system is the first consideration for any organization. Persuading the congregation or ministry that a fully HD-capable investment is worthwhile might seem like a weighty challenge. Because few members of the congregation likely understand all the aspects involved in HD production, it can be hard to illustrate the value of each individual equipment purchase. So, rather than showcase new technologies, educate on how HD production adds to the immediacy and quality of the religious experience, both during services and in complementary offerings, such as worship webcasts or DVD productions of special events.
It’s possible today to build a fully integrated three-camera HD production system for as little as $150,000, depending on workflow, lighting needs, and how much of the installation can be performed internally. For extremely advanced, high-quality broadcast capabilities, the cost certainly will rise. But with switchers and good field and studio cameras available for $10,000 to $20,000, houses of worship now have much greater access to HD equipment.
They also have greater access to distribution, and it’s important to determine and plan how worship content will be distributed—both now and in the future. If a worship service is being produced for on-air broadcast, the equipment and workflow requirements may be very different than those of a simple live recording for archiving. Understanding new distribution options and planning ahead for them can make for easier, more cost-effective upgrades as a mission expands.
The key to creating a media roadmap lies in identifying and understanding your ministry’s goals and desired audience. Work with church leaders to create a concise ministry media mission statement that outlines how media will be used internally and for outreach. Communicate with and educate the congregation. Use informal conversation, a survey, or a mailing to find out how members could be better served. Talk to members of other churches or religious groups. Use the Internet and industry publications to research trends in mobile and web broadcasting and the most effective uses of those media.
If one goal is to reach a younger audience, then the ability to podcast or deliver mobile video may be important. If the goal is to create a national presence within a nationwide or global ministry, then the HD installation must be geared to support traditional over-the-air broadcast stations, satellite, or cable delivery. Once appropriate delivery methods are pinpointed, the planning team can move on to workflow.
Workflow is defined by the way in which content is created. Some facilities will record a live service or production with multiple skilled camera operators and perform no postproduction whatsoever. Others will create content that is heavily postproduced and requires a more significant investment in editing equipment. Some workflows incorporate live and/or on-location production capability, while others rely on a volunteer staff to record weekly services. Each of these approaches requires a specific workflow, and it’s only when you’ve clearly defined the workflow that the necessary equipment can be properly identified.
Flowcharts and floorplans help the planning and engineering teams set out the intended workflow or even find new and better ways to achieve the desired result. As raw content is acquired and passed through the HD production system to finished product, the flowchart maps out this process. Even if it lacks specific information about each individual piece of gear needed, it will act as a valuable tool in identifying the equipment and operators needed to complete production.
Using a floor plan to outline the workflow also brings a critical element to your planning process. As production moves from the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio to 16:9, the physical layout of the stage, altar, or other presentation area takes on a new importance, as well. The widescreen approach allows for incorporation of more set elements into the picture and onto the screen, providing better context for the message being delivered and often a richer, more visually interesting setting for music and other aspects of worship services. Dynamic set drops and props take advantage of the widescreen format to give the production a larger look and add to the power of the message.
Once budget, distribution method, and workflow are clear, the priorities of the installation also will be evident. For many facilities, the camera and switching systems are two of the most important pieces of equipment selected.
If the production plan requires a broadcast-quality studio camera, look for one featuring three 2/3in. chips, the image-capture devices within the camera. The bigger, the better—though professional cameras do also come with three 1/2in. or 1/3in. chip sets, and lower-level cameras with a single 1/3in. or 1/4in. chip. Higher-end 2/3in. HD studio cameras can range from $60,000 to $100,000. From the same manufacturers also come field-capable 2/3in. cameras. Those that record to solid-state media (SD memory cards) or optical disk range in price from $35,000 to $60,000, depending on lenses and options, and it can be adapted for some live-production applications.
More affordable cameras in the $10,000-to-$20,000 range include 1/3in. HDV camcorders, genlockable and timecode-capable systems that output a native HD signal and can be used for live studio and field production. Some such cameras now feature full-studio CCU and control options for intercom capability, remote camera matching, and remote power and video return for monitoring.
Pricing for HD switchers can range from $10,000 for a simple system with limited effects and inputs to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a much more sophisticated system. While effects capabilities are important, more basic is the number of inputs needed. Consider the user, as well, as a relatively flat learning curve and intuitive operation can ease the HD transition.
HD switchers in the $50,000-to-$120,000 range are usually sufficient for high-end broadcast and production, and very affordable HD switchers available for less than $20,000 will do the job for simpler productions. One vendor offers a combination system that incorporates a character generator, clip store, multiview monitor processor, robotic camera controller, and HD switcher all in one solution, and all for less than $25,000. HD cameras and switchers of any level are a good starting point for the rest of the media infrastructure because the content will start at the highest-affordable resolution, a benefit when the content is to be redistributed across multiple media—wherever the media mission may lead.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.