Switch to PTZs frees up valuable seating for congregation and improves volunteer collaboration
Needing to regain valuable seating space for worship attendees in their auditorium, Red Hills Church in Newberg, Oregon switched their video productions from using manually operated cameras to Telycam PTZ cameras. The results exceeded the church’s expectations, delivering both practical and team-bonding benefits beyond their original goals.
The Goals
Red Hills Church hosts approximately 600 people across three worship services every Sunday. With the auditorium of the century-old building holding just 250 people, space is at a premium. To accommodate their growing attendance, the church has overflow rooms not only within their main facility, but also in separate buildings they own on the same block. Live video of each service is distributed from the auditorium to TVs in each overflow space.
“We don’t publicly livestream our services, but we put a lot of energy and passion into creating a really good video experience for in-person attendees in different rooms or buildings on our campus,” said Chris Hahn, Production Director at Red Hills Church. “We also record and edit those productions for posting on YouTube and social media.”
The church had been using high-end DSLR cameras for their productions, with a volunteer operator at each one. With the auditorium already at capacity, the amount of space these cameras required was no longer viable. “Each camera position and operator took up the space of six seats, but we needed to maximize seating,” Hahn explained. “Our main motivation for switching to PTZ cameras was to provide the same high-quality production experience but without taking up so much footprint.”
The Solution: Telycam Vision+ Series
Hahn evaluated multiple PTZ camera options, including the Telycam cameras recommended to him by reseller Mid-Valley Media. Impressed by what he saw, Hahn decided to go beyond his initial plan. “Originally we were going to buy one PTZ camera and put it at the back of the room as a static shot,” he said. “However, as we looked at the Telycam cameras and controller and watched some videos, we realized this could be really fun for our volunteers to run and for them to express themselves artistically.”
Red Hills Church purchased three Telycam Vision+ N3 PTZ cameras – two with 20x optical zoom, and one with 30x optical zoom as the main camera for following their worship leaders and presenters. The cameras are controlled with a Telycam V-Joy+ AT PTZ controller, with SDI output from the cameras routed to a Blackmagic ATEM Production Studio 4K switcher.
A Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro then combines the program output from the switcher with ProPresenter graphics content, while an Epiphan LiveScript system applies live captioning in response to modern audiences wanting to both read and hear the messaging. The result is distributed over SDI to displays in other locations within the facility. Two Hollyland Mars transmitter/receiver sets send the live production to the overflow areas in the separate buildings.
The Results
Wall-mounting the Telycam cameras and controlling them remotely from the AV production booth has delivered Red Hills Church’s desired space savings while also expanding creative freedom. “They have not only given us the space we needed, but also allowed us to be more expressive with the way we actually produce the programming,” said Hahn.
The Vision+ cameras and V-Joy+ controller have also eliminated difficulties the volunteers had with their previous DSLR cameras. “DSLRs aren’t like broadcast cameras that have handle controls for focus or zoom,” explained Hahn. “You have to reach up and manually adjust zoom on the body of the DSLR, then manually adjust focus. That was really frustrating for our operators as it caused vibration in the shot, and was just uncomfortable to use. With the Telycam PTZ system we have one-touch auto-focus, and zooming in and out is just twisting a knob on the controller. It’s very easy.”
Hahn also praises the Telycam cameras’ visual performance. “They respond well in low light, the exposure works really well, and the color consistency between all three cameras is great. We know that when we dial in our white balance, they’re all going to match. We don’t have to keep putting up a card and dealing with idiosyncrasies of different lens lengths and color shifts.”
Unexpected Benefits
While the technical and practical benefits of the Telycam camera system already made the transition worthwhile, it has also delivered interpersonal benefits for the church’s team of volunteers. “The way we were set up previously, our camera operators were in various parts of the auditorium, and we communicated with them via wireless headsets,” said Hahn. “Now with the switch to PTZ cameras, the entire team can sit together in the production booth, communicate directly, and see what all the cameras are doing at once. It’s actually changed the dynamic of our team, as we don’t have volunteers who feel separated on the other side of the room. That’s benefited our productions, and has been huge for us for team building.”
The ease-of-use of the cameras and controller have also enhanced the volunteer experience. “I’m all about trying to create a technology stack that’s really easy for my volunteers so they can feel like they’re participating in the worship service, not just doing a volunteer role,” said Hahn. “The way the PTZ cameras work with the Telycam control surface, letting us dial in presets during early rehearsal and then with one person creatively controlling three different shots, lets the operator become a key part of the experience.”
Hahn envisions Red Hills Church’s Telycam deployment growing with their ministry. “The V-Joy+ controller supports up to seven cameras,” he noted. “We’ve talked about adding a fourth camera in the future, or adding a second controller so a second operator can be controlling another set of cameras at the same time. We love that it’s an ecosystem that allows us to grow into more if we need to.”
