Colin Powell’s rule #11.
I am privileged to work with some pretty amazing people. When I stop and think about it, I can’t believe that I am counted among them. A couple of these people, we’ll call them Scarren and Dott, produce, direct and lead an all-volunteer live video team and they embody these rules each week.
have a vision.
When we talk about the role of production, one of the key phrases they use for live video is transparent. This guides every decision they make. They stick to it with tenacity. In our church auditorium, they know that most people are experiencing our service through the video screens, and so transparency is key.
This single word has defined how our congregation has participated in our services for years, almost beyond number. I guarantee that nobody has any idea that a vision born twenty-some years ago, and dealt out every day from a room hidden below our auditorium has played such a significant role in their lives.
be demanding.
Being transparent with video doesn’t just happen magically. These guys work tirelessly with their teams and with each other to keep coming up with ways to be invisible.
One of the key ways they do this is by working continually on the fundamentals. There isn’t a moment that goes by when they aren’t gently reminding their crew about headroom and lead room. When they aren’t coaching the graphics operator on how to follow the worship leader instead of just following the script. When they aren’t encouraging artistic camera shots while discouraging ones that might get in the way of transparency.
As a production manager, anytime I feel like there is something not quite right with a video shot, I’ll pick up the phone to call down to video control, and I already hear them working on it. They are tenacious with the vision of transparency.
As a result, their teams know what is expected of them. They know where the bar is, because they are reminded constantly. Because much is demanded of them, they perform the vision of transparency like no other video team I have seen. Volunteer or otherwise.
Check out this clip from Delirious? – Live at Willow Creek. This is what can happen when a volunteer crew has a vision of transparency demanded of them.
Thank you Scarren and Dott for being an example to the rest of us.
