Tips for better worship leading (for video operators)

Leading worship by singing along with a mouse!
When you're operating the video, it's a bit like steering a boat from the back like a cox in a boat race. The congregation sings what you tell them to sing at the click of the mouse. Some people have made complaints about the slowness of words appearing on the screen, and so we all need to sharpen up a bit on this. It's no good if a whole line of a song has passed before the relevant words are on the screen. Having the right words up before people need to sing them must be the absolute top priority for the video operator. (it's a bit like the musicians all playing the music in time with each other - we take it for granted, but it is essential). If people don't have the words in front of them then their ability to praise together is impaired.

I find there are a few things that help:

- don't get distracted from the singing - not by anything - (people talking to you, fiddling with backdrops, doing other things on the PC), etc.

- try to sing along with the songs (at least in your head) and you will find that there is an optimum moment to change the words between verses, usually on a particular musical beat just before the start of the verse. [Josh is particularly good at getting this spot on!  ]

- don't be tempted to wait to see what the congregation sing before you put the words up - there is a cause and effect error in that line of thinking! Remember that as well as following the musicians, the congregation is also following you, because without you getting the right words up, they are forced to be silent.

- if you're not sure of the order of the verses and choruses etc, then it's helpful to use the sheet Phil provides, and also to pay attention during the rehearsal. I have noticed that what they rehearse is nearly always exactly what they play later, so you can mentally note any additional repeats or out of sequence verses etc.

- if the band leader is "tempted" or "feels led" to change the sequence or even the songs, then they will need to appreciate that it will be nigh on impossible for you to keep up with the right words unless they signal to you somehow. Although if you are even slightly musical, you can often notice when something is about to be different from the plan.

Backdrops

We will almost never win on this topic, but we should try to be sensitive to the cultural norms of the particular congregational mix. In the morning meeting there are a number of families as well as older (>45) people who do appreciate nature scenes when they worship. But teens and younger adults are happier with more contemporary, even slightly postmodern images. It is also a good idea to be sensitive to the song's words: for example a song about the Atonement probably doesn't demand a close-up of a dandelion, while a song about the Created order probably doesn't demand a picture of a street scene. Also, it's worthwhile reconsidering the standard backdrops occasionally so that people don't get bored of them.
To avoid becoming distracted by editing the backdrops when running a song, you can preload a number of different backdrops by loading a number of copies of the song in the schedule and then editing the backdrop for each of these copies separately before the service starts. Some songs have multiple versions already.

Busy backdrops or light colours make the text hard to read. If you notice it hard to read during the service, then do try to change it to something easier on the eyes. But very plain backdrops (e.g. block colours) tend to take the life out of a song, so best avoid.

Fine Tuning
some more tips that help it go smoothly:

- don't leave song words up long after we've finished singing them - instead use the clear button (or use the Intro verse which is blank in many songs).  Also if there is an extended instrumental then you could clear the screen as well.

- don't leave a song up when someone takes the floor to speak - either cut to Logo, or at least clear the words off the screen (as they distract people from listening). If someone prays or reads Scripture, then perhaps use a different backdrop to mark this time as special. There are a few songs called Background that you might want to try.
Announcements etc are best done with a Logo backdrop.

- Scripture backdrops should be plain enough to read the text clearly. 4 or 5 verses up at once is probably about right- less than this and you're constantly changing it, more and people can't read the text. Getting scripture references loaded up beforehand can speed things up.



You've probably developed your own tips and ways of working, so why not share these around the team as well? - we may all learn something.