Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Woodside Church Creates Unique Production Values With Telemetrics Robotic Camera Control Systems

12/05/2021

In an effort to keep their members engaged-both in person and at home-an emerging trend among video production departments at houses of worship across the country is the use of handheld cameras and a lot of creative motion in their shots. Some call it the cinematic look.

At Woodside Bible Church, a non-denominational Christian megachurch, based in Troy, Michigan, the team has a different opinion about production values. The visual arts team there recently installed a complete multi-camera robotic camera system from Telemetrics and they are now getting the exact look and feel of the services they are after.

[What some traditionally refer to as the cinematic look] does not reflect our personality as a church, said Alan Lockwood, Visual Arts Director/Live Video Director who leads the church's video and lighting team. It's too fast and jerky. We want to see smooth, solid dynamic motion. So, placing robotic cameras in strategic places throughout the auditorium and on stage has allowed us to get that immersive' look we're after. It helps our church members feel closer to the action on stage and more a part of the service and its message.

Installing a robotic system has been a huge win for us, added Casey Selph, Arts Tech Director at Woodside's Troy campus. We're getting consistent repeatable shots now that a human operator cannot easily get.

Prior to the pandemic, Woodside Church boasted a total weekly attendance of over 9,000 across its 15 locations in the Detroit Metro area, making it the 48th largest church in America. That in-person That in-person number has seen a decline, so the Church decided to prioritize the current livestream and to invest more in its online experience for its three Sunday Services to people's homes and the results have been fantastic.

Beginning in December 2020, they installed a total of six broadcast-quality cameras: four Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro cameras on Telemetrics PT-HP-S5 Pan/Tilt Heads and two RoboEye HD Pan/Tilt Camera Systems. All are under the control of two Telemetrics RCCP-2A control panels with Studio software that features Telemetrics exclusive reFrame Automatic Shot Correction technology that enables them to program pre-determined shots and automatically keep the pastor and band members on stage in frame at all times. ReFrame uses both facial and object tracking to follow the people on stage at all times and keep them centered in the video frame without a human operator having to touch a camera.

Rounding out the robotic camera control system is a Televator elevating pedestal, which supports the cameras and Pan/Tilt heads, and TeleGlide camera track system mounted on stage to capture the entire devotional experience in panorama or in a highly focused way on a specific person.

The back wall of our auditorium is about 90 feet away from the main stage up front, Lockwood said. We wanted to get the camera closer to the main stage, to give viewers at home a more immersive experience. As if they were sitting in the auditorium. This allowed us to avoid having to rely on zooming the cameras so much. But we also wanted to have them as close to center stage as we could, understanding that we could not block seats in the audience.

We ended up going with the Televator near the center of the auditorium with a couple of robotically controlled cameras, said Selph. This is a custom bar configuration that accommodates three cameras. Two Blackmagic Ursas and a RoboEye in the center.

During each service, the camera control panels are manned by a single person at each location in the church. Because many of the operators are church volunteers, Selph often mans the second panel during more complex services, like those held on holidays, to add more creativity to the service presentation.

Once they get confident in operating the system, we let them try out during a Sunday service. The RCCP-2A panel is very intuitive to learn and our volunteers have been having a lot of fun with it.

The second panel is also used for training new operators, which Selph said has been relatively easy to do (it takes about three hours to train a new person to run the cameras with the panel's dual joysticks and user configurable TeleKeys (shot presets.).

The RCCP-2A's illuminated dynamic graphical TeleKeys automatically change to show options relevant to the operator's task at hand. It's fully customizable dials, levers, and knobs make it easier to operate robotic cameras, elevating columns, and elevating pedestal. Six TeleKeys on the top row of the main button panel automatically present user determined commonly used functions related to the current operation. Another separate group of Hot TeleKeys provide fast access to system parameters for on-the-fly changes and individualized program settings. The RCCP-2A can also easily store and recall specific user preferences to help manage production workflows and streamline camera control operations.

We start them with one camera or two: one camera they are running with a touch screen to run pre-programmed keyframe shots while they're using another or two features, he said, adding that they have about 45 volunteers on the video production team.

Once they get confident in operating the system, we let them try out during a Sunday service. The RCCP-2A panel is very intuitive to learn and our volunteers have been having a lot of fun with it. At least those that express an interest in video production. We've had young and old people learning the system that have done really well and have taken to it pretty naturally.

The two RCCP-2-STS control panels are linked together with a Telemetrics server running Enterprise Database Control Software (EDCS), which allows Selph to sit at any of the two panels-located in separate control rooms within the auditorium-and take cont
LINK: https://www.telemetricsinc.com/woodside_church/...
See more stories from telemetric

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

13/08/2026

Dalet Demonstrates the Future of AI-Orchestrated Live Spo...

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced its participation in the IBC2026 Accelerator Media Innovation Pro...

13/08/2026

dzjinius to showcase new dzjinius on-set application at I...

dzjinius, the all-in-one production management platform for the media and entertainment industry, will showcase its new application, dzjinius on-set , at IBC20...

13/08/2026

BCE Demonstrates Sovereign Cloud Media Workflows powered...

Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), a leading European provider of media services, system integration and product development, will demonstrate an end-to-end sove...

13/08/2026

Clear-Com to Showcase Communications Solutions for Broadc...

Clear-Com is returning to IBC 2026, taking place September 11-14 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. At Stand 10.D29, Clear-Com will spotlight the award-winning FreeSpe...

13/08/2026

Leader to highlight advanced Test and Measurement solutio...

Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, will showcase its comprehensive portfolio of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement ...

13/08/2026

KRK Brings Advanced Wireless Control to Professional Monitoring With New V Series Five Studio MonitorsKRK Brings Advanced Wireless

KRK Brings Advanced Wireless Control to Professional Monitoring With New V Serie...

13/08/2026

Anthony Noack Captures Artist's Journey in Estonia with Blackmagic Design

Anthony Noack Captures Artist's Journey in Estonia with Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton August 12, 2026 0 Comments Solo filmmaker documents concept...

13/08/2026

ARRI Image Science makes its mobile debut in the HONOR Robot Phone

ARRI Image Science makes its mobile debut in the HONOR Robot Phone Brie Clayton August 12, 2026 0 Comments Hero image displays the HONOR Robot Phone, ...

13/08/2026

ASG Adds Eran Binyamin Zeitoun as Senior Technical Program Manager

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/08/2026

Vinten To Feature Manual, Robotic Camera Support Offerings At IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/08/2026

SMPTE Unveils IBC 2026 Plans

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/08/2026

IP Showcase on the Water Announces Schedule for IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/08/2026

Spectrum, Optimum Ink New Deals for News Carriage and Ads

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/08/2026

IAB Tech Lab Updates Privacy Standards

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/08/2026

Suitest Highlights New AI-Powered Device Testing and Qual...

Suitest's Test Automation Platform Simplifies Video Quality Assurance, Monitoring, and Device Certification Across the OTT Ecosystem At IBC2026, Suitest, a...

13/08/2026

Cinegy showcases powerful, agile, cost-effective media so...

Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, will have its key software solutions ready to demonstrate at SET Expo 2026 (18 20...

13/08/2026

Scripps Research establishes endowed chair honoring Peter K. Vogt, influential pioneer in cancer research

Scripps Research has established the Peter K. Vogt Endowed Chair, a new faculty ...

13/08/2026

New research offers fresh insights for how to make better vaccines

LA JOLLA, CA-A vaccine's molecular structure plays a key role in determining how the immune system responds and prepares to protect the body from future exp...

13/08/2026

Class Is in Session: GeForce NOW Levels Up Linux, Chromebooks and More

GeForce NOW is giving cloud gaming an extra-credit upgrade just in time for back-to-school season. The native Linux app for GeForce NOW is officially out of be...

12/08/2026

Op-Ed: The Versioning Playbook - How Rights Holders are Getting More From Live Events

Traditional live sports production has focused on creating the best possible pro...

12/08/2026

IBC 2026: FOR-A to Demonstrate Production and Processing Solutions

FOR-A will showcase a range of broadcast and production products at IBC2026 (Stand 2.B53, Amsterdam RAI, September 11-14), including software-based switching, A...

12/08/2026

IBC 2026: AMWA and EBU to Demo NMOS BCP-008 Multi-Vendor IP Status Reporting

The Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and EBU will host live demonstrations of NMOS BCP-008 Minimum Status Reporting at IBC2026 (September 11-14) on th...

12/08/2026

IBC 2026: Dalet Launches Solution Suites for Media Production and Archive Management

Dalet has announced Dalet Solution Suites, a portfolio of cloud-native solutions...

12/08/2026

Net Insight Enables Centralized Remote Production of Blinkfestivalen 2026 for NRK

Net Insight has announced that DMC Production Norway has selected its Open Live ...

12/08/2026

Zixi Appoints Alyson Stewart as Senior Director of Sales

Zixi has appointed Alyson Stewart as Senior Director of Sales. Stewart will be responsible for direct sales and partnerships, with a focus on broadcasters, medi...

12/08/2026

LiveU Powers Host Broadcast Operations at 2026 Glasgow Games

LiveU's LU900Q intelligent production unit was deployed as part of the host broadcast operation for the Games in Glasgow (July 23-August 2, 2026). Host broa...

12/08/2026

Disney+ and ESPN Acquire Multi-Year Formula E Rights Beginning 2026/27 Season

Disney , ESPN, and Formula E have announced a multi-year deal bringing all Formula E races to Disney and ESPN in the U.S. and to Disney in most international...

12/08/2026

PSSI Launches X-LIVE Managed Service for Live Event Transmission

PSSI has launched X-LIVE, a managed service offering dedicated engineering resources and Appear encoding infrastructure for live event signal processing and tra...

12/08/2026

MoonPay X Games League Draws 18.3 Million Viewers in Inaugural Summer Season

The inaugural MoonPay X Games League Summer Season reached 18.3 million unique live viewers across three stops on ABC and ESPN, a 78.5% increase compared to the...

12/08/2026

IBC 2026: BBright Adds RIST Support to IP-Gateway

BBright will showcase an expanded IP-Gateway at IBC2026, adding support for all RIST profiles to its existing support for MPEG Transport Stream over IP with SMP...

12/08/2026

IBC 2026: BBright Adds EBU OGraf Graphics Support to UHD and ST 2110 Playout Platform

BBright will demonstrate EBU OGraf animated graphics support in its software-bas...

12/08/2026

Interra Systems to Showcase QC and Monitoring Solutions at SET Expo 2026

Interra Systems will demonstrate its ORION, BATON, BATON Captions, and VEGA solutions at SET Expo 2026 (August 17-20, Distrito Anhembi, S o Paulo) at partner Li...

12/08/2026

DPA Microphones Appoints Raul Contreras as West Coast Regional Sales Manager

DPA Microphones has appointed Raul Contreras as West Coast Regional Sales Manager. In the role, Contreras will oversee sales and customer relationships througho...

12/08/2026

Save the Date: SVG LIVE! Returns to LA Nov. 10 to Spotlight Sports & Entertainment Production

Live spectacles ranging from the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup to the Oscars and...

12/08/2026

Love, Separation, and the Cost of Comfort in How to Divorce During the War

Writer-Director Andrius Bla evi ius and crew attend the premiere of How to Divorce During the War at The Ray Theatre on January 26, 2026, in Park City, UT. (P...

12/08/2026

SSL 360 gets a major update

Enhanced DAW & plug-in control for the UC1, UF8 and UF1 The software that powers SSL's range of control surfaces has just received a major update that d...

12/08/2026

Triton Audio launch the Tilt EQ

In-line preamp features one-knob EQ In addition to their range of in-line preamps, Triton Audio recently managed to squeeze a compressor into an enclosure t...

12/08/2026

AudioRoute from Arvital Audio

Captures system audio with or without a DAW Depending on your setup, capturing system audio in a DAW can be a tedious process, so much so that Arvital Audio...

12/08/2026

2026 NATIONAL NAIDOC AWARDS TO BROADCAST ON NITV LIVE AND DIRECT FROM MPARNTWE

2026 NATIONAL NAIDOC AWARDS TO BROADCAST ON NITV LIVE AND DIRECT FROM MPARNTWE 12 August, 2026 Media releases First Nations excellence will be celebrated l...

12/08/2026

More than six million sports fans stay with SBS for Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift

More than six million sports fans stay with SBS for Tour de France and Tour de F...

12/08/2026

Nielsen Introduces Groundbreaking Streaming Ad Measurement in Brazil

Nielsen is cementing Digital Ad Intel as the new go-to currency for digital ad intelligence in Brazil-now with streaming monitoring in the mix. S o Paulo, Augu...

12/08/2026

LPTV Advocates Petition FCC for Voluntary 5G Broadcasts

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/08/2026

Tubi Media Group Inks Content Discovery Deal with Gracenote

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/08/2026

Matrox Video Showcases IP-Based and Software-Defined Tech...

As Matrox Video celebrates 50 years of trusted innovation, the company will showcase its portfolio of interoperable IP technologies and software-defined innovat...

12/08/2026

SMPTE Showcases AI and Open Media Workflows and Industry...

SMPTE, the home of media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced a program of expert-led sessions, professional workshops and networking eve...

12/08/2026

Berklee Announces Full Details for Inaugural Block Party, a Music Festival Next to Fenway Park

Berklee Announces Full Details for Inaugural Block Party, a Music Festival Next ...

12/08/2026

ACLU Requests ABC Station Probe Documents from FCC

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...