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 ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026

Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2026

Brainstorm transforms productivity and sustainability with Suite 7 at NAB Show 2...

18/03/2026

Neutrik To Showcase opticalCON ADVANCED Connectors At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Details 2026 NAB Show Educational Sessions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Ben Bradshaw Joins PSSI as Director, Product and Network Development

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Peter Thordarson Joins ASG as Technical Account Executive

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

Survey: Voters Trust TV News Over AI, Social and Search

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, today unveiled its educational presentations for the 2026 NAB Show. This year SMPTE will ...

18/03/2026

Maxon Marks Its Official Entry Into the AEC Market With I...

Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming, and more, today ann...

18/03/2026

Digital Alert Systems NAB Preview 2026

Digital Alert Systems Preview 2026 NAB Show April 19 - 22 Booth C3452 At the 2026 NAB Show, Digital Alert Systems will showcase Version 6.0 of its DASDEC ...

18/03/2026

Setplex Transforms Video Streaming with AI and Super Aggr...

Setplex today announced that it will showcase its complete, fully integrated Zapflex platform for the first time at the 2026 NAB Show, introducing powerful new ...

18/03/2026

SES Announces Extension of Tender Offer

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE ...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking DP for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Director of Photography for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Gaffer for Low Budget Dramedy Feature Film- I...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Location, Sound for Low Budget Dramedy - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Location/Sound for Low Budget Dramed...

18/03/2026

COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago

COW Jobs: Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Film - Chicago Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments Seeking Child Wrangler for Low Budget Dramedy Fe...

18/03/2026

Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware, Virtual and Hybrid Audio Lineup Yet

Calrec Redefines Broadcast Workflows at NAB 2026 with its Most Powerful Hardware...

18/03/2026

Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio

Oscar Nominated Two People Exchanging Saliva Posted with DaVinci Resolve Studio Brie Clayton March 17, 2026 0 Comments DaVinci Resolve Studio handle...

18/03/2026

Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown

Boston Conservatory Presents Celebrated Musical Satire Urinetown Performances for this Center Stage production will take place at Boston Conservatory Theater ...

18/03/2026

Charlie Puth Joins Switched On Pop at Berklee NYC

Charlie Puth Joins Switched On Pop at Berklee NYC The Berklee alum spoke with host and Berklee NYC professor Charlie Harding for a live taping, answering audi...

17/03/2026

NASA+ Prepares To Live Stream Historic Artemis II Mission, Bringing Deep-Space Exploration to Global Audiences

NASA+'s Rebecca Sirmons and Brittany Brown offer unique look at live streami...

17/03/2026

BBright's TTML & SMPTE ST 2110-43: One Single Stream For the Whole World

The transition to IP has fundamentally reshaped professional media infrastructures. Video, audio, and increasingly metadata now circulate as independent, precis...

17/03/2026

Op-Ed: How Generative AI Is Transforming Live Sports Streaming Optimization

Live sports streaming can push every element in your video delivery chain to its limit, exposing every potential weakness in seconds. When the Super Bowl, the O...

17/03/2026

Dell Case Study: Powering the Future of Sports Media One Experience at a Time at UT Austin

Texas Athletics sought to modernize its media production, enhance fan experience...

17/03/2026

NAB 2026: Ikegami to Showcase Latest Generation TV Production Cameras, Controllers and Monitors

Ikegami USA will demonstrate the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast...

17/03/2026

TNA Wrestling and iHeartMedia Announce Major Multi-Platform Collaboration

TNA Wrestling and iHeartMedia announces a new multi-platform collaboration that will integrate iHeartMedia across TNA's premium live events, weekly televisi...

17/03/2026

The Miami Dolphins and Dell Boost Fan Experience, Safety, and Efficiency at Hard Rock Stadium

The goal was to transform Hard Rock Stadium into a global leader in sports and e...

17/03/2026

Spectrum Launches Multiview for NCAA Basketball Tournaments

Spectrum has announced the launch of its new Multiview feature in the Spectrum TV App, giving customers the ability to watch up to four NCAA men's or women&...

17/03/2026

Pac-12 Inks Integrity/Data Deals With Genius Sports, IC360

Genius Sports deal also covers data technology, AI, fan engagement, and performance analysis....

17/03/2026

Rede Massa Chooses Net Insight to Enable State-Wide Centralized Operations

Net Insight is supporting the rollout of a new state-wide centralized operation with Rede Massa, which is an SBT affiliate, the Brazilian regional television ne...

17/03/2026

F1 The Movie' Wins the Academy Award for Best Sound

Featuring audio from practice sessions, qualifying races, and Grand Prix races, the film represents Apple's sports-media ambitions At Sunday night's Ac...

17/03/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Oracle's Mark Ramberg on the Future of Live Broadcast in the Cloud with OCI

Live broadcast has always been one of the most demanding environments in media a...

17/03/2026

DIRECTV Adds Multiview and Sports Central Features Ahead of NCAA Tournament

DirecTV is introducing several new viewing features, including a multi-screen March Madness Mix channel and an updated Sports Central mobile app hub, ahead of...

17/03/2026

Deltatre and ATP Media Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Graphics/Data Partnership

Deltatre has announced a multi-year partnership with ATP Media, the media arm of the ATP Tour, covering broadcast graphics, data, and production across the 2026...

17/03/2026

Detroit Pistons, Scripps Sports To Air Five Games Free Over the Air on TV-20 Detroit

The Detroit Pistons have announced a third consecutive season partnering with Sc...

17/03/2026

How Fresh Finds Africa Propelled Rapper Zaylevelten to a Breakout Year

Fresh Finds Africa spotlights emerging artists and movements across the continent and its global diaspora, with listeners tuning in to discover new Afro-forward...

17/03/2026

Spotify Sparked Viral Moments at G27: genie fest, Driving the Discovery of Thai Rock

Last month, more than 60,000 fans piled into Bangkok's Rajamangala National ...

17/03/2026

Black Rooster Audio release VWB-1X

Vintage-inspired channel strip joins line-up Black Rooster Audio's latest plug-in provides an all-in-one mixing tool inspired by classic analogue consol...

17/03/2026

Accentize unveil dxSplit

Level and EQ voice, reverb and noise independently The latest plug-in to join Accentize's collection is said to take a new approach to dialogue processi...

17/03/2026

RF Spectrum Threat: OFCOM Survey

UHF radio mic & IEM bandwidth at risk Once again, the UHF bandwidth that is currently allocated to RF audio gear is at risk of being reassigned to high-spee...

17/03/2026

SGL Carbon hosts Bavaria's first pilot training course for prospective plant fire department squad leaders

Last Friday, the first Plant Fire Department Training Week in Bavaria successf...

17/03/2026

New campaign from NAATI and SBS CulturalConnnect highlights how we all deserve to be understood'

New campaign from NAATI and SBS CulturalConnnect highlights how we all deserve ...