ProSoundWeb: There’s a moment every Sunday (sometimes several) where the entire experience hinges on what happens between the “big” elements. Not the sermon. Not the opener. Not the worship anthem. I’m talking about the parts we almost never rehearse, rarely script, and too often ignore until something goes wrong.
I’m talking about transitions.
2 comments:
I think church production is such an interesting corner of this industry. I have never done a big, Southern mega-church style production with flying Jesus’s and 20 person casts. However, I did run the sound and video for my Catholic school’s masses in high school. I remember how important it was that you make sure to turn on the priest’s mic at the right time so that the audience could be cued into sitting, standing, singing, responding, etc. Because there is a lot of silence in mass, its so important that moments where you’re transitioning out of silence are smooth and not jarring. Religious services have so much routine and transitions are part of that routine that have to be honored to deliver the reverence that those spaces often have. Religion is obviously so old, so technology even being involved in religious service is an entirely new thing, so integrating it into practice that has been around since prehistoric times is a challenge but an important one.
It's so crazy to me that at this point churches are at the forefront of technological innovation for the industry. If I were to have to go find a job right now for the rest of my life, and I could only stay there. I would pick a church audio job, and it's just because they make so much money. It's absurd. Theres obviously nothing wrong with them making as much money as they do. But I find it so interesting that they are the ones that make the most. Not the theater shows, not films, churches. It's so interesting. Theres so much that goes on there now that it really is a good spot to go for developing your career. I remember reading somewhere that the best way to break into the live audio industry is to get in with your local church, because the skills and technology that you will be introduced to there will give you everything you need to work anywhere else.
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