FIRST IN LAST OUT
THE BASICS ARE BEAUTIFUL | Todd Elliott
A clean stage. No feedback. Cameras pointed at the right thing at the right time. Lights pointed to the right spot. Graphics up at the moment we need them, gone the moment we don’ t.
Ah … the basics. They are beautiful.
So often, in the world of church production, it is easy to lose sight of the basics; the fundamentals. There is always some bright shiny object that is distracting us from nailing the basics. Just like the wide receiver who is so concerned with running for the end zone after the catch, that he drops the ball; it is easy to take our eyes off of what really matters. In an attempt to do something spectacular, we kill the moment.
I was having a conversation with someone today and I was thanking them for the way they drive their team on the basics. He never lets the team forget the small things that matter. He felt like he was always nagging his volunteers to do the little things right, but I told him that I could tell a difference when he let up on the importance of the foundational parts of production.
I notice the difference in two ways:
HOLDING YOUR TEAM TO THE BASICS MAKES THEM BETTER. In this conversation I was having, I admired that any time I felt like headroom on a video shot was getting too close, he would switch to a different camera and remind the operator of the importance of headroom before coming back to them.
This gentle reminder helps the camera operator, and it creates a better experience for our congregation.
The new people need to know what the basics are. They need to understand the fundamentals of how you do production at your local church. For many volunteers, they are only serving every few weeks, and it is easy to forget what matters. They need to be reminded. As the one who is there every week, it can get tiring to tell people ALL THE TIME what matters. It feels more like we are 3rdgrade teachers:“ OK class. Who can tell me what headroom is?”
122 July 2025 Subscribe for Free...