Solemn Assembly – A/V Production

In August of 2020, we received a request from the Conference of Restoration Elders to lead the Audio/Visual production of their Solemn Assembly service, to be held on September 26th-27th, 2020.  The Assembly was set to be a two-day worldwide church prayer service with individuals participating in-person at Waldo Restoration Branch in Independence, MO, virtually at up to 15 satellite locations around the world, and virtually via Zoom.  Our team’s job was to (1) Plan and coordinate all aspects of the broadcast, (2) Ensure smooth live participation at satellite locations, (3) Provide technical support for the various satellite locations, and (4) Carry out the production during the service.  An estimated 3000 people participated in the service around the world.

This was a pro bono project to support the Conference of Restoration Elders (http://www.eldersconference.org).

Through the planning of the event, it was requested that the following A/V features be provided in addition to connecting the satellite locations and Zoom callers:

  • Send a broadcast feed to the facility’s A/V team for their online live stream
  • Conduct IMAG in the sanctuary
  • Project hymn lyrics for congregational singing
  • Provide A/V support in two overflow rooms around the facility, including live participation from the facility’s gymnasium

A/V support of this event was conducted almost exclusively using NDI and Dante technologies.

 

Event Staffing

Because of the size of production, we brought on several additional team members for the event, including:

  • Audio Tech
  • Cam 1 Op (manned)
  • Cam 2 Op (manned)
  • Cam 3 Op (manned)
  • Cam 4 Op (PTZ)
  • Graphics Op
  • Call Op (manage Zoom call)
  • 2x Remote Monitors (monitor satellites & Zoom for live participation requests)
  • Technical Director
  • 1-3x Standby Techs

Facility Coordination

Because of facility scheduling, the event was held in two locations– Living Hope Restoration Branch on Saturday, and Waldo Restoration Branch on Sunday.  Our team coordinated technical logistics with both facilities for smooth operations throughout the entire weekend, including overnight teardown and setup between facilities.

Control Room Setup

  • Broadcast Control: Cumoratek-built Windows broadcast machine running vMix video mixer software
  • Audio Control: Yamaha TF1 Mixer
  • IMAG Control: NewTek Tricaster 450
  • Additional Control: 3x Windows desktop computers
  • Networking: Various manufacturers’ products

Virtual Participation Setup

The primary charge presented to our team was to allow for live participation from any satellite location or Zoom caller– as smoothly as if that person were at the event in-person.  To accommodate this, we chose to connect the satellite locations via Microsoft Teams, because of its NDI-integration capabilities.  All virtual participants–both on Zoom and at the satellites–were connected to the service by NDI through vMix.

Equipment Acquisition

Because of the nature of the event, all equipment not provided by Cumoratek was borrowed from churches and individuals supporting the event.  Our team handled equipment acquisition from over 15 organizations/individuals in addition to ourselves.

 

 

 

Contact Us today to find out how our Audio/Visual team can make your next event a success!