Home and Garden Television (HGTV) is a popular cable network because it shows homeowners how to renovate and decorate their homes and save money by doing some of the work themselves. Similarly, churches often choose to self-install video and lighting systems as cost-effective solutions to their needs. Unfortunately, without the resources of a national cable network devoted to their needs, churches are left to their own devices.

However, the actual task of putting systems in place is feasible if the situation is reasonably straightforward. Knowing when to install a system yourself and when to call in a professional is the key to successful media system performance.

Use What You've Got
"Churches are often blessed with members who have trade skills that translate well into what is needed to put a system in place," says Derek Clark, president of Church Multimedia, a California-based video supply house. His words ring true for many congregations populated with carpenters, electricians, and general contractors. Clark understands the value of do-it-yourself video design. He contends the complexities inherent in locating and flying the projector, mounting the screen, and terminating the cables can be overcome through the use of detailed instructions and professional coaching via e-mailed digital photos.

Church Multimedia has successfully sold hundreds of video systems to churches and developed numerous templates that fit the architectural styles most common in American churches. Despite this success, Clark concedes the necessity for on-site professional help when the facility does not fit into a pre-drawn template. To meet this requirement, Clark has recently added staff members whose role is to physically install video systems in difficult situations.

Church Multimedia is also developing partnerships with local installation contractors throughout the country to provide instant local service and support for their customers. Now, whether the job calls for a professional or a self-install, Church Multimedia can answer the call.

Rigging is for Professionals
Self-service video and lighting systems are not an option when the task requires reaching lofty positions inaccessible from the relative safety of scaffolds and ladders. If the projector, screen, or lighting instrument must be located at an angle to the lift device or near electrical components, it is time to call in an expert. Since they perform dangerous jobs everyday, they have learned how to accomplish such installations without risking their lives.

Professionals, like Fowler Productions, bring the necessary rigging equipment and training to insure the system is installed safely and performs properly the first time. Churches should never value saving money above saving lives. For instance, a video projector that must be flown in a front projection mode high above the congregation seats should be installed by a licensed rigger. The act of reaching the apex of the ceiling combined with the need for a rigid platform for the projector means the job is beyond the capacity of the average church member.

However, if the projector can be mounted on the face of the balcony and accessed from the tech booth area, a competent church-based contractor or carpenter can build a sturdy shelf and secure the projector without paying for an outside installer. Similarly, if the video screen is a permanent design with a foldout aluminum frame, its lightweight and simple screw attachment scheme makes it a perfect candidate for the do-it-yourself category. Two people on sturdy ladders can place the screen into position in a few hours.

If, though, the screen is an electrically operated model with a heavy wooden outer enclosure, its weight and potential to cause injury to the crew and the congregation overcome any possibility of church laity installing it. Professional media teams, such as those employed by Fowler, will correctly wire the electrical components, mount the screen in the proper location, and test the action of the motor to insure its safe and accurate travel up and down.

Many sanctuaries were designed and built before there was any emphasis on the need for stage lighting and video presentations. Trying to place video and lighting components into rooms designed for everything except lighting and video is a task that requires professional advice, according to Mark Nichols of Atlanta-based Cornerstone Media. The expertise available from companies like Cornerstone, which have seen nearly every conceivable issue churches face when designing and installing video and lighting systems, is a valuable tool churches should use in the decision-making process.

Most jobs appear easier than they become once the hammers start flying, as unforeseen obstacles emerge when the drywall façade is stripped away and the difficulty of getting cable from Point A to Point B becomes apparent. Nichols does see an opportunity for churches to undertake some projects on their own. A good place to start is with a portable video or lighting system (perhaps for the education area), with gradual involvement in more elaborate projects after familiarizing themselves with the function of the systems and the feasible locations where they may be permanently mounted.

Pulling Cables: Simple, Not Easy
Getting the myriad cables needed for a system from the control area to the performance area is a major challenge. As many homeowner-handymen can attest, running cables is a time-consuming, dirty job. Nevertheless, churches can realize tremendous savings by pulling wire themselves instead of paying a professional crew to do what is essentially a simple, though difficult task.

Shepherd Ministries understands this fact and offers a range of services that allows the local congregation to take on some aspects of the installation while leaving those items crucial to the outcome in the hands of the pros. Josh Lyon, president of the Texas-based firm, has developed a 24/7 lifetime technical support program and a service roster that includes free custom design work and full on-site installation when requested.

For customers who wish to pull cabling on their own, Lyon urges them to install dedicated large diameter (three to four inch) conduit engineered without any ninety-degree turns for the application. Furthermore, he suggests running a pull wire as the conduit is installed and avoiding any high power electrical circuits along the conduit's path. The video cabling should be of the highest quality since the price difference between mediocre and exceptional wiring is minimal in relation to the price of the entire system.

If the video system can be run with five discreet coaxial cables in a complete rgbhv (Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal, and Vertical sync) configuration, the resulting image will be stunning. In like fashion, if the lighting system can be configured in a DMX protocol format, the lighting instruments will be completely addressable and upgradeable in the future.

You Can Do It!
Infrastructure for supporting lights, screens, cameras, and projectors is another area where churches can reap benefits by doing the work themselves. With the guidance of a local general contractor, church members can assemble projector ceiling mounts and beam extensions, drill support holes, and paint Unistrut bars without treading on the professional's area of expertise.

Church members, if the installer agrees, can also pre-assemble the ellipsoidal and Fresnel lighting instruments in preparation for their lifting into position. Each instrument must have its lamp installed and located in the housing, the yoke assembled and tightened, and the C-clamp mounted to the yoke before it can be installed. These simple, yet protracted steps are perfect for a worship tech to perform one evening after work before the installation crew arrives.

Churches can also prepare all the necessary AC electrical components for a video or lighting installation, provided there is a licensed electrician available. If the devices arrive lacking Edison AC plugs, and the contractor sees no issue with the process, church volunteers, under the supervision of an electrician, can assemble the plugs and mount them onto the devices. Labeling the cable traces and the instrument locations is another money saving task volunteers can undertake.

Finally, church members can build out the desk areas to be occupied by the lighting controller and video switcher. If large and plentiful holes are cut for cabling and sufficient depth is created for set lists and worship bulletins, the installation crew will be pleasantly surprised by what they find when they arrive to place the equipment.

Who Do You Call?
Strictly speaking, media consultants do not sell equipment to clients. Therefore, a vendor cannot be a true consultant, and vice-versa. The consultant recommends particular components based on a system design that meets the client's needs. A consultant should be retained on a fee-only basis when the system is complex, the environment unusually difficult, or the church has failed to articulate its vision for the media systems. True consultants at the top of their craft command five figure honorariums to commission a project, so the budget must be sufficiently large to warrant such expenditure.

Finding a good consultant is easier than it may appear as the number of experts hovers around thirty-five in the worship market. Word-of-mouth recommendations are best and can be obtained by visiting a local installation that meets the criteria set forth by the church building committee, and asking who designed the system. Calling a church that the consultant worked for two years prior can further narrow the field of candidates. Ask how the system has fared with the inevitable changes the church has undergone since the installation. The true genius of a great design will stand the test of time and the adjustments that accompany any renovation project.

If the system design is straightforward, the room is media friendly, and the church knows what it wants the systems to do, then a design/build-contracting firm may be a more appropriate choice than a consultant. Finding a good local design/build contractor is much more difficult since they number in the hundreds, interspersed among the thousands of less-than-stellar firms parading as "experts."

One useful technique to separate the wheat from the chaff is to hire a prospective vendor for a small job, and then evaluate their response time, orderliness, professionalism, and quality of work. This should be a good indicator of their performance if given the large task of installing a full system.

Another tip is to visit the firm's service department and speak to the technician responsible for expediting repairs and service orders. By viewing the surroundings and gleaning an understanding of the work ethos, you can eliminate those companies that show blatant disregard for the well being of their existing clientele.

Use the Savings
Uninstalled lighting and video systems are useless to a church. Getting the components into the air and the control surfaces mounted and wired takes tremendous effort and ingenuity. Churches are capable of preparing the mounting locations, assembling the components, running the conduit and cabling, and building out the control surface areas. These time-consuming, yet doable tasks can save thousands of dollars that can be reinvested in higher line equipment better suited to the church's future needs.

Additionally, as Allen Audio suggests, the savings can be used to replace aging components in ancillary systems or those outside the main sanctuary, such as an antiquated sound system in the youth room or an old video projector in the fellowship hall. By buying all the components at once, a deeper discount may be obtainable, and the beneficiaries of the extra equipment will feel more a part of the changes and less an after-thought.

Projects with simple design structures and accessible infrastructure do not require the services of a professional media consultant. However, any upgrade or new construction lacking these two features will benefit greatly from the services of an industry pro. Once installed, video and lighting systems can transform any worship service, whether traditional, blended, or contemporary, into a cohesive whole that supports and provides an environment conducive to worship.

Kent Morris (kent@worshiptech.com) is a media system designer in Atlanta.