Wayfarers Chapel Uses Wirecast to Live Stream their Ceremonies

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Overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the Southern California coast, Wayfarers Chapel has been hosting weddings and Sunday services for over 60 years in its intimate 100-seat venue. Sponsored by the Swedenborgian Church and designed by Lloyd Wright, son of the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, it is commonly referred to as “The Glass Church.” Hosting many hundreds of weddings every year, Wayfarers’ historic architecture and picturesque location make it a destination wedding location attracting couples from the world over. To satisfy demand, Wayfarers can provide services for up to six weddings a day.

Wayfarers Chapel’s picturesque “Glass Church”

Challenge

When Chapel Video Director Steve Smith and his business partner presented their proposal for a multicamera, remote control, live streaming solution to the Chapel, they had made the decision to use Wirecast as the tool to build around. They set out to put together a system that could handle multiple-input switching, titling, audio, ISO recording, local program recording, and streaming. With the incredible volume of weddings at the Chapel, there needed to be a way to get the final product to the married couple as soon as possible, while allowing those who could not attend to be a part of the proceedings from remote locations. Wirecast allows them to do all of this and more.

Solution

By taking advantage of both the live streaming and local recording capabilities of Wirecast, Steve and the Wayfarers Chapel are now able to accomplish all of their goals. Smith is using Wirecast to bring a new experience to the lucky couples getting married at the iconic “Glass Church.”

The setup at Wayfarers Chapel includes three Sony camcorders mounted on Camera Turret Technologies Pan and Tilts with wireless PTZ control and wireless control of the cameras. An HDMI cable is run out of each camera into an Atomos digital recorder, which is in turn connected to an HDMI-to-SDI/HD converter for the 50', 75', and 100' runs of SDI cable to the Wirecast workstation along with the audio feed of the house lavaliere mics on the groom and minister.

“We stream our wedding ceremonies and Sunday services to Sunday Streams,” says Steve. “Sunday Streams has been extremely accommodating and helpful in developing a solution for our needs and the volume we anticipate. Couples who choose the streaming option can enjoy their wedding as Video On-Demand for two weeks after the wedding. We record an HD signal on the camera for backup and archival, Apple Pro Res files are recorded on the Atomos recorder for possible postproduction editing. Simultaneously, Wirecast allows us to record an .mp4 file of the live mixed ceremony/program locally. At the conclusion of the ceremony, we drag and drop to a thumb drive and present to the couple as they leave the grounds, approximately 40 minutes after the ceremony is over.”

Results

With a team of just two, Steve and his partner are able to live stream ceremonies to family and friends who cannot attend and are currently reaching out to local venues about the possibility of streaming the ceremony live to the reception. Along with the live broadcast of the ceremony, Steve can record the live stream to produce a professional-quality wedding video, edited and formatted and uploaded to the internet—by the time the bride and groom arrive at the reception.

“The original multicamera system was 20th-century technology and a 20th-century delivery time of up to two weeks,” says Steve. “The current system, with Wirecast at the heart, allows us to provide couples many options that include a quality finished product upon departure from the grounds.”

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Multicam worship production schematic with the Telestream Wirecast Gear 420

Wirecast is used in churches, synagogues, mosques, monasteries, temples, ashrams, and retreats all over the world. Some communities and organizations use it to broadcast their weekly services to Churchstreaming.tv, Facebook, or YouTube. Others use it to build closer ties within far-spread congregations. Whether you decide to expand your audience and reach beyond your four walls with your message, or whether you use it to reach those within, Wirecast has the features you need.