Is it normal to video tape a funeral

We would be more than happy to visit with you in person to discuss any questions or concerns you might have. Preserve the memories of your loved one forever. Hear and see, as often as you want, beautiful testimonials from family and friends. Experience the service in the privacy of your own home , by yourself or with other family members, at any time you choose. To live stream a funeral online, video cameras and microphones would need to be mounted strategically around the chapel where the service is taking place.

If the funeral home is offering this service, they will set up the video cameras and microphones so that they turn on and coincide with the service. However, if you are planning on live streaming the service yourself, you will need to choose which gear you would like to use. This can range anywhere from video and sound capture devices, recording devices, smartphones and tablets, to professional videography gear.

If you are looking to keep it fairly simple and are not too caught up in professional quality, this can be done with a smartphone or tablet that captures the video and audio and sends it to the application you are live streaming on. If you want a high-quality live stream, you will need a professional camera, a microphone, a video encoder, a streaming platform or output, a powerful laptop, and a strong internet connection.

Next we will talk about the different individual components and the pros and cons of each. While there are plenty of components that go into making live streaming work, the main two that are absolutely necessary are video and audio sources. Without a video and an audio source, there is no way for anyone to view or hear what is happening in the chapel, and so you need to use video and audio equipment to capture the event.

Before we get into the different options for this though, we first must understand what a video and audio source is and how it works.

A video source or visual multimedia source is a system that combines a sequence of images to form a moving picture. The video is transmitted with a signal to a screen, where the screen then processes the order in which the images are to be shown.

Video has two variants, analog and digital, with analog being video sources like tapes and videocassette recorders, whereas, digital can be smartphones and personal computers. Videos will almost always have an audio component that corresponds with the images being shown on the screen.

An audio source is the term used to describe where the sound comes from that you hear. There are several available options for video equipment for live streaming as well as pro's and con's to each. Also known as a camera recorder, a camcorder is an electronic portable recording device that can record live motion video and capture audio for playback at a later time. A camcorder has three main components to it, that being a lens, an imager, and a recorder.

The lens is used to focus and gather environmental light, the imager converts the light into an electrical signal, and the recorder that converts the electrical signal into the digital video and encodes it for storage.

While it is considered a niche product nowadays, it was once a very popular camera recording device when it was first introduced. It can take impressive videos ranging from high-definition to ultra-definition.

In low light, a camcorder is going to be outperformed by a DSLR camera just simply because the camcorder has a smaller lens. This is a type of digital video camera that streams or feeds images in real-time through a computer or computer network.

It requires software to use so that it can transmit the video in real-time across the internet. In addition to streaming the video, a recording of the video can be taken and sent via an attachment over the internet through modes like email. However, its sole purpose is to stream video live.

A webcam is extremely easy to set up and use, you simply attach it to your computer and install the software. A webcam is quite inexpensive to purchase, and it is very small in size. It allows for face to face communication, even over long-distances. There is a ton of variety out there to buy. They are not very secure and can cause both security and privacy issues as they are easily hacked. The available positions that a webcam can be at or angles is very limited, requiring you to mess around with it to ensure it is at a flattering angle.

Webcams can be extremely dark in their video feeds if there is poor lighting in the environment. If there is too much lighting, the feed can look washed out. Webcams can require a lot of bandwidth and data to run, which may result in dropped feeds or dropped frames, if there is too much traffic. A smartphone is a mobile phone, sometimes referred to as a cellphone, that performs very similar functions of that of a computer it has an operating system. It can download applications, upload media, have internet access and data access, and typically has a touchscreen interface.

A smartphone is different than a regular cellphone as it does much more than just texting and calling. Extra features of a smartphone include front and rear-end cameras, video recording, extra sensors, a gyroscope, accelerometer, and GPS.

Smartphones are an already widespread commodity, so they are easy to obtain and, chances are, you already have one on hand. This means you can get started using it right away without the need for purchasing more equipment.

Backward Compatibility. Newer smartphones are constantly being released and while this usually means an inflated price tag, it also means being able to get your hands on an older phone that can capture footage.

High Quality Footage. Smartphones are surprisingly powerful and, with a little skill, can easily capture high quality footage that can match most camera equipment.

Plus, you can add on some inexpensive accessories to increase the quality of your footage. Due to its small size, a smartphone is easy to transport. Smartphones have a very intuitive design, so they are easy to pick up and start filming with almost right away. If you run into any trouble, a simple tutorial can show you what you need to know in a matter of minutes. Battery Usage. This can be countered with short filming sessions and investing in external power sources.

File Size. Lack of On-Hand Control. This means you may have to download a third-party camera application in order to have the on-hand controls you may need. DSLRs have huge sensors which convert light into video.

These larger sensors provide high-quality and sharp imagery while having a very shallow depth of field. This also means that you can shoot great footage in low light conditions. They get this cinema-like quality due to their frame rates of frames per second. They focus quickly and have minimal shutter delays, ensuring that you do not miss out on the image you are trying to shoot. They have manual overrides for most functions including color balancing, temperature, flash output, autofocus modes, and more.

They have continuous shooting, so you can see the live image through the viewfinder without delays. They have a wide range of lenses, filters, and flashes that you can add on to customize the shoot.

DSLRs shoot in a high compressed format, so the file sizes of your videos will be relatively small. While DSLRs were built for still shots, their video capabilities have come a long way and are now one of the highest on the market with regards to quality. Unfortunately, their audio capabilities are still pretty crude.

This means that you will need to buy a portable audio recorder that can be plugged into the microphone that you are using. You may end up with shaky footage if you do not use a stabilizer or tripod, as DSLRs can be pretty light in weight. Because DSLRs shoot in a high compressed format, you cannot heavily color grade your footage without pixilation as too much luminance data is dropped.

You must be flexible in your video range, as most lenses that come with a DSLR are not zoom lenses. You will need to get comfortable with the feel, angle, and distance. They will not work with a standard XLR microphone. Resolution changes with frame rate which can cause mismatches during the editing process. The options for audio equipment are limited for to external microphones and embedded microphones for live streaming.

Each option will give the added listening option to viewers but each also comes with positive and negative factors to consider. Both smartphones and cameras have imbedded microphones that give you a one-stop way to record visually and audibly.

And because they are easily hand-held, it creates a hassle free way to record audibly and live stream a service. Using the embedded microphone on your smartphone can capture you some great audio if you optimize the microphone and have the right environmental factors on your side. This gives you much better audio sound but takes up more storage. Plus, you can download a voice application to get better quality as well.

Using the built-in microphone on a camera is fine when you are taking short clips of audio in unprofessional settings like on vacations or in your backyard. The negatives though are that you must keep your phone steady otherwise you might get broken sound, you must minimize environmental noise, and you need to get as close to the sound source as possible.

Unfortunately, if you really want professional sound quality, the built-in microphone in a camera is going to be inadequate. It really should be a last resort choice, as it will be very small and omnidirectional, meaning that it will pick up all ambient sounds in a degree radius. This means that it is sensitive to breathing, sounds in the immediate vicinity, and wind which will drown out any speech. In other words, you can film standing farther back, capturing a wider angle, while having a microphone right near whoever is speaking, giving you great quality audio in addition to capturing a better shot.

Inversely, arguably the biggest disadvantage of having an external microphone is the extra cost of the equipment necessary. Types of external mics include the following:. Mobile attachments and accessories are an easy alternative to large setups.

This could range from a more powerful mic attachment to a wireless mic. This usually requires a computer setup, but there are models available for mobile units as well, such as the Shure SMLC. Video encoding is the conversion process of compressing a digital video file and converting it from one format to another. When a video is recorded, the device it is recorded on will give the video file a particular format with certain specifications.

When you go to publish the video online, you want to have it converted into a file format that will be accessible and viewable on the platform you are publishing it too.

Encoding simply converts the original source to another output format. During live streams, an encoder will compress your live video feed down to a manageable size so that it can be rapidly transmitted to the broadcasting platform you are on.

Without encoding, an uncompressed p video frame is 6 Megabytes, and if you want to showcase this at 60 frames-per-second, you will need a 3-gigabyte upload speed. If you do not have this upload speed, your live stream will lag and drop frames. While these devices do have support for H. It may be better to use an actual software application for live streaming through your mobile device instead of relying on the built-in option.

A software encoder is reliant on the CPU of your computer, which is why you need a computer with high processing power. They are extremely affordable as most of them come at no cost to you. They are extremely flexible and come with a ton of built-in features like switching capability, effects, overlays, and multiple feed broadcasting. You can customize the bitrate and encoding type.

They work only as good as the computer that runs them. They have slower encoding capability which means higher latency. If you are multitasking or have a lower-end computer, you are not going to get great performance. A hardware encoder will come as a physical standalone device that will be packed with an encoding algorithm and a processing unit.

It will also come with an interface that will allow you to interact with the available options. You will get fantastic performance even if you are streaming in really high-quality. They have one purpose, to encode, which means you will get reliability. You will have lower latency as the hardware can encode at a higher speed. They will run you a couple hundred dollars to pick one up. They have one function, so you will need additional gear for other areas of your stream. Many families and friends question the use of videos at funerals.

While most of us are familiar with tribute videos at funeral services, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of having a videographer record the funeral service. However, recording a funeral is acceptable, and it can be very beneficial to family members and friends.

The shortest answer is, yes. Of course, before going ahead and hiring a video crew to film the entire funeral service, it is best to consult with close family members to make sure everyone agrees with it. It is not unusual to have a family member that might feel uncomfortable with recording such an intimate occasion. Some families also find a professional photographer for funeral services to capture the many emotions and moments throughout the funeral. Recording a funeral service can have more benefits than most people think.

If you still need to find reasons to explain to your family why you should record the funeral service, continue reading. That means we all have family members and friends scattered all over the world.

A funeral video is a way to make those far away included in the funeral. Of course, you want to preserve the happy memories you have of your loved ones.