Life on Zoom, part two: Camera quandary

 Copied from a Facebook post on the Dreaming Up 5781 group page:

Laurie Zimmerman

May 24 at 10:48 PM

 

I’ve been leading services mostly from my attic all year. Now that we’re moving towards hybrid services with Zoom, my tech committee wants to know whether I want a laptop/iPad in front of me where I mostly fill the zoom box or 1-2 cameras further back that show more of the synagogue behind me. Any thoughts?

 

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Sam Blustin

I think it would really depend on your goals and what kind of experience you want to create for those online. We have two cameras mounted in back, but the shots are super tight on the leader to mimic the intimacy of the zoom shot. We wanted it to feel the same even as others joined in person. I also want pretty static shots and not changing often for the same reason. I want them to feel like they’re fully in the room, and frequently changing reminds them that they’re not actually present (in my opinion)

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Laurie Zimmerman

Sam Blustin This is helpful - thanks!

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Shira Salamone

Sam Blustin , you read my mind--I wish every online synagogue service used static shots, instead of fancy "cinematography," which I hate because it really wreaks havoc with my kavvanah:  [Here, I included a link to my previous blog post, Life on Zoom: Keeping up appearances--or not

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Shira Salamone

Sam Blustin, this may seem irrelevant and even irreverent, but it's neither--Fred Astaire had the right idea. "Over his 35-year film career, Astaire performed in 31 movie musicals. He changed the way dance was filmed, insisting the focus be on the dance steps themselves, using a stationary camera shot—rather than the then-popular technique of frequent cuts and a constantly roving camera." (See https://dance-teacher.com/fred-astaire-1899-1987/) As a veteran Israeli folk-dancer, I find it no end annoying when a videographer zooms in on a dancer's feet or face, because dance is a full-body art, and the videographer is showing off *their* art rather than that of the dancer's. Same with fancy camera work during a synagogue service--whose "show" is this, the cantor's or the cameraperson's? Cameras should be *showing* the service, not *changing* it into a television show! If I wanted to watch a movie, I'd go to Showtime, not to shul! As a davvener, I want to feel "fully in the room," and that's impossible when the videographer is, in my opinion, just showing off their *own* skills rather than focusing on the baal/at tefillah [prayer leader] and/or darshan/it [person giving a sermon/presenting some learning].