TransformingTheChurch's Online Learning Video-Production Techniques

One of the hallmarks of our courses is the use of high-quality video for all of our Video-On-Demand segments. Adult continuing education students will have high expectations for the video and audio we integrate into our courses. High production values also make an important statement about how we value the content we're presenting.

High-quality media begins with bringing all of the raw talents we need into producing quality media. All of the videos that we use is produced exclusively for our courses using professional producers, directors, camera people, media wranglers and editors.

We record the video for all sessions in front of live audiences.

All of our course videos are made using the high-definition 1080p format and shot on professional Sony XDCAM video cameras using their impressive MPEG-2 Long GOP (Group of Pictures) CODEC. We solely use the native 1080p format throughout our entire digital workflow to retain the highest possible video quality. Since all of the cameras use matched profiles and the same CODEC, all shots can be matched and inter-cut without further grading or correction.

Audio is captured digitally using high-quality microphones, all-digital wireless body packs and receivers, a Yamaha digital audio mixer and a digital audio recorder. Audio is recorded in Broadcast WAV files without compression.

All sessions are shot using three-camera techniques where all cameras are synchronized to each other and our digital audio recorder. One camera is placed on a 30-foot camera boom so we can shoot dynamic over-the-audience shots for unique camera angles.

We use high-quality production values with good DMX-based lighting and beautiful sets and locations.

The output of both our professional video cameras and audio recorder are all-digital and tapeless. Raw media production uses both HD-SDI with embedded digital sound and high-capacity digital memory cards. Our media wranglers collect and organize all of the digital take, both video and audio, from each session and backup the data transactionally as it is captured for safety purposes. On live or "live-to-tape" mutli-camera productions, we use fiber transmission systems between the camera positions and the video village to transmit all signals to maintain the highest quality.

All of the resulting data files for video, audio and on-screen session graphics are inducted into our digital workflow system for all post-production process, stored on a Storage Area Network and backup.

Video editing is performed using Avid Media Composer and mastered in the DNxHD format or Adode Premier in Apple ProRes.

The final DNxHD master files are encoded and compressed using our cloud-based encoding service to encode the masters into H.264/MPEG-4 formatted data for video streaming. All distribution files are made with multiple sizes and speeds to support Adaptive Streaming.

All master video files are encoded with Adaptive Streaming techniques and all final streaming media files are installed into our high-quality streaming media platform which uses state-of-the-art dynamic stream switching technology that allows for automatically up-scaling or down-scaling the quality of the video stream as necessary in order serve the highest quality video stream that your broadband connection will allow. Our streaming media platform senses the capacity and performance of your broadband connection and adjusts the video stream accordingly in a seamless and transparent way. If you have sufficient bandwidth, you will view high-definition video streams; if not, the video stream will automatically and seamlessly scale back as needed.

All streaming files are staged into our streaming-media Content Delivery Network that is cloud-based and hosted in professional data centers located in weather-resistant buildings with high security, twelve network connections from tier-1 fiber-backbone providers and supported by a route optimization engine. All tier-1 provider connections are accomplished through multiple 10-gigabits-per-second connections. The total bandwidth available to our streaming media platform in each of our data centers is at least 150-gigabits per second in each data center.

Our entire production workflow from capture through final output is designed to not only produce high-quality video but, surprisingly, to produce this quality at the lowest possible cost. Instead of cutting corners on quality to save money, we realize significant savings because of the efficiency of the total end-to-end workflow; high-quality products can be produced with a minimal additional professional time required in the end-to-end production chain.