ProPresenter

Question 1

Complete your training

Answer

Online Training:
Click here to watch The Volunteer Operator's Guide to ProPresenter 7

Please also watch any videos related to the various patches. You can find these videos HERE.

In-Person Training:
You will be given the opportunity to shadow a ProPresenter tech for a few Sundays and gradually take more responsibility for the slides each week. You must demonstrate your competencies before operating solo.

Question 2

Know your tools

Answer

At First Naz we use the following equipment/software for our media content:

Windows 10 (soon to be Windows 11)
ProPresenter 7 (current version)
Presenter USB Remote Control: allows speaker on stage to control slide advancement

You can download ProPresenter HERE for Mac and Windows for free. This allows you to play around with it at home to gain familiarity without the stress of Sunday morning.

Question 3

Know your outputs

Answer

We send from ProPresenter to various locations. Here are the five video outputs you need to know:

Left monitor: this is the primary display and is where we run ProPresenter. This is the first screen in the screen configuration.
Right monitor: this is where we have Google Chrome or Windows/File Explorer available. This is the second screen in the screen configuration.
Confidence monitor: this is the rear projector, which displays from the Stage Output. This is used to allow those on stage to easily see the image/video content or the song lyrics/sermon notes for this and the next slide. This is the THIRD screen in the screen configuration.
Main Displays: these are the two front screens, which are the same output, just duplicated. Together they are the FOURTH screen in the screen configuration.

You can move the mouse from the far left screen (the primary display) to the right, moving across each display. This allows you to use the mouse (for whatever reason) on the rear Stage Display or the front Main Displays.

We also have an NDI output from ProPresenter going to the Livestream PC. This displays the "Livestream" output and allows us to send an alternate Look (typically a Lower Third) to OBS on the Livestream PC.

Question 4

Tasks

Answer

Pre-Service

Mid-week communication: check PCO Services to see what sort of setup will be in place on the upcoming Sunday.

Pre-Service (Sunday)

Arrive on time. The schedule is listed in PCO Services and below. If you are going to be late, call the Director of Operations to let him know. Life happens, but try to not make a habit of being late.
Your equipment should typically be already on, but if it is not, you will need to turn on the PC, open ProPresenter, and turn on the front screens and rear projector (using the appropriate remote control).
Review the service schedule. A printed copy will be available at the Production Booth. Feel free to take notes and markup your copy.
Do an output check: confirm each video output is working
Do a source check: make sure each item in the service schedule is listed in the ProPresenter playlist and actually displays correctly.
Take notes as the band practices each song. Note especially any musical interludes or song order changes or lyric changes (verse 1, chorus, verse 2, etc).
Run through the sermon slides and take any notes as needed in the sermon notes provided by the speaker.
Be at the computer at least 15 minutes prior to service. Once the livestream starts you should be at your station.
Expect last minute requests: we try to mitigate these, but the reality is they sometimes happen and you need to be ready to handle them.

Service Time

Be alert. Anticipate what is about to happen on stage (good or bad) and be ready for what the service will throw at you.
In general, advance the lyric slides as soon as the final word of the current slide starts being sung. This may vary, so use your judgement, but keep in mind that we need to LEAD the congregation so they can anticipate the next stanza.
Confirm the livestream operator is receiving what he or she needs.
Keep the screen content applicable. If there is a musical interlude, click "Clear Slide" so the words fade but the background image/video remains.
Take notes of any issues that arise so they can be dealt with after the service (either with a specific musician/vocalist or with the Director of Operations).

Post-Service

Check in with the worship leader and Livestream Tech. Find out if they had any problems.
Turn off the screens and lock the PC (Win+L)
Resolve any noted issues

Question 5

How to Succeed

Answer

It can be tough to know if you are doing a good job if you don't know what is expected of you, so here are a few things a great ProPresenter tech will do:

Desire. I want people who have the desire and drive to work in live production. These are people who understand the demands, the stress, the time requirements, and level of dedication.
Ability to think on your feet. If you aren’t familiar with this phrase, it means you are able to think quickly and react quickly when unexpected things happen. Working in live production, anything can happen and I’ve got a host of stories to prove it. I want someone who can stay calm during high-pressure moments when the unexpected happens and can adjust as needed. Tip: You can learn to think on your feet. Come up with five events that could happen during a service that you wouldn’t expect, such as the speaker's remote control breaking, and work out how you’d deal with the problem.
Able to minimize the impact of mistakes. We’ve all made mistakes. The difference is in how we reacted.
Ever-improving. There is always something you can do better. I’m not saying you can’t be happy with your work. I want people to be happy with the quality of their work but I also want them to realize they always have room to grow.
Always learning. Much like ever-improving, I want techs who are active learners. Techs who stay up to date on the most recent changes to ProPresenter.
Learns from mistakes. If you can’t learn from your mistakes, then you aren’t going to be the best ProPresenter tech you can be.
Team player / take direction. I want techs who work as a team with other techs, with the band, and with church leaders. I want techs who can take direction.
Professionalism. It’s the same expectation the pastor has on you and the worship leader has on you. Focused. Dedicated. Pro-active. Professional. I’m all for having fun in the production booth and enjoying my job. I can do that while remaining professional. I can laugh and joke but I’m not going to be checking Facebook or talking to my wife on the phone when I should be working.

Question 6