Funeral planning during the coronavirus is much more difficult than normal due to travel and meeting restrictions that make a traditional funeral nearly impossible. But even in quieter times, planning a funeral can be a challenge when you have relatives scattered everywhere. How can you bring everyone together to celebrate the life of your loved one?
Family and friends, of course, want to pay their respects and find closure to their grief. But even when travel is allowed, it can be challenging to find affordable flights and coordinate last-minute travel arrangements on time.
While IRL funeral services are almost always the preferred option for families under normal circumstances, live streaming of the funeral is an excellent option to provide accessibility for those who cannot attend in person. Technology makes it easier than ever to connect with your loved ones. For many people, their smartphones are rarely far from their sides, providing them with a modern tool for participating in a funeral or memorial service in a distant location.
UK Funeral Streaming and Funeral webcast services
There are times when distance, health, or other circumstances may prevent some family and friends from attending a funeral to say goodbye and pay their respects. Our Funeral Streaming Live Streaming & Webcasting online service can provide a great alternative. Live Streaming a Funeral allows those who cannot attend the opportunity to participate, say goodbye and see the funeral for themselves in real time, over the Internet from anywhere in the world. We have our own internet and cameras, which means we can literally broadcast live from anywhere, like churches, crematoriums, and even the side of the grave. We’ve even live-streamed funerals and natural burials from forests and grasslands. Our kit is extremely mobile, allowing us to connect families regardless of distance and location.
Promote streaming services
Don’t forget to advertise streaming services. While many funeral homes have been offering a form of transmission, potential clients may not be aware of it. In fact, many people believe that funeral and memorial services are completely restricted. By promoting streaming services and what you are providing, you can help bereaved families balance the challenges of social distancing and the ingrained values of saying goodbye to a loved one.
Interact with families
Before the service, it helps to connect with the family. Request photos, vignettes, and an obituary that can be displayed on the family’s personal website. Remember, each service should have its own personalized branded web page in memory of your loved one. While family and friends will not be able to socialize in person, they can still reflect and remember their loved one. This can best be presented by involving the family and posting content on the website.
Use best filming practices
When filming a funeral or memorial service, there are several best practices you can implement that will help your broadcast look professional and keep your keepsake videos memorable.
- Decide whether your camera will remain stationary or will move during service. If you choose to move the camera during service, it is important to plan for that movement, close-ups, and how the surrounding lighting and audio will be affected.
- Designate one person to be the videographer and a backup if available. Having someone who is dedicated to filming the video means that you have someone who is prepared and versed in how to film the service, also with the ability to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
- Verify that all equipment is working properly on the same day of service, giving yourself enough time to adjust to faulty equipment.
- If you decide to move during the service, move slowly so as not to skew the images or interrupt the audio.
- Be close enough to the microphone and cameras so that the audio doesn’t come in and out.
- Stream and record the service completely without pausing or stopping the recording.
- Zoom in as little as possible, preferably nothing.
- When checking the equipment, make sure that the camera settings are adjusted correctly.
- Lighting is important. You don’t want to have shadows, reflections, or glare. Natural light works well, but if natural light is limited, you can use portable artificial lights and lighting screens to avoid awkward or challenging filming.
Save broadcast event
It is important to keep your video recording and we recommend archiving so that the family can retrieve the recording if it is lost or if they want additional copies.
When saving video, it is important to remember that video files can take up a lot of space. The good thing is that you have several options that can provide enough storage for your services.
- An external hard drive or USB drive is convenient and located on site. However, when using an external hard drive, one thing to keep in mind is that they are prone to damage, loss, and even malfunction, resulting in information loss.
- Cloud Storage is a very useful subscription service that can be upgraded when you need more storage. It’s reliable, secure, shareable, and you don’t need to worry about information loss.
It’s important for families to understand that, in a time of need, funeral homes are here to help balance today’s challenges and the importance of celebrating the life of a loved one. Funeral streaming services are the future of funerals and a great way for families to come together at a time when we must remain apart. This best practice guide for live streaming funeral services will ensure that you provide streaming services that will be remembered and preserved for years to come.