Salisbury Cathedral Web-streaming System
c. 1,200 + online audiences
Budget
£38,000
Location
Salisbury, UK
Key Elements
Setting The Scene
Salisbury Cathedral and it’s famous spire is the centre point and pride of the city. At 123m (404ft) it’s the tallest in Britain and can be seen from many miles around. It is also home to the world famous ‘Father Willis’ pipe organ; it’s choirs are considered to be among the best in the country and it plays home to the hugely revered and important Magna Carta document, on public display.
Vital, then, that any technology employed in the daily operation of the Cathedral, which hosts over 1,000 events per year, should only serve to improve the experience for the audience and staff alike, and capture the essence of the building and it’s purpose.
Pro Live were invited to draft a proposal for a comprehensive, but easy-to-use Live Web-streaming system. This was to offer a wider online audience the unprecedented opportunity to engage in services, concerts and activities hosted within the building. A solution was drafted, with very careful consideration to the position each of the cameras, as to where the coverage might be best. The Cathedral’s services are not always conducted in the same place so the cameras needed to cover activity at the spire crossing, the quire (where the choir sits) and high altar towards the east end. Also the font which lies much further towards the west end of the 135m (442ft) long building was a key feature which needed to be included.
From Proposal to Execution
The design of course, had to be passed by several key bodies including the chapter, the fabric committee and the works department. The methods used had to offer an “entirely reversible solution” – that is to say that every piece of equipment; nut, bolt, screw and cable installed had to be installed in a way that they would be able to be removed without trace!
In addition, the infrastructure had to navigate through the casement of the organ which has recently undergone a major months-long and costly project to clean and completely refurbish it (a fascinating project in itself). We worked closely with the Director of Music and the Clerk of Works and were entrusted to carefully conduct our work around the building and within the organ itself – only too aware of the value of the instrument, both financially and historically.
Approval was met on the second draft and Pro Live installed the system in the building in just over 2 weeks. The 3 professional, remotely operated moving head cameras were installed on proprietary brackets, in collaboration with the Cathedral’s carpentry team. The camera at the west end also had to be moveable to allow for the huge Christmas tree installed each year. The Director of Music was very keen to assure the most faithful representation of the music was achieved through to the remote audience. This was realised with a pair of Neumann KM184 microphones, positioned and installed carefully to pick up the choir and organ for the streaming service. The audio is also integrated with the Cathedral’s PA system and works in tandem but independently.
The end result was a huge success and Pro Live have since been invited to other notable Cathedrals and Houses of Worship to offer live streaming solutions and more, as a direct result of the quality of installation supplied to Salisbury. You can view our work here: https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/worship-and-music/services/livestreams/