Livestreaming a Funeral or Memorial Service

Families are spread out now, and not everyone can get to South Georgia on two days' notice. A livestream lets them be in the room. It is a service we are asked for more each year, and it is one where getting it right quietly matters more than almost anything else we do.

What the family needs to decide

• Private or public. Most families want a private link sent to a list, not a public post.
• Whether the stream is recorded and kept, and who receives the file.
• Whether the graveside is included. That is a second setup and it depends on the site and the weather.
• Who the contact is on the day. Usually not the immediate family. A cousin or a friend who can answer a phone.

What the venue needs to provide

Two things: a feed from the sound system and a reliable internet connection. Nearly every church in the area has a board with the pastor's microphone on it, and a feed from that board is the difference between a stream where people can hear the eulogy and one where they cannot. For internet we prefer a wired connection and we test it before the service. Where a venue has neither, we bring our own audio and a cellular connection and say up front what the limits are.

Where the camera goes

One camera, fixed, at the back or the side, framed on the pulpit and the casket or photograph. Not moving, not close, not in the aisle. The people in the room should not notice it. If the family wants a second angle for the choir or for readers, that is planned ahead and it stays just as still.

After the service

The recording is delivered to the family contact as a private link or a file. Some families ask for the recording to be trimmed and combined with photographs into a tribute they can keep; that is an editing job and it is done after the service, not rushed for the day. We also produce tribute and memorial videos from photos and clips for the service itself when a family wants one played.

Working with funeral homes and churches

For funeral homes and churches that want streaming available every time rather than booked per service, we set up permanent livestreaming systems and train staff or volunteers to run them. Read livestreaming a church service properly for what that involves and the order to spend in.

Graveside

The graveside is a second setup at a second location, usually with no power and no internet, and it is outdoors in whatever the weather is doing. We can stream it over a cellular connection where there is signal, and where there is not, we record it and add it to the delivered file so the family who watched from away can see the whole service. Tell us in advance whether the graveside matters to the family, because it changes what we bring and how quickly we have to move between locations.

Photographs

Some families want a few quiet photographs: the flowers, the casket spray, the family gathered after, the church. This is done discreetly, only when asked, and never during the service itself. If a family wants it, say so when booking and it is handled with the same care as the stream.

Cost and what affects it

What moves the price is the number of locations, whether a second camera is wanted, whether the venue has an audio feed and internet or we have to bring both, and whether a tribute edit is wanted afterward. A single-location service with the church's audio and internet is the simplest case. We quote it plainly when you call, and we do not add things a family did not ask for.

Frequently asked questions

How much notice do you need? As little as a day, when the schedule allows. Call and we will tell you straight away whether we can cover it.

Does the stream go on Facebook? Only if the family wants it there. A private unlisted link is the default.

Can family members watch on a phone? Yes. The link works on any phone, tablet or computer.

Will the camera be obvious? No. It is set once and left alone.

32 Productions serves Douglas, Coffee County and the surrounding counties. Call (912) 592-3376.

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