Rjwalker,
Placement of camera positions should be driven by the following factors:
- Content
- Delivery vehicle (I-Mag, second venue and/or broadcast [which would include terrestrial, cable, live webcasting, web video-on-demand and walk-away media like DVDs])
- Dimensions of the room
- Lens characteristics and the viability to change-out cameras or lenses
- The ability to frame artistically acceptable shots
- Sight-line obstruction avoidance for the live in-the-service audience
- Distraction avoidance for the live in-the-service audience
Regarding content, are you capturing preaching only? Worship also? What style of worship?
Regarding delivery vehicle your post states that the primary delivery is webcasting. This is very important as this will dictate a number of things including the prioritizing of shots. For these “broadcast” delivery vehicles tight shots of the presenter allowing facial expression, loose shots of the presenter allowing body language, wide shots of the room establishing the venue and
reversal shots of the congregation are all equally important. I would encourage you NOT to fall into the trap of shooting only from the proscenium (or downstage-lip) in (or upstage). The
congregation is part of "the story" being told. They (and their reaction to the message) is 50% of your available content. Your limiting factor however is only having two cameras, which is a very real hurdle that there is not an easy solution for aside from adding cameras.
Should the delivery vehicle change in the future, the prioritization of shots should change and therefore the camera locations. Unfortunately, you have chosen the most challenging delivery vehicle to start with! I-Mag (only) is simplest. Second venue is typically a bit harder and broadcast in all its variations is the most difficult.
Regarding the dimensions of the room, because your room plays width wise instead of length wise two camera coverage will be more difficult than if the room played the opposite direction. This is due to the fact that the pastor will attempt eye contact over a 160 degree area (based on the dimensions you gave and rough drawing), verses if the room played the opposite direction the pastor would only need to make eye contact with a 75 degree area. You should attempt to keep each camera in a position which maintains eye contact for the greatest amount of time as possible. The further you push the camera positions off to the side, the harder this will be to accomplish.
Lens characteristics: You post does not state that the camera or lens types
The ability to frame artistically acceptable shots: is really what your post boils down to. Understand that the standard three camera “I Love Lucy” model where there is one camera center, typically on a loose follow shot (head-to-toe) with two other cameras with each about 25-45 degrees off center flanking the center camera, shooting close-up or extreme close-up shots was intended for
scripted content. As the content becomes less scripted, as the area (or areas) which you are shooting in become larger and as elements are added to the “show” like a worship band, etc.; the number of cameras needed to adequately cover the event increases.
Sight-line obstruction avoidance for the live in-the-service audience: is for you a mute point IF the cameras are lensed acceptably to achieve acceptable shots from the back wall of the room. For others however this point is an important issue to contend with.
Distraction avoidance for the live in-the-service audience: again here is a mute point for you IF the cameras are lensed acceptably to achieve acceptable shots from the back wall of the room. As cameras are added and “hard” camera operators are added, or moving cameras like handhelds, steadycams, dollys and jibs are added this is an important issue to contend with.
If I were in your shoes and I had to do a webcast with your room dimensions I would likely sacrifice the off-center angle shots which depending on how often the pastor looks off center across that 175 degree arc might only be useful to me 1/3rd of the time (assuming he gives equal eye contact to house left, house center and house right). I would then place BOTH cameras directly on center-line from the stage (assuming the lectern, podium and his 10’ walking area is center). The tight shot camera MUST be at eye level to the presenter. So, if you have a 4’ stage and the presenter is 6’ tall I want the tight shot camera to be EXACTLY at 10’ off the floor. I would then place the loose shot camera directly below the tight shot camera (assuming there are not obstructions like audiences heads). Yes, in doing so I am giving up off-angle coverage, but I am now guaranteeing that I can use both cameras 100% of the time, and since I only have two cameras this is a much higher priority to me than anything else.
The real solution is to add more cameras! The compromise solution is to put both cameras center (in my opinion).