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What should you do if a loved one dies and an important family member can’t attend the funeral?
Here are some likely scenarios:
- A spouse is in the hospital or too ill to attend the service.
- Siblings who live across the country can’t afford to fly.
- A family member is serving overseas in the military and can’t get bereavement leave.
If someone can’t attend a funeral, you can bring the funeral to them using a live stream. All you need is a smartphone and a reliable internet connection.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- What’s a Live-Streamed Funeral?
- Things to Consider When Live Streaming a Funeral
- How to Set Up a Facebook Live Funeral
- More Services That Offer Funeral Live Streaming
- Other Ways to Get People Involved Who Can’t Make the Funeral
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Filming a Funeral
We’ll discuss how to stream through Facebook Live. However, several companies specialize in live-streaming services, which we’ll cover at the end of this article.
Before we go into the specific steps of using Facebook, let’s go over basic tips for streaming an event.
What’s a Live-Streamed Funeral?
A live-streamed funeral is an end-of-life service that guests can watch from their computer, tablet, or phone. However, live-streamed funerals are different from virtual funerals. During a virtual funeral, no one is gathering in person.
While sharing a loved one’s funeral online can be done by simply holding up a phone during the service and connecting through Facetime, a “live-streamed funeral” typically refers to using Zoom, Skype, or Facebook Live to share the event with family and friends who can’t attend.
Many funeral homes and churches have improved their technology to offer live-streaming services for the families they serve. But even if the funeral home or church offers basic streaming, some families use third-party companies for this service.
There are different levels of live-streaming services, so if you’re paying extra, make sure you know what it entails. You might also ask for permission to log in to a live event produced by the company so you can see if the quality is worth the cost.
Things to Consider When Live Streaming a Funeral
In some cases, funeral homes may already be equipped with video cameras, a high-quality streaming subscription, and other tech. Ask your funeral director if they can take care of this service for you. If not, you have two options: doing it yourself or hiring a specialized virtual funeral planning service.
A virtual funeral planning service, such as GatheringUs, does a lot more than set up a live stream.
These services normally include event planning, tech support, invitations, thank-you cards, virtual receptions for online guests, and day-of-funeral coordination. Naturally, extras come at a cost — most virtual funeral planning services start around $750 per funeral.
If you decide to host the live stream yourself, double-check that you have the right equipment and a strong enough connection to make the live stream run smoothly. Assign one or two point people to make a list of the equipment, tech, and a stream link to send to guests.
Expect to field emails, calls, or texts from guests right before and during the service.
Test the technology before you promise that it will be available
Before telling your elderly aunt she doesn’t need to travel for your father’s funeral, make sure you can deliver. Most cities have reliable internet, but that’s not a guarantee in small towns and rural areas.
Check the internet connection in the building where the funeral will be held.
Tip: There may be ways to enhance your internet connection, but it will take time. Prepare for this before the funeral, not the morning of the service.
Announce that live streaming is available — if you choose
Use your preferred channels to announce that you’ll be streaming the funeral. If you’re specifically doing this to benefit an elderly person, make sure they have someone on the other end to assist.
Some families may not announce that live streaming is available. Perhaps they feel that having another option would discourage guests from attending the service in person.
Choose a person to film the events
As you plan the funeral, we recommend finding someone who is not a member of the immediate family to handle the live-streaming process. Those in mourning should not have to focus on battery life and microphones during their loved one’s funeral. The more tech-savvy, the better.
Make sure all speakers use a microphone at the event
If you’re streaming through your phone, make sure each funeral participant uses a microphone.
Ideally, you shouldn’t rely on your cellphone’s microphone for the live stream. It will only work well if you are incredibly close to the speakers, which would not be an appropriate position at a funeral.
Follow good filming practices
Make sure the person filming the funeral has a general understanding of how to shoot an event. Even if they’re using a cell phone, we recommend buying a tripod or stabilizer.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, here's how to stream a funeral with Facebook Live.
How to Set Up a Facebook Live Funeral
Facebook Live is one of the easiest ways to stream a funeral, especially if you want it to be available to the general public. You can easily control the privacy settings as you go live.
Live streaming through Facebook can be as simple or complicated as you wish. Professional news organizations use multiple cameras and microphones, but a personal phone will work fine.
1. Log into the appropriate Facebook account
When you share that you’ll be streaming your loved one’s funeral, you should mention whose account you’ll use. Make sure the person filming logs into the appropriate account.
Tip: Make sure both the sender and receiver are Facebook friends. As we mentioned, you can also allow anyone to access your live feed if you choose.
2. Click on “Live”
When you log into Facebook on your phone, you’ll see several options listed under “What’s on your mind?” Options include "Photo/Video," "Tag people," "Feeling/Activity," and "Live video."
Click on the “live” button.
Tip: Once you choose to go live, you will have to give Facebook access to your phone’s microphone.
3. Write a description of your video
Next, write a video description. You can also tag friends, check in to a location, and add a feeling.
4. Determine who has access to the live stream
Do you want all your Facebook friends to see that you’re streaming the funeral? Or do you want to send the stream to a specific group of people? Make those selections.
Tip: It may be a good idea to limit access to the event. The casual scroller may not feel comfortable running across a funeral. Also, criminals have been known to hit up the homes of funeral guests.
5. Select "Start Live Video"
When you’re ready to end your broadcast, click "Finish."
Facebook allows for live-streaming sessions up to eight hours long. For more information on Facebook Live, consult these tips from Facebook’s parent company, Meta.
More Services That Offer Funeral Live Streaming
Besides GatheringUs, other companies specialize in planning virtual funerals or offer live-streaming services. Here are a few recommendations.
Funeral Videos USA
This company has a team of video professionals who can assist you in streaming your loved one’s service through Zoom, YouTube, or Facebook. They’ll take care of the filming and equipment and provide a mobile hotspot if needed. Afterward, you’ll get a recording of the service.
Farewelling
This company will help you host a fully digital tribute for your loved one or an in-person event with online options. The virtual option includes a producer to lead the event, a photo slideshow with music, an online memorial page, an interactive chat for attendees, and a recording of the service.
EventLive
Like most things in life, there's an app for it! EventLive allows you to stream a funeral from your phone. For $69, you’ll get 24 hours of HD streaming. You can personalize your event and add a video or slideshow.
Best of all, your virtual guests won't need to download the app or create an account.
Other Ways to Get People Involved Who Can’t Make the Funeral
We know that online events aren’t as impactful as being there in person, but sometimes it can’t be helped. Here are ideas to get virtual attendees more involved:
Create an online memorial page
One way to encourage people to share memories of the deceased is to create an online memorial page. You can invite anyone to contribute — even those who don’t have a social media presence. Since strangers aren’t able to peek, people are more likely to share their personal memories, videos, and photos.
Ask an online participant to contribute music to the event
If your aunt in Phoenix is a fantastic pianist but can’t attend the funeral of a loved one in Toledo, ask her to perform a song live at the event. Of course, this will require a separate video feed, so it may not be practical without extra assistance.
Unmute participants during group singing
Provide the words to the songs sung during the funeral service and give online participants the option of unmuting while singing.
Ask an online participant to share a memory
If your in-person event has a screen that shows online participants, you might allow virtual attendees to share a memory of the deceased. Ask virtual guests to raise their hands if they wish to speak and give each one the chance to offer a message to the crowd.
Ask an online participant to pray or read a poem during the service
Online attendees can easily offer prayers or read a poem during the service. In fact, a virtual attendee could also give the eulogy. Some may find it easier to speak in front of others through a screen rather than standing up in front of a congregation.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’ve never attended a live-streamed funeral, you surely have questions.
How do you watch a funeral live stream?
There are a lot of different ways to watch a live stream of a funeral service. Before the funeral is scheduled, make sure you understand how to connect.
Some funeral homes offer live streaming on their websites. Participants may simply visit the funeral home site during the appropriate time and click on the link, often through YouTube.
Many funeral homes or religious institutions use Zoom, YouTube, or another professional service for virtual events. Typically, you’ll need a link and perhaps a password. Other virtual funerals are live-streamed on Facebook Live, requiring you to have access to a Facebook account.
Third-party companies can assist families with virtual funerals or hybrid funerals. As a part of their fee, the moderator is supposed to help people connect to the event.
Once you have figured out how to connect, you can sit in front of your screen at home and watch the proceedings. You might leave your camera and microphone off, while others may choose to dress as they would for an in-person funeral and keep their cameras on during the stream.
How much does it cost to stream a funeral?
Hiring a virtual or hybrid funeral planning service to host a professional live stream for your loved one’s event will cost anywhere from $900 to $4,000.
Some companies will send a subcontracted videographer to the funeral. Others will organize a completely virtual funeral.
The cost of live streaming a funeral can also increase if you purchase add-ons, such as an online memorial page, photo slideshow, or a recording.
Can you record a funeral live stream?
Yes, it is possible to record a live-streamed funeral. If you’re interested in recording the funeral, make sure you talk with event organizers before the day of the funeral.
Filming a Funeral
Not everyone will agree that cameras are appropriate for a funeral.
Some may not like the idea of the deceased’s open casket shown during filming. Others may feel that it is inappropriate to film mourners in their time of grief. Try to get the consensus of all members of the immediate family beforehand.
The tricky thing about planning a funeral is that everyone has an idea of what is appropriate and what isn’t. (Just like some prefer the idea of a living funeral, while others feel that funerals should be solemn and dignified occasions.)
Make sure your funeral is planned exactly as you would want it to be. Ideally, try to make the arrangements before you die.
When you pre-plan your funeral, you can tell others whether or not you are okay with a live stream. You can choose the music that will be played and whether you want the service in a church, a funeral home, or somewhere entirely different.
Start your end-of-life planning today so you can be sure that your final wishes will be followed.
Sources:
- “Best Practices for Facebook Live Events.” Facebook. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2837925019861677?id=1123223941353904.
