Remote live video production saves on time and cost. It’s also effective. What will video production and live video look like after COVID-19?
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to present to my local Public Relations Society of America Chesapeake Chapter on remote video production and how you can easily and effectively work it into your content strategy.
I covered live streaming, tools to get started, and my opinion on the outlook of producing video whenever we come out of COVID-19.
As awful as the pandemic is, there have been some lessons learned and innovation in the video space along the way. I don’t see those lessons being forgotten.
I had the privilege of recently joining one of the top content marketers in the industry, Christoph Trappe, for a conversation on how to make live streaming easier and more effective. It was a great chat with Christoph as well as Marc Gawith of Switcher Studio.
We talked about live streaming best practices, getting comfortable with going on air, as well as how to re-purpose your streams. Check it out.
Full live stream produced from Maryland with the subject matter expert located in North Carolina. Huge benefit of using a tool like Switcher Studio that offers a video chat option allowing the addition of remote guests.
We run a regular monthly series using this format.
Sometimes, the best Facebook Live events are the simplest ones. No fancy graphics, no camera switching. Just good, authentic, informative content for the relevant audience.
To produce something like that, you really need three things: Power, connectivity and audio.
Power
If you don’t have power, you don’t have a broadcast. Make sure whatever camera or phone you’re using has a full charge or is plugged into power during your broadcast.
Connectivity
Notice how video quality isn’t on this list. That’s because with strong connectivity, you really won’t have to worry about video quality being an issue. I regularly go live using iOS devices using only cellular connectivity. If the signal is strong, the broadcast quality is great. The important thing here is to make sure you test, test and test again. Go to the location of your shoot well ahead of the day of your event to make sure the cell signal is enough if you’re going this route.
Obviously, if you can go with an ethernet or strong, secure Wi-Fi network, do that. But we’re talking simplicity here. All the options for connectivity are for another post.
Audio
If they can’t hear you, what’s the point? I absolutely recommend investing in a small microphone to attach to your camera or phone to use during your broadcasts. I love the Rode Videomicro.
I know this all seems pretty basic, but the point here is that going live is incredibly simple. And as a tactic that can really take your business to the next level, the simplicity is important to note.
I had the chance to test out the Rode SC6 mic adapter a couple weeks ago during a Facebook Live broadcast. I plugged in two Rode smartLav mics for the two on-camera hosts. The adapter itself was plugged into an iPad Mini 4.
I have to say the sound quality was crisp and the setup was easy. I was using the Switcher Studio app for broadcasting, and the audio was recognized right away without adjusting any sort of settings.
The only minor drawback here is that with a device like this there’s no way to adjust individual mic levels when you have two lavs plugged in, other than changing the position of the mic on the subjects.
This broadcast was done in a quiet room, and the overall production was incredibly simple, so that really wasn’t an issue. For $19.95, it’s absolutely worth it for small projects.
