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.
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.
The iOgrapher case is the latest piece of equipment I’ve added to the live streaming arsenal. As of right now, most of my live streams are done using an iPad Mini 4, and it was time to finally invest in a case.
Previously, I had been using a cheap case that got the job done. All it was really designed to do was to support an iPad on a tripod. But I ran into enough minor issues that I was ready to move on. For example, when using the previous case during an Instagram Live and plugging in my iRig, the lightning plug had to be forced into the jack because this particular case wasn’t made to accommodate that sort of thing. Forcing cables into jacks is neither good for the cable or the jack on the device.
The iOgrapher is designed to not only allow easy cable access, but has room on the top for lighting equipment and microphones.
It provides nice stabilization if you’re shooting without a tripod as well, with grips on either side.
