When producing a video, it’s essential to plan and prepare adequately, so your shoot goes off without a hitch. However, how does your typical production compare to hosting a livestream? In this article, we will explore how you can conduct a successful livestream on your own with a few simple tools.
Script
A script describes everything that the viewer will see and hear. For a livestream, you’ll need to decide between:
• A simple script with a couple of pointers on what you are going to say or do
• Going entirely scripted, reading every line of dialogue using a teleprompter.
The first option is way more accessible since you will be following a simple outline and talking about whatever comes to mind. I recommend this one for most livestreams since it will allow you to be more natural on camera and you won’t look so robotic in comparison to reading everything from a teleprompter. Just have a straightforward outline and be conscious of how much time you spend on each subject. You don’t want to overtalk and bore your audience. It’s a good practice to plan exactly how much time you will spend on each topic.
Schedule
After writing the script, determine the day and time at which you’ll go live — and tell people about it! Also, make sure you let your audience know how long the livestream will be. Don’t make it excessively long. In my experience, a livestream between 20 – 30 minutes is an ideal length.
As for timing, that depends on your audience. If your audience is from around the world, you need to consider the timezone and make the livestream at the time your audience will most likely be online. I use World Time Buddy to compare time zones from different countries.
Equipment Checklist
You have a script and the day and time you will do the livestream picked out. Now it’s time to do a checklist of the gear you’ll need:
Camera
The most convenient cameras to use for a livestream are USB webcams, smartphone cameras or the built-in camera on your computer. Most livestreaming platforms will identify these cameras without any issues. However, if you decide to use any of these cameras, the sound quality will not be best, so an external microphone is recommended.
Using an external camera
If you want to use a professional camera, you’ll need to buy additional equipment to connect the camera to your computer via HDMI, VGA or SDI. I use a Blackmagic Intensity Extreme capture device. This model is discontinued, but there are newer options available from Blackmagic Design, AJA, Elgato and others. Once connected, the streaming platform will identify the camera and make it available as a primary camera.
Tripod
If you are using a smartphone or an external camera, using a tripod is a must. It’s best that the camera not move during your stream.
Microphone
Using an external microphone is strongly recommended for livestreaming. Don’t rely on your camera’s microphone, since they are prone to noise and average audio quality. You could use a lavalier mic, shotgun mic or even a handheld mic. Check out Videomaker’s Microphone Buyer’s Guide for more information on choosing the right microphone.
Lights
A simple approach for lighting your livestream set is three-point lighting. For more information on how to do this check “Three-Point Lighting: The First Lighting Technique You Need to Master.”
Cables
Collect any cables needed to connect your gear together and get your stream online. Make sure to appropriately manage the wires and that they are not in the way. Some cable management will go a long way here in making your stream look more professional.
Props
If you have an object or props that you wish to show during your livestream, go for it. A fantastic accessory to use is a whiteboard so you can quickly write things and show it to your audience. Just make sure the camera can focus on the whiteboard. Some streaming services allow you to share your computer screen, as well, opening you up to a world of possibilities such as using a Keynote presentation or streaming multimedia content and games.
Where to Set up
Compared to a film set where you have the full flexibility of doing whatever you like with a livestream you have one limitation.
Where is your internet modem or router located?
You need to set up your livestream set as close as possible to your modem or router for better signal strength. If you are doing a livestream with your computer, it’s strongly recommended that you use an ethernet cable instead of the wireless signal. Livestreaming takes a considerable amount of bandwidth, and if you do it via Wi-Fi, the chances of having playback issues increase exponentially.
Choosing your Platform
Many different platforms offer livestreaming, the most popular being Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram. Deciding which of these platforms to use will depend on your target audience.
YouTube – a wide range of content creators use this one, from gamers, to live podcast, live tutorials, live news, and almost any topic you can think. Doing Youtube livestreams also complements your current channel uploads, adding more content is an excellent way to interact with your subscribers.
Facebook – the largest social media website on the internet allows every user with a personal profile or page to use Facebook Live. Facebook is excellent for small business since it will enable you to reach a considerable audience and even more if you use paid ads (to use Facebook Ads you need a Facebook Page).
Instagram – although Instagram primarily focuses on picture sharing, livestreaming allows connecting more personally with the audience while maintaining a creative approach. Instagram livestreaming is commonly used by actors, musicians, sports personalities, vloggers and journalists.
Test all systems before going live.
It is monumentally essential to do a test run before doing your real livestream. Make sure to do this test a couple of days before, not on the same day. In this test, you want to make sure every piece of equipment is working correctly, test your internet connection speed, check video quality and, most important, make sure the audio is clear. Do not overlook the audio quality and be sure to verify how it sounds on different devices — on a computer, smartphone speakers, and headphones. Your audience will not mind the quality of the video so much, but they won’t be as merciful if they can’t hear you. We also recommended practicing what you are going to say and have every prop you are going to use on set.
Have a backup plan.
Livestreams can sometimes fail altogether leaving you stranded. If you are doing the livestream with your computer, it’s a good idea to also have your smartphone on standby just in case the main computer stream fails. Sometimes the internet goes down, and other times your computer just doesn’t want to connect to the internet. If that happens, try using your smartphone to reconnect to the streaming platform using your cellular data. Use this as a last resource since a livestream will drain your data fast. Still, it’s better than going offline completely.
Go live.
You have everything set-up, and you did a test run. You are ready to make your livestream. Since every livestream platform has live chat capabilities, make sure to answer your audience’s messages and comments and show that you appreciate their support. Live-streaming without a doubt is the best way to engage with your audience and, from my experience, it has the best return on investment. Determine what content you wish to share and get streaming.
