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60 VIDEOMAKER >>> VIDEOMAKER >>> MAY 2019MAY 2019

— and tell people about it! Also, make

sure you let your audience know how

long the live stream will be. Don’t

make it excessively long. In my expe-

rience, a live stream 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 time zone and make the

live stream 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 live stream

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 live stream are USB webcams,

When producing a video, it’s essen-

tial to plan and prepare adequately,

so your shoot goes off without a

hitch. However, how does your typi-

cal production compare to hosting

a live stream? In this article, we will

explore how you can conduct a suc-

cessful live stream on your own with

a few simple tools.

Script

A script describes everything that the

viewer will see and hear. For a live

stream, you’ll need to decide between:

• A simple script with a couple of
  pointers on what you are going to say,
  do and show


• Going entirely scripted, reading
  every line from a teleprompter.
  The first option is way more ac-
  cessible since you will be following
  a simple outline and talking about
  whatever comes to mind. I recom-
  mend this one for most live streams
  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 over-talk and bore your audience.
  It’s a good practice to plan exactly
  how much time you will spend on
  each topic and practice ahead of time
  to make sure you hit all of the impor-
  tant talking points.

Schedule

After writing the script, determine the

day and time at which you’ll go live

How to plan a live stream

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.

by Luis Oscar Maymi

smartphone cameras or the built-in

camera on your computer. Most live

streaming platforms will identify

these cameras without any issues.

However, if you decide to use any of

these cameras, the sound quality will

not be the best. Therefore, 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 discon-

tinued, but there are newer options

available from Blackmagic Design,

AJA, Elgato and others. Once con-

nected, the streaming platform will

identify the camera and make it avail-

able 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

As mentioned above, using an ex-

ternal microphone to capture your

DETERMINE THE DAY

AND TIME AT WHICH

YOU’LL GO LIVE — AND

TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT!

PLANNING

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VIDEOMAKER >>> MAY 2019 61

How to plan a live stream

audio is strongly recommended for

live streaming. Don’t rely on your

camera’s microphone, since they are

prone to noise and average audio

quality. For your stream, you could

use a lavalier mic, shotgun mic or

even a handheld mic if you don’t

mind the microphone showing up in

the shot.

Lights

A simple approach for lighting your

live stream set is three-point lighting.

You don’t need fancy light fixtures to

get good lighting as long as you are

deliberate in you lighting choices.

However, professional video lights do

make the job easier.

Cables

Collect any cables needed to con-

nect your gear together and get your

stream online. Make sure to appropri-

ately manage the wires so that they

are not in the way. A little bit of cable

management will go a long way here

in making your stream look more pro-

fessional. Setup and breakdown will

be easier as well.

Props

If you have an object or props that

you wish to show during your live

stream, go for it. A fantastic acces-

sory 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 pos-

sibilities such as using a slide show

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 live stream

you have one limitation: You need to

set up your live stream set as close as

possible to your modem or router for

better signal strength. If you are doing

a live stream with your computer, it’s

strongly recommended that you use

an Ethernet cable instead of the wire-

less signal. Live streaming takes a con-

siderable amount of bandwidth, and

if you do it via Wi-Fi, the chances of

having playback issues or a dropped

signal increase exponentially.

When using an external camera, you may need an external capture device to connect

your camera to your computer. You can find capture devices from brands like Blackmagic

Design, AJA and Elgato.

IT’S STRONGLY RECOM-

MENDED THAT YOU USE

AN ETHERNET CABLE

RATHER THAN WI-FI.

PLANNING

PLANNING MAY 2019

For a Stellar

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