Should Non-Profits & Schools Live Stream in 2020?
You may be asking why everyone is live streaming. Businesses are doing it, individuals are doing it, and now a lot of non-profits and even schools are doing it, but what's the big deal?
The Benefit of Live Streaming
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube have become the hub for communities in the past decade. People of all ages flock to these platforms to join their communities in conversation and to enjoy sharing content. Covid-19 has also forced most communities online and now social media platforms are one of the only ways people can continue to stay together. As a non-profit or a school, you probably have a Facebook Page and maybe even some Facebook Groups. People can share information and have conversations in the comment section, but it still doesn't seem like a real conversation. This is because it's not an active conversation. When people post and comment it's intermittent; there’s no instant shared dialogue. Live streaming solves this issue by allowing people to have an active conversation, and also allows the presenter to interact with their audience in real-time. Being able to interact with each other via live streaming leads to a more active community.
Another important aspect of live streaming is the ability to rewatch the stream on YouTube and Facebook. If someone in your community missed the stream they can always rewatch it. Not only can people have an active conversation, but they can also rewatch the stream to check back on the conversation and revisit parts of the stream. This is even better than having a physical class or even a meeting.
Why Non-Profits and Schools Should Live Stream
Since live streaming allows your community to connect in real-time, there’s a multitude of events you can host via live streams. Answer questions in real-time while broadcasting a class. Get feedback from your partners and community during a non-profit weekly update. Host staff or employee training and interact with them during your training to increase involvement. That’s only a few different ways live streaming can help benefit your non-profit or school.
How to Live Stream
Of course, you could use an iPhone as a camera but according to live streaming company Livestream, “67% of viewers say the quality is an important factor when watching a live stream.” Smartphones don’t produce the best quality footage. We suggest using a 4K camera like the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC) for better detail and clarity in your live streams. Even though your live streams will be delivered in 1080p HD, shooting in 4K enhances the amount of detail in your footage leading to a visibly better quality live stream.
You’ll also need good quality audio. Using a lavaliere mic looks the most natural since they can clip on your shirt. A good shotgun mic like the Sennheiser MKH 416 is a step up in price but can be off-camera to look even more natural than a lavalier. Matt Valentin has many different audio solutions for high-quality audio.
If you plan on using more than one camera, you’ll need a video switcher like the Blackmagic Atem Mini Pro. With this device, you can choose which angle looks the best and show that angle with the press of a button. You can also use this device to broadcast to Facebook and YouTube Live.
You’ll also need good lighting. Cameras need a good amount of light to have a clear image. If you’ve ever tried using your smartphone in low light, oftentimes when there’s no sunlight, you can get a grainy image. The same thing happens to other cameras. Using a couple Aputure MC’s can help brighten up your scene and give your camera enough light to produce clear footage. You can set one camera towards your face as a key light and set the other in the background as a fill light. This often sets a halo-like effect around the head showing the contours and gives more depth to your footage. Just having these two lights can greatly improve your footage.
After you have all your equipment, you’re ready to start live streaming. Using software like OBS will take your footage and audio and send it to a live stream distribution service like Restream. Restream sends your broadcast to Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and other platforms simultaneously. You’ll need to ensure all your camera, audio, and stream settings are chosen carefully to successfully broadcast your live stream.
Summary
There’s no doubt that live streaming brings communities together online. No other digital experience brings you real-time conversations and interaction with the added benefit of re-watching the event.
It’s also incredibly easy to get started with live streaming and as long as you have the right equipment you can produce high-quality live streams for your community to enjoy.
We understand it can be overwhelming to start live streaming with the amount of equipment and having to choose the right settings, that’s why people trust Matt Valentin to produce their live streams. Matt Valentin has high-end professional live streaming equipment with multiple cinematic 4K cameras, professional video switching, various LED video lighting options, and the personnel to produce an extremely high-quality live stream event.
If you want to reduce stress and simply produce a high-quality live stream for your community whether you’re an educator or a non-profit looking to inform your community, hire Matt Valentin.
Let’s do this!