#EllaElnaFacebookLIVE
Being in front of the camera is not a hard task for me. Considering that I run a YouTube channel together with my twin sister, Ella, we’re very familiar with the environment and feel of having to talk to an inanimate object. Hosting a Facebook live for a minimum of 30 minutes may seem like a challenging and terrifying idea to many, but I was actually pretty excited about the homework.
There’s a great difference between having to record a video and having the benefit of editing it afterwards vs. recording a video LIVE. We all know that there is no filter when it comes to live video, and that I think is what makes it very interesting to produce and watch. As entertainers, my sister and I always embraced the idea of showing our true selves in the camera. And with this assignment, I think we were able to show just how real we are on camera.
To be honest, the idea of doing a Facebook live didn’t scare me, but the actual process of doing it was a struggle, to my surprise. My first struggle was finding a great wireless connection. It was a struggle considering that i was in school. Even using LTE was not working, until I decided to film at a friend’s condo. It took me several tries to get a video going, but the wireless connection would always fail me. It took me 45 minutes to find good connection and it really was frustrating, if I’m being honest. The next struggle that I faced was being awkward in front of the camera. I was only so used with the idea, but I never really expected it to be as distressing. My sister and I eventually worked our way around it and eventually became comfortable with the idea of having a live audience. Supportive friends who would comment and say hi to us helped in making us feel as though we were just hanging out and talking to them in a different manner.
My strategy was, to use our Facebook page, facebook.com/ellaandelna, to garner an audience. We initially put up a post a day before announcing that we were to do a Facebook live the next day at 4PM. We supported our post by sharing it in our personal Facebook accounts. We also used twitter, snapchat, and instagram as a tool to spread the word. We kept promoting until the morning of our actual film date. It was actually pretty helpful.
Despite the hindrances and the awkward silences, I enjoyed the homework! My sister and I are actually thinking of doing more of these to reach more people and to bring more people to our YouTube channel.
Here’s a link of our very first Facebook live! #EllaElnaFacebookLIVE
https://www.facebook.com/elnaselina/videos/vb.730523718/10154950386188719/?type=3