Who’s Afraid of Livestreaming
Martha: Truth or illusion, George; you don’t know the difference.
George: No, but we must carry on as though we did.
Martha: Amen.
from Broadway Unlocked • Innovation for any stage
As we’ve been on our pay-what-you-can #TechTheatre consult calls today, we’re quickly seeing that the first thing on most artist and individual theatre makers minds is —
how do I continue to create when I can’t be on stage?
We thought it would be helpful to cook up a little easy/pro/fancy guide to livestreaming options.
p.s. Be sure to read to the bottom for a little note on our thoughts about livestreaming and making proscenium theatre in a time of technology. And if you need assistance with technology, we’re offering pay-what-you-can consult calls — Book here.
Easy
Let’s just take it easy to start with, shall we? KISS is the name of the game here (that stands for Keep It Simple Stupid, if you don’t know. Literally our mantra here at BU): grab a phone, stream straight into a platform. You’ll want a tripod and a lens for your phone if you need to be far away from the action.
we ALWAYS recommend FilmicPro’s mobile gear list for recommendations
Option 1:
You can livestream straight into the YouTube App if you have 1000+ subscribers. Here’s how.
Option 2:
You can livestream through Instagram or Facebook direct from your mobile, no matter who you are or how many subscribers you have. Viva la revolution! We’re guessing you already know how to do that. If not, here are excellent guides.
Pro
Feeling confident? You have a couple of options, but we think the best is OBS — which stands for Open Broadcaster Software. Here’s how it works in the most general of terms:
- You have a DSLR camera with an HDMI output
- You have a Cam Card that you can plug your hdmi-connected camera into
- Your Cam Card plugs into your laptop via USB
- You select your camera as the input source in OBS
We’re not going to do a walkthrough on this, as plenty of people have great videos up on YouTube.
And if you have some cash, and want to trick out a streaming solution, software like Wirecast give you that sweet upgrade. But you’re getting really fancy at that point. Hey — you do you.
Ultimate BU verdict? Only go for this if you are digitally native, have worked with cameras before and feel really confident with quickly learning new technologies.
Fancy
We’re big fans of filming and streaming on phones over here at BU — did you know there are apps that allow you to connect multiple phones together (as cameras) and then liveswitch them off a fourth device — if you’ve ever seen The Newsroom, it’s like their control room, except not anxiety inducing (did you SEE how many camera angles and locations their producer was juggling at any given time? ACK.)
This is particularly cool if you want to be able to play around with varying up what we’re watching while you stream, so that it looks more like TV.
Sound interesting?
Play with Switcher Studio, RecoStudio and Sling Studio.
Ok, now that word we promised about livestreaming and proscenium theatre: We’ve been working between these two mediums a long time. We fundamentally believe that broadcasting long form performance doesn’t work, unless you’re The Met and everyone is already bought in. We know a lot of us have to just solve the immediate problem — which is “deliver the show you promised to your patrons so you don’t have to refund them.”
But once you’re done, we encourage you to start thinking about how to evolve the medium. Make audio dramas. Crowdsource story ideas and create the larger picture with it. Bring live audiences into the playmaking process and let them influence the work. There’s a million creative options, and we think this is a great time to deliver insanely innovative work to your patrons who desperately need some beauty in their lives.
We’re offering 20 minute pay-what-you-can consults if you are an artist, theatre or arts educator that needs to brainstorm, ask questions, or just bounce ideas off of us.
Broadway Unlocked is a startup pushing the boundaries of theatre past the footlights. Set at the intersection of the theatrical skillset and entrepreneurship, its portfolio includes The Giveback Concert, Take Me To Coffee, Full STEAM, Storytelling for Leaders and The Salon, among others. The company is at the forefront of innovation in the arts and delivers powerful collaborations, content, products, and partnerships across business, cause, and culture.
Jessica Ryan is a recovering polite midwestern girl from Kansas City who’s now happily bi-coastal and working as a mad scientist across the arts, entrepreneurship, technology and activism. She has performed at Goodspeed & Berkshire Theatre Festival, written for some of the biggest companies in the world including Amazon and GE, directed digital content with Tituss Burgess and Kirstin Maldonado, voiced spots for Starbucks and Old Navy and (probably most importantly) once sang a jingle for an adult superstore in North Dakota (true story, Annabelle’s, look it up).
In case you’re not exhausted yet, Jess is the CEO/Founder of Broadway Unlocked, an ambassador for the Summit community, member of the Zuckerberg Institute and Creator and Co-Host of the Take Me To Coffee Podcast with Hamilton’s Andrew Call as well.
Currently accepting extra hours in the day, inquire within.
@jessicaryannyla / @broadwayunlocked
