Basic live streams can be run directly through any college social media account with little to no direct involvement from College Communications. If you are considering undertaking a live stream for your program or event, College Communications is happy to meet with you to provide training and the skills and knowledge needed to execute a basic live stream on your own. Email social@davidson.edu to set up an appointment. 

ANATOMY OF A BASIC LIVE STREAM

Basic live streams are up close, personal, and high action. These types of streams are ideal for up close and personal live videos taken just feet away from the action.

  • Basic live streams are taken by one user with a mobile device or smartphone.
  • These live streams depend solely on a mobile data plan or wireless internet connection.
    • A minimum upload speed of 3-8 mbps is necessary to complete a basic live stream to sites like Facebook Live, Twitter/Periscope, Instagram, or YouTube Live.
  • A few minutes of basic preparations and utilization of simple tools can transform a basic live stream from shaky and unprofessional into a well-planned and higher quality video.

BEST PRACTICES FOR BASIC LIVE STREAMS

Video Stability and Audio Clarity

When recording or going live via a smartphone, it is ideal to use the same best practices used for professional videography. You can find some best practices, tips, and tricks in the College Communications Marketing Toolbox.

Battery LIfe

Live streaming can take up a significant amount of power and battery life. Make sure your mobile device is fully charged before you begin or plug it in if possible. If you are low on battery, turn down the brightness of your screen to increase your battery life.

Data Signal or WIFI

It is best to go live using a dedicated WIFI connection. If you have time, contact T&I ahead of time to ensure that you can access the WIFI and that the signal is strong enough to handle maintaining the stream. Depending on where you are on campus, your data signal may be sufficient but don’t count on it. You can test the speed of your internet by downloading a speed test app in your app store (a minimum upload speed of 3-8 mbps is necessary to maintain a live stream). Note also that the strength of your WIFI or data signal may weaken or drop completely if a crowd gathers in your area.

Permissions & Copyright

Ask permission before you go live. Do the speaker(s) know and consent? Does the event host(s) know and consent? Do you have the rights to play any music in your stream? If you intend to capture music, or think you might capture music via background noise it is best to get permission first. Many platforms will now flag live streams with music and may remove or threaten to remove the stream if the platform thinks you don’t have the rights to the music.

Captions

Live streams do not have to be captioned at this time. However, a captioned version of the live stream recording should be made available within 24 hours or the original broadcast.

EQUIPMENT TO CONSIDER PURCHASING

If you have even a small budget, acquiring some basic equipment will vastly increase the quality of your live stream. You can view a list of recommended equipment on the College Communications Marketing Toolbox.