Live streaming stories
How to set up a live stream? We have produced live broadcasts everywhere from the Houses of Westminster to the side of Mount Everest, Nepal.
Cheap and readily available technology has been disrupting the creative industries for decades. And broadcast is no different.
Telling real stories of real people in real-time, one of our specialities, has never been more accessible.
Building our own portable TV station
Fieldcraft Studios recently launched the Medical Innovation Bill via the first live Google+ Hangout from the House of Lords for our client Lord Saatchi (founder of M&C Saatchi).
To do this, we built a sophisticated portable broadcast-quality TV studio.
The House of Lords G+ Hangout was a truly democratic way to gather public opinion.
We were able to invite the public to take part in the conversation as it happened in the House of Lords.
And we were also able to generate media coverage from the event because we had partnered with the Telegraph.
Our network of social media influencers also helped to amplify the conversation taking it nationwide.
How to set up a live stream from Malawi, Africa
Building on our experience in the House of Lords we are currently in Malawi producing an epic digital storytelling project.
The project, called Million Miracles, is the launch event for an ambitious new campaign by the charity, Sightsavers
(Edit: the Million Miracles campaign went on to win multiple awards – Best use of digital, a Webby and a LOVIE – whoop!)
Compelling LIVE storytelling
We are going to follow, LIVE, the journey of a patient, Winesi March, as he receives life-changing cataract surgery.
We will be setting up a live stream from the hospital where Winesi’s cataract surgery will be broadcast via Google hangouts.
The second live stream, the next day, will show the emotional moment Winesi’s bandages are removed.
With his sight is restored he’ll see his granddaughter, Luka, for the first time.
YouTube star Doug Armstrong is hosting the live streams which will provide further amplification and engagement (influencer marketing).
Fitting a TV station in a flight case
In order to make this all possible, David Carter, chief maker, has built a portable TV studio that fits into a flight case.
Fully loaded our ‘broadcast box’ has a vision mixer, sound mixer, talk-back system.
It also holds the MacBook Pro and is powered by a specially designed battery unit (important to avoid those frequent power cuts!).
The whole system then connects to a state of the art satellite connection (powered by our partners Inmarsat). This will allow us to transmit our story LIVE from rural Malawi to the rest of the world.
Storytelling that unfolds across multiple channels
The story will unfold across multiple channels, including social media and heritage media (newspapers and television) building to the grande finale of the live broadcasts.
Controlling the media is no longer a monopoly
In 1971 when the founders of Greenpeace wanted to raise awareness of nuclear testing they took a boat to Alaska to stop nuclear testing.
They were able to make a huge international news splash as the media influence was brokered and controlled by a small circle of broadcasters.
This wouldn’t work in today’s media landscape.
The monopoly on publishing and participation has been irreversibly broken.
Sites like Buzzfeed are re-writing the content rules and YouTube, its multi-channel networks and media organisations like VICE are re-wiring broadcast media.
And companies like Fieldcraft Studios are now able to publish and connect directly with an audience.
Finding your niche
This rapidly changing media landscape has simultaneously empowered and fractured audiences (or fans) into super niches.
And the ability to publish and command an audience (or fan base) has moved out of the hands of the few becoming open to anybody with a talent for telling a good story and building an audience.
The lines between news reporter, bystander and NGO have become blurred.
In this new communications paradigm, NGOs, organisations and brands should be recalibrating their relationship with both donors and beneficiaries to design stories that both unfold over multiple channels.
And they should be encouraging participation that connects and builds a community/fanbase they can then mobilise to take action or donate.
Fieldcraft Studios specialise in working in this changing landscape.
We have experience in live-streaming for events as well as media interviews.
