This Is What Streams Are Made Of…

This Is What Streams Are Made Of…

A free live streaming and remote participation workshop series

How do you get to your audience if they can’t get to you? Live streaming can be a great way to connect and engage with networks regionally, nationally and internationally and can unlock a range of new opportunities for your business or network. With a bewildering array of platforms, hardware and software, it can be difficult to know where to start. XpoNorth Digital invites you to apply for a place on this bespoke course- custom designed for participants new to live streaming- and those with some previous experience looking to gain insights into the creative and technical elements required to succeed in this space. Led by Dougal Perman and Anny Deery from live streaming specialists Inner Ear, the course will be interactive throughout with group discussions, demos and practical exercises.

Participants don’t need any previous experience. We want to make this as accessible as we can, so we will recommend free and open source software wherever possible. We want you to join in and try things as you go so you will need a relatively-recent smartphone or tablet or a laptop with a webcam.

This four-part course will cover:

• What’s possible and how people are live streaming creative projects
• How to devise and plan your live programme
• How to film an activity and turn it into a live programme
• What platforms are available and how to use them
• What hardware, software and online resources are available
• How to make best use of what you have to create your simple studio setup
• Making a 5-minute pilot programme
• And where to go next if you want to enhance your productions

Delivery Dates:

Session 1: Thursday 9^th February, 1.30pm-3.30pm

Session 2: Thursday 16^th February, 1.30pm-3.30pm

Session 3: Thursday 23^rd February, 1.30pm-3.30pm

Session 4: Thursday 2^nd March, 1.30pm-3.30pm

Please note, this opportunity is only open to creative, digital and heritage networks based across the Highlands and Islands.

Applicants will also be required to complete a short application form detailing the specific parts of their business or project they feel the training could help develop.

The workshop series is free to attend and will be delivered as a fully online experience. In order to get the most from the course, we request that participants are able to attend all sessions wherever possible.

To apply for a space on the course, please download an application form here and email it to info@xponorth.co.uk.

Applications are limited, so this will be on a first come first served basis.

WIDER COURSE OUTLINE AND STUDY AREAS:

This course is designed to help people bring their audiences and customers closer to them through remote participation in their virtual and hybrid events and activities. This is an entry-level course for both live stream beginners and those with some experience in this space to provide an overview of the opportunity, cover the base principles of live streaming with a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop and webcam; direct to popular platforms. This workshop series has been devised and designed by Dougal and Anny from Inner Ear who will also deliver them as a project for XpoNorth Digital. Inner Ear will retain ownership of the course materials and grant XpoNorth a licence to use them for an agreed period.

This Is What Streams Are Made Of…

A free live streaming and remote participation workshop series

How do you get to your audience if they can’t get to you? Live streaming can be a great way to connect and engage with networks regionally, nationally and internationally and can unlock a range of new opportunities for your business or network. With a bewildering array of platforms, hardware and software, it can be difficult to know where to start. XpoNorth Digital invites you to apply for a place on this bespoke course- custom designed for participants new to live streaming- and those with some previous experience looking to gain insights into the creative and technical elements required to succeed in this space. Led by Dougal Perman and Anny Deery from live streaming specialists Inner Ear, the course will be interactive throughout with group discussions, demos and practical exercises.

Participation

A group of participants will be invited to apply for the course, which has very low entry requirements; a smartphone, tablet or computer with a webcam and some basic aptitude on how to use them and in your way around some of the most popular social media platforms. We won’t require anything else but we will recommend some very low cost items and signpost opportunities to learn about taking productions up a level in the future (for those who want to learn more). A questionnaire will request information on any previous experience with live streaming and media production and, more importantly, ambitions, hopes, concerns and fears.

Once selected, participants will do the course. The sessions will be for the group only and will not be recorded so participants feel comfortable speaking freely and having a go at practical exercises. There will be a mixture of teaching, discussion, demonstrations and opportunities to have a go. At the end of the course participants will stream a private ive-minute demo live stream that everyone involved will watch and oer supportive constructive criticism. Group discussion and peer support will be a crucial element of the course.

The course will be accompanied by presentations (available in PDF format as reference resources) and a Wakelet.com catalogue of useful resource links. Inner Ear and XpoNorth Digital can consider options for creating an on demand video version of the course in the future without live participation that can be accessed by the XpoNorth Digital community at any point for an extended period, but that isn’t covered by the scope of this project.

Content

The course will be delivered over four sessions, each up to two hours long.

Workshop 1

● Introduction

• ○ Inner Ear
• ○ Participants; what is your experience, what do you want to get out of the course and tell us about an inspiring example of live programme-making you really like?

• ● What’s possible?
  • ○ Inspiring examples
  • ○ Discussion: what opportunities are out there?
• ● Taking your idea to your audience

○ Turning an activity into a programme

• ○ Programme making base principles
• ○ Style and format

• ● What’s the most accessible way to live stream?
  • ○ Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok
  • ○ Hardware: smartphone, mobile or computer with webcam
  • ○ Software: platform apps
• ● Practical exercise: write a treatment for your live programme

Workshop 2

• ● Recap on workshop 1
• ● Group discussion: present your programme treatment
• ● Production values
  • ○ Story and script
  • ○ Talent and direction
  • ○ Set and staging
  • ○ Lighting
  • ○ Sound
  • ○ Grip
  • ○ Camera and framing
  • ○ Rehearsal and testing
• ● Making it happen
  ○ DIY—howtodoitallonyourown

○ Working together — how to build a team and work with others

● Practical exercise: use what you have to hand to create your own studio setup, film something very short (1 min) and share it with the group

Workshop 3

• ● Recap on workshop 2
• ● Group Discussion: review everyone’s studio setup and oer suggestions for

improvements

• ● Demo and practical: going live

Using a mobile device or computer to stream to ■ Facebook

■ Instagram

■ YouTube ■ LinkedIn ■ TikTok

● Demo: Special features
○ Utilising platform features

• Facebook Producer
• Instagram live guests
• Etc.

• ● As live experiences
  • ○ Facebook and YouTube premieres
  • ○ Using pre-recorded scheduled services from Restream, Castr,

OneStream, etc.

• ● Group discussion: what approach will work best for you?

Workshop 4

• ● Recap on workshop 3
• ● Practical exercise: share your five minute pilot programme with the group,

privately; ideally live, or as live

• ● Group discussion: oer constructive feedback on each pilot programme
• ● Enhancing your production
  • ○ Taking it up a level
  • ○ Hardware
  • ○ Software
  • ○ Outsourcing
• ● Demo: recording interviews and conversations using platforms like Riverside.fm, Squadcast.fm, StreamYard and ReStream Studio
• ● Inspiring examples
• ● Group discussion: