Picture it: A room set for a festive holiday gathering.
The empty room contains long industrial-style tables adorned with beautiful
place settings and colorful fall-themed centerpieces. For the first eight
minutes, we see only this static image, offset by ambient noise from people
talking off-camera. A stream of hipsters then starts to slowly file into
the room and take their seats. This goes on for another eight minutes—a
full 16 minutes—before biscuits begin to hit the table.
Is this a scene setter for a new Richard Linklater film? A modern-day
adaptation of “My Dinner with Andre?”
It’s the first 16 minutes of a Facebook Live Video for Taco Bell’s
fourth annual “Friendsgiving,”
a live broadcast from a couple years ago that exemplifies some of the worst
traits of poor live videos. The broadcast features bland speeches with poor
A/V, elevator music (which drowns out the aforementioned speakers), and
play-by-play commentary from a “guest” who sits next to an empty chair
meant to represent the viewer.
In a nutshell, it offers all the worst parts of a corporate gathering
without any of the upsides—the food and drink—although in this case, with
the main item on the menu being a Quesalupa (deep fried taco shell filled
with turkey, Doritos® Locos stuffing and cranberry), it’s probably a good
thing Facebook hasn’t invented a food-tasting feature.
As a live event, “Friendsgiving” left a lot to be desired, generating
negative comments like: “Taco Bell has how many followers and only 350
people are watching this…” Had Taco Bell simply gone with a few short
videos, it might have been a different story.
If you’re considering live video—and you should—follow these tips to make
sure you’re doing it right:
1. Consider the event.
Facebook users watch live video three times longer than on-demand video,
and live video generates 10 times the number of comments. However, not
every format should be broadcast live. You wouldn’t want to shoot a
90-minute live video of a person painting a bedroom, even though that would
certainly work as a
short how-to
video available on demand.
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What works best as a live video? Action and suspense are essential, like
what happens in sporting event or competitive contest. It’s also great for
providing a behind-the-scenes look at events or bonus features (like
interviews). For conferences, live video is effective so long as the
subject matter and stagecraft are interesting enough. Shoot each speech
individually so you’re not leaving your audience looking at dead air.
2. Technical elements matter.
Want to know the surest way to get people to tune out? Shoot a video with
bad lighting and poor sound quality.
Technical elements are important for all videos, but especially so when
it’s live, since you’re expecting your audience to tune in for longer than
a minute or two.
Consider using a selfie-stick or a tripod to reduce shakiness. If you’re
conducting interviews at an event, you might want to invest in a microphone
to improve sound quality.
Pay attention to lighting. If you’re indoors, make sure there isn’t a glare
in front of your subject. When shooting outdoors, don’t stand in front of
the sun or cross back and forth between sun and shade.
3. Be descriptive.
Write a detailed and compelling description to accompany your video. This
lets your audience know what the video is about or why they should keep
watching, so you’ll want to make it as descriptive as possible. Once you’ve
finished the live broadcast, you can update it to include key points made
during the shoot.
4. Stagecraft is important.
Are you shooting a one-off that’s part of a larger event? To create
anticipation, start filming shortly before, placing a title card in front
of the camera. Throughout the broadcast, make sure to welcome new audience
members who’ve joined and provide a brief recap. You can also answer live
questions as they come in. If a mistake happens, keep going. It’s how well
you recover that counts!
5. Promote and optimize.
Use your social media channels to promote your broadcast, before, during
and after. In advance, let your audience know what they can expect if they
tune in. During the shoot, post links to your live broadcasts on your other
channels. After, make your post searchable, adding thumbnails and updating
descriptions to reflect keywords. Keep the promotion going through social
channels and off-line activities like email campaigns.
Live video adds excitement to an otherwise polished medium. Make sure your
concept serves up a TV-worthy dose of suspense before going live.
Bonnie Clark is the communications director for
JConnelly
, a full-service communications firm. A version of this article
originally appeared on
the JConnelly blog
.