Digital Production #4 - Multicam Test

Today we tried out filming with a multi-cam set up (the lecturer eased us in, with recording a random interview with one camera, then two, then three). I think I got extra brownie points as I asked Ethan who went on the one camera what his settings were so mine was the same. It went well, but some of the footage turned out a bit dodgy (need to make sure to white balance and speak up if you can't see someone and they aren't in focus!) I think I did pretty well with what I had.




We then got told to install Periscope and to go out and get a few random VoxPops about "something current". We went out with the P2's first and got our first VoxPop (one guy I got really didn't want to be filmed, so I got another guy). I then went out with Periscope and did the same task, I even got 10 hearts on it! 



I noticed that more people were comfortable with me on my phone than an actual camera. 

https://www.periscope.tv/Sarahtrix19/1OyKAvVBrNzGb
(world's most unflattering thumbnail that I apparently can't change)

The lecturer then tried to show us another live streaming app (can't remember the name), where you can connect multiple phones to use as a multi-cam set up. Good idea in theory, but it had recently changed so you could only film 15 seconds. Bit of a fail. 

The lecturerthen showed us the broadcast software they use at the Uni. It's called X Split Broadcaster, and you can put funky graphics on it, and make the video screen bigger or smaller. Looks fairly straightforward. There's also options to put the stream online and you can do multiple ones at once, but it increases the chances of one crashing. There's a natural 15milisecond delay also. 

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For independent study, I found one online streaming service, and one PC service. For my online one, I have chosen 'Livestream' (https://livestream.com/). It's widely used. You can broadcast video online through camcorder, computer’s webcam, smartphone, camera, etc. The service offers a variety of video tools, media players, embedding and sharing features. However it is only a free trial (just found this out). Most of the sites I could find were free trials only (then pay after that) or were just dead and deactivated. 

My software one is Open Broadcast Software (https://obsproject.com/). It's free, an open source that keeps getting better, easy to use and works well. I've found a review website that describes it better, with technical jargon just for the lecturer;

"OBS is what I use to stream. I love its stability, low resource cost, and simple interface. Multiple capture sources can be arranged and stacked with a simple GUI, and you can switch between scenes with a quick cross-fade. Capture sources can be whole displays, regions of displays, windows, webcams, and direct game capture. I imagine some are out there, but I've never found an incompatible game—and there's always window capture as a backup." 

- http://www.pcgamer.com/whats-the-best-livestreaming-software/

And an extra one I found is an App called 'Freedocast' (http://www.freedocast.com/#!/home). I have just installed it and it's very similar to Periscope but with less viewing figures, and claps instead of hearts. However it does have more features; you can broadcast just audio as well as a video, you can put the flash on and disable chats, and even add a location. You can also change the privacy settings. It's also a very simple app to use.