Creating a live event for your brand or business is one of the best ways to reach your audience and drive traffic to your website.
However, finding the right setup for your live event can be challenging.
With hundreds of cameras, dozens of microphone types, and an excruciating number of ways to combine the two, it might feel a little scary to commit to one setup.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one!
Here are the 3 best setups for creating a mobile live event:
The Amateur
When it comes to video, having a light setup is key to being mobile and adaptable.
A light setup provides you will all that is necessary to creating your first live event while remaining affordable and versatile.
Whether you’re looking to shoot in a studio, in the park, or on the road, the Lightweight setup will work in all of these environments.
To begin, you will need a video recording device. Thus, what’s better than using the device you already carry with you every day in terms of versatility?
That’s right, your smartphone along with some accessories will be the centerpiece of the following setup.
With 4K recording becoming a standard across most smartphones, they have become a no-brainer solution for any will-be live streamer.
When choosing a smartphone for your live event, you may want to consider the following:
Resolution
The resolution pertains to the number of pixels that composes the image. The higher the number of pixels, the crisper and more detailed the image.
For live video, 720p recordings (meaning 1280×720 pixels) will be sufficient for most usage. Since most people watch [videos on their mobile], a 720p resolution should more than satisfy your audience.
If your live event is going to showcase products which require more detail, we recommend 1080p, which is 2 times the pixel density of 720p. The increase in detail will be useful in live events where one may do a make-up or a cooking tutorial.
If you so dare to, you could even strive for 4K. However, beware that 4K is still fairly new for live streaming and overkill for most usage. We do not recommend using 4K as it may affect your audience experience since not all internet connections can fluidly stream 4K content.
At the end of the line, most smartphones support 720p and 1080p. It comes to you to decide whether you want a higher resolution or not.
Framerate
The framerate of a video refers to how many images, or frames per second, a video file can display. Most [cinematic movies] use a framerate of 24fps, while sports videos generally will stream in 60fps. For most usage, we recommend 30fps as it provides a fluid image while keeping the streaming size light. The more images per second, the heavier the file, and the longer it takes for an internet connection to download the stream.
Battery Life
When it comes to streaming on the go, battery life becomes a crucial factor of your setup. The bigger the battery, the longer you will be able to stream without having to charge your device. Hence, a phone that has a larger battery should be high on your priority list!
Once you’ve considered all of the above, you should notice that live streaming isn’t too taxing after all.
If your phone was manufactured during the last 5 years, chances are that it already meets all of the above criteria. If not, I recommend you take a look at our “Best Smartphones for Live Streaming” article to select the device that best fit your needs!
So now that you have a phone, you may wonder: What else do I need for a killer and affordable setup? Two things:
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Tripod
If you think you’ve got a steady hand, you can be sure a tripod will beat you in a steadiness contest. A tripod will not only prevent you from getting tired of holding the phone, but it will also make it much more enjoyable for your audience to watch your content.
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Light
Let there be light! Lighting is a critical component of your livestream, lights cast emotions and alternate the mood of your image. Don’t shy away from finding an environment that has great ambient lighting and get creative when setting your scene by using LED strips
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Now that you’ve got a smartphone, a tripod, and a light, you’re ready to shoot your live anywhere!
The Broadcaster
While the Amateur setup provides a light setup that fits most environment, sometimes it might just not cut it. We hear you.
For interviews, music sessions, concerts, and sports event, sound is paramount. There’s no dying that sound plunges you in the action and makes you experience events as if you were attending.
The Broadcaster setup is all about light and sound quality. Sounds good?
Borrowing from the Amateur setup, we use the same components, but add to it a professional grade microphone to spike up your audio and a light to improve the lighting.
For this setup, we recommend a directional microphone such as the Rode VideoMicro as it provides a clean and loud signal that’ll enhance dramatically the quality of your sound.
For lighting up your subject, we recommend a USB light so you can easily charge it or hook it up to a power bank if ever you need a lot of juice. Additionally, this specific light is expandable in 3 ways so that you may add additional lights for a total of up to 4 lights.
We start by attaching the phone to a hand grip, and then we screw in the light to the hand grip on top. As for the microphone, it attaches behind the phone. This allows for the operation of the setup with just one hand holding the setup and another hand available for adjusting the setup.
The Freelancer
Some of you may feel like the Broadcaster setup fills must of your needs but lacks just one substantial element: movement.
If you’re planning to follow your subject, move your camera around, or simply add dynamics elements, you will need a stabilization system.
For stabilization, we recommend the DJI Osmo Mobile 3, a top of the line smartphone stabilizer that will allow you to move freely around without making your live event shaky.
We will pair the Broadcaster setup and the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 using an ultraplate.
Simply screw the Broadcaster’s hand grip on one side and the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 on the other side. Place your smartphone on the Osmo Mobile 3 and balance it.
You’re now ready to go live anywhere, anytime.
The Bottom Line
Those 3 setups are going to be perfect for most live events, and since each one of them builds on top of the other, you’ll be able start with the Amateur and build up from there as your needs increase.
Happy livestreaming!
What’s Next?
