Camera Position Tips for Live Streaming Video

Don’t miss the opportunity to look your best and make your live content more inviting and attractive with the right camera position. Knowing how to position your camera will help you get the best angles and shots for your live stream while captivating your audience.

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information and tips on camera positioning and improving your live stream content.

Where Should I Position My Camera?

Some camera angles can over-exaggerate facial features or distort your appearance. Video will always be a more significant challenge, especially if you don’t like the way you appear in the shoot.

Placing your webcam or camera equipment correctly can go a long way to achieving the right look. For best results, a USB webcam, full-on professional camera equipment, or the built-in webcam on your laptop, the camera lens should sit at or above eye level of your speaker, no higher than the hairline (unless using a more dramatic/dynamic shot).

Once the camera is in place, avoid shooting too close to the camera. Viewers may be turned off by someone being too close to the camera on a live video stream. Position the camera far enough away to capture your speaker’s shoulders and entire face with room to spare.

What Are Some Principal Camera Angles?

The degree, angle, or position of a camera can fundamentally alter the meaning of a photograph or video. Consider the following:

Low Angle – The subject or speaker is framed from below their eye line in a low-angle. A low-angle shot of one person is frequently used with a high-angle perspective of the other person to illustrate power dynamics between them.

High Angle – The camera, in a high-angle shot, is pointing down at your speaker. This perspective leaves viewers with the impression that they are “looking down” on them.

Dutch Angle – The camera is inclined or tilted to one side for a Dutch angle (Dutch tilt). You can leave viewers with a sensation or perception of disorientation, a destabilized mental state, or heighten tension by tilting the horizon lines of your video in this fashion.

Eye Level – You can achieve a completely neutral perspective by shooting your video at eye level (avoiding any superior or inferior positioning). This is similar to how we view and interact with people in real life, our eye lines intersect, and it can potentially eliminate barriers.

Overhead Shot – Overhead shots are taken from above and look down on your subject or speaker. These are typically filmed at 90 degrees from above; lesser angled shots would be referred to as low-angle shots.

Shoulder Level Shot – A camera angle that is as high as your speaker’s shoulders is known as a shoulder-level shot. Shoulder-level shots are more common than eye-level shots, which can make your speaker appear shorter than he or she actually is.

The speaker’s head can reach the top of the frame because the camera is aligned with the shoulder. It also raises the subject’s eye line slightly above the camera, giving an impression of a lower viewpoint.

Over The Shoulder (OTS) Shot – One angle that can change a viewer’s perception of a live conversation is an over-the-shoulder shot. For example, video of one speaker’s face captured from “over the shoulder” of another speaker can be used to demonstrate a conflict, disagreement, or confrontation.

Cowboy/Hip Level Shot – When your camera is positioned around waist height, you’re taking a hip level or cowboy shot. Hip-level scenes are more beneficial when one person is seated and the other is standing.

Cowboy shots can be incredibly effective camera angles when there is action occurring at hip level. This is why the shot is known as a “cowboy shot.” Have you pictured a gun, holster, or rival off in the distance in your imagination yet?

Close-Up Shot (CU) – When you want to focus on your speaker’s facial features without any distractions in the video, use the close-up. For this type of shot, your speaker’s face would be shown in a close-up from their brow to their chin.

Medium Shot – A medium shot or a mid-shot falls somewhere between a close-up and a long shot. The subject is shown from their head to their waist. It’s a close enough shot to see their face while also seeing some of their body language.

Long Shot – A long shot would be the complete opposite of a close-up. It sees the entire body of the subject, from head to toe. This offers a better feel for the subject’s surroundings and conveys information that would be otherwise omitted in a close-up.

Lighting Tip

All cameras can capture more superior video when there is a good light source. When selecting or setting up a place to record, avoid locations with low light or too much background lighting (windows positioned in the background can often present a challenge for some cameras like webcams). Poor lighting can leave your video appearing washed out or leave your speaker looking like a shadowy figure.

Light your speaker from the front with soft, indirect light, and minimize other existing lighting in the room, particularly from windows or light sources from behind.

Background Tip

Even though you’ve made your speaker the center of attention in your video production, you still need to be aware of the video’s background contents. Your audience will take notice of everything, and it can easily distract their attention from your speaker. Try to keep your background simple, avoiding anything overly busy or cluttered, and avoid windows that would let in natural light or may reflect your computer screen. Choosing a plain wall as your video’s backdrop is often the best option.

For more tips to get the best video shots, see 10 Tips for Video Recording Yourself.

Test and Practice Your Camera Position

This is particularly crucial if you’re recording in a new or unfamiliar location or with new equipment. It’s always recommended to record test videos to confirm that your setup and equipment are giving you the look, sound, and feel you desire.

This is also an opportunity for your speaker to practice speaking in front of the camera.

Live Streaming Camera Tips

In this article, you discovered crucial information and tips about camera positioning, lighting, and backgrounds.

Knowing where to place your camera for a live event can make or break the success or failure of your event. Learning how to maintain your viewer’s attention will ultimately lead to more successful campaigns and higher profits.

Poor camera positioning, set layout, or bad lighting can lead to your live stream’s audience fleeing from your event and potentially cost you your revenue.

Sources:
nfi.edu/camera-angles/
users.rider.edu/~suler/photopsy/camera_angles.htm
technicallythinking.org/2013/05/27/video-directing-101-camera-placement/

See https://webcastingandvirtualevents.com/camera-position-tips-for-live-streaming-video/ for the first version of this content.

How To Increase Virtual Event Attendance

Prevent the embarrassment of poor attendance and engagement at your virtual event. Knowing how to attract people to your virtual event, then keep them engaged will make your event more memorable and considered more of a success.

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information about multiple ways to increase your virtual event’s attendance while increasing their duration at the event.

Who Is Your Audience?

One of the first steps to delivering an impactful virtual or hybrid event, that people actually want to engage with, is to gain a deep understanding of your audience.

Optimize Event Landing Page

Your event landing page is where your potential attendees will first learn about your event in great detail, also generating a first impression. Impress your potential attendees with a clean, organized, easy-to-navigate page, communicate clearly, and present a concise event offering.

By the time this article was posted, we can safely make the assumption that everyone is burnt out from never-ending zoom invites and lengthy online meeting agendas with unclear verbiage. Simplify your approach and deliver a refined event promise, highlighting the value it offers. Present as many event details as possible in a simple way – what’s the concept & purpose of the event, what problems/questions does your event address, what to expect from speakers, events, and sessions, and who to contact for further clarification, etc. 

Cross-Advertise Your Virtual Event

The theme or purpose of your event will determine where you choose to advertise. However, if your event is open to the general public and you want to increase its potential reach, list it on websites such as Eventbrite, Facebook’s listings for events, and other similar sites. It’s usually free of charge to list an event on most sites, and these listings can exponentially increase your reach, especially if your event subject relates to what people are searching for.

Increase Email Marketing Campaigns

Email is one of the most effective ways to engage your audience and drive virtual event registrations. Create emails that highlight different segments of your event; from networking opportunities to keynotes to breakout/lounge sessions.

Communicate with attendees who have already completed their registration. This may involve sending event reminders or pre-event content that helps foster excitement about your event. Finally, include a simple way for everyone to add the event to their calendars.

Note: Your email base will only spend 11 seconds or less browsing your emails. This means your communication should be conveyed at a glance. Emails with bold imagery, clear calls-to-action, and relevant messages will perform best. However, it’s essential to A/B test different variations of your promotion’s emails to find which performs best for your audience.

Encourage and Reward Your Attendees for Bringing a Guest

Consider how referral campaigns work. If your attendees refer other attendees to your event, they should be rewarded. Encourage event attendees to refer other like-minded people to the landing page or to the event. It could be a friend, a mentor, or even their whole community. Rewards could range from a gift card to a new pair of air buds.

Put together a referral and reward program, then let your attendees know about it and its potential rewards. As soon as someone adds a guest to their registration or just publicly shares information about the event asking more people to join, show them gratitude, and send them a reward. 

Use the Influence of Your Speakers, Special Guests, and Moderators

Make sure your speakers or moderators vigorously promote your event and their participation in it on their own social media channels. They may have a sizable audience who are fans of their work and will be inclined to attend. Confirm early on if your speakers will be emailing their own networks with event information or sharing it on social media.

Note: This should work both ways; in return for their support, promote your speakers on your channels and tag or link to their pages so they can benefit from your audience as well.

Pre-Event Q&A with Your Speakers and Experts

Assume the role of your potential attendees. Wouldn’t you love to get answers to questions you have about an event? Especially one you’re considering investing your valuable time and energy in. Allow your attendees to ask questions (pre-event) to speakers or event staff.

Consider sponsoring a real-time Q&A session or a chatbot on your event’s website. Virtual event platforms make this fairly simple. You can create an open and moderated Q&A session right from the organizer dashboard.

Tip – Once you’ve done the above tactics to increase your event attendance, learn these 13 Ways To Make Your Virtual Event More Engaging.

Offer On-Demand Post-Event Content

Entertainment and content is a significant reason for attending your event. If you will offer on-demand recordings and presentations after your event is over, make that abundantly clear during registration.

Even if attendees can’t participate in your event, they may still be inclined to register if it means having access to the on-demand content post-event.

Note: They’ll still be engaging with your content and brand, even if it’s not live.

How To Increase and Maintain Virtual Event Attendance

In this article, you discovered several ways to increase your virtual event’s attendance and keep their attention while they are there.

Clearly defining your audience and marketing to their interests and likes will increase attendance and focus in your virtual event.

Without leveraging the advantages and knowledge you possess when marketing your audience, you are likely to have poor attendance at your virtual event.

Sources:
socialmediatoday.com/news/how-to-shift-from-physical-to-virtual-events-and-maximize-event-outcomes/574048/
specialevents.syr.edu/resources/virtual-events/index.html
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/100861/37%20Virtual%20Event%20Ideas%20for%20Your%20Next%20Online%20Event.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

See https://webcastingandvirtualevents.com/how-to-increase-virtual-event-attendance/ for the first version of this content.

Virtual Awards Ceremony Ideas and Planning

Don’t allow the risk, fear, or cost of an in-person event prevent your company awards ceremony from happening. Knowing how to organize and run a virtual awards ceremony will enable you recognize and reward your “standout” team members, while staying safe and saving considerably.

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following ideas and planning tips to help guide you in planning and running a memorable awards ceremony.

How To Do a Virtual Awards Ceremony?

Your awards ceremony can be set up and conducted similarly, whether it is in-person, virtual, or a hybrid event. The following will help you through the planning process:

Select Award Categories – For what achievements will you be recognizing and awarding people? Create a list of departments and what accomplishments they should be rewarded for as a group and individually. These categories can include:

• Most Improved Production Awards
• Milestone Anniversary Awards
• Team Performance Awards
• Department MVP Awards
• Corporate Recognition Awards
• Employee of the year Award

Develop criteria or achievement standards for the awards you create. This generates interest, friendly competition, and keeps your employees striving for excellence.

Appoint a Selection Committee – Now that you have award categories, it’s time to select your recipients. Here are some selection methods you can employ to make these decisions:

• Gather senior staff to evaluate and select winners from a list of candidates
• Use a popular vote method in which all employees cast their votes
• Allow statistical data to determine front-runners and winners

Different selection methods can be used for different awards. You may find it beneficial to keep the winners anonymous until the “Big Reveal” at the awards ceremony. Excitement and anticipation are excellent audience drivers.

Order the Prizes – The prize for each award category should represent its significance in size and beauty. Once you have established an award, choose the item that will represent it. Consider the following:

• Gift Certificates
• Cash Awards
• Engraved Crystal
• Glass Awards
• Plaques
• Company Merchandise
• Commemorative Items

The physical awards to choose from are practically unlimited. If you formed a selection committee to name award recipients, that same committee could be tasked with determining appropriate prizes.

Tip: Having the current year’s awards showcased in a prominent display, months before selecting the recipients, can motivate employees to better their performance.

Decide on an Award Delivery Method – Getting the physical awards to their recipients may pose a challenge. As many companies have adopted long-term remote working policies and technology allows us to work from home efficiently, the need to be physically present in an office or at a company is quickly becoming a thing of the past. The following are practical award delivery methods:

• USPS
• UPS / FedEx
• Personal delivery
• Ship direct from the manufacturer

Note: Awards may also be kept on location until recipients return to the workplace

Choose a Video Conferencing Platform and Streaming Service – Virtual events are similar to other kinds of conferences, but they take place over the internet. Virtual events let you hold meetings and engage your audience, allowing them to participate through interactive technology, all while helping you achieve your interactive goals. There are multiple free and paid platforms you can use to host and livestream the award function, including:

• Livestream
• Brightcove
• Skype
• YouTube Live
• Facebook Live
• YouNow
• Google Hangouts
• Zoom
• Twitch

Tip: When selecting a platform for your event, verify that the bandwidth will support your audience while maximizing ease-of-use for your attendees. Contact the platform’s customer service department at least a month in advance to discuss attendance limitations and feature abilities.

What Goes Into an Awards Ceremony Script – An award ceremony script consists of an introduction, climax, and ending.

• Welcoming everyone should be your first priority.
• Then, the introductory part of the event and its purpose.
• Keep your speeches and explanations brief to avoid putting your audience to sleep.
• Keep it engaging, interactive, scripted, and fun until the end.

Tip: Rehearse the ink off the paper! Repetition is key to reducing the margin of error, sharpening your timing, and becoming more comfortable with the event as a whole.

Note: The more of your event that can be scripted, the better it will flow from start to end. If everyone producing and participating in the event follows the same scripted sequence of events, you can all but eliminate potential event breakdowns.

Market Your Virtual Awards Ceremony – The last thing you want is to hold a virtual awards ceremony with no attendees! The more you promote your event, the greater level of excitement you’ll generate for it. Send multiple reminders that create a sense of urgency for your event as it approaches. Here are a few ideas to help promote your event:

• Break out your email lists – send invites and subsequent reminders
• Launch an event page that showcases your event
• Post reminders and updates across social media platforms
• Use keywords and key phrases to better your search potential
• Create a vlog and upload videos dedicated to your event

Another reliable but often forgotten marketing strategy is word-of-mouth. Get your employees, suppliers, vendors, friends, and associates to invite their friends and families.

Tip: Attract more attendees by raffling off items or randomly selecting attendees from your virtual audience for prizes or free gifts.

Sponsor Participation – Increase your event’s audience and credibility by having it backed by sponsorship. Brands sponsor events with the expectation of gaining greater visibility (brand recognition) and ultimately sales.

Acquiring sponsors for your virtual awards ceremony can not only provide more options for audience prizes but increase the event’s budget.

Virtual Event Dress Rehearsals – Practice, practice, and practice again. The more time you can devote to rehearsing the content and flow of your event, the less probability you will have of stumbling over your words or mixing up the event sequence. This time will also allow you to familiarize yourself with and test run the video conferencing platform.

Tip: It is imperative to verify that each invited guest can access the shared link that you send out and that any system glitches are resolved before the event. Rehearsals can seem tedious, but they are the best way to expose system fragilities.

How Do You Make an Awards Ceremony Fun?

Making your awards ceremony an engaging, fun, and memorable event is easier than you may think. Use the following ideas to add some entertainment to your event:

• Hire a professional comedian to emcee or host the event.
• Book a special keynote speaker.
• Offer outstanding cash prizes for “flash contests” via text or email (data collection).
• Take music requests from your virtual audience.
• Conduct Q&A sessions intermittently throughout the event, again via text or email.

Tip: Have as much fun with your audience as you like but be mindful of the time and content used to entertain your audience. For more ideas, check out our blog post – 13 Ways To Make Your Virtual Event More Engaging.

What Do You Say When Presenting an Award

Presenting an award to a guest, an employee, a business partner, or a customer should be treated as an honor. It’s exciting to celebrate someone’s accomplishments and how he/she has added value to your business’ mission. Carefully plan your award presentation, so you make it a memorable occasion for the recipient. Consider the following:

• Understand the details of the work it took to get to this point.
• Know who is receiving the award.
• Know the correct pronunciation of their name.
• Present the award within the allotted time.
• Know where the award is kept or who will bring it to you.

When presenting the award:

• Tell a brief personal or humorous story about the recipient.
• Acknowledge the recipient’s worthiness of the award.
• Keep stories about yourself out of this moment (it’s not your moment).
• Keep your speech short, call up or announce the recipient and step aside or move on.

Tip: When holding and presenting the award (be it a trophy or certificate), hold it with respect. This shows the audience and recipient the value attached to the award.

Why Hold a Virtual Awards Ceremony?

Virtual awards ceremonies help boost morale while reestablishing stamina and trust by leaving your employees, staff, clients, and vendors knowing their work and results haven’t gone unnoticed.

Virtual Awards Ceremony Production

In this article, you discovered several ideas and tips to help you plan and put on a memorable virtual awards ceremony.

By holding a virtual awards ceremony, you can energize your workforce by acknowledging their efforts, improvements, and milestones.

Failing to recognize your team’s work can result in their lack of motivation, reduced productivity, and a significant loss of revenue.

Sources:
sites.duke.edu/dukesepc/2020/10/29/taking-awards-ceremonies-into-the-virtual-world/
tasb.org/services/hr-services/hrx/hr-trends/recognizing-staff-and-students-during-a-pandemic.aspx
awana.org/2020/04/21/creative-ideas-to-make-your-awards-celebration-memorable-while-sheltering-in-place/

See https://webcastingandvirtualevents.com/virtual-awards-ceremony-ideas-planning/ for the first version of this content.