Running live events online has become a regular occurrence in the COVID-19 world. In the absence of bringing people together we need to find effective ways to go out and meet people where they are.

This is where video production, presentations and live streaming converge.

Sonic Sight have been producing live events for nearly three decades. This includes events such as the Australian Cinematographers Society Awards, The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia conference (for nearly 20 years), and many other major international conferences and award nights.

Our services involve preparing the audio visual content prior to the event and switching the various content sources during the event. This can include video rolls, slides, graphics and live cameras.

Knowing the options available will help make sure your live event engages the audience and projects a professional image for your brand. 

When does live mean “live” and when does it need to be?

 When presenting webinars live I am able to engage with the audience by name, post polls to seek their insights and answer questions as they arise. This is when being “live” is useful.

The downside of doing a truly live presentation includes:
– Lack of confidence of the presenters
– Inaccurate information being delivered in the spur of the moment
– Clunky technical glitches that look amateurish and damage credibility
– Limited ability to support messaging with relevant visuals

Of course, with proper preparation and rehearsals these issues can be minimised.

If, however you are making a marketing presentation to a new community and not wanting to encourage questions or engagement, as many schools are currently doing in lieu of discovery tours, then a pre-recorded presentation can provide you with a more professional outcome.

The advantages of pre-recording the presentations are:
– The presenters can do multiple takes if needed and be comfortable knowing it is not “live”.
– You can add other visuals to enhance the message over the top of the presenter
– The pre-recorded videos can look more impressive than the live version (better lighting, sound, framing)
– The recorded videos can be integrated into a presentation so they play smoothly
– The pre-recordings can be appear to be live when played on the day.

You can also consider doing a hybrid version of this by including a live person to answer questions at the end of the presentation. This person can be on screen or off camera and just be on mic answering any questions that pop up in the chat box.

If done well this live tail to the presentation can bring it all together to make it look like the entire presentation was live.

With our decades of experience pre-producing and running live events, we understand the options available, the pitfalls to avoid and have the team and technology to create confidence-boosting live presentations on site or live streamed.

If making an impressive impact on your audience is important then reach out to Sonic Sight to see how we can help.