Broadcast Director for Comotion Live Stream

In the Spring Quarter of 2020, I had the great honor of being asked to be a MOMELove♥ Officer. MOMELove♥ is SCAD's Motion Media student organization that helps students keep up with the ever-evolving motion design industry. We are also the organizers of CoMotion, a student-led motion graphics conference at the Savannah College of Art and Design put together by students, for students, to present our work to companies in the industry. As MOMELove♥ Officers it was our job to prepare for a fully virtual conference during the pandemic. We had weekly meetings to determine the best path forward.

As our virtual conference evolved, I took on the responsibility of the Broadcast Director for Comotion’s live stream. Streaming this three-day event meant selecting and setting up a live streaming software. After researching various software I settled on OBS Stream Labs. It was free, provided customization, had the ability to stream to multiple platforms, and had a simple and easy switcher which allowed us to switch between scenes and set up scenes in advance. It worked without a hitch and the presentation and the portfolio reviews were a great success.

Filming Host for Student Showcase

Additionally, I took on the responsibility to film and curate the MC and CoMotion host. I contacted Cameron Mack, our 2020 MC, and invited him to host CoMotion 2021. Cameron is of the most talented public speakers I know and a truly professional talent. He was thrilled to do it again. There was one little hiccup, he was already booked during our live event. He only had four hours available, so we made a plan to film in advance. A week before the airing of the student showcase, I grabbed my camera, miked Cameron up, and toured Savannah looking for opportunities to capture the love of community that we’ve all missed so dearly during COVID.

The Test Run

Next, we had a test run with the keynote speakers. It was a wonderful experience and gave me the chance to also test the live stream broadcast to determine what we could improve upon. On the test run, we determined that it seemed very static. I contacted the lead animator, Desmond Du, who handed over assets that would bring a bit of motion to our motion conference.

Next, we tested the animation that looped next to the virtual speakers. At first, the loop was too fast and was simply a distraction from the speakers. We settled on a minute hold with the logos on-screen, followed by 15 seconds of the logo loop animating. After the testing, we felt pretty confident concerning the animations. Lastly, we took time for some text corrections and tweaking. Whether adjusting the schedule for a new event that was switched out for another, or just getting the names correct on each panel, testing and retesting were imperative to a successful event.

The Live Event

Before the main event, we decided to upload everything to YouTube, offering an alternative to live streaming. Additionally, using the chapter feature, YouTube allowed me to section out the videos.

We finally reached the main event! Over the three-day event, I functioned as the broadcast director and live stream operator. Without such an amazing team I don’t think we could’ve done it. It was incredible, from all the people I coordinated with, to the awesome end product. We had excellent engagement during the event with over 1400 viewers on the first day and had little to no streaming issues. It was one experience I’ll never forget.

Check out the final live event here>>