From structured Q&A interviews to spontaneous event coverage, news organisations have been experimenting with livestreaming on social media, aiming to better connect with vast numbers of people all around the world.
For example, CBC Calgary recently broadcast a 90 minute Facebook Live to stir debate among viewers, IBTimes UK has used the platform for its reporters to learn new skills, and ABC News has used it to cover main political events usually reserved for television.
Indeed, the ability to go live on Facebook straight from a smartphone has allowed publishers to tell stories in different ways. But will the introduction of Live 360, Facebook’s spherical livestreaming offering, change the way publishers use the platform?
Tim Verheyden, journalist and host at VRT News, went live in 360 during the protests against President Trump in Brussels, interviewing those involved in the rally over a 25 minute stream.
“This was a perfect story for us because there was so much going on – it let the viewer see what was happening all around us, and feel like they were at the protest themselves,” he said, explaining that a regular Facebook Live may not have been as immersive.
“You have to be in a place where something is happening, otherwise it has no added value.”
Armed with a Ricoh Theta S, Open Broadcasting Studio Software (OBS) and a strong internet connection, the team was able to go live from the front of the Stock Exchange. This was an area where there were a multitude of different camera crews, and the team from VRT could ensure protesters knew they would be filmed where they were standing.
“I wanted to walk around and take the viewer with me, so I stood in front of the camera, then had interviewees to my right and left so I could walk in a circle to talk to them as the stream went on,” he said.
“We also had a group of interns going out in the crowd to find more people to talk to. It was really quite difficult to manage but we did it.”
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Source: Journalism