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revenue. As my audience grew, it allowed me to take up sponsorship opportunities where I was paid to create videos on particular subjects. More recently, I’ve used the grassroots funding website Patreon, where supporters can donate as little or as much as they like each month. They support my efforts and effectively become patrons. This, for me, is the future of generating a sustainable income, because it requires you to build a brand and a reputation that consumers can directly buy into and support.” Dyer’s advice is to play the long game: “You need to have vision, create content you truly believe in and be consistent in how often you post,” he says. “If you follow that ethos, you’ll have the best chance of building an audience that matches your values and goals.” The possibilities out there are endless and it’s a hugely exciting area to be a part of right now. Many of the big names, like Sony, JVC and Blackmagic, are queueing up to be involved. Look away at your peril, because now is the time to get involved. Those who take the time to really explore the potential of this sector could find themselves ahead of the game and in a position to take full advantage.
extensively in advance. If you try to copy the format with inexperienced people, it will look terrible. It’s all down to taking the time over pre-production and that’s crucial for things to look their best.” Malone also advises the unwary on such things as the need for alternative camera angles and how to deal with unexpected incidents. On the bigger jobs, he works with physical camera operators, while at other times he sets up Panasonic PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras that are focused on a stage around a microphone where he knows the presenter is standing. He’s able to control these as the director, using a TriCaster TC1 desk that offers up to 16 external inputs and real-time social media sharing to the likes of Facebook, Imgur, LinkedIn, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube. “I had one event I was covering,” he says, “where a protestor ran towards the stage during a presentation and I was able to cut away from that and no one tuning in would have been any the wiser. It’s a case of having someone like me involved that can save the day when things go wrong.”
ABOVE Simon Malone, a live streaming expert, operating a TriCaster, which allows him to merge video switching, audio mixing, recording, social media publishing and streaming
Small is beautiful At the other end of the scale, it’s now possible for YouTubers to offer live presentations. The process is monetised by running ads alongside content. Myles Dyer has been involved with YouTube for over a decade and creates vlogs where he tackles issues across three main themes: mental health and wellbeing, social commentary and futurism. He’s a big advocate of live streaming and first started using it as far back as 2006. “I was one of the first adopters of YouTube’s Partner Programme back in 2007,” Dyer says, “allowing me to run ads alongside my videos to earn AdSense
“You need to have vision, create content you truly believe in and be consistent”
More information
Simon Malone: freelancevisionmixer.co.uk Myles Dyer: youtube.com/user/Blade376
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SPRING 2019
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