Planning and Preparation
In this Chapter:
Understanding your audience and the show you want to create
Software and tech hardware (video, audio, networking)
Purchasing and testing equipment
Scheduling & budgeting for a digital-only or hybrid experience
Contracting, Rights, and Licenses
Understanding your audience and the show you want to create
Like with traditional performances, an important first step to preparing your online performance is to understand who your audience is and how they will be able to access and enjoy your performance. Asking yourself questions like ‘what is the general age or demographic of the audience I am trying to reach with this presentation?’ or ‘how complex does this creation or adaptation need to be to tell the story?’ are good places to start. For example: if you plan to create a show for a younger audience, say high school or late elementary school aged students, you can probably get away with a more complicated presentation platform– the website where you stream your content–for your show which might include more interactive elements and need less explanation (such as ohyay.co); if your audience is older and perhaps less tech savvy it might be necessary to include more of a tutorial on how to interact with the performance, or it may be necessary to keep things simple and just plug in a camera and livestream the piece to Youtube or Facebook Live (for example).
Software and tech hardware (video, audio, networking)
It might be daunting to really dive into the world of online performance, but before you start worrying about all the things you’ll need to purchase or acquire for your show it’s important to keep in mind that at the lowest end of the complication scale the least you’ll need for being able to bring your show online is a camera (perhaps like the one on a cellphone) and a good internet connection. We’ll get into the more nitty-gritty of technical design later on, but for now know that you can stream directly to online platforms like Youtube, Tik Tok, or Facebook with just a cellphone, and that ultimately this means that a show you are performing live in person could be livestreamed over your cellphone data or the theatre’s wifi connection.
As we start to look at expanding what it means to do an online performance, the amount of tech can include cameras, cabling, computers with capture card devices (which allow a computer to take video input from an external camera), hardware encoders (which turn video streams into data that is then sent to the internet), and audio capture devices (which take in sound input from mixers or microphones and transfer that data to your computer). Software through which you can encode data for the internet can also vary greatly with plenty of options including ways to add in video layers and effects, or to switch to and from different inputs (like different cameras, or pre-recorded content). Many online platforms include ways to allow for different forms of interaction between you and your audience and can be easy to get into, both for you as the creator and your audience.
A basic streaming technical setup can look something like this:
You’ll also need a router/modem with internet access connected to your computer.
Purchasing and testing equipment
There is a lot that can go into the hardware that you purchase or rent for doing your online streams, so it’s important to consider getting this stuff as early into your process as possible. The extra buffer time will allow you to familiarize yourself with the equipment and thus help to prevent potential issues closer to show time. When it comes to video and audio equipment, one size does not fit all and there are often a lot of ways things can mismatch in terms of cabling, or accessories, codecs (the way your video files have been compressed), and file types, so if you can get things early and test that they work together you can definitely avoid headaches. It’s always a good idea to check the recommended specs of any gear that you plan to use together.
For example, If you wanted to use an ATEM MINI PRO to get a video feed from your camera to your computer you would need either a Mac running 10.14 or later or a Windows computer running Windows 10 64 bit edition. It’s not impossible for a device to work outside of the manufacturers device specifications but it’s safer to stay within them.
Scheduling & budgeting for a digital-only or hybrid experience
Like with traditional theatre performances it is very important to take the time to properly schedule for your creative and technical processes in your online performance production. Many of the same rules apply regarding design time, meetings, rehearsals, testing, and performance, however it’s important to keep in mind that if this is your first time planning for such a presentation it would be smart to add in extra buffer time to your regular schedules. It’s also necessary to add in extra technical testing periods and practice streams prior to going live for the first time (much like doing dress rehearsals for a traditional theatre piece.) The more complex your piece, the more time you should factor in for those tech rehearsals.
Budgeting considerations are also affected by the choice to go online in that equipment can also cost more than you would have budgeted for your in-person presentation. That said, you might also save some money on other traditional theatre things like ushers or venue considerations if you are fully online, or even the amount of time you need to contract actors. You may need to consider a different type of royalty than you may be used to working with if you are keeping your project online for an extended period, depending on your company’s union status and the contracts/agreements you have with your cast and creative teams. It’s important to be aware that while you may also be able to make more revenue from your piece with an online presentation as you can sell tickets and market your show to a much wider audience, you will also have to accept that households can in some cases be full of audience members but only pay for one ticket.
When it comes to hybrid performances, as compared to fully online presentations (whether live or on-demand), a generally good rule to adhere to is that since you are essentially creating two shows simultaneously you should budget and schedule roughly twice the amount that you would for a traditional theatre piece. This is of course not so strict a rule, as just a good working practice, since all projects and shows are different and consequently require different resources. For all digital presentations you will need to consider what the online audience is experiencing, but with hybrid shows you are considering things from both theatre seating and computer screen. You should thus need double the time to make sure it is a fulfilling experience for both audiences.
Contracting, Rights, and Licenses
So this is where things get a bit more complex and where we will attempt to point you in the right direction without going into too much detail.
If your team does not include unionized performers or crew members and your company is not working under a union agreement then the rules in the next paragraph do not apply to you, meaning you can work with your contracted artists in whatever way is suitable and fair for you and them.
When creating work for an online audience you will likely deal with two organizations for contracting: Canadian Actors Equity Association (aka CAEA or Equity) and Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA). Equity is the union which oversees stage actors, directors, and choreographers and for PACT theatre companies creating online work or theatre companies working with Equity actors, they must of course create their contracts through Equity. As soon as a piece of theatre is filmed (live or otherwise) the jurisdiction that covers rights and regulations for dissemination falls under ACTRA. There are specific rules around how long recorded works can stay online for viewing per ACTRA contracts and the amount you will need to pay performers adjusts based on the life-length of the viewing material.
Music usage rights are also complex, especially when it comes to streaming things on Youtube or other online services, and these rules apply to all creators who are putting work online. Generally speaking we try to suggest that artists avoid using rights protected music and instead create their own music or stick to stock or royalty free music. Problems arise when you don’t have the rights to play music online, especially on Youtube which can outright mute your sound mid-broadcast (this can happen even if you do have the rights because it can be difficult to get that information directly to Youtube). If you are just uploading your show and it includes copyright music, sometimes you will just receive a warning and be unable to monetize your video, or the musician will receive ad revenue on your content.
Some links to the various organizations overseeing rights and rules around contracting and copyright: