top of page
The Recording Service logo

Expert AV support for every event.

We take care of the technical stuff of your live or hybrid event so that you can focus on your message.

Trusted By

abstract_white_bg_01_edit_01.jpg

Live Streaming & Hybrid Events Made Easy

The Recording Service offers professional audiovisual (AV) support for live-stream and hybrid events. Our team of videography and audiovisual (AV) experts has the tools and experience to ensure we address every AV need of your event so your message reaches your audiences the way you intend it to.

 

From online meetings and webinars to lectures and everything in between, we work with you to customize a solution tailored to your needs. You can count on us for various AV services, including sound projection, videography, and live streaming.

abstract_white_bg_01_edit_01.jpg

Some of Our Projects

St. James United Methodist Church (UMC) Church Service

Glenn Memorial UMC Church Service

Emory University School of Medicine - White Coats Ceremony 2021

How Much Will My Event Cost?

Here are sample quotes featuring transparent pricing for a range of events we previously handled. You may also view our service price list for your reference.

Zoom Webinar Live Stream

Here’s a sample quote for a webinar event live streamed on Zoom. The event featured three remote presenters and two onsite ones. There were in-person and remote attendees. The venue’s built-in AV capabilities included a Crestron-controlled lighting panel, audio system, projector, projector screen, and webcam.

​

Service scope:

  • Live streaming preparation

  • Event AV support

  • Webinar monitoring from our laptop

  • AV Essentials Kit, which has proven very handy throughout hundreds of events we handled

Graduation Ceremony

Here’s a sample quote for a graduation ceremony live streamed on YouTube and attended by both in-person and remote audiences. The venue had a built-in Jumbotron screen, a Crestron-controlled lighting panel, and an audio system.

 

Service scope:

  • Onscreen-graphic preparation (lower third nametags, intro, etc.)

  • Live closed captioning

  • Jumbotron setup

  • Copyright-cleared music

  • Stream Kit and Live Event Video Kits for optimal video and audio qualities

Two-Day Lecture

Here’s a sample quote for a two-day, hybrid event lecture live streamed on Zoom and attended by both remote and in-person audiences.

​

Service scope:

  • Audio mixing and videography

  • Organizing the presenters' PowerPoint slides

  • Onscreen graphics

  • 20x Zoom 4K Camcorders

  • Video loop before the start of the event

Virtual Conference

Here’s a sample quote for a virtual conference featuring only two service items. Service scope:

  • AV support and videography

  • Video editing (audio touchups, creating subtitles, intro/outro screens, PowerPoint slides, etc.)

  • Outdoor sound system setup

  • Edited event highlights and interview/corporate videos, where we selected the best clips from the event video and the footage the client provided.

  • Photography - We followed a shot list where we captured photos of guest speakers giving presentations. We picked the best shots and touched them up.

Healthcare Forum

Here’s a sample quote for a hybrid event streamed on Zoom with no video recording needed. 

  • Pre-production preparation

  • Operating the built-in pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras and other in-house AV systems

  • Audio mixing and videography

How We Prepare Your Event

In general, we follow these production stages to ensure we cover the necessary steps for your live stream:

abstract_white_bg_01_edit_01.jpg

Choosing the Best Live Streaming Platform

With hundreds of live-streaming and hybrid events we handled in the past years, we have experience streaming on various platforms. While each platform has its own pros and cons, choosing the best one will depend on your specific needs and event goals.

For us, the best platform to live stream your event does not require downloads or account signup. It can be a platform your audience actively engages in, such as social media. We highly recommend the following:

  • YouTube is best for public events as it does not require account login or signup

  • Generates subtitles automatically in languages available in Google Translate

  • Reduces video streaming interruptions by automatically adjusting video resolution to the viewer’s Internet speed

  • Zoom is great for private events in the USA

  • Free download for everyone

  • Ability to control who can attend

Microsoft Teams is ideal if you will be having remote audiences from Europe, as MS Teams run smoother there than other platforms

  • Facebook Live has a large and engaged audience base

  • Audiences can interact through reactions, comments, and sharing

  • Pre-production is all the preparation taking place before your actual event. It includes planning the AVs, setting up the venue, assigning the production crew, and testing equipment. We use checklists for every project to ensure everything is in order during the preparation phase. You, as our client, will provide:

    • Run of Show document detailing the program.

    • Scripts/prompts.

    • Logos and branding materials.

    • Any electronic materials that will be featured in the live stream, such as decks, video clips, music, montage, photos, etc.

     

    The Recording Service will:

    • Visit the venue to determine your live-stream event's technical scope and work plan.

    • Coordinate with you on the scope of services we can provide for you. If you need spotlights or staging, we may hire other vendors for these items.

    • Set up streaming to your online platform choice/s along with the link that will be sent to attendees so they will be able to join the live stream.

    • Deliver and set up AV equipment.

    • Provide audio mixing and videography for pre-recorded videos you’d like us to film to be shown on the day of your event.

    • Prepare and edit graphics and video content for your event, such as:

      • Lower thirds (onscreen name tags).​

      • “Waiting room” video loop to start playing 15 minutes before show time so audiences know they’re in the right place.

      • Adding intro/end tags to client videos

    ​

    To elaborate, our pre-production capabilities include:

    • Setting Up Speaker Systems

    We use public address (PA) systems. Most speech-only events do not require subwoofers. 

    ​

    • Providing Audio Equipment and Expertise — Depending on what you need, we can provide:​

      • Wireless handheld mics.​

      • Lavalier/lapel mics.

      • Over-ear mics (aka "Madonna" mics).

    We have audio techs to ensure there will not be any ringing or feedback during your event. You can also choose to have us cooperate with another audio vendor of your choice.  However, the audio quality will depend on the audio provider in this case.

    ​

    • Organizing Camera Systems — Lighting is one of the considerations we keep in mind as we set up cameras and adjust their settings in your venue. For instance, if too much light is flooding into the venue through the windows, we can put up window treatments to reduce the amount of light coming in. If the venue is a bit dark, we can bring in additional lighting equipment.​

      • Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) Cameras — If PTZs are available in your venue, we can utilize them. Whether you plan a huge event live streamed from multiple venues or a small one from a single location, integrating PTZs into your broadcast can save you production time and costs in the long run.

        • The primary advantage of PTZs is that it has a broader field of vision capable of capturing wider areas compared to ordinary video cameras. Our camera operator can manipulate the view of PTZs remotely through the Internet and follow where the action is.

        • A PTZ camera system will allow smooth transitions from one camera to another, depending on which view you need to be captured. We can also customize them to zoom in and out, pan, and tilt them with a click of a button. St. James UMC-Atlanta approached us to install a PTZ camera in their venue. You can read more about our St. James project here. 

      • Typical Videocameras — If a venue does not have a PTZ installed, we will bring at least one camera to stream to your event. We will also bring camcorders because they let us zoom in from a discreet place in the back of the room. We will bring extra-tall tripods so people can walk in front of the camera without obstructing its view.

    ​

    • Cable Management and Organization

    We perform proper cable management without interfering with the AV quality. We ensure the AV cables are covered and marked so people do not trip over them. We use lawn stables to secure cables in the ground for outdoor events. We cover cables in walkways with yellow jacket cable protectors.


    We ensure that our work tabletops are organized and neat. We use black tablecloths. We pack the extra gear into totes and move them under the table or on the cart under the cloth as long as they’re out of sight and won’t cause tripping/bumping hazards.


    We take cable management seriously; that’s why we use a lot of tapes to conceal cables and secure them in place as much as possible. We even tape cables to the tripod or the speaker stand.

  • We arrive 90 minutes before your event’s scheduled start time to set up and check everything, such as ensuring a stable Internet connection since HD videos should be broadcasted with at least 10 Mbps upload speed. We use simple speed test software online to test a venue’s Internet connection speed.


    A wired Internet connection is more secure than WiFi, so we always bring a 50-foot ethernet cable to our clients’ event venues. If your event venue’s IT staff has robust cybersecurity, they may need to unlock the venue’s ethernet port for us.


    Thirty minutes before the event, the venue will be live-stream-ready. If needed, we are also capable of:

    ​

    • Playing Uncopyrighted Music — Copyrighted music cannot be used on a live stream. Even if we have written permission, copyrighted content may still get flagged by automated software algorithms on your live-streaming platform. On YouTube, for instance, all live streams are scanned for matches to copyrighted content. When such content is detected, a placeholder image replaces the live stream. You will receive a warning to stop streaming the copyrighted content and lose access to the live stream unless the issues listed on the YouTube Studio dashboard are fixed. The Recording Service has the following music libraries that contain copyright-cleared pieces that are live-stream appropriate and will not result in your event being interrupted:

      • The same music library that Netflix uses that’s filled with contemporary music.

      • The music library most common in broadcast TV with more traditional news-sounding music and corporate-sounding songs. Atlanta’s WSB-TV prefers this library.

      • Our own compiled music library. Although all of them have been tested on YouTube, some may result in flagging. Similar to a warning, flagged content means the live-streamed video cannot be monetized unless the flag is appealed, but it will not result in the stream being cut off. This almost always happens to every live video with branded logos in it.

    ​

    • Adding Live Closed Captioning — We can enable live closed captioning for your presentations. Tell us which spoken language you’ll use during your presentation and which language your subtitle or caption will be shown in. For instance, you can have English as your spoken language and Spanish as the caption language, which means your English spoken language will be translated to Spanish in the caption. Let us know where you’d like the caption text to be shown (e.g., bottom or top, or overlaid or separate from slide) and other display options onscreen.
      We sometimes collaborate with third-party captioning companies to generate and insert real-time closed captions into your’ live broadcasts. These are some reasons to consider adding captions to your live stream:

      • Accessibility: Audiences with hearing impairments will be able to follow your video content.

      • Noise: Audiences can watch videos in noisy environments where loudspeakers or headphones are unavailable.

      • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Captions may increase the chances of your video being found online.

    ​

    Some streaming platforms come with built-in live caption features, such as:

    • YouTube uses speech recognition technology to create captions for streamed videos. There is at least a 15-second delay between your event streaming into YouTube Live and the platform’s display of the live captions, which typically displays a bit behind the video. We can include a certain delay duration on YouTube to align the captions with the video. Another feature of YouTube Caption is its Google Translate which can translate captions into other languages.

    • Zoom’s Enterprise subscription offer provides customers with AI captions. Clicking the “CC” button in the Zoom live streaming platform can turn live captions on.

    • Facebook Live captions live-stream videos with its live AI captions for free. Audiences with captioning settings turned on will automatically see closed captions on Live broadcasts.

    • Microsoft Teams can detect what’s said in a meeting and present real-time captions. When we enable this option, the captions will also include speaker attribution so audiences know who’s saying something. There is also an option for a speaker not to be identified along with what they say.

    ​

    However, no live captioning is 100% perfect, not even the live sporting events on major TV stations. The best way to perfect captions is to manually correct them in the recorded material after the event. 

    ​

    • Working Outdoors —  We have a special kit with extra extension cords so that we can still connect to the power outlet hundreds of feet away. We can prepare a generator if needed, but most outdoor gigs will not require it as our power draw will be low.

    ​

    • Accessibility — We take care of making events accessible to everyone so no one feels left out or unwelcome. We study event accessibility for in-person and live-streamed events. We can offer any of the following accessibility options:

      • Transcribed audiovisual content.

      • Hearing aids.

      • Jumbovision.

      • Language translations.

    ​

    • Other Capabilities

      • Showing the speaker/audience and the presentation side-by-side in Zoom, etc.​

      • Event photography.​​

      • Enabling a Presenter’s View from the laptops of the presenters.

      • Setting up a confidence monitor, a huge TV screen placed on the floor at the foot of the stage to allow onstage presenters to see what slide is on the screen behind them without turning their backs to the audience.

      • Setting up dress kits that feature a drapery system to help create a theater-like presentation.


    We always record events on cameras for live events as a backup in case of a power or Internet outage. 

  • We pack up and leave your venue 30 minutes after your event ends. We export the recorded video for editing, such as color grading, event highlights, adjusting resolutions based on the platform where the videos will be published, etc. During this stage, we may manually correct the captions so that your permanently uploaded version online has perfect captions that will translate well with Google Translate. You may also request other edits for your videos.

    ​

    • Video Editing

    • Photo Editing

    ​

    ​Some of our video editing tasks include:

    ​

    • Adding lower thirds, which are text titles or graphic overlays placed in the lower region of a video.

    • Mixing audio to match the audio levels of most of the sounds in a recorded video, making it possible for spoken words to be as comprehensible as possible.

    • Correcting colors to balance out the colors in a video.

    • Grading colors to add a stylistic look to a video.

    • Adding intro sequence with music along with your branded themes.

    • Adding outro graphic with logos and music.

    • Adding subtitle file (.sbv). 

    • A-roll edits.

    • B-roll edits. 

    • Creating video versions based on:

      • Duration: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, etc.​​

      • The platform where the video will be posted: social media, website, waiting lounge monitors, etc.

    • Creating photo montages using photos we shot from your event and/or other photos you provided.​

    ​

    At any stage of a live-stream project, we follow our video style guide to ensure your video production project is “easy on the eyes.” As such, we ensure our video:

    ​

    • Is filed in 4k resolution.

    • Is in focus, exposed well, and framed well with tight shots. 

    • Has clean audio.

    • Has huge text that is super readable. We use high-contrast color bars behind the text. For instance: black text on top of a solid white rectangle.

    • Has a color quality where people don’t look pale, and the black color is not too dark.

    • Has even and full lighting without visible face shadows.

    • Has graphics and brand logos that match the client’s style/branding guide.

    • Has proper dissolves and hard cuts.

    • Has subtitles wherever needed.

    • Looks big onscreen and fills the frame properly.

    • Uses B-rolls.

    ​

    We submit a video draft to you via WeTransfer or YouTube’s unlisted setting for review and/or approval.

e2ws.png

Talk to Us About Your Project

​Every event is unique. While the work plan and equipment listed here are appropriate for most events, we are always happy to chat and figure out the best plan for your project.

  • Teleconferences

  • Training sessions

  • Webinars 

  • Worship services

  • Collaborative projects

    • Brainstorming sessions

    • Project planning meetings

    • Progress updates

  • Social events

    • Virtual parties

    • Online celebrations

    • Family gathering

  • …And Many More

  • B2B meetings

  • Business or corporate meetings

  • Company all-hands meetings or town halls

  • Conferences

  • Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses

  • Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses

  • Graduations

  • Informational videos for internal purposes

  • Leadership presentations

  • Lectures

  • Onsite meetings

  • Seminars

  • Symposiums

Events We Handle

bottom of page