Photography, Videography and Livestream

This book is about creating and sharing visual media, for both professionals and amateurs.

Photography

Photography

How to take great photos

Get ready to take great photos with this guide (PDF).

Please read this XR photography guidelines document as well.

Photography

Share your photos on Pics.io

There are two ways to contribute your photos: direct to the XR Media Library ‘Picture Desk’ or via XRUK Live Action Content Telegram channel.

1. Upload from a desktop

  1. You will see on the left side a series of folders with year & month. As you roll your mouse over the folder names a series of buttons will appear:

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  1. Select the folder for the correct month by clicking on it:

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  1. If a master Action folder hasn’t already been created, make a new folder using the button menu that appears on the same line as the folder, new folder button is called a create ‘new collection’). Title the new folder with the date and name of the Action:

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  1. Create a folder within the main Action folder with your name:

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  1. Drag and drop or select your photos then click ‘add assets’

  2. When the upload is complete, copy the URL of your folder from the main title bar

  3. Join the XR Media Library PICSIO WhatsApp group using this link

  4. Post the URL link in the group chat with date, name of action, your name or pseudonym, brief description and if possible a thumbnail photo. This WhatsApp group is for the media upload URL links and tech support questions for the Picture Desk crew only, not chat. (It’s an open channel for anyone with the group link so keep it technical)

  5. We have a team of photo editors, collectively called ‘the Picture Desk’ who curate collections of the best photos into Press Selection albums for distribution. By posting in the WhatsApp group they are alerted to your upload. If you don’t post in the chat, your photos may be overlooked.

2. Upload from a phone (iPhone or Android)

The upload procedure using the App is the same as above for desktops except you can’t copy the URL of your new folder.

Please also join the Picsio WhatsApp group and create a post with the date, name of action, your name or pseudonym, brief description and if possible a thumbnail photo.

Download the app and set up your log in BEFORE shooting an action, don’t leave it until you’re in the middle of it.

Photography

Global Media Library

The XR Global Media Library is at https://show.pics.io/xr-global-media-resources

It has sections on:

Documentation for the Global Media Library is available in the library itself, under "Guides".

There is another Media Library for Breaking News at https://show.pics.io/xr-global-media-breaking-news. This is where photos from the UK are usually posted.

Photography

Share your photos on the Live Action Content Telegram channel

Uploading to the XRUK Live Action Content Telegram channel

This channel is for those who are unable to operate Pics.io.

  1. Join the Telegram channel here on desktop or your phone: https://t.me/+_zghQm8dsqFlNTQ0
  2. Read the pinned posts for guidance on protocols
  3. Select a maximum of 10 of your best photos (less is more)

💡 Best practice is to upload a batch of photos together with the date, name of action, your name, a brief description

👉 To do this make your selection (option click on desktop or individually from a phone library), then make sure ‘Group Items’ tick box is ticked and ‘Compressed’ is unticked (otherwise it will clutter the feed with a long string of low-res photos instead of a box set of hi-res ones).

Videography

Videography

How to make video content

Basic principles

Videography follows many of the same principles as photography, but you might vary how you do it depending on what the video is being used for.

Audio is important - Try to get a quiet location or use headphones with a microphone to get better quality audio without a lot of background noise. This is especially important for live-streaming. Phones prioritise audio from the front-facing camera when live-streaming!

Video in landscape - again, this can be cropped by video editors if necessary and is almost always the best way to give maximum versatility - compilations with both portrait and landscape video look clumsy and unprofessional. Filming at a higher frame rate will mean you can slow videos down for dramatic effect - this will increase file size though.

Tiktok/Reels - TikTok is the world’s fastest-growing social media app and is almost entirely portrait (vertical) oriented. This is important to remember if making videos for Tiktok.

Facebook/Instagram stories. These can handle both portrait and landscape videos but the screen will not rotate when viewing.

Camera movement

Camera movement is an essential part of filmmaking, but it does mean having additional technical things to combat. The majority of modern mobile phones now include camera stabilisation (to stop camera shake) but this is never flawless!

Settings

If you record video at a higher frame rate, you’ll be able to create a smoother effect by slowing the footage down during editing. This is not always possible - especially if you want to use live audio! You cannot slow standard footage (25/30fps) down as it will go jittery and will look awful.

Editing

iMovie is a free and intuitive editing tool on iPhone. You can add titles, music and cut videos to length using this app. Example video filmed and edited entirely on iPhone.

Youtube is your friend - watch tutorials and learn how to get the best out of your device! It’s free!

Things to avoid

The best advice is to practise! Just give it a go!

Resources

A short video to learn the basics of video-making.

A guide to make video content for XR (some of it is a bit outdated and will be reviewed).

Check this folder as it contains archives that can help you if you edit videos for XR.

Livestreaming

Livestreaming

How to livestream

Get started with livestreaming with these slides (and all the notes underneath them).

Note that slides 11, 12, 13 and 14 are animated: click "slideshow" at the top of your screen to see them properly.

Livestreaming

How to broadcast a livestream

Livestreaming

Interview & Presentating skills

Get ready to present a livestream and interview participants with these slides.