BMT identifies how BAFTA Cloud Studio achieves a dependable professionalism for virtual and hybrid events by providing dependable and high-quality video streaming.
Over the past 15 months, we’ve all become (over) familiar with Zoom and, indeed, ‘Zoom fatigue’.
As we emerge into a post-pandemic reality, what’s clear is that not only will hybrid working be the norm for many of us but so will hybrid events. Savvy event organisers are unlikely to abandon some of the undeniable gains made from Zoom and similar remote conferencing technology – such as reductions in travel time, venue hire costs and carbon footprint – and will schedule a mixture of physical and virtual events in their calendar.
At BAFTA, it’s no different. We have always had a busy events calendar comprising everything from our flagship red carpet Awards ceremonies to regular workshop and learning sessions featuring some of the most recognisable and emerging names in the entertainment industry. While we anticipate that demand will be greater than ever for our physical in-person events, we have been developing a solution that will enhance the experience of our now-established virtual events, too.
Limitations… and the bigger picture
Having pivoted very quickly to the Zoom webinar/workshop format during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, BAFTA was encouraged by the uptake of the format by attendees and star talent alike. As the pandemic progressed however, we felt the urge to really stretch the possibilities of the format – especially now it is clear it will be here for the longer term.
To overcome this, we scoped out and developed BAFTA Cloud Studio – an enhanced take on the Zoom format, that opens up valuable commercial opportunities, while also enabling all content to played back in the glorious full definition it was created in.
The Zoom webinar re-imagined
Once we freed ourselves from the limitations of the standard Zoom presentation, we soon realised we could push the creative envelope further. By taking creative control of the production, BAFTA Cloud Studio enables the addition of commercial revenue streams – such as having a partner sponsor frame the overall production, something not available on native Zoom. It makes sound marketing sense to have such solutions available when you think of the captive audience that is delivered by your average Zoom call or webinar:
- Attendees who have been invited, or actively registered, makes for a highly engaged and relevant audience
- Typical duration of 60 minutes (often more) offers incredible continuous exposure
- Personalised Waiting room and Event Close holding screens give bonus coverage
- The existence of Chat and/or Q&A streams gives live engagement opportunities to tie in
And, of course, now that we can guarantee full definition playback of featured clips then the inclusion of short ad spots or idents to book-end the main presentation also becomes viable – with no concern of the brand identity being compromised by poor visuals.
The Rollout
Having developed and tested the solution, BAFTA was ready to roll out Cloud Studio in time to host our annual TV Sessions – a series of Q&As with some of the nominees for the upcoming Virgin Media BAFTA TV and Television Craft Awards. As the screenshots in this article illustrate, the headline features were showcased to maximum effect in Sessions including The Visual World Of Small Axe (which included a montage of clips from Sir Steve McQueen’s ground-breaking BBC anthology series of the same name) and a short promo for headline sponsor TCL at the top of the Leading Actress session.
With the successful delivery of the TV Sessions under its belt, Cloud Studio looks set to become a regular feature of BAFTA’s event schedule going forward. We look forward to working closely with our partners across both the entertainment and commercial worlds, bringing them together to create bespoke and visually sophisticated webinars that re-define the remote experience, making it an essential part of everyone’s event mix.
For more details on how Cloud Studio can upgrade your virtual event experience, click here to get in touch for a demo.
BMT (BAFTA Media Technology) is the software research and development arm of BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts).