As I write this in February 2021, everyone I know is tired of quarantine and wishing we could get on with life. We are warned, however, that it may be another 6-12 months before this dream can be realized.
A significant amount of Tonal Vision’s business revolves around performances. During Quarter 2 of 2020, normally our busiest time of the year, our business dropped by >80% vs. 2019 as a result of Covid quarantines. So, if your business or organization is like ours and lives or dies on performances, how can it adapt? Following are suggestions from our experience and some of our clients. Note that copyright requirements can differ for video vs. audio vs. live-streamed performances.
When the pandemic hit, we could no longer live-stream our “Mice in the Attic” music series from our studio. A few musicians had the equipment and experience to record their own performances, but many did not. We ended up recording the performances outdoors, then posting online. Likewise, one of our dance company clients, Feet of Fire in Salisbury, MD held their 2020 recitals outdoors and others are planning this for 2021.
Watch-outs and observations:
Early on, the pandemic inspired heavily-edited performances like the “Stayin’ Inside” music parody, dance performances like the Houston Ballet’s “Dancing with Myself” and even Zoom-inspired music videos like Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - Phenom. Closer to home, The Meantime filmed their June 4, 2020 “Mice in the Attic” performance separately and the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society began its 2021 concert series with the Beijing Guitar Duo performing separately/together.
Watch-outs and observations:
This is perhaps the easiest approach and can yield very high-quality recordings. For example, we filmed Morton Street Dance Center’s “Virtual Nutcracker” in their studio with no audience; afterwards they shared it with the families via DVD and online. InSeries recorded “A Fairy Queen”, a podcast opera /radio drama series adapted from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, in 5 cities in 4 countries on 2 continents. (Tonal Vision recorded the Baltimore portion of the performance.)
Watch-outs and observations:
At a time when everyone is quarantined and working from home, bringing your performance to your audience is a no-brainer. Meetings and conferences have been doing this for months. Benefits include being able to reach a broader audience, interact with your audience, and even create new types of experiences using the technology.
For music performers, live streaming is highly recommended. With today’s technology, even solo performers and small groups without deep-pocketed financial backers can engage with their audience and receive substantial tips.
Dance and theater can be more challenging to live-stream because of the number of performers, but organizations are finding ways to do it. Venues are also keeping works alive by offering views of archived performances. Theater groups have gotten creative, with Zoom-based interactive experiences.
Watch-outs and observations:
Do what you can to allow your performance to happen safely, but do it well with attention to detail. Up-front investment in outreach, entertainment value, financials, legal requirements, video, audio, lighting and set design will pay off. Advance production vs. live streaming is a trade-off: editing and pre-review adds value, but at the expense of loss of immediacy.
Please feel free to reach out if we can answer questions or be of service.