MOMELove♥ Officer

In the spring quarter of 2020, I had the great honor of being asked to be a MOMELove♥ Officer. MOMELove♥ is SCAD's motion media student organization that helps students keep up with the ever-evolving motion design industry. We are also the organizers of CoMotion, a student-led motion graphics conference at the Savannah College of Art and Design put together by students, for students, to present our work to companies in the industry. As MOMELove♥ Officers it was our job to prepare for a fully virtual conference during the pandemic. We had weekly meetings to determine the best path forward.

To view the page which illustrated our process for the making of CoMotion 2021, the title sequence, graphic design, and preparing a fully virtual conference during the pandemic, click here.

Broadcast Director for Comotion Live Stream

As our virtual conference evolved, I took on the responsibility of the Broadcast Director for Comotion’s live stream. Streaming this three-day event meant selecting and setting up a live streaming software. After researching various software I settled on OBS Stream Labs. It was free, provided customization, had the ability to stream to multiple platforms, and had a simple and easy switcher which allowed us to switch between scenes and set up scenes in advance. It worked without a hitch, meaning the event, the presentation, and the portfolio reviews were a great success.

Filming Host for Student Showcase

Additionally, I took on the responsibility to film and curate the MC and CoMotion host. I contacted Cameron Mack, our 2020 MC, and invited him to host CoMotion 2021. Cameron is of the most talented public speakers I know and a truly professional talent. He was so immensely thrilled to get the opportunity to do it once again. There was one little hiccup, he was already booked during our live event. He only had four hours available, so we made a plan to film in advance. A week before the airing of the student showcase, I grabbed my camera, miked Cameron up, and toured Savannah looking for opportunities to capture the love of community that we’ve all missed so dearly during COVID.

The Test Run

Next, we had a test run with the keynote speakers. It was a wonderful experience and gave me the chance to also test the live stream broadcast and to determine what we could improve on. On the test run, there was no movement or anything of interest so I got in contact with the lead animator Desmond Du, and he handed over assets so that we could bring a bit of motion to our little motion conference.

Next, we tested the animation that looped next to the virtual speakers. At first, the loop was too fast and was simply a distraction from the speakers. We settled on a minute hold with the logos on-screen, followed by 15 seconds of the logo loop animating. After the testing, we felt pretty confident concerning the animations. Lastly, we took time for some text corrections and tweaking. Whether adjusting the schedule for a new event that was switched out for another, or just getting the names correct on each panel. Testing and retesting were an imperative step to a successful event.

The Live Event

We finally reached the main event and decided it would be best for us to upload everything to YouTube, offering easy without us having to live stream directly to the website. Using the chapter feature, YouTube also allowed me to section out the videos.

Over the three-day event, I functioned as the broadcast director and live stream operator. Without such an amazing team I don’t think we could’ve done it. It was incredible, from all the people I coordinated with, to the amazing end product. We had excellent engagement during the event with over 1400 viewers on the first day and had little to no streaming issues. It was one experience I don’t think I’ll soon forget.

Check out the final live event here>>