From Libertarian Party of Mississippi state chairman Aaron Barksdale:
As many of you know, our live stream started was….less than to be desired. I have probably learned more about video production of a live event in just a few hours than I could have had I spent a year learning video production in a class. So, without further ado, here are a few pointers that I can tell you.
You DO…
•…want to make sure that the audio feed passes through the room’s PA system THEN using a patch cable take the audio from an open OUT into the “Mic In” line for whatever computer that you are using for the stream.
•…want to turn off the camera mics. Don’t worry, you’re still getting the audio from the patch cable.
•…get your video crew to show up several hours before the event to set up the video equipment prior to the event.
•…want to test out your streaming view HOURS before so that you can tweak whatever you need in order to make sure that your stream doesn’t end up white washed like ours
•…get a contract between you and ANYONE who is helping. In my haste to get this done, as I only came on board for planning this in the first week of January 2016, I failed to remember one simple fact…sometimes you can’t take people at their word. This would have solved a lot of my headache regarding this, especially if I had put a “Satisfaction” clause in the agreement.
•…make sure that you have adequate lighting…after all:
While I know many of you don’t agree with our committee’s decision to have all the candidates, this made for a much interesting event. I’m sorry for the technical difficulties, but know that the next time we do this, it will be different. Good luck in your corresponding state conventions. Please understand, I’m not happy about how the stream started. I am not making light at the poor quality. But now that it’s all over…what can I do? The only thing I can do is work to produce the video and offer advice for each of you to make your live streams better than mine so that we can hopefully share the candidates and the Libertarian Party with more than just LP members. We had a good number of registered LP members, but there were non-members there in person.
I would like to start the bidding on the banners…lol. Seriously I want to try and figure out a way that these can be used by everyone in turn.
Aaron Barksdale
Chairman
Libertarian Party of Mississippi
A better version (though not the professionally edited multi-camera version) of the debate is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Hw0pD8wjg
Lions of Liberty Podcast: Presidential Debate Cornucopia!
http://lionsofliberty.com/2016/03/07/190/
Covering the Libertarian and the R and the D debates. 72 minutes
From the episode description the following will be offering comments.
Marc Clair, Howie Snowdon, Brian McWilliams and our esteemed legal counsel, the mysterious Rico.
The Sarvis campaign for governor did receive some support from Wes’ PAC, in addition to the Purple PAC.
Sarvis’s campaign was supported by Purple PAC, which is an Ed Crane vehicle, I believe.
Wes Benedict did run a Libertarian Super PAC, but he has let it go dormant as he works for the LP now.
Wasn’t the organization in Texas that supported Sarvis’s campaign in Virginia a Libertarian Super PAC? I think Wes Benedict ran it at the time.
I would love to see campaign cycle based Libertarian Super PACs pop up to give uncoordinated support to their preferred candidates. Obviously we can’t hope to keep up with the big guys on the money front, but a less-restricted or un-restricted ability to raise and spend money might at least get us over the “nobody notices us” bar.
thanks George. I didn’t realize “super” was a different category of pac and not just “BIG” ones!! I haven’t read up on that topic much since not all that electoral currently. So who has the LP Pacs OR Superpacs??
“Somebody talk about ending individual limits on direct contributions to candidates – they’ve been lifted on direct contributions to PACs after all.”
You’re thinking of “superpacs”. The PAC limits are in place.
Examiner.com averages about 350,000 visits a day.
http://www.quantcast.com/examiner.com#trafficCard
Anastasia,
Well, sure, if you don’t want to answer, that’s your right. But no, it wasn’t a “personal” question, it was a public question in response to your public statement.
I asked because I’m interested in which candidates who did not make the “top 5” might have supporters with good reasons, and what those reasons might be.
Your candidate certainly won’t be the choice of the convention if his or her supporters are too embarrassed to admit they support him or her.
Mr. Knapp, that’s a personal question I won’t answer – especially since whoever I support is invariably not the choice of the convention.
Petersen is a clown and should not be trusted. Just go listen to some of his interviews with anarcho-capitalists. Perry was the only consistent libertarian, and McAfee seems to like what he says.
It was so good I’m going to have to listen again. Perry sounded loud, articulate and good talking about secession. http://secession.net
Peterson was not as horrific as I have heard. And other guys were good too, though Johnson sure is uptight about Muslims, isn’t he?? McFee should talk about anyone killing anyone, even his wife killing him as a joke. Geezzz…
Somebody talk about ending individual limits on direct contributions to candidates – they’ve been lifted on direct contributions to PACs after all. Ridiculous.
We did make the news. WLOX, the major TV station in the area, had two news stories on the debate itself and had me on their Sunday morning program for an interview about the Libertarian Party.
The cool thing was that the interview I did was taped on Friday from Phoenix, so I was able to watch it from my hotel room on TV in Biloxi this morning.
The examiner.com is not news. Like 20 people read that.
At least it made the news:
http://www.examiner.com/article/first-libertarian-presidential-candidate-debate-for-2016-held-mississippi
I think over all it was a successful event.
The idea of reducing the main stage down to the top 5 as chosen by those present was brilliant. Something perhaps the Republicans can learn from. You put everyone on an even level and let the public decide who would move on to round 2..
As a first time effort, this went well in my opinion. You have learned many things which you are kind enough to pass along here.
I was more put off by the hot mic near the camera and the woman at the beginning taking pictures while covering up half the stage. Glitches happen and you roll with it. My sound issue is more a reflection of me being sensitive to such things. Live events are incredibly unpredictable and there have been many of them that were way worse than yours. Hot mic bloopers can be entertaining 🙂
Overall it was wonderful of you all to provide us with a first look at all the candidates. The personalized banners on their podiums was a really nice touch than the “big two” never have afforded their candidates.
Anastasia,
Who is your candidate, and why?
Mr. Winger, my candidate was not in the second half so there really is no point.
I also believe the event went well. Having so many people at the beginning really was okay. In fact, it was good to be able to scratch some people off my list as possibilities to vote for.
The event was exciting to promote among my Libertarian friends, and it was fun to have a special event like that planned fro a Saturday evening. Thanks for the debate, and no need to apologize at all.
Congrats, also, to the participants for putting their best feet forward
Aaron you did well.
Aaron Barksdale wrote: ” You DO want to make sure that the audio feed passes through the room’s PA system THEN using a patch cable take the audio from an open OUT into the “Mic In”
I think you might find better results from using the LINE IN rather than MIC IN for amplified audio from a room’s PA system.
You might also find some comfort here:
https://youtu.be/DrP5ZM0otP8?t=20s
https://books.google.com/books?id=XYRb7Snm3lEC&pg=PA247&lpg
I believe it was the failure of a 10 cent capacitor in the patch between the room’s PA system and the networks’ audio feed that caused 27 minutes of no audio in the 1976 Presidential debate.
So your production was far superior to the major networks’ production in the 1976 campaign.
Very grateful for your work in putting this together.
“After all, White Lights Matter” is in incredibly poor taste.” – P.J. Sullivan
Why? I did not find it so.
It was an excellent event and kudos to the organizers. Professionally edited video from the other cameras should be up by the end of the week and everyone who wasn’t lucky enough to attend in person will see how beautiful the whole thing was.
Anastasia, you should at least watch the 2nd half, with the 5 candidates, because those technical problems you complain about are not present for that 2nd half. There is a link to just the 2nd half.
“After all, White Lights Matter” is in incredibly poor taste.
I gave up five minutes in because I couldn’t see them amidst the sea of white, I couldn’t hear them over those yapping near the camera, and to be honest, since I’m not going to the convention it doesn’t matter who I like because the convention always picks someone else. Nice try, though… have to start somewhere.
It was an excellent debate, and well done. There are reasons why real television productions are expensive.
Having all the candidates was the right decision.
Aaron,
It was a well-done event and you have nothing to apologize for. I do admit there were a few annoyances from a viewer standpoint, but we viewers weren’t the ones doing the hard work, were we?
I can’t think of a time in the past when a full-blown debate, with ALL the candidates who could/would be there, well before the national convention, was offered in a way that Libertarians everywhere could watch from home. Thanks for making that happen.