Livestream
Livestreaming Events in An Tir
During the time the Barony of Madrone spent sheltering from the COVID pandemic from April 2020 to January 2022 Baron Enzio and Baroness Spike consulted with technology-savvy folk for ways to keep Barony activities going. The Baron and Baroness and the Baronial officers settled on the use of the commercial platform called Zoom for meetings. It was not long before the though arose that events could be conducted on the Zoom platform, as well.
During the COVID pandemic lockdown of 2020-2022, across the world Zoom surged in use and popularity as a platform for establishing connection with people when we could not visit. Not just SCA meetings, but teachers, professional work groups, families, performing groups, hobby groups, and religious organizations used Zoom to do their work.
Starting in the summer of 2020, the Barony of Madrone sought to expand the capability, with the assistance of several advisors, in what Zoom could be made to do in order to hold events. Technology leaders in this first wave of online events included tech-savvy Antirians Cristiana de Huntington, Ysolt Tayler of Windhill, Alicia du Bois, Gera Gangolffin, and others.
The Barony of Madrone subsequently hosted several all-videoconference virtual events with participants from across the Kingdom of An Tir: Road to Athenaeum on June 18 2020; Ethereal Twelfth Night on January 9, 2021 (an official kingdom-wide event); and Virtual Athenaeum on June 26 and 27, 2021.
On May 22, 2021, the University of Ithra event stewards and administrators hosted a Grand Ithra session online via Zoom.
When the COVID restrictions on large gatherings eased in late 2021, the Kingdom planned to hold Twelfth Night in person. Queen Hélène d'Anjou, who ruled An Tir as Queen Regnant, encouraged participants who wanted to attend in person. There were people who asked if there was a way folk who did not want to gather in person could see what was going on. Again, tech-savvy people stepped forward to develop what was possible with the technology of an uplink, video cameras, microphones, and YouTube. These folks devised and perfected a livestream process and proceeded to supply a live video feed (also recorded) for participants to watch from their home or another location away from groups of people. (Please add the names of the first livestream techs and managers here.)
Livestreaming required a "camera operator" to sit in line-of-sight positions in court, with camera on a tripod, and place microphones, and to communicate with a "director" elsewhere at a desk computer, who ensured the livestream was connected with YouTube.
The Baronies of Madrone and Wyewood jointly hosted Kingdom 12th Night AS LVI (January 2022), which was attended by more than 300 socially-distancing, masked attendees. For perspective, An Tir Twelfth Night in January 2020, just before the COVID pandemic restrictions were put into effect) was attended by nearly 800 participants in person. Thus, the very first event in An Tir that was made available via livestream took place. Shown on the livestream were Courts, a tour of the merchants room, interviews with attendees, and various competitions. That first livestream was viewed live by more than 500 people who remained in their homes yet felt connected to this landmark event.
Livestream of events continued and is now a standard part of kingdom-level SCA events in An Tir.