% VCP-Streamyard-Guide-v2.tex
% Hussein Esmail
% Created 2021 03 20
% Updated 2022 02 22
% Description: This document is a guide on how to use Streamyard when running
%	performances

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\newcommand{\mySubject}             {Vanier College Productions, Video Editing,
	VCP, Streamyard, Live-streaming}
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\newcommand{\myDateCreated}			{October 18, 2020} % Created date
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\newcommand{\myTitle}               {Streamyard Guide v2}
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\begin{document} % Official beginning of the document.
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	Edited: \myDateUpdated{}
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\section{Introduction}
This document acts as somewhat as a tutorial for the streaming software
Streamyard. It can stream to YouTube and Facebook. It is assumed that the
reader of this document is going to be the Streamyard host of a performance.
During a show, it would be extremely hard to have a smooth show when the
Streamyard host and the performance host are the same person.

At the time of writing this document, all URLs are correct. Should you have any
issues, please \underline{\href{mailto:HusseinEsmailContact@gmail.com}{feel
free to send me an email}}. You can access this PDF at
\underline{
	\href{https://husseinesmail.xyz/guides/vcp/VCP-Streamyard-Guide.pdf}{https://husseinesmail.xyz/guides/vcp/VCP-Streamyard-Guide.pdf}}.

\subsection{Required Software}
To be on Streamyard (host or guest), you need one of these browsers: Google
Chrome, Brave, Opera, Firefox.

\subsection{Getting Started} When you go to
\href{https://streamyard.com}{https://streamyard.com}, there isn’t a login and
password. Instead, you type in the email of the account (in this case that is
Brian Goldenberg’s email, \href{mailto:bgolden@yorku.ca}{bgolden@yorku.ca}),
and a code is emailed to him. He then can give you that code so that you can
log in. Though, if you don’t log out when you’re done it should still be logged
in when you come back.

\section{Managing What the Audience Sees}
\subsection{First Glance}
When you open the correct broadcast, you will see a big blue rectangle in the
top left corner. That is what the audience members see during the stream. Below
that is the “backstage”, where guests remain before they are brought onstage by
the host. If you bring multiple peoples’ video feeds onstage, you can use the
row of video arrangement buttons between the stream screen and the backstage
members.

To access other panels like the chat or branding options, there is a toolbar to
the very right of the screen with the buttons, Comments, Banners, Brand,
Private Chat, and Settings.

One thing to note about broadcasts, is that they will automatically go away
after you've ``gone live'' and exited Streamyard, but this doesn't delete
anything because of Branding (see the Branding section for more info).

\subsection{Virtual Backgrounds}
Streamyard does have an option to have virtual backgrounds. To select it, go
to ``Settings (gear icon on right-hand side) $>$ Virtual Background''. Here
you can select if you have a green screen or not. The allowed file types are
.png, .jpg, and .jpeg. I don't recommend changing your background mid-show
because it may take a few seconds to update. If you do need to change it during
a show, be off-screen and allocate time to do this within the Stage Manager's
prompt book.

Of course it goes without saying, but only you can change your own virtual
background, so if actors need to change their backgrounds, each of them need to
do so by themselves.

\subsection{Assets}
\subsubsection{``Banners''}
In the ``Banners'' tab, you can make as many banners as you want. You can only
have one be onscreen at a time, and you can have it on for as long as you want
(you have to manually turn it on and off). This is great for saying what the
performance name is during the performance or who is performing. They can be
rearranged in order and sorted into folders depending on what show it belongs
to.

\subsubsection{``Branding''}
In the ``Branding'' tab, there are many options on what you can display. You
can change the brand colour (by using a colour picker or inputting a hex code),
add a logo to the top right corner of the screen, add an overlay to the entire
stream feed, play video clips, and change the background image. For all of
these asset types, you can add as many as you want.

For the logos and overlays, it is highly recommended that you have some
transparency in these because it would look bad if there isn't. Especially for
the overlay, because otherwise that would be the only thing the viewer would
see if it was on.

Keep in mind the only supported video format for uploading video clips is .mp4.
If it's not that, you will need to convert it somehow. When you play video
clips, it starts playing on the stream right when you click it, and do not
provide any warning for how much time is left. In previous shows, we would use
videos as the intro and outro, and when a specific image was on, what would be
our queue to go live and when to end the recording. Another issue with video
clips, is that if there is a banner onscreen, that must be manually turned off
if you want to play a video, or else it will still be on top of the video clip
as well.

For the background images, it is recommended to have something dull like a
solid colour so that it isn't distracting from the stream itself. If there is
no background image, it will be solid black, which doesn't look too visually
appealing.

\section{Managing Performers}
\subsection{Inviting People}
To invite people to the stream, at the bottom of the window beside the ``Leave
Studio'' button, there is a button ``Invite''. When you press this, a pop-up
appears with a link. This link can be sent to anyone joining the stream. If
people are prompted to sign in trough YouTube or Facebook, the best thing for
them is to sign in through YouTube with their Passport York account through
Google. When they join, they go to the backstage of the stream, and to be
onscreen, they have to be added by the Streamyard host.

The best way for people in the show to communicate with the host is to use the
private chat if you’re backstage, or to talk out loud if you’re on the stream.

\subsection{Maximum Logged In Users}
\label{sec:Limits}
Streamyard has a limit of 10 people at a time. This includes everyone including
those that are not currently on the stream. If you have a show that has more
than 10 people including the host(s), you need to coordinate when people will
exit and enter, such as tagging people in a single Microsoft Teams thread.
These enters and exits should also be in the Stage Manager's prompt book.

\subsubsection{Kicking Out Users}
If someone doesn't exit the stream quick enough, the host of the stream can
also kick them out. First you should make sure that they are removed from the
main video feed. You can do this by hovering over their individual stream on
the backstage area, click the 3 dots on the top right corner, then click ``Kick
from Stream'', not ``Ban from Stream''.

\subsection{Stream Comments}
When streaming to YouTube, stream comments on YouTube can show up on
Streamyard, and you can also click comments to feature them on the stream video
feed, by clicking them on then off. The issue is if you want to show multiple
comments one after the other, you have to click each one on and off.

\subsection{Camera Views}

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These first 4 camera views have been nicknamed from left to right are below.
The last 3 are not used as much as they all involve screen-sharing.
\begin{enumerate*}
	\item SOLO
	\item SPLIT
	\item SQUARE
	\item SPOTLIGHT
\end{enumerate*}

When users' cameras are onscreen, there are many options for how you want to
display their feeds. You can try out each of these during the tech run, just
note that the 2nd view does not look too good with 3 people because each person
has to be in the middle third of their camera which might not look well. You
can also drag screens around, and the viewer will not see anything until you
let go of what you are dragging (they will not see the overlay animation that
shows up for you).

On each person’s video feed in the backstage section, each top left corner has
a ``Solo Layout'' button. When this is turned on, that person’s feed will take
up the whole stream screen. When it is turned off, the layout will revert to
whatever it was before it was turned on. If Solo Layout is on for one person,
then another person’s is turned on, their screen will replace the Streamyard
feed.

While on the topic of peoples’ individual buttons, when a specific person is
not on the stream, you can kick them out of backstage. Instructions on this is
in the \textbf{\nameref{sec:Limits} (\ref{sec:Limits})} section on page
\pageref{sec:Limits}.

\section{Making Your Prompt Book for an Online Performance}
When writing your prompt book for a show run on Streamyard, it's recommended
you put in each change like putting on/taking off a banner, changing camera
views, displaying suggestion comments (if doing an improv show), and when to
add/remove specific peoples' cameras from the screen all as stage directions,
so that the Streamyard operator can follow it during the show.

\subsection{Example by Shania Mendes}
Here is an example excerpt of a prompt script provided by Shania Mendes, with
other names removed for privacy reasons.
\vspace{0.5cm}

\noindent \textbf{Shot Choices}: SOLO, SPLIT, SQUARE, SPOTLIGHT

\noindent \textbf{Pre-Show}:

\begin{enumerate*}
	\item IN STREAM - $<$\textit{Actor 1}$>$, $<$\textit{Actor 2}$>$,
		$<$\textit{Actor 3}$>$, $<$\textit{Actor 4}$>$, $<$\textit{Actor 5}$>$
	\item SHOT - SOLO - $<$\textit{Actor 1}$>$
	\item BRAND - BRAND COLOR - \#yellow
	\item BRAND - THEME - DEFAULT
	\item BRAND - LOGO - VIC LOGO
	\item BRAND - BACKGROUND - BLACK
	\item BRAND - SHOW - DISPLAY NAMES OFF
\end{enumerate*}
\noindent \underline{\textbf{START SHOW}}

\noindent \textbf{OPENING}
\begin{enumerate*}
	\item BRAND - VIDEO CLIPS - OPENING VIDEO
	\item GO LIVE - START
	\item UNMUTE - $<$\textit{Actor 1}$>$
\end{enumerate*}

\noindent \textit{Rest of prompt script...}

From \textbf{OPENING} to the end of that section can repeat for as many
acts/performances you have. The format of each item in the numbered list is
generally followed by this format:
\begin{enumerate*}
	\item $<$Tab$>$ - $<$Subtab (optional)$>$ - $<$Action$>$.
		\textit{Examples:}
	\begin{enumerate*}
		\item BRAND - BRAND COLOR - \#yellow
		\item BRAND - SHOW - DISPLAY NAMES OFF
		\item BRAND - VIDEO CLIPS - OPENING VIDEO
	\end{enumerate*}
	\item $<$Action$>$ - $<$Action Specification (optional)$>$ -
		$<$Action Target$>$. \textit{Examples:}
	\begin{itemize*}
		\item UNMUTE - $<$\textit{Actor 1}$>$
		\item SHOT - SOLO - $<$\textit{Actor 1}$>$
	\end{itemize*}
\end{enumerate*}

\end{document} % Official end of the document.
