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Hello ! I am Janis Law, a 2nd year digital media student and have been enjoying my best time at LSTV for the past two years :) I have crewed for multiple live shows, commercial projects and interviews so I am looking forward to organising them myself this year! (hopefully) I am running for LIVE as I absolute love everything LIVE... from doing cameras to vision mixing (my fav), my dream job is to become a live broadcast producer, and i want to improve my knowledge and skills in the field by taking up this role, along with my existing experiences from from backstage society and my degree, I am on my way to becoming a master in live broadcasting :)

For LSTV LIVE 2025/26, there are many things I want to achieve,
1. LIVE shows for all - I want to encourage members to submit ideas and themes for live shows and ensure everyone gets a chance to plan at least one live show throughout the year.
2. More LIVE shows! - I would organise more live shows for the year so more opportunities for people to get involved (aiming at 3 shows a month).
BIGGER LIVE SHOWS ! I would reach out beyond LUU societies to external contacts for more coverage and collaboration opportunities e.g. film festivals and live events/ conferences.
3. Focus on Tech & Training - I understand that Tech is really important for smooth running of live shows. So I aim to work closely with the head of tech & training to make sure members are well-informed and familiar with live equipment before crewing shows, as well as open more shadowing opportunities for new members to learn.

Some fun ideas I have in store:
1. Collabs - I am elected to be head of music for LSR next year, and im defo looking forward to many cross-over opportunities ! Also to develop close partnerships with other societies.
2. Marathon LIVE shows - One fun idea i have is to run some long live shows (maybe 12 hours+), almost like a marathon e.g. filming all-nighters, getting ready for award shows etc.
3. Streams - do fun and casual/ unscripted live streams regularly at random times (just for the fun of it and make the LIVE experience less stressful for new members)

There are lots of things I look forward to accomplishing with the role, so please vote for me if you want FUN and BIG LSTV LIVE shows next year!

Hiya Mates,

I hope everyone is doing well and adjusting nicely back into life at Uni! What a year it’s been with LSTV, it feels bonkers that my first year is nearly done and already the next committee is being decided, but here we are!

I’m going to try and keep it brief here but for those who won’t be in attendance at the speeches on Thursday, I’ll quickly lay out why I am going for Head of Live and why I think you should consider my application. I’m going to break it down into two parts, A) What credentials do I have to be Head of Live? and B) Should I get the role, what would my aims be?

Firstly, my experience.

Having been a videographer at The Anfield Wrap, delivering content to tens of thousands of paying subscribers, since December 2023 I have a wealth of experience in setting up studio shoots. This is something that would be crucial as Head of Live as multiple camera angles, mics and lighting are required to produce the best possible experience for the viewer. As part of my role at the podcast I have helped in the production of a weekly live show, streamed in association with NordVPN, where we use the same vision mixing setup as LSTV. As a result, vision mixing is something that I would feel extremely comfortable doing, or directing somebody to do, in a calm and collected manner.

On a more LSTV-centric note, this year I have been involved in a number of live streams, featuring on screen and behind the camera for Freshers ‘Live’, on screen for the NASTA shortlisted Late Night LSTV, commentating and helping to setup the Rugby varsity coverage, helping to setup the Riley’s stream and aiding in the production of Ice Hockey varsity (which despite not being streamed used the same setup to do a live edit). This variety of experience in the department has given me a great deal of insight into what is required to produce a successful live show, how to remain calm and try to fix different things when they go wrong, but also offered inspiration into what is possible within live at LSTV, and given me a number of ideas for shows I could produce, should I get the role next year.

Furthermore, given my interest in applying for HoL I have attempted to go above and beyond by learning about the tech and software we use. I sat down with our current HoL, before the Riley’s stream where she took me through the process of uploading graphics to the Black Magic software, before later, in the theatre, Haley then took me through the process of connecting our OB kit to the internet and then YouTube, to make streaming possible.

Enough about me. What would be my aims in the role of HoL?

Most of my primary aims are outlined in detail on my manifesto, however the two I didn’t have space for were my desire to make new members feel welcome in the live department and boosting the production quality of our streams.

New Members

For those coming into student TV, live shows can seem like a big and scary undertaking and I’d want to do everything I can to dispel this stigma early in the year. One way I’d seek to do this is by continuing the tradition of a fresher’s live show in the second week of term. I’d aim to complete a light ents themed live stream with lots of short segments and prioritise new members in the signup process. By selecting a large crew where roles can be shared around it should give new members a taste of all the different aspects of a live stream, from gallery to presenting, and should aim to show that live is accessible to everyone, not just those with experience.

Secondly, building on Liv’s idea of revamping the general meetings to include training sessions, I’d want to have a designated live station where people could come and have the tech explained to them in a relaxed environment rather than in the midst of a stream, while we’re on air. By exposing people to the tech slowly it should make new members feel more comfortable around it and encourage them to sign up to backstage roles in the future.

By taking the time to do this early in the first semester it should make some of my ambitious ideas for livestreams later in the year more feasible, as more people would be comfortable using the technology a complex stream requires, without much management.

Production Quality

I outlined on my manifesto the desire I have to make use of the professional spaces in the Helix building, and this does fall under production quality, but more specifically I’d like to make better use of lighting and VTs during our live streams. Rather than lighting the whole stream in the same manner, as we do at the moment, I’d like to have the opportunity to tweak the lighting in the studio (particularly hair lights) in between segments. This would keep the subjects standing out from the background at all times, enhancing the viewing experience, giving the impression of it being a different shot and make it clear to the viewer that the stream is progressing.

Tweaking the lighting during a live stream would be a timely process and to ensure it was right before we’re back on air there would need to be substantial, well edited VTs. I would like the ideation and production of these to become a collaborative process where the cast and crew decide in advance what would be the best piece of content our live streams could be punctuated with. This change should ensure that all VTs are of suitable strength to not only enhance the viewing experience of the show but plug enough time in the studio where lights and camera angles could be tweaked and checked in time for the next segment.

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This is everything I have to say!

If you’re reading this and have any questions about what I’ve mentioned, please drop me a message and I’d be happy to clear it up.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you consider my application to be your Head of Live!

-Henry