Not only because police violence occurs often and in many areas of protests but now that livestreamers are being targeted we need to get more eyes on the street.
I asked OakFoSho to respond to some questions for me to get an idea on how to livestream. I really enjoy not only OakFoSho's camera handling ability but his narrative and response to commenters questions when he livestreams.
I use a "Live U", 6 modem backpack on loan to me from UStream. It uploads data over 3G networks (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint) simultaneously. The ususal cost is about $2500.00/month, but UStream is picking up the costs. The pack connects via Fire Wire to a Sony Handycam, also on loan to me.
Beyond the pack, the best way to stream is w/an iPhone 4 or 4S w/a 4G hotspot. The UStream App for iPhone is a HQ app, while the Droid apps arent HQ yet b/c there are too many platforms to make an individual app for each one. iPhone is just 2 platforms so UStream has made phone specific apps for those platforms.
I asked him how he was getting the night vision settings:
Night Vision is built in on the Handycam.
You dont need to be on WiFi, but if streaming on 4G, its best to get a 4G hotspot w/unlimited data, b/c you will blow by the data limits otherwise after only 10+ hours of streaming.
A friend of mine made my press pass. You can make your own as well. There are templates online. Only need an "official" press pass when you want to cross police tape or crime scenes.
The livestream can be saved for future reference but according to OakFoSho the data must be saved after no longer than three hours.
I save the data from recordings every couple hours. If I record longer than 3 hours the data wont autorecord.
I like to use a monopod as I no longer have a steady hand. With a monopod you can also lift the camera to get footage from a distance or in an area where a crowd is blocking your view. Please note monopod manufacturers advise it is not safe to use the monopod to hold the camera by itself. So using the monopod as I just explained is not recommended.
So ask your questions in the comments.