Secrets of the 15 Minute ‘Tech-Check’

How Lime Crane Ensures Your Virtual Presentation is Ready for PrimeTime

One of the hallmarks of our service is how amazing we make our clients look and sound during their virtual presentation. They are often beyond surprised with how professional and polished our production team makes them appear on camera.

But this doesn’t just happen. There is a methodical process we follow to optimize the sound and video coming from everyone’s environment. We call it the “15 minute tech-check”.

Anyone that has ever participated in a virtual presentation knows that A LOT of technical issues can come up during the event.

They could have a weak WI-FI connection. Their laptop and/or Airpods may not have been adequately charged. Their camera angle and lighting are often awkward and unflattering. There could be problems with the audio like an echo or poor microphone placement. 

If there is one thing that can predict how successful and issue-free an event will be, it is the 15 minute tech-check. It is the key to creating virtual events that seems closer to professionally created video. 

What IS a “15 minute tech-check”?

Put simply, a tech check is a quick virtual meeting with members of Lime Crane’s production team to make sure you and your technology are ready for primetime. EVERY presenter gets a tech-check – whether it’s 2 presenters or 50. We make it a point that anyone who will appear on video has the chance to meet with our team 1-on-1 to go through this test. 

Why are they necessary?

Performing a quick “tech-check” with our presenters in advance is the difference between a flawless presentation and having your audience unable to see and hear you. When we go into an event with multiple presenters that have met with each of us to “work out the kinks” in their home setups, we are confident that the event will go well. Otherwise, it’s all a gamble.

What happens during a tech-check?

We look for three main factors during our 15-minute check up:

#1- Whether the internet bandwidth speed is enough to sustain a sufficient connection during the presentation.

Wi-Fi is terrific, but we can’t always rely on it, even if you pay for fast broadband internet. It fluctuates and becomes unsteady, especially with video streaming. We know how to troubleshoot and optimize your internet connection so you won’t encounter hiccups on event day. 

#2- If the audio is clear and free of echo, feedback, or distortion.

No matter how brilliant your video might be, it won’t matter if you can’t hear you. We give our client’s audio the best quality possible using our expertise and broadcast production equipment. We cover everything from microphone placement to background noise. That way, you won’t have to worry about sound technology beyond keeping an eye on your “mute button”.

#3- We ensure your video looks its absolute best. 

During the tech-check, we help adjust your lighting, find the right camera angle and help stage your background so you look like a professional, not an amateur. This process gives our presenters peace of mind, so they can project confidence and focus on presenting their material. Believe it or not, high-res HD video is possible, even in a virtual meeting from home. 

We aren’t only testing the presenter, we are also testing the location. The quality of the connection and your appearance depends on where you are broadcasting from. Will you be at home? At the office? In a hotel room?

These factors present their own set of challenges that need to be resolved in advance. We always make sure to test our presenters from the location they will present from, if at all possible. 

Do these happen in-person or virtually?

Tech-checks are all virtual. We are re-creating the exact conditions (same laptop, webcam, internet location, and Zoom account settings) that we will use on event day. 

Are your “tech-checks” really just 15 minutes?

Finding the balance between what is vital to get right, and being respectful of the client’s time, is a constant challenge for our team. Sometimes a tech-check takes 5 minutes because everything is working perfectly. Other times we spend thirty minutes troubleshooting and end up rescheduling a new test from a new location. Most people are somewhere in between. 

Who does them?

Our technology gurus usually perform the tech-checks, Michael and Shane. The pair works together to answer any questions, help make adjustments, and check network statistics and image quality. Then the whole team works together to “stage” the video so everyone looks fantastic. 

What if our CEO doesn’t have time to go through this process?

We know that our clients have packed schedules, and we do our best to be respectful of their time. Most people can take 15 minutes out of their day to ensure all the critical elements are in place. If not, success might not be certain.

Sometimes extenuating circumstances and scheduling conflicts make it impossible to do a tech-check. In these rare events, we attempt to improvise with a “Best Practices” document packed with helpful tips and guidance. If the presenter, or even their assistant, can take some time and follow the tip sheet, the event tends to flow more smoothly.

We even once did a tech-check with a CEO’s teenage daughter who borrowed his laptop and did the test with us and the event was flawless! Meeting with our production team is the best way to ensure the event goes smoothly, but some preparation in advance is better than none. 

We get it. Presenting from your home is weird.

It’s awkward. And a year into the pandemic, we are pretty sure it hasn’t gotten any less weird, just more mundane. Filmmaking is an art that requires time, creativity, and technical knowledge of light, sound, and cameras. Our team has decades of experience and education to create top-of-the-line productions.

If you would like to learn more about our virtual events and high-quality broadcasts to large unlimited audiences, contact the live stream experts at Lime Crane. Our team offers a rare mix of high-level expertise in Video Streaming Technology, Video Production, and client relations that you will not find anywhere else.