Stone Island x HYPEBEAST Instagram Live

The project

On the 12th of October, London Filmed collaborated with HYPEBEAST, a global digital brand for men’s fashion and culture,  to help transform Stone Island‘s London store into a live event space to celebrate Stone Island’s 40th Anniversary.

As a 40-year commemoration, Stone Island created a limited edition magazine, ‘Famiglia’, which features in-depth interviews with some of the minds behind Stone Island. To celebrate the launch of the magazine, notable figures were brought together for a panel talk, which London Filmed live streamed through the HYPEBEAST Instagram account to its 10.4 million followers.

Set design & event branding

Our creative team collaborated with the HYPEBEAST team to design, build, and deliver a considered, on-brand set design that would work just as well on-screen, as it would in person.

We initially met the HYPEBEAST team at the Stone Island store – tape measure in hand! – to brainstorm ways to transform the space. We proposed a custom-designed, branded stage to give the speakers a raised platform and a clear line of sight for the live stream. We discussed the lighting options, including logo projections and a table light to illuminate the speakers, as well as smaller items such as on-brand cushions and table decorations to tie the space together. HYPEBEAST also needed a solution to transform one section of the store into a bar area. For this, we proposed a custom-built, logo-illuminated bar, which worked well to separate the space and gave another opportunity to feature the collab branding.

We also took care of the details, prop-sourcing smaller table items like glassware, sorting wristband designs and handling the registration plinth at the door. Throughout the creative design process, we provided mock-ups and floor plans to the client to ensure their creative vision was met.

The event space looked fantastic on the live stream. The branded stage was scheduled to be removed from the space after the panel talk; however, it worked well in the space and gave the guests another opportunity for branded photos. The HYPEBEAST team asked to keep the stage in for the entire event, so we worked behind the scenes to change the collection to the following morning in order to make this happen!

Logistics & production

Throughout the process, the HYPEBEAST team had a dedicated London Filmed project manager. We set up a shared live workspace to discuss set dressing options, timelines, specifications, and a space for any questions. As well as this, we held regular meetings with all stakeholders, including editors and our live stream engineer to ensure the client felt at ease throughout.

Logistically, London Filmed offered in-depth timelines and plans of how the day was going to run, including the delivery schedule of all set dressing items and the technical kit. We organised all deliveries, set-up, take down, and collection, alleviating any stress from the client and allowing the event space to return to a retail space in time for business the next day.

Post-event video production & social live streaming

We utilised four Sony FX9 cameras located at four different points around the central table to ensure a clear frame for all five of the speakers. Each camera operator had a communication earpiece, which connected them to the vision mixer so any angle adjustments could easily be resolved.

With the live stream starting at 7 pm, we started setting up at 2 pm with the camera team. This gave us plenty of time for cabling, framing the shots, adjusting the lighting and testing. We also had a full AV solution for the in-room, online and after-party DJ to set up.

To execute the stream, we ran three internet tests prior to event day to give us a sense of what upload and download speed we would be working with. We also ran an Instagram test in advance utilising One Stream. As Instagram live doesn’t have a native RTMP and only allows for live streaming on the mobile application, a third-party tool like One Stream is necessary to stream to Instagram from vMix. We bonded the internet onsite using an Advanced Ultra-Compact HEVC Mobile Transmitter – the AVIWEST AIR220 to ensure we had a robust solution to broadcast to Instagram.

We worked to a tight turnaround time to deliver the post-event content using footage our videographers captured throughout the evening. We had a first draft sent over to the HYPEBEAST team by 1 pm the next day for final revisions and delivery by close of business. This 60-second highlight video was for HYPEBEAST to share on their Instagram account. You can watch it here.

Result

“This project is a great example of the events we are seeing more of as in-person events become the norm again, albeit with a digital upgrade. The Instagram Live was broadcast-quality with the four camera angles and using One Stream, which meant we could use vMix to stream into Instagram. We also utilised a full suite of digital tools on the project management side, which made for a seamless, transparent, and efficient project. Ultimately, the event was really successful with around 60 high-profile guests in the room and over 1,000 viewing on Instagram Live. We’re looking forward to designing and producing more events like this!”

– Tom Mahon, Co-Founder