Facebook unveils Bandstand, a space to shoot live videos

Tech giant Facebook continues its push towards video in India, this time by providing a dedicated space for celebrities to shoot live videos. Facebook has unveiled a space called 'Bandstand' in its Mumbai office that can be used- for free, by anyone with a Facebook page. A team will coordinate with the 'personalities' on the time slots for the usage of the room, and also assist them if required.

The team points out that Bandstand is not a studio but just a space to educate celebrities, and provide them with a friendly 'artistic' ambience to shoot their videos. There are similar spaces at Facebook's offices in Los Angeles and New York in the US.

Saurabh Doshi, head - media partnerships at Facebook explained that the space was primarily created to help artists be at ease and be themselves, thus enabling a sense of authenticity. "Artists and celebrities from across the spectrum, whether big or small, can come to this room and shoot for free," explained Doshi.

For Bandstand, local artists have been commissioned to create artistic props, alongside elements like the 'garden wall', 'origami art wall' and 'string art wall'. There is also a Lego wall representing famous monuments from Mumbai.

Commenting that the Facebook often has celebrities visiting its office, Doshi said that for the latter, live video added a touch of authenticity when engaging with fans. He cited the example of film actor Amitabh Bachchan going live, and introducing viewers to his office for the first time ever.

As far as monetisation is concerned, Doshi said the company has had some trials in the US where they've allowed people to take '10 second' ad breaks while shooting live videos.