On the 2nd of February, the Toneagraphy team tried it’s most ambitious project yet – a 24 hour livestream event to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. There were two simultaneous streams running for that time; the Green Room stream, hosted on Facebook, was filled with panels, tutorials, and good ole’ personal stories about the community and the second stream, hosted on YouTube, was in the studio where it provided a constant view of the photography shoot as well as giveaways and stories there too.
Tony had an idea, and he made it happen. He was inspired by 24 hour gaming streams, but it needed to be something different. Something more us.
He allowed many of us take part in something bigger than ourselves. Something to use what we do to help other people.
Manong Brandon, one of the photographers who took part in the event, was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was 25. With the support from Macmillan Cancer Support and the NHS, he was able to fight and win that battle. Choosing which charity to support came easily to Tony. Macmillan Cancer Support has helped a lot of people and it was our turn to help them help more. Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities that provides care, information and support to people affected by cancer. Cancer is life destroying and has affected a lot of us and our loved ones. Tony wanted to give something back to the community that helped and protected those in need.
In the words of Tony himself “As a community, we can do more than we do. And that is why I wanted to do this.”
Other photographers involved were Food and Cosplay, Simply Photography, and Poisoned Photography. Leading the charge were Tony and Hauk from Toneagraphy.
The full list of cosplayers and models who took part in the livestream can be found here.
The goal was to raise £1,500 for the stream. This would be nine days of care and support. Helping make such a tough time, a little easier. At the end of it all though, we had raised £3,400, more than 200% of our goal. As you can imagine, we were very proud!
Through our giveaways, talks and shenanigans, we managed to make it through the entire 24 hours and into Saturday. One giveaway, for example, was Angelundies offering a small 3D print to winners, and Vexedcosplayandprops offered props. Others giveaways included Cosxpo tickets, Kupocon tickets and an auction for a full day of tattooing.
Although the idea of running a 24 hour livestream seemed a little overwhelming at first, we learned bit by bit along the way and the entire experience went far more smoothly than expected. There was always a lot of different things going on at once and keeping that to some sort of a schedule was a challenge. Somehow, we managed to do just that.
Of course, like with most things, the camera did not capture everything that went on at the shoot. It was an intense and long day, but it was filled with laughter and jokes to keep us going. Lots of inside jokes going on through the apartment and throughout the streams. Some quips about a murder house, as we were cramped but humour got us through. Without the humour, there may have been some actual murder!
Toneagraphy is definitely planning on doing another 24hr livestream in the future with details to follow over on the Toneagraphy website.
The stream was successful and a great learning experience for us. As a group, we’ve found what works and will make sure the next stream is even better. If you would like a say in which charity Toneagraphy supports next as well, check out the poll on the Toneagraphy Facebook page.
Toneagraphy’s goal is to make the community more supportive and to make a difference in the world. We hold a lot of power as a community, there are a lot of us, therefore its time to give something back to the community that embraced us all. I am honoured to have been a part of it and looking forward to what Tony will do for our community next.
Guest Writer: Candyylocks Cosplay
