When it comes to an event or corporate video production, you want to capture the best moments to make an effective event film. But filming live events or conferences isn’t like other shoots, so how do you set yourself up to grab the best shots? Here we’ll take you through our top tips for capturing the best moments when filming an event or conference.
Pre-Production
When planning to film a live event, preparation is key. You’ll want to go over event details with your client, like scheduling, important speakers, etc. Ask your client as well what sort of audience impact they want. Do they want to highlight the speakers? Tell a story about their brand? The purpose of the event film will greatly determine how you shoot it.
Filming events or conferences can be tricky when it comes to time management. Since they’re live events, you won’t be able to do another take on something if you miss it. That’s why it’s imperative you be in the right place at the right time.
Choose the Right Camera
Another preparation to consider is the camera. For filming an event or conference, you’ll want one with a long battery life. DSLR cameras are great but they tend to run low on battery quickly. You can purchase a battery pack but these might be unreliable. A professional-grade camera with a live switch is probably the best option for events. These allow you to change out the battery or card while still filming.
Pick the Right Team
You can’t capture the best moments without the right team. Pick a director or sound engineer that’s specialised in shooting conferences. A crew member highly experienced in covering sporting events may have impressive qualifications, but their unfamiliarity with your type of event could lead to otherwise avoidable mishaps.
Make sure as well that your team is adept at handling unexpected situations. Things can change quickly at live conferences and events, so you need a reliable crew who don’t think twice about getting the important shots at the moment.
Where to Set Up
Where you position yourself throughout the event will have a big impact on capturing the best moments. Set yourself up so you can have the widest variety of angles. Nobody wants to watch a speaker behind a podium for 90 minutes straight.
For your views on the speaker, don’t include too much of the audience in the shot if you can help it. This minimises the effect of cutting to the audience for their reactions at pivotal moments.
Set Up Workarounds
When filming a live event like a conference, you have to overcome some obstacles you don’t have in other types of video production. Your lighting won’t be exactly how you want it and there will be some background noise.
Develop ways around this by tapping into the microphone feed of the speaker with an XLR cord. This is especially useful if your camera is unable to capture sound. For the lighting, try to maximise the venue’s lighting by setting up in the right spot.
Position Your Camera and Keep it Rolling
Having at least two cameras – one on the speaker and one on the audience – is recommended for events and conferences. Three or four cameras for shots of the venue and additional angles of the speaker are even better.
Another key to shooting conferences is to keep the cameras rolling. You never know if you’ll have a spontaneous interview or capture something impromptu.
Working with a Projection
If a projected image, video, or presentation is part of the speaker’s presentation, make provisions for it. See if you can get a copy of the projection beforehand to edit into the video later. If not, set up at a good distance so you can capture enough of the projection without there being too many shadows cast.
Capture the Right Shots
There are certain shots you should go for in order to make a high-quality event film. These include scans of the venue or crowd at large to show the size of the audience. You also want good shots of presenters and speakers, punctuated with shots of the audience when there’s a strong reaction. Consider getting close-ups of your audience to create an emotional effect.
Final Thoughts
Focus on these tips, and you’ll grab the best footage to make an effective event or conference film. As a Brighton video production agency, we can offer both services and advice on best practices when it comes to event filming. Our corporate video production specialists can ensure you have a stunning, attention-grabbing video no matter the event.
