First Impressions Video

Event Video has become standard for most conferences, seminars and workshops, and clients commonly opt for a highlights film or a recording of the presentations for on-demand viewing. In this blog I will address tips that will enable the best way to effectively—and efficiently—produce your event video for optimum results.

1. Think how you want to use the video
Will the video be an on-demand recording of the event? Will the client use the project to showcase their conference? Will it be used to recruit sponsors, delegates, presenters for next year? Is it a bit of everything?

These questions allow your videographer to ensure that the proper equipment is brought to the shoot. They will also be able to prioritize, for instance, to shoot and/or interview exhibitors before they pack up, often quite early in the day.

A good program brief for the video producer allows for capture of the footage that is relevant for all parties. Equally important is to decide on what doesn’t need to be filmed. For instance, if you decide that an entire session does not need to be recorded, the videographer can roam the location, capturing nice angles and audience shots, which will be more useful in a highlight film.

2. Provide your event video company with an agenda…PLEASE!
Having the final agenda as early as possible allows your video company to plan the day’s activities and to identify any points which might be tricky to capture. They will use the running order as a shoot list on the day.

3. Inform presenters and delegates that they will be filmed
Don’t “assume” on this one! Delegates may not want to appear in a film, however briefly and sometimes presenters might have copyrighted or confidential information which they will not want recorded and distributed. Let your production company know and they will make sure that these are not included in any recordings.

It’s also worth getting email acknowledgment — in advance — that the attendees and presenters are being filmed. If the finished product is going to be a highlight film, it might be worth telling speakers that their entire presentation will not be recorded and that any filming will only be for snippets in the finished film. This may help the presenters relax a bit when they see a camera in the room.

4. Schedule time for interviews and vox-pops
Interviews and vox-pops (shorter duration — 5 to 7 minutes — interviews or testimonials) often form the cornerstone of any event video and should not be an after-thought. For more formal interviews, give the interview subjects a time slot with a buffer for change-over and possible over-runs, and a separate location should be considered. Make sure your videography team has time to get to where the interview recording is to take place and if lighting and mics have to be rigged, consider allowing for more crew to do this as your camera man might be busy filming sessions. If most interviews run over lunch time, make sure your film crew get fed as it’s often a long day, particularly if presentations are also recorded. If you use a “Single Person Crew” (or “SPC” for short), it is paramount to be aware of the timing and logistics of the overall program.

5. Lighting and Audio for Event Video
Often, the choice of venue for an event overlooks this important point. Although beautiful visually, many event venues have questionable lighting conditions—for video, which can be further exacerbated by large windows and even mirrors. Inconsistent lighting can wreak havoc with even the best video cameras!

Event audio can be just as challenging. “House sound” is difficult to control and the ability to “EQ” the sound is critical in capturing good audio, and most meeting rooms will not enable patching into the system for a direct feed into the camera(s).

Consulting with the venue’s event team, including their A/V tech beforehand can help generate ideas and solutions to produce an excellent event video. The best remedy is to think about video as part of the decision of what venue to select!

For more information and a chat about your next event video plans, please contact me at info@firstimpressionsvideo.com or call me at 714-979-3850