In a world where images take center stage in our communications, capturing an event on video is no longer just an option, but a necessity.
Whether to immortalize key moments, share a live experience or promote a future event, a well-produced video can make all the difference. However, capturing the essence of an eventis no easy task. It requires not only technical expertise, but also a deep understanding of the art of telling stories through images.
Solid Rusk Production, with its wealth of experience in the field, offers you a practical, step-by-step guide. Follow our five essential tips for successfully capturing your event on video.
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Preparing and organizing your video recording
- Define recording objectives
- Identify location and potential constraints
- Selecting the right equipment
The success of your video shoots begins long before the event itself, with meticulous preparation and organization. First and foremost, it’s important to clearly define the objectives of your video shoot, and to ask your client the right questions:
What do you want to capture? Is it for a souvenir, live-streaming, promotional content or internal communication? Will there be any speeches to record? Do you have an event schedule?
A clear understanding of your objectives will guide all future decisions!
Next, it’s essential to carry out a thorough scouting of theevent venue. This will enable you to identify the best positions for your cameras, while taking note of potential constraints such as aerial shooting permits, lighting, sound (if it’s going to be loud, for example), noise (if the event is being held near a road or railroad) and available space. This step is essential to anticipate and find a solution to technical problems before they arise.
Last but not least, selecting the right equipment in advance is essential. Choose several cameras, microphones and accessories adapted to the environment and your objectives. Don’t forget to include a back-up supply of equipment, such as batteries and SD cards, to avoid unpleasant surprises!
Video recap of the International Hydrographic Organization’sGeneral Assembly in Monaco in 2023.
Organization and management of video capture
Once you’ve established the objectives of your video shoot and scouted the location, Solid Rusk recommends that you draw up a detailed shooting plan. This will enable you to identify the key moments you want to capture, the transitions between scenes and any changes of angle or set-up. This will help you stay organized during the video capture of the event, and make sure you don’t miss anything important! The worst thing for a videographer would be to be in the wrong place at the right time and miss important shots.
If you’re working in a team, we recommend assigning specific roles to each member to ensure smooth coordination during the video capture. Designate a project manager to oversee the entire shoot, a senior cameraman, a sound supervisor and possibly an assistant to help with logistics.
Finally, Solid Rusk strongly recommends that you test all equipment before the event begins – caution is the better part of valour!
Corporate event in Monaco for the MIIF. A fine example of event video with a mix of punchlines and warm images.
Video capture techniques
- Composition
- Framing
- Light / Colorimetry
- Sound
Once on location, this is where the art of video capture takes on its full importance.
More than just another corporate video, your event video needs to tell a story.
- And for that, the composition of your shots is the key to making your story captivating. Solid Rusk advises you to use tried-and-tested rules of composition, such as the rule of thirds, to guide the viewer’s gaze.
- Framing should also be considered for each shot, according to the importance of the subjects and the action in the scene. Vary wide, medium and tight shots to maintain interest.
- Light and color play an essential role in creating atmosphere. Balance natural and artificial light to achieve the best possible image quality, and adjust colorimetry in post-production to ensure visual consistency.
- Finally, never underestimate the importance of sound. Good audio recording is crucial to capturing the mood of the event and allowing spectators to feel immersed in the experience, or participants to relive the event.
For this project with Flex-O, the event took place indoors and outdoors, in the evening, so in low light. The choice of location for the interviews is important: you need to be able to understand that it’s an event, without having interfering sounds such as music or people talking in the background.
Solid Rusk's tips for better shots
The advantage of an event video is that it follows a chronological logic. So storytelling is pretty straightforward. But you’re going to have to be ingenious with your editing to grab the audience’s attention! And that’s not so easy. To do this, Solid Rusk recommends you start with testimonials from participants who will share their on-the-spot impressions and emotions. The viewer is projected into the heart of the event, as if he or she were there!
Then close-ups of objects, places and people representing the theme of the event. Then wide shots to release the pressure. This is a great intro that will whet your audience’s appetite and encourage them to find out more.
You can follow this up with an interview with the organizer, then an interview with the customer to get their feedback, coupled with beautiful images of smiling guests and the entertainment on offer. If you have these images, the editing will take care of itself!
Video event for BSPK, a consulting firm in Luxembourg.
Post-production of your corporate video
Step into the editing capsule! Now it’s time to build your event film. I recommend creating two separate timelines. One for the rushes and one for the final cut:
- The rush: Start by sorting the recorded images and selecting the best moments. This sequence, known as the “Derush”, will be your bank of images to illustrate what each interview is about. The advantage of this sequence is that you can export it and send it to your client, who will be happy to have an image bank of the event for future publications.
- Editing: This sequence is used to weed out the interviews. Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll fetch the corresponding images from the “derush” sequence you made earlier. For a captivating event film, make sure you maintain an appropriate pace and keep the audience’s attention throughout the video with dynamic editing! Music selection plays an important part in this. We recommend www.artlist.com, where you’ll find everything you need.
To make your corporate and event video even more dynamic, add graphic elements such as animated titling to support the words of each speaker or present the figures, e.g. “400 guests“; “Best Salesman 2024 Awards“, etc. Make sure these elements complement the storytelling. Make sure these elements complement the storytelling of the event, rather than overloading the video.
And above all, remember to include participants’ reactions in your video capture ! As well as humanizing your video, they’ll love seeing themselves on screen, and will share your film on their social networks!
Solid Rusk's summary of successful event videography
Filming and editing an event can be a stressful exercise at first for a novice videographer, but if you put all the chances on your side, everything will go smoothly!
To recap, remember to:
- Visit the location with the client before the event, to find out what’s going on and what entertainment, if any, is involved. This way, you’ll define an hour-by-hour action plan and avoid any surprises. Draw up a list of people to interview
- On the big day, as on every shoot, find a strategic location for your equipment– safe, dry and away from human traffic.
- Try to do the interviews as early as possible to free yourself from this task.
- Try to identify groups of people who are likely to be the most “camera friendly“, i.e. who are naturally smiling and cheerful. They’re the ones who’ll make your film. Don’t forget the others, of course – you want to see as many people as possible in the video.
- Don’t forget close-ups and long shots. Do a little slow motion if you can.
- Shooting on location? The drone remains an added value for wide shots and even close-ups, depending on your piloting skills.
- Think of the outro: Think of a final shot. It could be a fade-out of the band, a group dancing, or someone saying good-bye to someone else. There has to be a message.
In event video, more is more. So capture everything you see, you won’t regret it.
It’s up to you!
Bonus: a special event in a special place.
Article written by Emeline l Prête-moi ta plume