We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you ... you're just helping re-supply our family's travel fund.
No matter what kind of corporate or business event you run, you deserve for it to be seen. Your business has no doubt invested a good deal of money into this special date, which is why ensuring it’s covered correctly with professional cameras, photography, and social media updates can help you share the benefit of such planning with those not in attendance. It can also serve as a record for your brand and a genuine marketing opportunity at the same time. Finally, such coverage can provide ample appreciation for those who did attend your event.
The prevalence of modern technology has encouraged those new to filmmaking to at least start at a beginner level, and thankfully there are many excellent options for modest enterprises to compete with larger firms online thanks to these tools and utilities.
In this guide, then, we’ll talk through some essential techniques you can use to cover all aspects of the event, without distracting your special speakers, delaying your main events, or intruding on the privacy of your guests. With that in mind, please consider the following:
Add Disclaimers, Forewarnings, Signs & Release Forms To Your Preparation Schedule
It’s easy to assume that because this is your event you have the right to film it, and that’s true, but it’s also nice to give a heads up to people in attendance. You don’t want anyone to feel caught off guard by a camera when they’ve expected a bit more privacy or felt as if this wasn’t communicated in advance. It’s a good courtesy..
For that, adding disclaimers or signs at the event entrance is a gentle way to let people know that footage is being captured for promotional reasons, or because you plan to archive the event. If your event is more formal or involves specific content that could be sensitive, it might also be worth having guests sign release forms.
This effort will help to protect your business legally and ensure everyone knows what to expect. It sounds simple, as good communication can help sets a professional foundation, but you may be surprised that some guests could react uncomfortably to so many cameras around in an “official” capacity.
Arrange A Shot Plan For Each Room
If you run a big enough event, it’ll likely take place across multiple spaces, rooms and even stages, and having a shot plan for each area is an important place to begin. Don’t just assume you can rock up with an expensive camera and make it all look great.
However, this doesn’t have to be overly complicated – just a simple guide outlining the key moments you want to capture in each room is a good place to start, and you can balance your positioning and lighting around that.
For example, one area could host important guest speakers, while another showcases product demos or attendees socializing you can use it as B-Roll for any promotional material you put together for the next event this time next year.
But what should go into your plan? Well, where will you record from? What camera lenses will you use – tight and focused, or wide and spanning the room? Is there any lighting or glare worth avoiding? Do you need audio, and if so, how is that synchronized to the footage? These questions will give you a good start so you don’t have to imagine this later on.
Set Up Drone Recording Capabilities For Exterior Coverage
A favorite of footage-geeks is that of drone recording because steady, sweeping camera shots from up on high can look fantastic. You don’t need to hire a helicopter, you don’t need any special insurance, and you can even record attendees coming into your event without actually recording their faces or getting close enough to need release forms. It’s an excellent way to give viewers a better sense of the event’s scale, which could be hard to capture on the floor.
Of course, it’s absolutely imperative to plan for this well ahead of time. Ensuring that the drone operator is licensed and follows all safety regulations will be important, as aerial footage can have its own set of challenges, and the last thing you need is a crash of an expensive camera. Careful coordination is needed, especially if the event is taking place in a busy or populated area, and so be very responsible with your shot plans. However, when done properly and if using reliable brands such as drdrone.ca, drone footage can be the cherry on the cake of your event coverage efforts.
Set Up Pre-Lit Photography Booths Or Portable Studio Space Where Needed
Sure, you might have a harder time planning to cover a huge room, but small booths or studio spaces you can set up often have a great deal of room for coverage on your own terms. This can be especially useful for corporate events where headshots or product photos might be needed throughout the day.
Setting up a portable studio space can help ensure that everything from posed shots to green screen with uniform lighting, even to fun pictures of your guests, it’ll all be captured clearly and professionally and you won’t have to worry about release forms for unwilling participants. This is also a great opportunity to encourage social media sharing too, remember, you’re not the only one with a camera in your event!
Steadicams Can Offer Fantastic Floor Coverage
Recording the booths and the attendees on your floor can be fun, but of course, things can feel a little stiff if you’re only doing so through tripod cameras or shaky if a marketing professional is walking around with a smartphone camera.
So, if you’d prefer to capture what’s happening on the event floor without either of those outcomes, a Steadicam can be a great investment. These counterbalanced harnesses provide smooth movement, so you can walk around and still get nice, stable footage. This is especially worthwhile for those moments where you want to show the energy of the crowd or capture real interactions that feel more natural.
Steadicams are ideal for getting a mix of shots that feel more immersive, but you’ll need someone trained in them, and a two-man team so the first person can focus on the camerawork, and their partner can direct them and ensure they never trip. This can help you stay dynamic and you can even pull off cool shots you wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. It’s also a nice balance for drone footage but closer to the ground, because you wouldn’t have been able to fly one inside and certainly not this close to people. Again, just make sure your attendees are given the appropriate warning about your plans.
Make Certain Recording Frame Rates Match Lighting Frequencies
Getting the technical details right is essential when covering any event, and it’s important to remind ourselves of that, because buying cameras, no matter how fancy, is just step one. Keep in mind that that can cause problems is mismatched frame rates and lighting frequencies. This can lead to flickering or odd visual effects in your recordings, especially under artificial lighting like LEDs or fluorescents or if you have backlit displays.
To avoid this, take some time before the event to check the lighting setup and adjust your camera settings accordingly. Most modern cameras make it easy to tweak frame rates and will offer monitors you can use to see how the footage will look, so it’s a quick fix that can save you from headaches during editing.
With this advice, you’ll be certain to cover a large business event with good camera work, even if you’re just dipping your toe into both running larger corporate gatherings and also documenting them for the future of your firm.
Leave a Reply