​Video production tips: shooting event highlights video

Whether it's a three-day conference with world-class business leaders, or a wedding video in sunny Kent, an event highlights video should be engaging and retain viewers' attention for as long as possible, although sometimes, that's easier said that done. In this article, our Video Production Manager provides tips on how best to approach an event to create a captivating video that your audience will actually want to watch. 

Plan

Like all other productions, event highlights require a great deal of planning. You need to know the location - are you allowed to film there? Do you need to seek permission? Is there a schedule for the day? When do you need to arrive? Will you require any assistants? These are all questions that will help you determine the size of the job, allowing you to proceed to the next step and prepare for your shoot.

Prepare

Once you have the required information, you will be ready to prepare. This means getting your kit ready and a handy checklist will ensure nothing is forgotten. Do you need to hire anything? If so, make sure you book early to avoid a last-minute rush to get that fast zoom lens you need to shoot across the 200ft conference room. Once your kit is in place you will need to prepare your filming schedule, detailing where you will be and what you will be shooting throughout the day. This is essential to avoid missing any crucial parts of the event.

Set expectations

It is important to know what style of video you are going to produce before you start your shoot and agree this with your client. How will you tell the story of the event? Make sure you know what you want to produce and have a shot list in mind when you are shooting as this will increase efficiency and, again, ensure you don't miss anything.

Shoot for the edit

Shoot for the edit means that you have a shot list in mind, you know more or less what you require, and you are efficient about getting these shots. Don't spend too long on one thing, get a variety of shots that will compliment each other. A sequence of shots to introduce a conference may include some establishing shots of the venue, people walking in the door and past some branding, delegates signing up and registering for the event and conference staff pointing them in the right direction. By having these shots in mind, you will end up with less 'unusable' footage to go through and will save considerable amounts of time when it comes to editing.

Capture good sound

If you are going to include voiceovers such as interviews or keynote speakers, it is incredibly important to capture good sound. This is one of the biggest pitfalls when it comes to making videos, bad sound will make for an unpleasant video to watch, with audience engagement and retention levels suffering as a consequence. To achieve a superior sound quality, you need to get the microphone close to your speaker, for example, use a lapel mic for your interviews or connect a sound recorder to the sound desk to capture the keynote sessions.

Aim for a quick turnaround

An event video should be released shortly after the event itself. This will create a post-event buzz and keep the conversations surrounding the event going for as long as possible. If you wait too long to release the video, it will become irrelevant, attract less viewers and be less successful in reaching your audience.

An event video should be used to promote the event, but also to promote other aspects of your business or organisation. For example, we filmed the ASCL conference a few days ago, where we asked delegates about the benefits of being a member of ASCL. Once complete, this video can be used to promote the association, attract new members, and serve as great content to regularly share via social media.

We hope these tips come in handy when planning your next event video. If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our video services and how we can help promote your event, you can contact our Video Production Manager on Twitter @SANTpilgrim, or email santiago@zoodikers.com.