Conference & Convention Speaker Videos – Info You Need Before Hiring a Video Production Company

How to hire a video production company to shoot your conference or convention - What to look for!

You're hiring a video production company to tape your convention, conference, or trade show speakers. There are things you as the client will need to know before you hire, to get the right crew and equipment. There are also decisions you'll need to make in order to get exactly what you need from your production company.

Here's what you'll need to consider.

1. Your goals for your convention or conference videos matter!

When you hire a video production company for your shoot, how will they know what you need? For example, do you need one camera or three? Do you need good sound, or not? Do you need extensive editing or not? Many elements of the video production process can vary depending upon exactly what you plan to do with your videos.

Some things you may be planning on using your video(s) for include:

• Selling them.
• Using them to create a promotional video for upcoming events, conventions, conferences, or trade shows.
• Showing them to staff or customers who couldn't attend.
• Putting them on your website or on YouTube, etc.
• Using clips for social media.
• Keeping a record of your event.

Each of those goals will require different a different planning process, as well as different types and amounts of equipment and crew members. For most presentations, 1 to 4 cameras are needed.  Here's what you can do with them:

1 Camera: A shoot with 1 camera will mostly stay on a wide shot.

2 Cameras: This is usually used to get a wide shot of the presenter along with close-up shots to cut to.

3 Cameras: This will allow you to get a wide and close-up shot of the presenter, along with another angle of the presenter and audience shots.

4 Cameras: This gets you all of the above, plus it's great for Q & A sessions with the audience. This is especially true if it's a large audience and questions are coming from all over the audience. The fourth camera allows for two cameras to be placed in different parts of the audience, so the camera can get to the people asking the questions in a timely way.

For more information, read our article called "How Many Video Cameras Do I Really Need for My Shoot?"

So for example, let's say that you are shooting presentations to sell. You'll want a professional look. You might want to capture the audience's reactions, and you'll want to include close-ups and distance shots of your speaker. Not only that, but you'll need at least three cameras and crew members for this. If you're having a Q & A session, you'll want 4 cameras.

However, let's say that you're just showing the video to people that couldn't attend. A single-camera with a wide shot may be all that you need.

So your goals for the videos would impact the types and numbers of cameras and crew members you'll need.

The editing process will also be different, depending on your goals. A multi-camera video that you're planning to sell will require a more editing time and work than a single camera video. Also, if you're having PowerPoint slides or videos shown during the presentation placed in the videos, this will also make the editing process more time-consuming.

So you'll need to be clear on what your goals are before you can determine what your actual video production needs are.

2. How Large will your audience be?

Audience size will make a difference. For example, let's say that you're expecting a large audience, perhaps over 2000 people. You won't want your crew and equipment blocking parts of the audience, so you'll probably need one camera that can shoot from the back of the room, behind the audience. Certain types of cameras will be required to get good quality from a distance, and your production company may need to bring various lenses. Depending on what your videos will be used for, you may also need additional cameras placed to the sides. If you have a small audience, you can get away with a less expensive camera and a single lens.

3. Staging, sound, and lights - Who will be providing it, and what is needed?

If you have a small room, and you're taping just to have a record of your event, good quality lighting and sound are not as important. To have your videotaped with good quality for any of the other purposes we mentioned above, you'll need to hire an audiovisual company that can provide:

• Theatrical lighting
• Microphones
• Sound System
• Stage
• Backdrop

Many hotels have their own staff and equipment for this, however, we find that the in-house A/V is often not high quality and dependable. If this event is important, you may want to hire an outside company with a good reputation.

You'll want to arrange for a couple of things that will impact your video quality. First, an audio person should always be in the room during each presentation. This is because things can go wrong. For example, you could get a buzz in the sound, which means there will be a buzz on your video. The sound could be too low or distorted, and this will also impact your video quality. Someone must be there to monitor the sound at all times if it's important to you to get good sound on your video.

An experienced video production company will work with the sound system and the audio person to get good quality sound for your video(s).

4. Know your event schedule and schedule set-up/test/breakdown time for the video crew.

In order to get the appropriate video coverage, you'll need to know the conference/convention schedule. One thing most people don't realize is that the video crew will need to get into the room at least an hour before the event to set up and test the equipment and audio connection. This must be built into the conference schedule. So if your first speaker is at 9 am, you'll need to have the conference room available to the crew by 8 am. You'll also need the AV company available for lighting and audio adjustments.

Lastly, they'll need time to break down and remove their equipment after they've shot everything you need from them. That should also be scheduled in.

Do You Need a Video Production Company for your Conference,  Convention or Trade Show in South Florida or Orlando?

Check out what makes us your best choice of video production company for your convention or conference video.

or...

Contact us Now!

If you need an experienced and professional team for your conference or convention videos, give us a call! We'd be happy to talk with you, give you a free quote, and some ideas as well. There's no obligation at all.