Start by defining the objective for the event video and the outputs you want to get from the day. That could include full presentation recordings, a highlights video, social media clips, interviews or footage for future corporate content.
Once your filmmaker understands those priorities, they can plan what needs to be captured and how to approach the production.
Key Takeaways:
- Define the objective for the video before deciding what should be filmed.
- Work out which video outputs you need from the event so your filmmaker can plan the right coverage.
- Flag important people, moments and deadlines in advance, then let your filmmaker plan the production.
Table of Contents:
- Start With Your Objective for the Video
- Decide What Outputs You Need From the Event
- Plan Your Interviews Before the Event
- Plan Ahead if You Need Content During the Event
- Tell Your Filmmaker What Needs Particular Coverage
- Let Your Filmmaker Plan the Production
- Frequently Asked Questions
Start With Your Objective for the Video
A corporate event video strategy should start with your objective for the video, before deciding what to film.
There are plenty of reasons to film a corporate event. You might want full recordings of presentations for people who couldn’t attend, a highlights video to promote the next event, short clips for LinkedIn, interviews with speakers or attendees, or footage your team can use in future communications.
Each of those needs something different from the filming.
If the priority is making presentations available after the event, the focus will be on capturing the speakers and their presentations clearly. If you want to promote next year’s event, footage of the audience, networking, venue and atmosphere becomes much more useful. If you want to hear from clients, partners or other stakeholders while they’re all in one place, interviews need to be part of the plan.
You don’t need to know exactly how everything should be filmed. That’s the filmmaker’s job. But being clear about the objective makes it much easier to work out what needs to be captured on the day.
Decide What Outputs You Need From the Event
Once you know the objective, think about what video outputs you’ll actually need from the event. You might need a full recording of a keynote, a highlights video, short videos for social media or footage that can be used in future content.
You don’t need to produce all of these. What makes sense will depend on the event, your audience and what you plan to do with the content afterwards.
Full Keynote, Panel or Presentation Recordings
If the presentations themselves are valuable, you may want full recordings that people can watch after the event. This could be a keynote, panel discussion or individual presentation for people who couldn’t attend, or for your organisation to share internally.
This requires a different approach from simply capturing a few shots of someone speaking. If you need the whole presentation, your filmmaker needs to know that before filming starts.
An Event Highlights Video
A highlights video gives you a shorter overview of the event rather than a record of everything that happened.
If you want to promote a future event or show people what the day was like, the filming needs to go beyond the stage. Speakers may still be important, but so are the audience, networking, venue, interactions and other moments that give a sense of the event.
Short Videos for LinkedIn and Social Media
You may also want shorter videos from the event for LinkedIn or other social channels. These could come from a presentation, an interview or another useful moment captured during the day.
If you need any of this content while the event is still happening, rather than afterwards, that needs some extra planning. We’ll cover that later.
Footage You Can Reuse Later
Not everything you film needs to become an event video straight away. Some footage may be useful for future corporate videos, campaigns or other communications.
If you know there are people, activities or moments that could be useful later, flagging them before the event gives your filmmaker the chance to capture them while they’re available.
| If You Need… | Your Filmmaker Will Need To Capture… |
|---|---|
| Full presentation videos | The complete presentations, clear audio and any presentation material needed for the finished video |
| An event highlights video | Speakers, audience, networking, venue and moments that show what the event was like |
| Social media clips | Useful speaker moments, interviews, reactions and supporting event footage |
| Future event promotion | Speakers, attendees, interactions and footage that shows the atmosphere of the event |
| Stakeholder stories | Planned interviews and supporting footage of those people taking part in the event |
| Content during the event | The priority moments, with enough time planned for editing and approval |
Plan Your Interviews Before the Event
Corporate events often bring together people who can be difficult to get in the same place at the same time. That might include clients, partners, executives, speakers or other stakeholders.
If their perspective would be useful in your video content, identify who you want to speak to before the event rather than trying to organise interviews on the day.
Before the event, work out:
- Who you want to interview
- What you want to hear from each person
- When they will be available
- Any venue, access or timing constraints your filmmaker needs to know about
Allowing time for interviews in the run sheet is particularly important. Speakers and attendees may only have a small window between sessions, meetings or other commitments.
The location matters too. A busy conference floor or networking area can make an interview difficult to record, so your filmmaker can help work out where those conversations should happen.
At this stage, focus on who you want to speak to and what you want their perspective to add to the video. Your filmmaker can help shape the interview from there.
Plan Ahead if You Need Content During the Event
If you want content published while the event is still happening, let your filmmaker know before the event. A short LinkedIn clip that needs to be ready that afternoon requires a different workflow from a video that will be edited and delivered afterwards.
Before the event, make sure your filmmaker knows:
- What content you need during the event
- Which speakers, sessions or moments are the priority
- When the content needs to be ready
- Who needs to review or approve it before it can be published
You don’t need to work out how footage gets from the camera through editing and delivery. Your filmmaker can plan that workflow around what you need and when you need it.
The important thing is to raise it early. If content needs to be ready while the event is underway, that needs to be part of the production plan before filming starts.
Tell Your Filmmaker What Needs Particular Coverage
A run sheet (the schedule of what’s happening and when) is useful because it shows your filmmaker how the event will unfold. What it may not show is which parts of the event need particular coverage.
Before the event, let your filmmaker know about things like:
- A presentation that needs to be recorded in full
- An announcement, award or other moment that will only happen once
- A particular speaker, stakeholder or guest who needs to appear in the footage
- A session where you only need general event footage
- Any restrictions around when or where something can be filmed
Once your filmmaker knows what needs to be covered, they can plan the camera coverage, audio and timing, and coordinate with the venue or AV team where needed.
Let Your Filmmaker Plan the Production
You don’t need to arrive with a detailed shot list or know how the event should be filmed. You need to be able to explain what you want to get out of the filming and anything your filmmaker needs to know about the event.
From there, your filmmaker should be able to take the lead on the event video production. That includes working out what needs to be captured, how to cover it and what needs to be organised before the event.
If you’re planning a corporate event or conference in Wollongong, Sydney or elsewhere in NSW, James O’Connor at James Patrick Photography can help shape the brief and manage the production around what you need the video to achieve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information should I give a videographer for a corporate event?
Give your filmmaker the event details, run sheet, the objective for the video, the outputs you need and any people or moments that need particular coverage. Let them know about any deadlines too, especially if you need content while the event is still happening.
You don’t need to provide a technical filming plan. Your filmmaker can use that information to plan the filming, audio and other production requirements.
Can one event produce video content for different purposes?
Yes. The footage from one corporate event can be used for different types of content, such as presentation recordings, event promotion, stakeholder stories, internal communications and future corporate videos.
It helps to identify those uses before the event. Your filmmaker can then make sure they capture the footage needed for the different content you plan to create.
Can interviews filmed at an event be used in other corporate videos?
Yes. An event can be a useful opportunity to interview clients, partners, executives or other stakeholders who may be difficult to bring together again.
Those interviews don’t necessarily have to be used only in the event video. If you know you may want to use them in future corporate content, tell your filmmaker so they can plan the interviews and supporting footage with those uses in mind.
Can a corporate event filmmaker work with the venue’s AV team?
Yes. Your filmmaker can coordinate with the venue or AV team where needed, particularly around the event schedule, audio and any technical requirements that affect the filming.
It helps to put them in contact before the event so those requirements can be worked through in advance rather than on the day.
