One of the most interesting things about video production is the opportunity to travel to such a wide variety of different places. This is particularly true when filming events. For example, the event videos that we have produced for the business communications company Kerv have taken us to the Imperial War Museum in Manchester, the Tower of London, and even – in the video below – to London Zoo.
These events are Kerv's chance to update their partners and clients on the latest developments in their field, while also treating them to some top-class hospitality. And for brands generally, they are also a great opportunity to create content that attracts and engages audiences, old and new.
So, if you’re planning your own event video or briefing a production team, what do you need to think about? Here are a few questions to consider during the pre-production process to ensure that you produce a video that has the impact you’re looking for.
1. What are the goals and outcomes for your event video?
This is probably the most important question to ask because it will influence all the other decisions made. Reasons for producing an event video include:
Promoting future events
Updating people who were unable to attend
Demonstrating experience in a particular field
Get attendees to comment on an industry related topic.
In the instance of the Kerv video mentioned earlier, the client wanted to capture the overall positivity of their regular events. As one of the speakers talks about the benefits of Kerv's solutions, we see shots of the engaged community networking and looking around the impressive London Zoo event space.
2. What is the single most important message to convey in the video?
Once you know what you want to achieve, you should have a clear idea of what you want to say. Remember: a good events package should be no longer than around three minutes. Thus, having a clear idea of what you want will help focus the filming and editing.
Ideally, the key message should be summarised in a short, succinct sentence that the team can keep referring to throughout production. It can also be a useful way of measuring how effective the edits are. If you’re left in any doubt about whether the video conveys your mission statement, review it and cut out clips that distract from the story.
3. Who do you want to feature?
Events are a chance to interview guests, experts, clients, staff, and exhibitors – so seize the moment! When working on another event video for the software company Apteco; we made more than just this highlights video. We also produced a client testimonial reel from the interviews – a shining example of making the most of a video marketing budget.
4. Where will the event video be shown?
Don’t just post the video on YouTube. Have you thought about embedding it into an email campaign? Sharing it (or edited versions) across your social media platforms? Or maybe playing it in your office reception, or at other events that you exhibit at in the future?
As a medium, video is fantastically versatile. We can edit event footage into a whole host of other great pieces of marketing content. These could include homepage videos, end of year reviews, and client testimonials. Build these possibilities into your plan! If you have other ideas for where the footage could go, let the video crew know so that they can get everything you need on the day.
5. What is the style of the video?
Not every video needs talking heads or vox pops to show what a great event it is. Some of the best event videos online are promoting festivals, which don't need people saying how much fun they're having because it's clear from what they're doing.
If you've seen event videos that you really like the look of, share them with the production team as inspiration.
6. Where will you film interviews?
Another decision that follows on from style is: where to film interviews. Do you want to film them with the event going on in the background? Or a separate quiet room away from the action? The former can work if you want to convey the vibrancy of the event, but some audiences may find it distracting... particularly if the subject is talking about something that isn’t directly related to the event.
Sound is key to a great video so it really pays to think about where you can capture the right audio. For Kerv’s London Zoo video, we were lucky to have a nice spot outside that was both quiet, and showed off the beautiful weather! When planning your event, it's something worth discussing with the venue manager. Is there an ideal space away from the hustle and bustle for interviews?
7. Will you brief speakers before featuring them in the video?
It’s extremely helpful if the interviewees know they’re going to be filmed before the event. We can schedule accordingly, the right questions can be asked, and they can prepare if needed. Vox pops have more of a rough-and-ready feel. In some instances, that's fine – but it does add pressure to find the right people to ensure the final output is engaging and insightful.
8. How are you going to let delegates know that filming is going on?
Not everyone will want to be captured on film and should have the chance to opt out if they want to. There are plenty of ways that you can let attendees know that they may be filmed:
Sending an email before the event
Putting up signs around the venue
Asking presenters to mention it in their opening speeches
This is very important. There are few things more annoying that having to pull an event video because someone contacted you saying they didn't want to be featured. It can end up incurring a lot of extra time and cost when it needs to get re-edited.
9. What's the schedule?
Finally, share as much information as you can about the event with the production team. The filming schedule will depend on the running order of the day, particularly if the only chance to get interviews with speakers or attendees is during coffee breaks and at lunch. There’s a lot to capture in a short amount of time so planning is key to producing a successful event video.
So: an event video can be an amazing marketing tool for immortalising your business' success stories. They offer a way of connecting with your community while also expanding the message out to a much wider audience. Whether you’d like to work with us on filming an event, or if you’d just like some advice about what we can offer to your business – don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.