Filming corporate events differ in a lot of ways compared to casual events such as weddings and birthday parties. If you’re an event videographer and you haven’t tried filming corporate events, then our guide will be a lot of help for you. 

When filming these kinds of events, you want to capture the most significant moment as much as you can. It’s a live event so you don’t have any control over what’s going to happen but you need to have a sharp eye for the little details that could be impactful. 

Did you know that filming corporate events is also a way to build brand awareness for your client’s company? 

Yes, they hire you as their videographer to get people interested and excited about what value they can provide to their customers or guests. 

And that’s why you have to be serious in filming the best shots.

But don’t worry, because we are here to help you create quality event video production footage. Below you can find our tips starting from the preparation phase until the editing phase.

So, without further ado, let’s discuss.

Part One: Preparation Phase

#1 Make Sure You Get a Copy of the Schedule

If you could, please get a copy of the schedule from the organizer. This is helpful so you know what will be the flow of the entire event.

You can also use this chance to ask the organizer which parts of the event they’d like to be captured and which parts they don’t want to film. Ask them who are the key speakers, as well as a brief overview of what the discussion will be about. 

You can also use this time to ask them what promotional material they’d like to use. Give them suggestions on how you plan to introduce the event on your footage. This way, you can prepare yourself with who and what you should focus on and not be too overwhelmed during the actual event.

As an event videographer, you should know what the client wants beforehand to bring excellent results to their table. 

#2 Get Interviews With the Key Speakers

A great conference shooting should include quick interviews with the CEO and key speakers of the event. This is definitely one of your must-haves in filming corporate events as this could help your film’s narration and story later on. 

Getting interviews will give you the highlight that you might have missed while filming the event. This additional content will also let you tie the story together, create transitions, and be creative in the sequences you’re making. 

Sometimes, it might be you filming it and asking questions. If so, it’s also great to have some exciting questions ready. 

However, if you fail to have these questions with you, just remember to start your questions with: Why, Where, When, and How. By using these open-ended questions, you’ll be getting real answers as a response, and not just a simple yes or no. 

Pro Tip: During interviews, they should be doing more than you. Focus on them and what they’ll say. Also, do your best to bring the microphone as close to their mouth as possible for better clarity of their voice.

#3 Be Mindful of What You Are Wearing

Yup, it doesn’t look as important but it actually is. In filming corporate events, how you look and what you are wearing reflects your professionalism in your field. 

Prepare this before the event because once you are already at the actual event, you will surely be busy enough to forget how you look.

Of course, being ready with your equipment, sound, interviews, and schedule is very crucial. But always remember that paying attention to how you will look is just as needed when attending these corporate events.

The people who will be attending will be businessmen, and their likelihood of wearing corporate attire is very high. So please, don’t just go to the event with just your T-shirt and jeans. Be as smart-looking as you can by dressing up similarly to the attendees. 

By dressing appropriately, there will be a possibility to attract new clients or possibly get more work from the client you are currently working with. Remember that all your potential clients are just there, waiting for you (and your great work) to be noticed.

Part Two: During Filming Corporate Events

#4  Have a Quality Lens That Works Well in Low Lights

Most businesses use hotels for their corporate events, and these hotels can be dark in lighting so it’s best to be ready with a lens that works in dim lights. This is also very important when doing corporate headshots.

If you are not prepared with this, the orange type of lights might give you a hard time filming whoever is presenting and also the people that are actually at the event itself. The last thing you would want is to have dark and unclear footage to present to your client. 

We’d like to recommend having a zoom lens. 

By using a zoom lens in your conference shooting, you are not just getting yourself out of the trouble of filming dark footage, you’re also avoiding placing the camera closer to the people’s faces—which would certainly cause awkwardness. 

In choosing a zoom lens, you would want your aperture to be at F 2.8 or faster for you to feel comfortable. Although having F 1.8 or F 1.4 is also feasible and sort of the bare minimum. With this, you will not go into the trouble of not being able to shoot certain footage because the lens of your camera cannot keep up. 

Pro Tip: The key things to film are people having conversations. Focus on people’s eyes, hands, and other gestures. If you can get them laughing, smiling, and having a good time? That’s gold! 

#5 Make Sure to Stabilize Your Shots

I guess we’ll agree that having shaky, jittery, and unsteady footage looks very unprofessional, right?

This is specifically a problem in filming corporate events where you would always need to walk around to capture the main happenings around you. 

Stabilize your shots to avoid this. You can get a three-axis motorized gimbal for the best stabilization. By using this, it will stabilize your camera. No matter where you go, you can still get panning and tilting shots perfectly. 

You can also walk around with your camera without worrying if it will be shaky or not. Although the downside of having this is it could be very expensive. 

If you are just starting out with your videographer career, you may rent out the equipment first and then just charge the rental fee to your client’s overall invoice. You can also still utilize your monopod or tripod first while you are still on a budget. Stabilized lenses could also help you a lot in getting great shots, too. 

#6 Use a Two-Camera Setup 

If you can, having a two-camera setup or more will make your conference shooting a lot easier. You will also be able to shoot twice as much good stuff with it. 

We recommend putting a wide-angle lens in of your cameras so you could capture establishing shots. Then, you can use the other camera setup with a 200mm lens so you could use it for close-up shots and other details such as people exchanging conversations.

Again, make sure you stabilize these cameras so they are not too difficult to move around. 

Using a two-camera setup makes your film look more dynamic and interesting to your audience. With this, you will also be able to choose the best footage from different angles you have captured. 

It’s also good to know that the more cameras you use, the cost will surely go up and also the time that will be used to edit the shots. However, the benefits of having these different shots definitely outweigh the additional cost. 

Pro Tip: Having a two-camera setup is particularly important if the corporate event has a question and answer portion, or a debate that is fast-paced. The more camera you can use, the better your film will be. 

#7 Try Your Best Not to Film Toward Screens

There are times that this is inevitable, but try your best to avoid that flicker you get from screens such as TVs or projectors in the event you are filming. The flicker would not look professional on your final output and it would also give you a hard time in editing it post-production. 

If you really need to shoot towards a screen and you do get a little bit of flickering, you may opt to adjust the shutter speed up or down to try to counteract the flicker that you get on the screen. 

However, if you can try to set up your camera beforehand to avoid that flicker, please do so as it will save you a lot in editing it afterward. 

Make sure your cameras are angled correctly in a way that will not produce those flickers on the screen on your shoots. Come early on the day of the event to see what are the best spots to shoot from. 

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#8 Get a Variety of Shots 

This is very basic, but it is very necessary. During the actual event, some videographers tend to forget how important this tip is. Please don’t.

Having a variety of shots is basically what gives you the foundation you need for your editing. Like in cooking, it will give you the ingredients you need to come up with the best dish you could ever make. 

If you think you already got the perfect shot, then that’s great. But it wouldn’t hurt to have another option for that same shot, would it? It might end up being better when it’s time to make the editing. Getting a third, fourth, and fifth shot would also be great if you can!

As an event videographer, it is very easy to get caught up with everything that is happening around you. But don’t let your surroundings stop you from being the best videographer you are meant to be. 

Shoot different shots. Film different angles. Shoot the location. Capture the details. Change the focal lengths. Get as much as you can and your final output will be so much better. 

In filming corporate events, it’s best to have tight shots, medium shots, and some wide shots to choose from. Know that it’s difficult to make an interesting video with only close-ups and definitely also difficult to have just wide shots. Practice the proper balance.

#9 Always Shoot With Your Edit in Mind

Maybe you have read about this in our other HayotFilms articles, but we’re here to remind you again how important this is. 

Shoot to edit. Always. 

This means don’t just shoot for the sake of shooting the video. Always make sure you already have an idea of how your end product will look while shooting it. Never waste time shooting the same view only. As mentioned above, get a variety of shots.

Keep in mind that even though this is supposed to be a corporate video, you would still need to come up with a plan. So, you would need the audience to follow along with what you would like them to see. And it has to be interesting. 

Plan on how you want them to see the video’s introduction, middle, climax, and end. Imagine how would your audience feel once they have watched your video. For example, you may check how Bollywood films shot in Europe do it.

Make sure you also include the littlest of details that you can add at the beginning of your video or any part of your video you see fit. For example, film the hotel’s flower arrangements as part of how you’d like to begin your film. 

Pro Tip: It’s best to shoot details that would get as much branding as possible for your client. Keep their brand visible for the duration of the video. This helps with their brand awareness and makes people aware of who is running the event. 

#10 Do Your Best to Capture Different Emotions

Of course, aside from getting different shots, aiming to capture different emotions of the attendees is also very essential when filming corporate events. 

It is absolutely easy to get distracted only by the technical stuff especially if you are a new videographer. You might tend to focus on the camera settings too much that you might forget how important capturing emotions is.

Keep in mind that not all your viewers would know if your settings are great or not, but they will surely understand if the video has captured great emotions or if it didn’t.

Your goal should be to get some sort of emotion out of the viewer. Since we’re talking about corporate events—get them hyped on what you’re going to show next. Get them eager. Shoot intense moments where you could get a reaction from the people in the film, as it will reflect your watchers as well.

#11 Capture Audio Even If You Don’t Need It

Yup, because you may not know when you will suddenly need it.

Even if you are not capturing voices, see to it that you still capture audio. You may want to record audio with your camera’s internal microphone, or if you have a microphone you can use, the better. 

Have a sound check prior to the event to make sure you have the correct audio levels set for your cameras. Microphone placements are very important as well especially if there are panel discussions. 

Capture some sort of audio whether it’s just people talking, having fun, or just some sound effects here and there. It will help you a lot with your edit. 

#12 Be Mindful of How You Act During the Event

This is probably the most important tip during the actual event. 

When filming corporate events, you are coming across extremely professional business people and you want them to have an idea that you know what you are doing and you know how to act right as well. 

If things don’t go according to your plan, don’t just get angry or frustrated. Don’t complain, too. Do something about it to solve it in a way that you would still act as professionally as you can. 

If you don’t act right, it may leave damage to who you are as a videographer and to the company you are representing as well. 

Try to give more smiles as you can and be as friendly to the people around you. Engage in conversations if needed.

Pro Tip: By just being nice, you may attract other clients that may use your services in the future or may recommend you to their circle’s videographer/filming needs. 

Part Three: Editing Phase

#13   Change Up The Pace of Your Edit Throughout the Video

This tip right here is what makes a video interesting. 

Imagine a video with the same pace, same sound, and predictable cuts. Wouldn’t you get bored if you are to watch it?

The last thing you want to do is to exhaust your viewers with your repetitive pacing. 

Having a beat drop in music is one of the essential ways to change up the pacing in your footage. Incorporating sound design in your video is also a great option. 

In filming corporate events, the most important would of course be the people in it, their emotions, and what they are discussing. 

But, changing up the pacing of your video just takes it to another level. It just adds so much immersion into it. It will take your finished product to a whole new level you wouldn’t want to miss out on. 

#14 Spice Up Your Edit With Transitions

Did you know that a terrible video with a weak story can still look great if the transitions are done right? Also, a great video with plain and boring transitions could be uninteresting for some because of it.

So make sure you spice your transitions up!

One technique is moving the camera in a way that it will transition to the next shot. This is very common in filming corporate events as well and the flow of your video would look seamless, too. 

You can also use overlays or basically just mix up different transitions you can edit to. But be careful not to make transitions that don’t really fit the needs of a corporate event. Remember a corporate event still needs to be professional. 

#15 Tell An Interesting Story

Telling an interesting story is not just meant for movies or novels. If you’re a comic artist, you need to tell a great story, too. If you’re a writer, you need it too to attract readers.

The same goes for you as a videographer filming corporate events. 

Creating a corporate event video is not just compiling your thirty favorite clips into one. Again, it should have an impactful beginning, middle, and end to it. 

You may want to show people getting ready at the beginning. Then build it up from when the event is being started to when the key speaker is about to present. You should also end it strong with visible brand awareness. 

Pro Tip: Include a ‘Wow Factor’ in your video. Give your audience a surprise that they are not expecting. Capture and edit something that will stand out. Find something cool that people will talk about. There are a lot of ways to do it, you just have to be creative!

Final Thoughts

Like any other profession, there are certainly innovative ways into filming corporate events. And it’s always best to invest in the right crew with the finest experience. 

Getting the best video production crew reflects your brand’s image, so it’s always best to get a professional. Hiring a professional videographer also knows how to edit properly and how to accurately convey your story to your audience. 

In addition to that, an experienced videographer gets done on time.

We are a video production in Prague that is experienced in filming corporate events. Our main goal is to make every corporate live filming look outstanding, meaningful, and attractive. It should also reflect your brand accordingly. 

If you are looking for a professional video production company to capture your corporate event in the best way possible, contact us and we’d be more than happy to exceed your expectations.