Shooting Videography Projects & Interviews with Celebrity Talent
Anytime you have a camera in front of a celebrity, the pressure increases.
There is the lucklihood that time is even more of a factor, or a tenuous personal favour is the reason why they have given their time & energy towards being filmed.
For whichever reason it may be, the videographer / cinematographer in charge has even more of a need to be diligent and effective in shooting the celebrity talent.
Here a few event photography & event videography tips to make your celebrity shoot go smoothly.
- Get the Context of your celebrity talent's appearence How the celebrity is linked to the event is very important. Are they a patron of the invite, amongst other stars? Or are they a paid brand ambassador who has a vested financial interest in co-operating with you?
Understanding this nature, you'll be able to work out how tenuous of a link the celebrity has to the interview. The stronger the link it is, generally, the more latitude you will have with time for quality & creativity.
When I was tasked with filming Shane Warne's movie review at the movie premiere of Angry Dad's Documentary "Fuck Off Mitchell : The Angry Dad Story", it was clear it was a short window to film him. There was no pre-planned moment. We had one shot and one shot only, and needed to time it as he exited the audience. This meant that we needed to shoot with little light, and have the focus razor sharp, ready to go as Shane had another engagement to dash off to.
Understanding this ahead of time, allowed me to relax & prioritise Shane over the other patrons.
- How will the footage be published? When Tayla Harris won the Australian Female Middleweight Title against Margarite Butcher, I was tasked with capturing a moment behind closed doors with the belt she won on her lap.
This was a moment that was highly contingent on her winning the belt. As my client Team Ellis Promotions were her boxing promoters, it was easy enough to ask how it would be published. The use case was for social media to showcase her winning result.
Knowing this gave the team a small window of opportunity, where a few chairs, a quiet background & filming lights were set up, in order to capture a high quality, low key shot of Tayla Harris with her belt showcased. The end result fit the brief.
COVID-19 and Event Videography in Melbourne
With Melbourne is back and roaring again, many people and business are looking to book in corporate videography in Melbourne or party photographers in Melbourne given COVID-19 is now with 30 days of no new cases or deaths.
Per, City of Melbourne's guidelines, in order to Moment 2 Moment to provide your event, birthday or wedding with photography or videography, the following must be done in order to go ahead.
The event site must be designed to ensure there is 4 square metres of available floor space per person with a physical distance least 1.5 metres maintained from others.
Maintain the number of attendees permitted as per current Victorian Government restrictions in place at the time of the event
Face masks are mandatory for indoors and on public transport – and outdoors where you can’t physically distance within Melbourne itself. All attendees are required to have a face mask with them at all times.
Up to 50 people can gather outdoors from any number of households (excluding infants under 12 months).
Any businesses open & have staff on site, must have a COVIDSafe plan in place.
A maximum of 150 people per space subject to the density quotient, can be in indoor areas (seated and non-seated), including cinemas, small theatres and small galleries.
Full regulations and laws regarding events (which include birthdays, corporate events & weddings can be found here https://creative.vic.gov.au/news/2020/coronavirus-update)
Should you wish to book in videography for an upcoming event, event photography or birthday photo shoot in Melbourne, please contact us on 0410737457 or email info@moment2moment.com.au with your enquiry today.
The Film Philosopher's Review - Bong Joon Ho's Parasite
Listen to the Film Philosopher's Podcast here!
Admittedly, this was the second time I watched this movie Parasite.
It was a hard one to get into, and I’m normally someone who watches movies with the subtitles.
I wasn’t really hooked on the beginning of the film and it is a slow burner, but one well worth re-watching as it did grow on me.
This film, like Joker and Sorry We Missed You, were some of the most damning social commentary movies that have stemmed out of the last decade, all of which released in 2019. It’s a sign of the times.
Scenes I didn’t like
The opening scene was very quirky. I get the symbolism, and understand the character revelation “parasitical leeching of WiFi, utilising the poison to kill the bugs in the apartment” but I felt that it didn’t quite catch my mind.
Maybe I’m the victim of a short attention span, but it would have been nice to see a bit more of the families motivations and aspirations in the beginning. Start the movie off by dumping the family in a problem, and showing how their character flaws get in the way.
Scenes I liked
Admittedly, I love two scenes. The penultimate scene at the birthday party - and the rain flood scene - but I will focus on the rain flood scene as it is less of a spoiler - and admittedly, I thought you would pick the party scene!
Rain flood scene - The former home… the nest if you will, is the final link to their previous lives in the lower class. It is where the delusions of grandeur manifested themselves first. When it floods, we realise that there is a sense of finality to their journey, where they cannot go back to their previous lives - The family have crossed the rubicon here. There is no going back to the former lives.
All of their precious belongings have been damaged - the materialistic wealth & memories lost forever, where their identities in their new roles have encapsulated large portions of their lives.
Now the cinematography here - phenomenal. I still don’t know how they did it. It must have been a nightmare to work with so much water on the set - or at the very least.
The use of water - spilling over the tungsten lit scenery is superb. The blocking and choreography of the extras throwing buckets of water adds much needed kinetic energy which adds to the tension & immediacy of the moment - mixed in with the music. Sublime.
As you see the poorest of the underclass, try desperately to save their meagre possessions, the rich, the wealthy, have no such issue, with their homes being safe from the elements at large.
Bong Joon Ho uses metaphor quite a bit. The moment where the the sister in the family, clamps down on top of a toilet lid as it sprays waste everywhere, whilst the bathroom is flooded with water, is rich with allegory to their own plight. Acceptance of the shitty situation. Trying to make the most of it, but never quite being in a position to completely get out of it. This says a lot about social mobility - of themselves, and the Western world at large.
Seeing Ki-Taek moving through the water flooded apartment, with a float box of possessions, looking around with tears in his eyes, is incredibly moving, and solidifies his decision to seek shelter for his family and into their employers - the Park family home.
Parasite works well as you can see this movie in many different lites. It is easy to crucify the Kim family as being parasites, but the same is true of the Park family, who exploit labour by their hoarding of wealth, and using it as a way to shirk their responsibilities of handling any dirty work.
I loved this film, and whilst I don’t think this is an appropriate format to discuss it’s winning of best film at the Oscars, I feel the competition was strong this year and a case could be made for any of the nominated films (including the critically acclaimed Uncut Gems). It definitely wasn’t an upset and a case can be made for it deserving the award. No one should be disappointed that Parasite won outright this year.
Overall Score
8.5 out of 10
What Your Corporate Event Photos Say About Your Brand
Don't be fooled - Your brand extends to even your corporate event photos. It isn't enough to have a nice flash & well exposed photos at your event, as being scrutineous about what your visual style is & which photos you publish, can affect the way your brand is perceived.
This is why having a major corporate event photographed is going to be completely different from an art therapy workshopped - and not only do you need a photographer who can understand this, but you also need to know for your own businesses sake.
Colours
Colours come in many forms and for brevities sake, I'll cover three main styles. Black and white, vivid & bright, natural & lifelike.
Black and white event photos give off a certain level of class, emotionality & sophistication. With a great deal of colour information lost, it causes the audience to focus more on what is happening inside at event.
Vivid & Bright add more excitement & vitality to the event's festivities. This is perfect for events that have a bigger social aspect to it, or for environments that take place around vibrant environments.
Natural & Lifelike are a good balance for events that fall anywhere in between or have an intimate touch to them. We would recommend you take a natural & lifelike colour approach to your event photos when a greater focus is on the attendees there.
Candid vs Posed
A candid photo is a photo taken when the subject is completely themselves, captured in motion without awareness that the camera is on them.
A posed photo is a different style completely. It takes an energetic & extraverted photographer who can gracefully pose people on the fly at an event.
One isn't better than the other, it is a matter of what fits you.
Environment
The location is super important to any event photographer, as well as the result - the event photos.
The environment dictates much of the lighting, colours, background & angles of the event. To this end, it is super important to work with your event photographer & help them with as much foreknowledge of the environment as possible.
You should also consider how your choice of location can influence the perceived brand of your event. Always choose locations that fit in with your business.
Subjects
Who are your attendees? This is a very important aspect to any event being photographed.
If you have business professionals, you will need to emphasize their attire & show their level of engagement with the seminar / conference.
Other the other side of the coin, if you have a classroom full of artists, then the emphasis should be on them in the act of creation, rathern than showing their attire.
There are a plethora of other variables that can be utilised by your photographer in the moment of capturing the event, which is why the more information you can provide about the guests, the better the photos will be.
How to Prepare For your Corporate Event's Videography & Photography
At any event, the potential for content is rich & bountiful - for those who plan ahead.
Planning is super important, when capitalising on your corporate event to ensure that both the quality and quantity of the final media is high.
We've compiled a list of tips that can benefit your corporate event photographer / videographer.
1 - Event itineraries are important for your photographer / videographer!
On the day at your event, there can be a chaotically large amount happening there. If your photographer or videographer, isn't there at the time & place where the action happens, it'll be lost forever.
Having an itinerary handy ahead of time, will help your videographer & photographer be ready for the interviews, the presentations & other important moments of the event.
Providing a map of the venue's floorplan is also helpful to get the photographer / videographer orientate themselves to the space, which is enormously helpful.
With an itinerary & floorplan, your corporate event photographer will have all they need to excel on the day.
2 - The Brief - Where & How will your Photos be used?
Another important piece of knowledge for your videographer / photographer to note, is whereabouts your video & photos will be used online and how will it be displayed to your target audience.
For instance, shooting a memorial dinner for a distinguished guest may yield different photo requirements than a product launch for clothing line.
If your videographer / photographer understands what your corporate event needs are, they will be able to shoot and edit the content to fit those needs far more effectively.
No one wants to receive vague & off point content!
3 - Lighting requirements of the corporate venue.
Light is a factor for both video & photo. Not every venue is going to have the best light sources, but with enough knowledge, your chosen corporate vent photographer / videographer can help plan ahead and choose the right equipment, or speak to the right people to improve it.
It comes down to the type of venue you have, whether there is natural lighting coming through, or if it's artificially lit, and what kinds of artificial light there will be - and how they can be changed.
The more information you can provide your photographer / videographer, the better they can plan ahead of time, as to the best spots to take photos from, without using high ISO's or being overly reliant on flash.
If you are unsure, give the videographer / photographer the number of the venue manager, so they can chat with them about it.
4 - Get Specific - Who is your target audience?
The content needs to fit your target audience. Period. If the content isn't 100% orientated to their needs, then forget getting engagement.
For instance, if you are hosting a marketing event, and your keynote speaker is David Meerman Scott, then it would be very wise to brief your videographer to get an interview with him, or for your photographer to get a set of posed snaps with him and yourself.
Find out what content from the event your audience are going to find interesting or of use and you will discover greater yields from them.
5 - Storage room for your corporate videographer / photographer
Events can be a logistical nightmare, and not every piece of equipment will be brought by your chosen photographer or videgorapher, yet they still a safe space to store their equipment and charge any batteries they may have (depending on the time and length of the event).
It is vitally important to the logistics of the corporate event content, to provide a safe storage space for your photographer or videographer.
Ask them questions like...
- How much space do they intend to need?
- Does it need to be accessed frequently?
- Does it need to be manned or only lockable?
Make it Snap! 3 Tips for Flawless Birthday Photography
Planning a birthday for yourself or a loved one involves a thousand small decisions, and remembering to hire the birthday photographer can sometimes be an afterthought.
Whilst birthday photography isn’t logistically challenging, there are a few factors that are outside the photographers control that can impact the quality of the photos they provide.
Here are three tips from Moment 2 Moment Event Photography, that can help boost the WOW factor of your birthday photo album.
1 - Many hands make light work at your birthday party
Aside from using a flash, the photographer will utilise ambient environmental lighting from sources like chandeliers, candles, disco lights, LED party lights, bonfires & the humble light bulb.
However, some venues & environments lack these lights which result in the photographer over utilising their flash - which can hurt the ability to showcase the venue in which the party is held in. Not a game breaker, but in 10 years time when you are looking at a memory reminder on Facebook, seeing what the venue looked like can help your memory come flooding back.
If you can arrange with the venue to switch on lights & provide your photographer with the permission to change them throughout the night, you’ll find that the photos you receive will be more varied & diverse, as well as having better quality background details. Furthermore, the images you’ll receive will be far better as the photographer doesn’t have to compensate with brighter flashes (blinding your patrons), higher ISO’ levels (grainier photos) or wider apertures (too much blur & difficult to focus)
2 - Tell your Birthday Photographer who your special guests are
Everyone’s welcome at a party, but the VIPs are the VIP’s for a reason - because you love them slightly more. We can take for granted who our family & close friends are, and so can your photographer.
Nothing is worse than receiving a photo album with more photos of a mate your cousin invited to the party, than of your Uncle who flew in from South Africa to celebrate your birthday plans.
Give your photographer a loose list of the people who are nearest & dearest to you (or point them out!), and you’ll see the birthday photo album that you really want to see.
3 - Itinerary of the Birthday Celebrations
Can you imagine viewing all the photos in your birthday photo album and seeing none of your mum shedding a tear as your dad gives a speech on how proud he is of you?
Birthday celebrations bring out the rare & uncommon emotions in your family and friends, which is why it’s important for the birthday party photographer to be ready to capture them at the exact moment they happen.
Given that no birthday is complete without speeches, gifts and cake - It’s super crucial to your birthday party photographer to have an itinerary (or run sheet) of the birthday celebrations to achieve this end.
Even a loose bullet point list of what is happening, at what time, can help open up the lines of communication so that your photographer of choice knows what is happening at the right times.
St John of God Hospital Interviews
Moment 2 Moment was contracted by a media agency to shoot a series of in-house interviews for St John of God Hospital.
Be Prepared! Effective Planning Guide for Event Videography
The worst thing that can happen to an event, is to have a poor quality video due to a lack of planning & communication.
Events can leave you time poor
We understand, after all, we shot hundreds of events as working Melbourne event videographers ourselves over the years and know our clients issues well, as we see it with our own eyes.
Every industry, be it music, corporate, weddings, birthdays has it's own particular set of challenges & last minute issues that can blindside you.
Luckily, with a bit of extra preparation, you can avoid major event videography issues before they pop up. And best of all, your event videographer can handle these for you.
1 - Recording High Quality Event Audio
A poor image can be fixed, but bad audio cannot be. If your event has keynote speakers, special songs, performances, speeches or interviews, it is super important to understand how to approach this.
Your event videography needs to have...
- Shotgun microphone for interviews / ambient sound
- Lapel mic for interviews / speeches
- Audio recorder with inputs for speeches / music
- Ability to work with the PA system
Without the above tool kit, the audio cannot be captured in a useful manner that blends into the video well.
Furthermore, what is crucial, is understanding which staff, have what audio equipment like...
- Your DJ
- MC / Wedding Celebrant
- In-House Venue
It is super important for the videographer to get as much information about the above as possible
We recommend sending your Venue / DJ / MC / Wedding Celebrants information to your chosen event videographer, so that they can assess the system and work a plan to capture the sound correctly.
Also important is understanding audio hazards. Your videographer will have far better audio, if they know in advance how to remedy them, as they can affect the quality of the sound recorded for your event video.
Questions to be asked about audio hazards include...
- Does the venue have a noisy background from a fridge, gate, air conditioner etc?
- Is the venue near a helipad, noisy highway or airport?
- Will there be another major event in the nearby vicinity?
2 - Getting an Effective Event Videography Brief
Everybody’s events are different, which is why no event should be a one sized fits all brief.
To make an effective brief, the core principles need to be ascertained.
What kind of event needs to be filmed?
What is the overall goal that this video is working towards?
Who is your intended audience?
Where will it be seen?
These criteria then determine…
Run time (is it a 30 minute, long form seminar video or a 30 second highlight video for social media?
Types of cameras used (cinema cameras, DSLR’s, GoPros, mobiles)
Crew that are needed (2nd shooter, drone shooter, jib operator)
The moments that crucially need to be captured (VIP’s, ribbon cutting, performances)
Style of editing (face paced, slow paced)
Tonality (high colour saturation, monochrome)
Lighting
For the most part, every videography company has a different questionnaire that they need filled in. After getting this key event information, a brief will then be created which lists the overall steps, important decisions & information that are made before filming the event.
It is super important to be transparent & accurate with this information, otherwise the event videography company that you have selected, may not provide with what you and your audience need!
3 - On the Day of Your Event
