Event Videography: What to Expect at a Conference Shoot
You've booked a videography team for your next conference. What actually happens on the day? Here's a walkthrough based on the hundreds of events we've covered across cities like London, Dubai, Barcelona, and Singapore.
Before the Event
A good production team will visit the venue (or do a virtual recce) at least one week before the event. This covers lighting conditions, power access, camera positions, audio setup points, and any restrictions from venue management. We also coordinate with your AV team to ensure our equipment doesn't conflict with the house system.
Crew Setup on the Day
For a typical single-day conference, expect a crew of 2–3 people: a lead camera operator, a second camera operator for audience and b-roll, and an audio technician. The team arrives 90 minutes before the first session to set up and test equipment.
Equipment typically includes two cinema cameras (we use Sony FX6 and RED Komodo), wireless lavalier microphones for speakers, a shotgun mic for audience questions, LED lighting panels, and stabilisation rigs for roaming footage.
During the Event
One camera captures the speaker in a fixed wide or medium shot. The second camera roams for close-ups, audience reactions, networking moments, and b-roll of the venue. The audio tech monitors levels throughout and manages wireless mic handoffs between speakers.
For multi-track events, we scale the crew accordingly. A three-track conference might need 5–6 operators to cover all sessions simultaneously.
Same-Day Highlights
If you've requested same-day highlights — and we recommend it for multi-day events — our editor begins assembling a 60–90 second recap while the event is still running. This is typically ready 2–3 hours after the final session and can be shared on social media the same evening, while the event is still trending.
Post-Event Deliverables
Full post-production typically takes 5–10 working days, depending on the scope. Standard deliverables include a highlight reel (2–5 minutes), individual session recordings (full-length), speaker interview clips, and social media cuts optimised for LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.