How To Video Record Live Events (page 3)

Shoot the Dress Rehearsal(s)

The dress rehearsal (or sometimes two) are where the actors, the lighting technicians, the costumers, the prop-master and the director all get it together and make sure everything works. It's like a performance, but the director may stop things and go back, or they may try certain parts again at the end. The benefit for you is that it can be more-or-less a private performance. If you're shooting with one camera, ideally, you could shoot the dress rehearsal from up close with a tripod-mounted camera, getting closeups and medium shots and then a wider shot during the actual performance. Talk to the director before the show about the possibility of re-doing key scenes specifically for the camera so that you can shoot from different angles. Remember to make sure your audio levels are consistent. Shooting the dress rehearsal might even give you an opportunity to get closeups and angles backstage that you might be able to capture during the show itself.

Use Off-Camera Microphones

The microphone built in to your camera is okay for audio three feet in front of your camera. To capture what's happening on the stage and in the audience you need your microphones there. Ideally the theater will already be miked and you might be able to plug into their audio out. If you're on your own, in the best case scenario you should have at least two mics on the stage and one pointing to the audience to capture their applause. Recording the audio on separate channels will allow you to mix the important parts louder and remove or lower undesired input (you do want to hear the audience clap, you don't want to hear them cough and open potato chip bags). If you absolutely cannot use off camera microphones, look into a directional "shotgun" mic that you can aim at the stage - this will cut down on unwanted noises from other places.

Final Curtain

To do it right you need to get in early and stay late. It's not an easy task, but it can be an extremely rewarding one, giving the actors and musicians on stage the opportunity to see themselves perform is a rare and wonderful gift.

Contributing Editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who exhibits regularly and has written books on technology and photographic art.