The Way We Were

Capturing Once In A Lifetime Events

Life is full of special occasions, and many are ripe for remembrance through the magic of video. By recording an unique event, the joy, fun and pride felt at the lime can be relived again and again for many years.

A wide range of special occasions can become great video subjects-birthdays, bar mitzvahs, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, class reunions. Or try the birth of a baby, a first school play, a little league game, family reunion, company picnic or bungee-jumping marriage ceremony.

Like beauty, the value of a videotaped occasion lies in the eye of the beholder.

But that value can be enhanced by a producer with the proper equipment, common-sense planning and the right attitude.

Time Traveler

As a videomaker documenting a special event you've inherited a great responsibility.

With camera in hand, you're the keeper of the fleeting moment. The event will never happen again; you won't be able to go back and do it over. You need to capture the moment as it happens. Make sure it's something you can be proud of, something your audience will enjoy.

Much of the magic of video involves the passing of time. As the years fly by, the special occasion video becomes a treasured souvenir. Thanks to your creative and technical skills the video you produce becomes a window back to an emotionally-charged moment that is no more.

As the videomaker, you're the pilot of your audience's time travel, controlling the quality of the journey by what you let them see and hear.

Producing an entertaining special event video can be a real challenge. Consider the planning and preparation necessary to tape these special events: a friend's first triathion, an employee picnic featuring a cast of thousands, a couple's 50th vedding anniversary party attended by three hundred friends and relatives.

Each event involves a noisy environment, plenty of distractions and a sea of humanity sure to roll around you while you're shooting. They're young, old, thirty something, constantly asking, "Is that thing on?" or demanding "Get that camera away from me!"

Besides all this, you must contend with unending chatter in your own head: "Did I shoot him already?""Will the battery die before this shot does?"

"Is that RF interference pattern only on my monitor, or on the tape as …