Special Occasions: Capturing That Special Event

Camcorders and special events--they go together like, well, like the proverbial horse and carriage. And yes, one of the most frequently videotaped events of all celebrates love and marriage. But if you're going to produce a compelling record of such an occasion, you can't always fall back on horse-and-buggy techniques. Event-based video programs require savvy planning and your very best skills as a videographer.

Special events come in a rich variety of guises. Among the most popular are birthday parties, graduation exercises, weddings, reunions, anniversaries and religious rites like Bar Mitzvahs and baptisms. As different as all these occasions are, they do have several important characteristics in common: they either celebrate significant milestones or commemorate important relationships. Because an event itself is fleeting, a video that captures its essence becomes a cherished record for the participants.

It doesn't take a closet full of expensive equipment to produce satisfying results. The most important components--thorough preparation and a well thought-out strategy--are totally free.

Using three examples: a child's birthday party; a family reunion; and a wedding, this article will give you the insight on how to capture that special event.

Legwork
No matter how simple or elaborate you expect the event to be, the more legwork you do in advance, the smoother the actual shoot will go. There are three key areas to investigate before the event takes place:

1. the locations;
2. the format;
3. the participants.

This digging operation doesn't have to be done in any particular order; a good way to start is by scouting the location. While the value of inspecting the site of a big church wedding is obvious, it may seem almost silly to do the same for a child's birthday party, especially if it's for your own child and it's going to be in your own home. Yet the same questions have to be answered for all events:

• What is the physical space like?

• What are the lighting considerations?

• What are the audio considerations?

• Are there any special restrictions or obstacles?

• Where are the A/C power outlets and do they work?

Every detail that you garner on your survey trip will become extremely valuable as you plan your production approach and determine equipment needs. In scouting the venue for your wedding, for example, you might discover that the sanctuary is dimly lit and that church policy requires the camera to be at a significant distance from the wedding couple. You also note that the site offers some striking visuals, including a set of brass organ pipes and a graceful bell tower.

Similarly, your visit to the venue for the family reunion, a local park, turns up both pluses and minuses. One side of the park is near a busy road, threatening to compromise the sound quality. On the plus side, you see there will be many opportunities for B-roll shooting (action shots that can be used as visuals during voice-over interviews), including paddle-boating on the lake and a miniature train ride for the kids.

As for your in-house scouting trip, the birthday party site uncovers some potential trouble spots you may not have noticed before. For one thing, there's that precious Venetian mirror in the dining room--not only will you have to take care not to hit it with a heavy tripod, but it is also a concern in terms of unwanted reflections. Scouting the location in advance will allow you to avoid these pitfalls before the party starts.

Making Contact
Once your scouting is completed, you'll want to focus on the event's format and learn who the major players will be. With luck, one key person from each festivity will be able to supply you with the inside scoop on all of this. Your contact may even help you collect various items to shoot, like invitations and old photos.

For the wedding production, your contact person is likely to be the bride, the bride's mother, or the wedding coordinator. Though most weddings follow a similar schedule, there can be important individual variations as well. Ask when the wedding rehearsal is scheduled, and if possible, plan to attend.

As for the people component, you'll want to learn something about everyone who is in the wedding party, as well as any special relatives and friends who will be attending. You'll also want to get a sense of what the bride and groom are like, and learn something about their romance. You'll be able to use this information to help give your wedding video more of an intimate, personal slant--a significant consideration when you are videotaping a large, formal ceremony like a wedding.

When it comes to the birthday party, your natural informant is one of the child's parents. Even if you yourself are that parent, and you think you know all there is to know about the event, there are some special things to think about. For instance, will your child be receiving one major present? If so, think about how to stage this moment for maximum dramatic impact. Does your child have a best, best friend? If so, make a note to get some sound bites from this pal.

The sleuthing you do for the reunion is apt to be a bit more demanding than for either of the other two events. There is no traditional structure for reunions, and these events also lack obvious stars (no bride, groom, or birthday child). Thus, your informant's help is of even greater importance here. This person, most likely one of the reunion organizers, will be able to lay out the highlights of the day and will also be able to tip you off to some long-anticipated mini-reunions between friends and relatives. In addition, your source may assist you in locating family artifacts like old photos, yearbooks and documents--elements that can greatly enhance a reunion video. You might even consider asking this friendly soul to be your point person during the event, steering you to the people you want to interview and helping to orchestrate the mini-reunions.

Strategy and Approach
Now that you've done your digging, you're ready to nail down a theme and rough out a script. Working out a theme can take a bit of brainwork, and while some videographers will argue it isn't necessary, the pros know that a theme provides the spine upon which to build your program. Non-pros can benefit by using themes to enhance their videos as well.

Themes need not be complex to work well. For instance, if your birthday girl is turning 13, the theme of your birthday video could be: "Jenny becomes a teenager." Then you shoot scenes and conduct interviews that reflect that sweet and awkward transition between childhood and adolescence. For your family reunion, your theme might be: "What we Johnsons have in common." Everything from the family's characteristic blue eyes to its shared history become relevant threads to tie your program together. In your wedding video, your core idea could be: "Marcie and Wayne, both avid athletes, join forces to become a team." This dynamic theme (competition transformed into union) will give you a clear point of view for your shooting and editing.

Once you've settled on your theme, it might be helpful to sketch out what the professionals call a "beat sheet"--a list of major scenes, including the starting place, the ending place, and the major elements in between. You should also have a checklist of the people you want to interview, and a list of anticipated action shots, cutaways and establishing shots.

Once you know what and where you'll be shooting, you can begin to nail down your production strategy and equipment list, using the notes you made on your scouting trips for reference.

Going down your beat sheet of major scenes, figure out how to handle each one in terms of lighting, audio and camera placement. Also, give some thought to the order in which you might shoot the scenes that aren't locked into a chronological sequence. For example, knowing that afternoon shadows are going to become a major problem at the reunion location, you might plan to shoot most of your B-roll footage early in the day.

In some cases, you might even want to do some of your shooting before the actual event. Insert shots of photos and invitations can certainly be done before the big day, and so can title art. For an elaborate production like a wedding video, you may even want to do a pre-wedding sequence with Marcie and Wayne telling the story of their romance, and shoot B-roll footage of them in action on the tennis court.

The order in which you shoot will be determined by your editing approach. If you want to make swift work of it, then stick closely to chronological sequence. If you intend to take greater pains with your editing, you'll probably want to dedicate a tape to B-roll footage, and be less concerned about sequence.

Once you've worked out your production strategy, assemble all your gear and make sure it's in good working order. Check that you've got all the audio and lighting equipment you plan to use. Pack plenty of tape and batteries. If you plan to use your camcorder's fill light, check that it is fully charged. Last of all, make sure your gear bag contains all those small but important odds and ends you rely on.

The Big Day
When the big day finally dawns, and you've done a solid job with your prep work, all should be smooth and happy sailing.

Still, this doesn't mean you can afford to be cavalier. On the day of the event, get there early! You don't want to be in a hurry while you set up and test your equipment. Examine all your switches to see that they are in the proper position (sometimes settings get shifted during transport). That done, utilize the time before the guests arrive to do as many of your establishing and "color" shots as you can. This is also a good time to get behind-the-scenes action--Jenny's sister in the bedroom wrapping a birthday package, or the groom pinning on his boutonniere.

As soon as the event gets underway, keep yourself on target by referring to your beat sheet, but don't be afraid to improvise--some of your most memorable shots may be the ones you didn't plan.

Give yourself permission to shoot lots of tape; it's a cheap commodity and you'll never have a chance to shoot this particular event again. Be sure to get as many "people shots" as you can (see Sidebar). Don't let your zeal to cover the event overwhelm your sense of common courtesy for the participants and guests.

As in any video production, you'll want to strive for excellent quality both in your sound and pictures. One big problem with special events videos is the over-use of the hand-held camera, resulting in a program filled with wobbling, annoying images. Discipline yourself to use a tripod, bean bag or other steadying device (see the "Getting Started" column in the March, 1996 issue of Videomaker), and vary your camera angles to increase visual interest. Getting clear sound can be another stumbling block at special events. In scenes where audio quality is especially important, avoid shooting in rooms with noisy air conditioning or near busy streets. The best way to improve sound quality is to have appropriate external mikes for various situations, such as a wireless lavalier mike for the groom to wear during the church service, and a hand-held mike for interviews at the reunion. Be sure to record ambient sound at each location. You'll find it helpful to make a voice slate of each person you shoot, to help you identify who's who when it's time to edit.

Putting it All Together
If you've been conscientious about following your pre-production battle plan during the big day, the final steps should be a pleasure, not a chore. You can now reap the benefits of deciding in advance whether to follow a streamlined approach to editing, or to undertake a more elaborate post-production process. In your editing, you can take time to perfect the pacing and visual rhythm, alternating between short scenes and long ones, and between close-ups, wide angles and different points of view. You'll also have more freedom to try different ways to intersperse your archival materials with live footage, and your B roll with your interviews.

As you complete the last touches, savor the satisfaction of knowing that though this special event belongs to the past, your efforts will preserve its most precious moments to be relived again and again in the future.

Carolyn Miller is a freelance journalist and scriptwriter specializing in interactive multimedia.

SIDEBAR

It's All About People
Sometimes, in the whirl of covering the action at a special event, you can forget what's most important: the human element. Yes, you want to capture the grand procession of bridesmaids down the aisle, but you also want to get a shot of the bride's dad surreptitiously wiping away a tear as he gives his daughter away. It's emotion-filled moments like these that will have the greatest impact on your audience.

Close-ups, reaction shots, and interviews are all ways to weave the human element into your program. In your close-ups and reaction shots, look for expressions that reflect joy, surprise, pride, amusement, and parental love--all intense emotions that your audience can read visually without an audio explanation.

Interviews are a powerful way to make event videos more personal. The most effective interviews for these types of programs have less to do with "whats" and "wheres" ("What's your home town? Where did you first meet the bride?") and more to do with the "whys" ("Why do you think the bride and groom are so well-suited for each other?") Though it is always smart to prepare questions in advance, don't hesitate to ask your subject provocative follow-up questions instead of automatically going to the next question on your list.

Remember, for your special events video, there is one element that will make your productions stand out from the rest: focus on feelings, as well as facts.