Live Event Preparations
Filming a live event video requires extensive preparation and planning. If you miss something important due to poor planning, there are no second takes and no reshoots. Since live events can move quickly and be unpredictable, we had to develop a comprehensive plan to get the shots we needed.
Our recent shoot for the Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix in Melbourne required us to meet some specific criteria from the event hosts and to show off their “escape room” setup, a challenge for Magic players to receive hints about an upcoming card release.
The escape room was a dimly lit, gothic-style dungeon with flickering lights and a puzzle for participants to solve. We decided to shoot with the Sony A7S because it performs well in low light, with little to no image noise.
The event organisers had provided us with a list of shots they wanted to use in the final clip, including full coverage of the escape room, players’ reactions, and various B-roll throughout the day. This allowed us to plan our day ahead of time so we wouldn’t miss any important shots, like the first group to attempt the escape room. As mobility was essential to ensure we got every shot possible with one camera, we used a handheld rig with a body support and follow focus to enable us to reframe and focus quickly with minimal equipment weighing us down.
We also had a boom operator and an on-board microphone hooked up to the camera rig to capture good-quality sound.
live event magic the gathering
As we weren’t editing the footage ourselves and the producers who had provided us with a shotlist were on a very tight schedule to send out a finished edit, we had to be very selective with our shots to ensure that our rushes weren’t filled with unusable footage. This meant sticking to our shot list and only deviating when we saw an opportunity for some useful B-Roll.
Equipment
We carefully selected our equipment based on getting the best quality footage without sacrificing mobility. So the Sony A7S was chosen with a body-mounted rig and follow focus to allow us a steady handheld image with the mobility required when moving around a large convention centre.
Sound was recorded with a shotgun mic on a boom pole, into a mixer, which was then channelled into the mounted Sony audio input.
Logistics and file transfer
As the footage was being transferred digitally to the US for an edit the next day, having a solid plan was crucial. We had arranged three drop points throughout the day during natural breaks in filming. As the ProRes files from the A7S were large and would take a long time to transfer, we used an option on the A7S to record a low-resolution proxy as an MP4 file simultaneously. We uploaded these files first to allow the video editors in the US to begin an edit before the full resolution files had uploaded. The files were transferred to a hard drive, then taken to a transfer facility in South Melbourne.
By following our plan and working efficiently throughout the day, we managed to get all the required footage and the producers received the footage on time for a rapid finished edit.
If you need to capture a live event, or for any questions about our services, contact us here.
Ryan Spanger is the founder and managing director of Dream Engine, a Melbourne-based video production company established in 2002. With more than two decades of experience, Ryan has helped leading Australian businesses, government departments, and non-profits communicate their message with clarity and impact through video. He’s known for his strategic approach, reliable process, and commitment to producing videos that deliver measurable results.
