As you plan your next event, it is important to have a way to capture and store a record of the experience. You will look back in time and be glad that you took videos of your event. In this article, I will share with you some basic event videography tips that you can use in shooting videos.

I have enjoyed learning how to shoot videos over the last couple of years. My personal journey into videography started with a smart phone, but I have since upgraded into Canon M50 EOS camera. I use it when shooting my social life or events, as well as to create content for my YouTube channel.

It is important to mention here that event videography applies to both social and business or corporate events. Therefore, you should aim at creating great memories of either of the events.

You might ask; what if I am not a professional videographer?

This is a good question, because with your smart phone, you can shoot a video at an event. It is very common today to get or videos shot by amateurs.

Therefore, learning and understanding basic event videography tips or ideas will help you to improve your craft.

If you would like to create or build a career as a professional videographer, these event videography tips will guide you on that journey.

You should invest time and resources in improving your skills. It is my belief that the event videography tips below are going to help you.

Let me dive into them now.

What is Event Videography?

As you learn about event videography tips, it is important to first understand what is meant by event videography.

In simple terms, event videography is the art of capturing moments or experiences at an event by use of a video.

The person who undertakes this role is what is called a videographer.

Shooting videos at events can involve different kinds of events. However, you can put them into two major categories; social or corporate events.

Therefore, event videography is the capturing of significant events, to record moments taking place at the event for purposes of reliving these moments in the future.

Event Videography Tips and Ideas

Here are the event videography tips that will make you create a successful and quality video.

1. Understand the event.
2. Create a budget.
3. Agree on payment terms.
4. Plan your shots
5. Know people and the VIPs at an event.
6. Ensure you have all the gear.
7. Get someone to assist you.
8. Ensure lighting is on point.
9. Shoot with editing in mind.
10. Choose music to use in advance.
11. Tell a story.
12. Learn basic videography.
13. Watch online event videos.
14. Master your camera
15. Arrive early at the venue.
16. Get expert guidance.
17. Use the Rule of Third.
18. Save your work.
19. Deliver work on time.

These above event video creating tips are going to be useful, regardless of the type of the event you are recording.

19 Basic Event Videography Tips and Ideas

In this section, I would like to explain and elaborate on the event videography tips and ideas shared above.

These are the nineteen top tips you should consider when undertaking shooting videos at an event.

1. Understand the event.

This goes without saying. You should take time to understand the kind of event you want to record.

Different events have different needs when it comes to shooting videos.

In this regard, ensure you fully understand the event. Is it a wedding, a gala dinner or a birthday event?

2. Create a budget.

If you are the one hosting or organizing the event, you should create and have a budget to cater for event videography.

It costs money to hire a videographer. Ensure you have the money to pay for the services of a professional videographer.

Having a budget also applies to the videographer. You might be required to travel or acquire extra lightning or equipment.

3. Agree on payment terms.

When hiring an event videographer, it is good to agree on the terms of payment. Both the client and the service provider should be keen to have this sorted out.

You do not want to have issues when work is finished.

It is important to have clarity on this critical aspect of videography business.

4. Plan your shots.

Once you are done with administrative work, it is now time to get down to business.

You now understand the event and know what is expected of you as the videographer.

Sit down and plan your shot. Know what kind of videos you need to capture in advance.

This allows you to have a proper work flow, and also to capture all the shots that will go into the final video product.

5. Know people and the VIPs at an event.

As you work on getting your shoot done, it is important to know key people or VIPs at an event.

This applies to both social and corporate events.

Your client should guide you on this, to ensure you capture them on video.

Imagine taking videos at a wedding and not getting shots of the bride or the groom. Would you really like that?

6. Ensure you have all the gear.

When you are given an opportunity to shoot videos at an event, you should ensure you have all the necessary gear you need.

This includes cameras, tripods, batteries and lighting boxes among others.

It is your responsibility to have equipment and gear to help you have a successful video shoot.

7. Get someone to assist you.

One of the most important event videography tips is to have a secondary or even multiple videographers.

The idea is simple. You cannot be at all places at the same time.

Therefore, to avoid not capturing certain moments or shots, you should bring along another pair of hands to help you with the shoot.

Have two or multiple camera angles at a social or corporate event add to the depth of the video you are will create.

8. Ensure lighting is on point.

Lighting is very important and central to event videography.

In this regard, you should ensure that you have enough and the right kind of lighting for your shots.

Since you had planned for your shots, it means you have been able to bring the right kind of lighting set up for the event.

You will realize that day and night events might require different sets of lighting gear or settings.

9. Shoot with editing in mind.

In most cases, you will be shooting with a plan to edit the event videos.

Therefore, as you go about your work, you should take video shots with editing in mind.

It is important to capture various angles and shots, to enable you have enough editing space in post production of the video.

You should ensure you take shots that will work together when editing. This includes the lighting and exposure among other aspects like white balance.

10. Choose music to use in advance.

I know you might be wondering; why do I need to choose music for my video in advance?

Let me explain.

Music plays a very big role in expressing emotions and telling a story in videos. You can elicit different emotions or mood depending on the music you use.

In this regard, it would be a smart idea to plan and choose your music in advance.’

This will work very well with the shots you are going to take, and make your editing very easy or fast.

11. Tell a story.

A truly successful event video is the one that tells a captivating story.

You should aim to using your shots to tell a story about the event. This means you should have a mindset of a storyteller.

A story has a beginning, middle and an end. You should incorporate those principles of storytelling into your event videography.

12. Learn basic videography.

In today’s world, there are opportunities to improve your skills and expertise in videography.

You should take advantage of that an learn basic videography tips and strategies.

You can do this by enrolling into a school or buying an online videography course.

13. Watch online event videos.

In your preparations of shooting videos at an event, you should watch online videos of past events.

The reason why this is a great tip is that it helps you to understand and learn different ways of shooting event videos.

It is possible to pick ideas of how to capture the best moments from watching how others have done it.

Just get into YouTube and learn. It is free.

14. Master your camera

This is one of the key event videography tips.

You should know and master your camera. It is important to fully understand how your camera works.

This will help you to extract most value from it, and to get the best shots at an event.

Some think that to get the best event video, you need the most expensive camera. This is not necessarily true.

You can find cinematic videos that are shot on an iphone or a simple android smart phone.

Knowing how to use the gear you have is more important than getting the most expensive gear that you do not understand.

15. Arrive early at the venue.

This is a basic event videography tip. You should arrive at the venue of the event early enough.

You will get time to fully learn the environment, and to also set up your cameras and lighting.

Arriving early at the venue gives you time to make any last-minute changes that you might desire.

16. Get expert guidance.

If you are a beginner in event videography, you should seek guidance from the experts.

It does not hurt to seek help. You can learn a lot from your experienced friends in the videography industry.

17. Use the Rule of Third.

Event video framing and composition is a good tip and idea to consider.

This is where the Rule of Thirds comes in. It is an important videography tip and plays a significant role in creating a successful event video.

When applying this rule, the idea is simple; you place your subject’s head a little higher in the frame and give them visual breathing or walking space when facing the sides.

If you like watching movies, you can this in action most of the time. It is one of the perks of watching videos as a videographer.

Ultimately, the objective is to use visual element to tell your story as I mentioned earlier.

18. Save your work.

One of the most frustrating things in videography is losing your work. You do not want to experience such a situation.

That is why you should always save your work. It helps if you can have multiple places to save your recorded videos.

19. Deliver work on time.

When hired to work as an event videographer, the client expects you to deliver the work on time.

You might also have agreed on when the client should expect the final video product.

In this regard, you should keep your word and deliver on time.

However, if you need more time, it is always advisable to reach out to the client and inform them in advance.

Best Cameras for Shooting Event Videos

One of the things that might be bothering you might be about the camera to use to shoot your videos.

The best camera for shooting your event videos is the camera that you can use in an effective way.

It is not a must that you buy or get the expensive camera. What you need is to have the ability to get the most from the camera you already have.

You might be using your smart phone or a digital camera. The truth is, you can extract a great deal of value from these basic cameras if you understand how to use them well.

In today’s market, you can access awesome DSLRs and mirrorless cameras that will work for you.

For example, I use a Canon M50 EOS to do my personal and business shoots today.

However, I have a dream to one way own the high-end event videography cameras and equipment like drones.

As you start to learn the event videography tips, you should consider brands that have good reputation and with plenty of lenses.

You can look into Canon, Sony and Nikon as a start.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I am hoping that this article has provided you with valuable event videography tips and ideas.

You can use the above tips and strategies in videography to create social or professional videos.

If you are new to videography, it is important to invest in learning the basics of shooting videos at events. These might either be social or corporate events.

There are many events that require videos, and your expertise is needed to create a record of these memories.

In today’s world, you can earn money making videos. You can do this by creating and uploading helpful videos on YouTube.

Under YouTube Partner’s Program, you can monetize your videos. It is also possible to incorporate other monetization ideas like affiliate marketing into your YouTube videos.

In this regard, the event videography tips shared above will help you to build something beautiful with your life.

I am hoping that this article has provided you with great ideas on event videography, and some of the tips you can use in creating your own videos.

In the meantime, I am wishing you success in your videography journey.