I was asked to film a speech, help

M

mtan

Well-known member
Hi, I was asked to film a speech at a local auditorium and I am not sure how to cover this properly. I am used to either moving around and shooting or having the luxury to re-shoot if necessary. The only lenses I have are the kit 14-140, 20mm 1.7, and a FD 28mm 2.8.

I was thinking of renting maybe the Panasonic 45mm 2.8 but I am not sure if I will be able to get that close, at that close distance I would probably be in the way. I am nervous about using a manual focus for this type of live event but it seems like renting a 100mm 2.8 or greater would probably be the only choice, or at least to have on hand if I want to get a proper close shot.

I also am wondering on what the best angle to shoot at for this type of thing, head on, off to the side, etc.
 
how long is the speech? low light or lit up? corporate or personal event? consider getting another body so you have one fixed head on and the other to roam? one long so it does not get in the way maybe even both.

im sure others with more experience will chime in
 
If the speaker is lit well, the kit lens will do fine (up to ISO 800). Typically I shoot at either the 10 or 2 o'clock position of the speaker.

If the speaker is at a podium/rostrum/stand, then manual focus is fine. But, if he walks around or makes reference to a powerpoint that is projected, you need to rehearse to find your manual focus stops - or else you have to trust the autofocus.

Autofocus is ok in decent light, a little slow, but not distracting slow - if it is too dim, you really need to find a way to light the speaker.

What are you going to do for audio though?
 
J.R. Hudson said:
It's a speech


Shoot it. Mic it. What's the drama ? Shoot from the perspective of the audience.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
1.- Use tripod
2.-Find a spot that gives you a good shot of the head that is speaking. Including when people stand up to applaud.
3.-Its a speech, sound is important.Find out how to get a good audio feed/board to the camera or use a wireless mic on the speaker(person not box) or the podium. I use a plug-in transmitter from the boards when i can and one channel on a camera mic for room sound.
4.-Light it
5.-Wear headphones
6.-Shoot it.....try to stay awake ...always been my problem. Before of after hopefully other people will do a pre amble and you can shoot cut-aways of listeners and audience.

I also concur with using a video camera. In a speech varying your shots is much easier to do with motorized zoom and then there are all the other benefits. I really like my GH1 but my HMC150 would be what I would use for this job and I might add many others.
 
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+1 on get a video camera.

Or buy the 45-200mm, and have them crank the lights way up.

It just depends on how big and/or dark the place is. The kit lens sucks for shooting in churches and in less than bright small chapels. So if your speech is in an auditorium, make sure the spotlight is working, and get as close as you can. If you're in the back row of a big place, you won't be getting any close-ups, even with the 45-200.

The Sony FX7 has a KILLER zoom range for big venues...but it shoots HDV on tape. :(

I'm going to pick up an HMC40 to fill the gap where the GH1 falls short...wedding ceremonies.

Neither of those two cameras are great in low light.

For audio I'd just gaff-tape a Yamaha CX onto the podium, and sync with PluralEyes. If they have a sound board, I'd connect another CX to it if possible, for an alternate/backup source of audio.
 
I know they don't have a lighting system it is a meeting hall rather an auditorium with lights, so it will be available room light only. I will have to talk to them about bringing a light kit, not sure they were expecting a large production with lights and such.

I am thinking about putting a zoom h4n on the podium, I mentioned using a wireless lav and I am not sure the speaker wants to do that.

Thinking about renting an hmc40 as a second cam.
 
Very much depends on speech type.
Worse kind is lectures with active speakers.
If they refuse to use lav it is not much you can do besides shotgun and bringing camera closer.
Problem with Zoom and active speaker could be that it move and speak in different directions, so sound can be from good to unacceptable.
Best scenery can be as follows:
1) Mounting GH1 close with good manual lens (or further upart using cheap 85mm F1.4 Samyang) and connecting shotgun to Zoom via XLR, and mount Zoom as close as possible (using 4ch recording and zoom mics for backup). Shotgun can be mounted to very low light stand (so it'll not interfere with visual lines).
2) Using rented videocam to shoot from other point, shotgun also.

Main points are:
1) You need good sound, so more variants are better.
2) You need backup picture from other cam, so you can replace moments than they run out of the frame. :-)
 
Thinking about renting a t2i with either Canon or Zeiss 85mm, and then using my GH1 with the 20 1.7 as a second cam. Then bring some basic lighting as well just in case.

They asked me if the speaker should remain at the podium for the audio so I think I can control that aspect, I will have 3 sources of audio h4n on podium and shotguns on both cameras.
 
I'm unsure of why you would use a T2i, doesn't it have a short time limit for video clips? If you're going to rent, get a video camera...
 
If the T2i is a manned b-cam it would work. I've used a 7D for that; clips get synced and overlayed on the safe footage from something like the GH1, which records continuously, and mixed with audio from a separate recorder tied into the board, or wherever works best. That said, I'm also used to larger venues.
 
Cassius said:
If the T2i is a manned b-cam it would work. I've used a 7D for that; clips get synced and overlayed on the safe footage from something like the GH1, which records continuously, and mixed with audio from a separate recorder tied into the board, or wherever works best. That said, I'm also used to larger venues.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I was thinking, doesn't matter if I record shorter clips since I can cut to the other camera at any point during editing.
 
+1 Use a video camera.

I have shot hundreds of speeches, lectures, seminars, etc. and would never use a DSLR.
I love my 7D (don't get me wrong) but it's the wrong tool for this job.

These types of events are way too unpredictable to shoot with a DSLR. The biggest
issue being focus, if your subject decides to walk around. Also, if your at the back of the
auditorium and have a 200mm + lens, the micro jitters are really noticeable if you have
to follow the subject at all.

In a controlled environment, where the speaker will never move from the podium and
you can get nice and close, a DSLR will work. But that almost never happens. Save
yourself the headache, rent a video camera.

P.
 
Wow, I've never seen this many responses for something like shooting mountain climbers, or sky diving, it's a dude talking on stage, even if it's a 15 foot stage and he moves around like steve jobs, chances are he'll be moving on the same plane, so focus will be very short range unless you're using 100mm or above, in which case, get a little closer. I think you will be fine with what you got and the kit lens. I'm not trying to be rude or anything to the OP or any of the posters in any way, just think you might be over-thinking things a little. This is basically as simple as shooting gets.
 
seanmcleod said:
This is basically as simple as shooting gets.
Click to expand...

I must respectfully disagree with Sean. Shooting speeches and conferences
can be anything but simple. Going in with that attitude will always result in
poor quality, sometimes unusable footage. Getting nice, well-lit images with
good, clean audio, all while smoothly following a speaker around a stage can
be an art form in itself.

No matter how many times I shoot these things, every situation is different
and presents its own problems. Examples include: Lighting - it's great, but
the venue turns it down when the presentation begins so the audience can
see a Power Point presentation. You plug into the venue's AV system, but it's
distorted. You're ready with a wireless lav, but get RF interference from an
unknown source.

I'm not trying to scare anyone, but live events can be the toughest to pull off.
There are just too many variables to call it "simple".

Finally, something I didn't mention (but I believe was mentioned by others) is
the short record time on DSLRs. For speeches, you want to get the whole
thing uninterrupted. Having it broken into 10-12 minute segments is
unacceptable. Guaranteed when the presenter is making an important point,
or making a conclusion, that's when you'll have to stop and start recording
again. It's a nightmare in the making.

The right tool for this job (in my opinion) is a video camera. No question.

P.
 
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