Class Reunion Job

Aloha People,

I was offered a chance to tape a class reunion that has a comedian/hypnotist as the main entertainment.

I've never taped a reunion before, and I'd like to ask what your thoughts are on what I should capture, and how to mic the hypnotist. I would want to mic him with a remote mic (my Senheiser G2). If he is using another mic for the PA system at the hotel, do I run the risk of feedback?

As for what I should capture, I was planning on setting a second camera with lighting on the side (preferably in another room) and interview them.

Is there anything else I should be thinking of?

Thanks

I would ask them to bring photos of themselves from Highschool, so you can capture these as well.

man, this question could have a million answers, it just depends on the vibe you want to capture...

I hear ya Wayne. I just never even thought of Jude's suggestion. So those little things would be of great help.

What about the sound part? Audio is what I am least experienced with, and we all know if the sound isn't captured right, it blows the event to hell.

is this YOUR class reunion? that would sure suck!

you say you were "offered the chance". does that mean youre doing this for free? SCREW THAT! if youre some young guy whos looking to get into event/wedding work - then ok, this might be a good portfolio piece - otherwise, youre just getting robbed.

this is another reason i all but refuse to shoot friends weddings...

i dont know why adding your mic to the hypnotist guy would add feedback, as long as you arent simultaneously running an on on camera mic OR you arent feeding your output to the house PA...

i would wear headphones while shooting anyway.

i wouldnt really bother with having them bring a HS pic unless for some reason they werent in the yearbook, as that just adds a logistical hassle to your production. if they aint in the YB then they aint in the retro version - lets not just invite work.

i would advise that you chat with the event orgianisers and find out whos who and whats what. be sure you have (if THEY HAVE) a time schedule so youll know whenn to be at waht prt of the place to set up for the next shot.

ad also advise at LEAST a 2 camera shoot as if youre in one place shooting something of interest while another event is beginning - youre gonna be out of luck.

also, if youre using a wireless mic - go to the venue and do a live run through with all the house gear running - mics, PA, lights, everything. just to make sure youre not going to suffer from any interference...

gas the house pa and find a place where you can set up for interviews that the PA wont KILL your VO levels.

you might also rent a light kit for interviews.

this all depends on how crucial the event is for you - IF youre getting paid - and what the end goal for YOU and the client is

Wayne,

Hell NO this is NOT my reunion. HELL NO I ain't doing this for free! LOL! I wouldn't do it for free for MY reunion.

My co-worker that "offered me to throw in a bid" WANTS me to get paid what I'm worth. I actually stand to make about $5K for this job. So pay is not an issue, and I am actually on the cusp of passing my "demo reel" phase. I've actually just finished doing something for a mayoral candidate, and may be involved with the local Distrcit Attorney.

Anyway, my friend (the co-worker) has set up a website, so if my bid for the hours of the event is okay with the committee, he wants to have ALL DVD orders put in through the site BEFORE the event even happens. So that is all covered.

Thanks for the input on the mics. As I said, audio is the least of my experience, and I don't want to scramble last minute for an alternative if there was any feedback.

I do have a light kit for the interviews so that is covered too.

I was thinking the same thing that you stated about two cameras.

Thanks

Have everyone wave --makes Happy cut aways--
and loosens folks up too -

A onboard light is worth its worth its weight in gold--

Use the best onboard shot gun mic you can get
for when you are moving around --

Make Sure you get good audio -
there is-- no take 2--

My son works for a company that
sell Reunion stuff -- big $ there--- Jay --

I would go with at least 2 cameras, 3 if possible. For the main event I would set up one camera (A) on sticks somewhere towards the back of the room getting a medium/wide shot of the stage, preferably elevated enough so people aren't walking in front of it or standing and blocking the shot. I would then run an audio feed from the house PA system to Cam A so you have a clean audio signal. Then I would have one roving camera (B) picking up close ups of the speakers/comedian on stage or whatever other action is happenning at the time. Just use the on board mic on this camera as a guide during editing. Make sure you get lots of crowd reaction shots, (clapping, laughing, etc.) as they will be very useful during the editing process to use as cut aways when you need them. If you are going to have an operator for the (A) camera try to get some wireless headsets for communication with them or at least talk about who will be shooting what during the event or you may both end up with the same shots at certain times or both end up with nothing at other times (that's when the cut aways will come in handy).
I think the idea of having an on camera light for interviews will probably work better than having a room set up off to the side with lights. That's just my opinion but I think it will be more "real" to just grab sound bites from people as you move through the crowd as the night rolls on. Although the interview room may be a good place to start early in the evening, as people first arrive.
Have fun and good luck.

My 2 cents...
Use the camera like a photographic camera. Avoid zooms, always shoot a master shot (wide) lots of medium and few close ups. Also take plenty of tape and batteries since in those events when you think is about to be over things just start to happen.
Speeches? Carefull with 63 minutes tapes.
Have fun

Daniel



Televisionworks

> Use the camera like a photographic camera. Avoid zooms, always shoot a
> master shot (wide) lots of medium and few close ups.

I'd argue against this. When you have three good cameras or fewer, don't bother shooting a superwide master. You can't see Jack squat, and you'll end up with lots of holes in your coverage anyway. Unless you have more cameras than operators, or if you have three other cameras already getting good coverage...in which case the wide won't matter very much anyway.

If you have one or two cameras, it's even more important that they are roaming, active, responding to the situation. One wide shot over a two-hour event tends to get used for maybe two per cent of the piece, and that's a hell of a waste unless you have other cameras to get the real coverage.

Coverage isn't coverage if the shot you're getting doesn't tell the story. I've covered events with one camera and gotten good results by editing in camera with responsive zooming and tracking, and (most important) correct, neutral exposure. And I'd be a good 50 feet away from the stage.