Recording a Show - Event Video Set Up

Recording a Show

Get into the venue 1 or 2 hours before curtain up

Close up camera that I’ll be operating - Canon C500 mk1

Fixed wide angle camera - capturing the whole stage - Canon C70

I use a mid/side stereo mic set up to record the performers and audience

Two separate mics are placed closer to the stage

A live feed from the sound desk is also used

Radio mics mean no cables trailing along the floor

All mics are recorded on a Sound Devices MixPre II

A quick frame up before the show

Video and audio is edited together and delivered on USB/DVD/online.

A Blatant Holiday Video

A holiday is no excuse to leave your day job at home. This is clearly a holiday video shot ad hoc on a super camera, which is a work in progress in terms of lugging it around and having the right stuff with you in a small set-up.

Shot on my Canon C70 with a 1/8th mist filter and a circular polariser - I’m still evaluating the effect of using these filters. I think the mist adds a nice glow and diffusion here and there but the polariser (from Tilta) doesn’t seem to have any effect, even when rotated!

Canon C70 Hand-held Test

I have avoided hand-held video shooting until recently, preferring tripods and gimbals. However, having built a rig with a top handle, the hand-held set up is quick to manage and means you don't miss shots. I still need to work on holding the camera steady!

Below is the basic set-up. The mini tripod comes off for hand-held but is very useful to have around!

My Livestream Set Up

A number of clients have asked for their event to be recorded and, due to very restrictived audience numbers, also livestreamed.

Here is the set up I use. Two cameras feed into a Blackmagic Design Atem Mini Pro, which allows you to switch between them. This works well for live events as one camera is always seeing a wide angle, I can switch to the other camera when I have a good close up, switching back to the wide shot as needed.

This set up requires a jungle of wires, so I built the Atem Mini Pro into a Peli Box so all the cables are in place and a screen is permanently attached. This was quite an intricate project involving 3D printed parts and lots of soldering. Luckily …

… the design, instructions and 3D part templates were all available online via the DSLR Video Shooter YouTube channel. I could not resist this project as it totally solved the problem of wiring and set up time, just open the box and you are ready to plug in your cameras!

I added a few extra inputs and a USB power outlet.

It is useful to have the Atem Mini Pro and laptop on a stand. I mounted a plate on the bottom of the Peli Box and made a small platform for the laptop, both attach to a tripod with various clamps. This makes the whole set up very usable out in the field.

This is a high quality streaming and recording system, which has added to what I can offer clients, and the Atem Peli Box project was such fun to construct. Many thanks to DSLR Video Shooter for the incredibly well thought out instructions and resources. As a side note, whilst thinking about things DSLR related you can check out this article on the difference between SLR and DSLR!