Making Slick Event Videos
On the 11th-12th November 2017, I was at the wonderful Hack Sussex 2017 event, ran by some of my friends. I had been invited along to record a summative video for the event.
Hack Sussex 2017
I had made events coverage videos in the past before, and thought I would shake up the 'standard' approach: pretty framed, slow motion shot, cut to another similar looking shot, cut to the nearby lake, back to a slow motion shot of someone laughing... etc.
So this time, I thought I would try out a shooting and editing style perfectly demonstrated by Leonardo Dalessandri, who made the stunning 'Watchtower of Turkey' and several other travel videos of a similar style.
The key elements to shooting this style:
Edit whilst you shoot: how is a camera movements going to blend into the next.
Give yourself plenty of options: shoot a lot of things, each with loads of different camera movements in and out, will make your life a lot easier in post.
Shoot at high frame rates: speed ramping is key to this style, give yourself the flexibility of slow-mo. I shot at 50fps (100/120fps would be recommended).
Don't spend too long on each subject: you want to get variety, the shots you use will only be present for a couple of seconds at the most. In a speedy event that takes place in 24 hours, don't wait around trying to get it perfect. The perfection will come in the edit.
Hyperlapse: this is a key effect of the 'Watchtower of Turkey' short film, usually being combined with zooms when focusing on subjects in busy areas. Or dolly style where the camera rotates around a subject. The venue I was at didn't contain the most scenic aesthetics, so I chose to use a hyperlapse to show the layout of the event.
Now, my approach to this technique was mainly a test and for a client, so it had characteristics that I might not necessarily have chosen if it was a project purely for me. There is a lot more you can do with this style. Once someone like Leonardo Dalessandri masters it, it is a beautiful and powerful style that can emote, incite anxiety and promote change, it is up to you as a filmmaker where you want to take it.
