Video recording

[Dave2002]

I've already posted about being asked to do recording of a live concert later in the year. Interestingly it seems as though the main purpose might be to provide evidence to the sponsor, perhaps for auditing purposes. I thought that perhaps the participants and friends might want to buy CDs or download files, but no, that doesn't seem the intention.

Looking at the video (probably a DVD, though I looked at the computer files - I've not tested it out yet in a DVD recorder) - things like VOB 1, VOB 2 etc. I noticed that from last years' concert the video has a limited amount of panning and zooming in, though it's not terribly high resolution. I wonder if in fact (assuming I take this on) it would be easier to just set a camera running in HD video, and leave any zooming in or panning to post processing stages.

Trying to do panning and zooming smoothly while "live" seems to me problematic, without having a worked out script, and without having sufficient experience beforehand. I do not have the resources of the BBC nor the experience and skill of BBC or freelance cameramen.

Also, would it make sense to try to get audio onto the "sound track" of the video, or should that be done using an audio recorder (e.g Zoom microphone) and again using post processing?

I'm still not sure whether to take this on, though I'm mad enough to try, and if I do, should I try to find a way to get a microphone input to one or more of my cameras or video cameras? Indeed, is there any point in using a video camera - most modern cameras will do rather good HD video, so the major issues would be the memory card size, plus also power. Could I run a camera in video mode for say 1 hour on one set of batteries, or are there mains adapters that will help?

[Anastasius]

Dave2002, the question you need to ask yourself is 'what is the video for'. Judging by what you have said so far I sense that a simple locked-off wide shot will suffice and use the inbuilt microphone. Trying to mess about afterwards syncing sound etc I think will be a real heartache.

Whatever you do, a tripod is a must!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Panning and zooming are often amateur faults. In a concert, the shouldn't be many people moving around, so panning shouldn't be necessary. Zooming is the most unnatural of experiences for the viewer, though zooming out (rather than in) can be done unobtrusively.

As Anastasius says, it may suffice just to rely on the wide shot, but relying on the inbuilt microphone is likely to flatten the dynamics. I would do an audio back-up recording to be on the safe side.

An yes - a tripod - a good one.

[Gordon]

A tripod is a must because it is more than likely that house lights will be down a bit and you'll be struggling for light so get as much light as possible on the centre of scene otherwise your depth of field will suffer and focus will be a problem unless you man it yourself potentially getting the way of part of the audience. The light will also be incandescent bulbs and hence yellow in tint that in playback will be apparent. You may need to set the camera to an appropriate colour setting [ca 3000K is usual for normal bulbs, up to about 4000K for fluorescent strip lights and 6500K for daylight] or doctor the take afterwards to remove the yellow tint. Get as close as you can without the lens losing the scene. That will also help the sound capture. Good Luck!!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

If you set the focus to "auto", there may be a problem of "hunting", when the camera tries to focus on things erratically. It may be better to focus on a central point and then switch to manual focus. For a full-stage video, this might be the best option.