I recently did an outdoor community arts all day event. Y'know the thing - craft stalls; 2 sound stages with musos and MCs; lots and lots of people milling about eating and drinking; drummers; a small funfare; releasing balloons for a fund raiser; Nandos chickens wandering about!; nice setting in an old London parkland - yeah?

Well, what would be the shooting sequence? WHat would I need to do to get the best "story" in the can? I started to loose the plot - and the will to live - after the 4th music set!

How would you pros attack this type of event? What questions should I be asking of myself etc etc etc . . . .

I'm happy with the XM2 - I'm not happy with my thinking processes - yet.

Grazie

Did you have a story in mind when you embarked on the shoot or did you just want to get coverage?

Errmmm . . . a bit of both! - This is perhaps the problem. Not having a "clear" enough task in my head.

OK. Well what I might do now is to sketch an angle against which to edit the footage. Perhaps your day left you with a certain general impression that you could emphasize with your editing. Comical? Romantic? Ironic? Cynical?

Yes Ken! It means plenty of reviewing, before actually editing anything. - I knda do this when the stuff is already capture to a f/w drive. Hmmm... plenty food for thought here . . . .

Thanks for the "nudge",

Grazie

Who is the client and what do they want, or what will be importaat to them? After you answer that question, you can begin to plan.

Be sure to get the agenda/schedule of events in advance so you can figure out where to be at any given tilme. And the hardest part may be to shoot and follow your plan rather than enjoy the event. Also, many event will depart from the schedule, so remain flexible.