High School Prom at DVinfo.net

Chris Harris · April 20th, 2007, 07:38 PM

How would you go about filming a prom? I'm thinking you get footage of the hotel decorations, people arriving in limos or walking up, people dancing, people registering, the king/queen announcements, getting their pictures taken, etc. I'll have 3 cameras available, and I'm going to have 2 assistants helping me. I was thinking of having one stationary cam somewhere for time-lapse footage. Is there anything fun/additional that I could do? Would interviews or anything of the sort be interesting? What would you have wanted if you had a videographer at YOUR high school prom?

Darrell Aubert · April 20th, 2007, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harris

How would you go about filming a prom? I'm thinking you get footage of the hotel decorations, people arriving in limos or walking up, people dancing, people registering, the king/queen announcements, getting their pictures taken, etc. I'll have 3 cameras available, and I'm going to have 2 assistants helping me. I was thinking of having one stationary cam somewhere for time-lapse footage. Is there anything fun/additional that I could do? Would interviews or anything of the sort be interesting? What would you have wanted if you had a videographer at YOUR high school prom?

I've done proms before. Here's what I did. 2 cameras. I did standard coverage of the "events" like the prom kings and queens, that sort of thing. I then did two montage made up of dance footage throughout the night. One slow, one fast.

Interviews- Hell No! Its like a wedding, people don't want to be bothered. Make it fun and interesting. These kids are hooked on MTV style video so thats what they want.

Joe Allen Rosenberger · April 21st, 2007, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darrell Aubert

I've done proms before. Here's what I did. 2 cameras. I did standard coverage of the "events" like the prom kings and queens, that sort of thing. I then did two montage made up of dance footage throughout the night. One slow, one fast.

Interviews- Hell No! Its like a wedding, people don't want to be bothered. Make it fun and interesting. These kids are hooked on MTV style video so thats what they want.

\

Yep....think MTV- "Cribs", "Pimp my Ride", etc. Your final vid will need to be cut to the latest music trends on MTV as well.....anything else would most likely be a laughing stock.

COVER everyone and don't "favor" certain clicks if noticed......high school is bad enough with popularity contests as is. Keep even coverage of all.

You could treat the arrivals in limos like a red carpet event since the kids will be all decked out.

Don Bloom · April 21st, 2007, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Allen Rosenberger

\

Yep....think MTV- "Cribs", "Pimp my Ride", etc. Your final vid will need to be cut to the latest music trends on MTV as well.....anything else would most likely be a laughing stock.

COVER everyone and don't "favor" certain clicks if noticed......high school is bad enough with popularity contests as is. Keep even coverage of all.

You could treat the arrivals in limos like a red carpet event since the kids will be all decked out.

I guess that means music by Frank or Dean is probably out huh?

Don

Joe Allen Rosenberger · April 21st, 2007, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

I guess that means music by Frank or Dean is probably out huh?

Don

Only if you want these teenagers to fall asleep while watching;)

Chris Harris · April 23rd, 2007, 09:17 PM

Doesn't sound too difficult then. I'm excited, it's coming up this weekend. I did something similar a year ago, to some positive reactions. I just wanted to make it 10 times better this time around. I wanted to even do an SDE this year, except I don't have a laptop... Oh well, there's always the future. Thanks guys, and if any other ideas are floating around out there, I'd love to hear them!

Mark Holland · April 24th, 2007, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harris

...if any other ideas are floating around out there, I'd love to hear them!...

My first idea was to simply tell the story, you know, driving up to the venue, the sign(s) at the venue, guests arriving, etc... But after reading the other posts, I think maybe a blend of both worlds. In other words, tell the story, but at a fast pace, MTV style!

Be sure to drink lots of Red Bull first! =0

Good luck!

Mark

Steven Davis · April 24th, 2007, 08:57 AM

Grab that camera and get into the mix, but avoid the mosh pit. I have no quarms about getting in the middle of the dancing, especially if it's a fast song with a lot of movement; jumping, hands raised etc.

Chris Harris · April 28th, 2007, 10:09 AM

Alright, it's coming up tonight! All my equipment is ready to go. I've actually got 4 cams. I'm going to put one on a tripod in a corner for time-lapse. What do you guys think of that?
Now it's just a matter of waiting. I'll report back on how it goes, and maybe even have some clips up tomorrow.

Joe Allen Rosenberger · April 28th, 2007, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harris

Alright, it's coming up tonight! All my equipment is ready to go. I've actually got 4 cams. I'm going to put one on a tripod in a corner for time-lapse. What do you guys think of that?
Now it's just a matter of waiting. I'll report back on how it goes, and maybe even have some clips up tomorrow.

I would not risk leaving a camera in the corner "unattended" for the time lapse....I think the time lapse is a great idea.....just not an unattended camera at a prom shoot.

GL-joe

April 20th, 2007, 07:38 PM	#1
Chris Harris Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 487	High School Prom How would you go about filming a prom? I'm thinking you get footage of the hotel decorations, people arriving in limos or walking up, people dancing, people registering, the king/queen announcements, getting their pictures taken, etc. I'll have 3 cameras available, and I'm going to have 2 assistants helping me. I was thinking of having one stationary cam somewhere for time-lapse footage. Is there anything fun/additional that I could do? Would interviews or anything of the sort be interesting? What would you have wanted if you had a videographer at YOUR high school prom?

April 23rd, 2007, 09:17 PM	#6
Chris Harris Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 487	Doesn't sound too difficult then. I'm excited, it's coming up this weekend. I did something similar a year ago, to some positive reactions. I just wanted to make it 10 times better this time around. I wanted to even do an SDE this year, except I don't have a laptop... Oh well, there's always the future. Thanks guys, and if any other ideas are floating around out there, I'd love to hear them! Last edited by Chris Harris; April 23rd, 2007 at 09:18 PM. Reason: elaborated

April 24th, 2007, 08:57 AM	#8
Steven Davis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 3,065	Grab that camera and get into the mix, but avoid the mosh pit. I have no quarms about getting in the middle of the dancing, especially if it's a fast song with a lot of movement; jumping, hands raised etc. __________________ What happens if I push the 'Red' button?

April 28th, 2007, 10:09 AM	#9
Chris Harris Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 487	Alright, it's coming up tonight! All my equipment is ready to go. I've actually got 4 cams. I'm going to put one on a tripod in a corner for time-lapse. What do you guys think of that? Now it's just a matter of waiting. I'll report back on how it goes, and maybe even have some clips up tomorrow.