Sneak Peeks
- Simone Tomwing
- Oct 29, 2019
- 3 min read
Tips for capturing behind the scenes.
Recently I've been working with Bentley Potter School of Dance and The Cascade Festival Ballet to promote their upcoming November show.
It has resulted in many a Saturday spent at their studio to capture behind the scenes footage. As such, I thought I would share a few tips that I use when capturing "behind the scenes" (or even events.)
1. Capture now. Edit later.
When an entire ballet school is preparing for a show, you do not get to call the shots about when they can start and stop rehearsals. The teachers have their own agenda to wrangle their students (some as young as 4 years) into their positions and practice their dances before their attention spans waver.
Similarly, when you are capturing events live as I did with TEDxPortofSpain, you cannot ask for do-overs or for things to pause while you set up for the perfect angle.
So how do I get the perfect shot without being in charge to ask the dancers to do it over and over again? With a well-charged phone and empty camera memory, I capture as much video, photos and boomerangs as possible and edit later.
Avoid editing during or you may miss good opportunities for content and will not be able to ask for a do-over.
When I capture 5-10 videos, I can decide later what I will use. I guarantee I will have more than enough footage to select from to get the 15-30 seconds I need for a sneak peek.
While in rehearsals, I use the breaks they get in between for water or between sessions to quickly edit and upload to social media so it still feels like "live" content. Or sometimes even after when I reach home or to a cafe with wifi to avoid eating away at my data plan.
2. Have a backup plan
Avoid your camera memory becoming clogged by using cloud storage to regularly back-up photos and video from your camera. This will allow you to keep your phone clear while you capture content and avoid having to stop in between to delete unwanted footage to clear your digital memory. By extension, it again lowers the risk of you missing the opportunity to capture good content if you are too distracted with running out of storage.
I use Google Photos. My camera backs-up photos and videos once it is connected to wifi.
3. Headphones
Simple but, I have found, often overlooked detail when covering events.
Whenever I am doing events or behind the scenes, I find it best to walk with a pair of headphones. This comes in handy when I may need to edit videos while uploading but do not want to disturb the rehearsal or event with the noise from my phone.
When covering events, walking with headphones has become part of the list I use to prepare my team, right after your phone's charger and/or a power bank.
Why do behind the scenes?
If you have a big event coming up, behind the scenes footage is great content for creating buzz leading up to it. It creates teasers that could entice your audience to attend your event.
In between behind the scenes, it is also a good opportunity while you have their attention to remind your audience about the details of the upcoming event.
For example, I like to use the Instagram stories' countdown sticker, or I might redirect to a "Save the Date" post I had earlier, or details about when and where tickets are available.
Behind the scenes helps you to connect with and engage your audience.
It helps to build a sense of community and humanize your brand. When you take them behind all the perfect shots and final products, it helps your followers feel special that you are carrying them along the journey and that they are getting to see a different side of the business.
It is a great way to create transparency and build trust with your audience.
Do not be afraid to take your audience behind the curtain once in a while. Enjoy the beauty in the imperfect. You may be surprised at the valuable content you will find for your brand.
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Thank yoou for sharing this