Staged Right Productions

Video 101: One Camera, Two Camera?

 

           Whether you are using video cameras to record your event for posterity or projection purposes, the question frequently arises over which is better, one camera, or two?  In almost every situation, two (or more) is the best option.  By using only one camera, you get a steady camera shot of a single area.  This shot is usually not incredibly interesting, as the temptation is to fit as much of the staging area into the shot as possible.  The problem with that idea is that if you only have one person speaking at a time, they appear insignificant in the scope of the shot, and can easily be off-center.  It is very boring to look at an unchanging camera shot for an extended period of time.

            By utilizing two cameras, not only do you get a steady-cam shot of the action, but you can also film the audience, get a different shot of a presenter, get footage of the surroundings, etc.  Every camera added increases the visual aesthetics exponentially by being able to include multiple focuses.  These video feeds can be combined live by a video technician, or they can be edited in a studio to create a high-quality, professional video recording of your event.  The choice is yours, ultimately, but most professional videographers will always suggest the second camera.

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Video 101 : What is IMAG?

IMAG is the industry short for image-magnification, which is basically a method of providing a live video image onto a large screen (or several). This screen is positioned so that those seated in the rear of the room can still feel as if they were an intimate part of the presentation.

Staged Right typically recommends that broadcast IMAG images are a head and shoulder shot of the presenting subject. This allows those in the rear of the room not only to see, but engage. Studies have shown that audiences are much more likely to engage and comprehend a presenter if they can associate the speaker's face to their message. Further studies have shown that the abilty to distinguish expression and facial features diminishes severely at only 40' from a subject. Staged Right's IMAG solutions are the most cost effective way to insure that each of your audience members has the oppurtunity to be engaged by the presenter.

Ideally, IMAG systems would utilize several cameras and several additional feeds (perhaps logo or sponsor rolls) so that the technical director has multiple feeds to cut to should that action (or lack thereof) dictate it. This allows for the director to put not only the speaker on the screen, but additional camera shots (audience reaction, question and answer participants, sponsor logos, power-point slides, etc). The more feeds presented, as a rule of thumb, provide a more engaging performance.

Video screens and IMAG on a special event adds an amazingly dynamic and versatile tool for a Staged Right designer/director to bring utilize to bring your special event to life (even to the cheap seats). Frequently events will, in order to pay for the added cost of live IMAG video, offer their sponsors logo impressions on the screen during event downtime. Staged Right will happily work with your sponsors and your organization to create a downtime reel to cycle through during periods of time when the stage is not in use.

The use of IMAG and large format video is the ultimate choice of an event designer who understands the look and, more importantly, the feel of your event. As a rule of thumb though, IMAG is cumbersome with events of fewer than 500 people in attendance. Occasionally, in akward venues with blindspots IMAG is required just so that the entire audience can see the presenter.

As far as the myth that cameras add ten pounds those being filmed, well we are happy to say that Staged Right uses exclusive technology that our competitors don't have. Our cameras add no weight, in fact they will help you lose weight (and if they don't actually do that, we will tell you that you look great on camera).

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