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Jon writes: “My friend and I like filming shows at local venues. After a while there are some things you seem to focus on while recording these. Here are my tips for recording live performances, shows and concerts.”

Equipment – Always prepare your equipment before hand. Nothing is worse than showing up on a scene without your necessary things. Here is a list of useful or necessary things you should bring along:

• Camera(s) Always make sure you have properly packed your camera(s). Nothing is worse than showing up on a scene to find that your camera is damaged or even lost due to improper packing. Multiple cameras and cameramen(or camerawomen) are always recommended for any production, no matter how small. It’s always better to have a second angle to switch to if your shot gets disrupted or even too boring.
• Batteries and tapes Having extra charged batteries and tapes are a must. Besides the people behind the project, the battery is the part giving any power to your operation. The tapes are your canvas (for now). Without either of these, you can’t record your event, and they are 100% necessary.
• Tripod or Steadycam Nobody wants to watch a shaky video, even if the talent is amazing. Try a Tripod or Steadycam. Tripods tend to cause for a boring shot, but are more stable. A simple Steadycam, however, can be made easily and cost pennies. A cheap Steadycam like the one I made can serve as a Steadycam, a Bipod, a camera boom, and many more things. A ‘bar’ Steadycam, as I like to call it, is the perfect filming multitasker for the budget filmer, and will come in handy more than one would imagine.
• Lights Like a shakey video, nobody wants to see a dark, unlit video. Even if you can’t find a professional, yet affordable, portable filming light, you can still bring along a compact halogen or such light. You would be amazed by how big of a difference a single light can make, never mind a second or third. I picked up 2 halogen lights for $10 each at a tool expo that came by town, and it works great, especially for its price and size. Just remember, anywhere there is a performer, there will probably be electricity, and someone more than willing to let you plug in to help film and promote their event.
• Audio Many cameras have decent onboard mics, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. If you can get your hands on a different audio device, use it. Its always better to have too much instead of too little. A mini disc recorder works well, is compact, and is relevantly easy to transfer to a computer. If you can get a high quality digital recorder, that’s even better. They should have more recording options, allowing you to compensate for recording time, quality, whether or not you need phantom power, and many more. Also think about an audio source. It could be a soundboard from the attraction or venue, or just a quality condenser mic that you bring along. Bring everything into consideration for your audio.
• Storage/Tote Always bring a proper means of storage for your equipment. Bring what you need, leave the rest in your car. Just because your bag can carry 250 lbs of equipment, doesn’t mean that you can. There is a difference between over packing and over preparing. It is clear which is good, and which is bad. Keeping your eye on your 4 extra tripods are going to be a bigger burden than if you didn’t have any tripod at all.
• Crew Always pick a good crew that you can trust and know possess the skills you need. A crew doesn’t need to be 25 people, consisting of directors, boom operators, dolly pushers, etc. In most cases, you’re only going to need a director (who will probably work camera or audio as well), first, second, and third cameraman (fourth fifth etc depending on how many shots you have), audio technician, and someone to watch your stuff. A crew of 3 or 4 people is ideal for most low budget productions, and can be easily communicated with and transported. Does your car seat 4 people or more? I thought it might.
• Extras This includs any useful lenses you have (love my fisheye), cables (a must), pen and paper (these have been handy for centuries), or anything you might need. Always keep these neatly packed and ready in case you might need them.

Once all of these things have been thought of and taken care of, you’re ready (hopefully) to get onto your show. When you’re at this event, there are a few tips I think might help you out:

• Don’t be shy Talk to the talent, band, or whomever before the show and get their permission. Be sure they don’t mind if you try for a more creative shot in case it might ‘invade their space’.
• Get creative After all, it is art! Don’t be afraid to ‘exploit’ your equipment for every fun shot you can. I use my Bipod Steadycam to get boom shots above guitarists, and I even tip it upside down and get an upside down shot from someones’ feet. It sounds like a bad idea, but you can always flip the image without losing any quality later, and the shot looks amazing and creative. Always try new things and new angles to film from. If it looks bad, you can always switch to a different camera. But, if it looks good… you will be switching to this shot.
• Keep Safe No matter where you are, there are risks to you, and your equipment. If you’re filming in a studio, there is always the possibility of tripping on a cable or something falling over. At a rock concert, filming from the crowd means you could get bumped into by somebody, or even somebody coming out of the mosh. Always be aware of your surroundings. The only thing here worth more than your equipment, is you.
• Setup Get ready as quickly and smoothly as you can. Keep organized… and out of the way. If you’re a nuance to the staff, they’re not going to let you film here. You must be respectful during setup and overall production.
• Setting When preparing to film something, you must think about the size of the stage, crowd area, or any place you might use for your video, whether its going to be filmed, or going to be filmed from. Always take into consideration the size of the crowd, the size of the talent, and the sound levels as well.

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