IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKER/PRESENTATION VIDEOS:

If you are a public speaker, a business man doing presentations for employees and/or customers, a politician, or a professional speaker who talks at an event, then chances are you may be video recorded once in a while.  Professional speakers need video of their speeches for several purposes, including marketing and promotion, critiquing and training, documentation, and maybe even for sales.   Business presentations are quite frequently recorded for training and marketing campaigns, and many events are recorded for news, public relations, and sales purposes.   Getting good quality videos rely on a number of factors, including good lighting, sound, and speakers.

There are many variables that can affect your videos, but here's a few things you can do to maintain or improve the quality of your speaking or presentation video recordings.

1:  Is the Speaker a Walker?   Urge them to Stay Still!

No, I don't mean a walker from the zombie apocalypse.   I'm talking about presenters that can't or won't stay at a podium, and wander around the stage or the front of the room.   This is definitely a problem if the speaker ventures in front of a projector displaying slides or video, since they will now be covered with lights, colors, letters and whatever else is in the presentation.  It doesn't make for great video.   And, if they aren't wearing or holding a wireless microphone, the walker has now substantially reduced the quality of the sound recording with the video.

Walking speakers typically do this because they are loaded with nervous energy or because they feel it enhances their presentation to get closer to the people.   This is fine if the presentation isn't being recorded, or if it truly is part of the program's intent to be more effective by getting closer to the audience.   In this case you need very good, steady camera operator(s) to follow the speaker as they move.   If possible, rehearse movements with the camera operators and walking speakers.   However, most speakers just move because they feel it is better for them.   Urge them to stay put just this one time, so that the recording is the best you can get.   Explain that the lighting and sound is ideal at the podium, and that walking in front of slides does not make a pretty picture.   A great final video will make the standing still worthwhile to all.

2:  Shoot the Presentation with Multiple Cameras

If possible and budget allows, record your presentation with multiple cameras, 2 or 3 will typically suffice.   This not only gives you some flexibility in editing, it allows you to see the presentation from different angles, and know what slides are on the screen at any point in the speech.   This also helps in editing, when you insert the slides (imported from digital file) at appropriate spots in the video.

The main camera should be locked on a tight shot of the speaker, preferably at the podium, but also following the speaker if he or she is a walker.  Camera 2 is a cover shot, usually set up in the rear of the presentation area, on a wide shot of the stage and screen, allowing for edits away from the speaker shot, and a reference for what's on the display screen.  Camera 3 is a cutaway camera, which can be used to acquire shots of the audience from a variety of angles, and additional shots of the speaker for more flexibility in the editing process.   Having the multiple angles is especially helpful if you plan to create any short marketing or promotional videos from the full presentation.

3:  Record High Quality Sound and Use Slides

Getting a sound feed from the audio mixer is a vital step in recording a great video.  Find out ahead of time, who can provide you the sound feed, whether it is a hotel AV staff member, an IT conference specialist, a DJ, whoever, and take note of what type of physical cable connector you need to bring the sound to your camera, and if the type of feed is "line" or "mic" level attenuation.   These types need to match at each end, meaning line level out of the board needs to go into the camera line level.   There are settings on the camera to ensure these attentuations match.  If you have access to a digital sound recorder, like a Zoom H4N, it's not a bad idea to record a backup file of the sound feed.

Using slides and videos are a great way to enhance your presentation and keep the audience interested.    They also help in creating a great video, so be sure to get an electronic or digital copy of any files displayed at the event, so that they can be imported in to editing later and inserted into the video.   The more images and camera angles you have, make for a faster paced, higher quality, and more enjoyable video for the audience to watch.

That's it .  3 key aspects of planning and shooting great speeches and multimedia presentations.  Remember, urge walking speakers to stay at the podium, record with multiple cameras when possible,  connect to the house audio feed to ensure high quality audio, and obtain copies of all presentations displayed on the screen.   If you need any assistance, be sure to contact us here at HBSU.   We are always ready to help.  michael@kcvisualsunlimted.com

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