Event Videography with a Reality TV Flavor

Silicon Valley Chef James Hall took a risk in hiring Caron Modern Media to video this event.
Setting up before showtime, one never knows if the documentary hopeful will be triumphant.
As it happened, his dairy-free green tea ice cream in gluten-free flaxseed cones won the day!

Event Footage and Follow-Up Interviews

Winner or loser, the post competition interview is a refreshing experience because of gained perspective.
From the production stand point, it balances the frantic event footage and allows the subject to thank collaborators.
In this example, Hall, a.k.a RawDaddy of RawDaddy Foods, takes a few minutes to talk about the Vegan Iron Chef competition, the first of its kind in San Francisco. As sous-chef under San Francisco chef Lisa Books-Williams, RawDaddy reflected on their usage of the secret ingredient: green tea!

Caron Modern Media Video Production Lessons

To ensure every angle was captured at the Vegan Iron Chef event, Caron Modern Media enlisted the filming support of Roy Cox Productions.
Using the same makes and models of cameras, the added angles ensured a vivacious variety of footage.
Yet even with redundant footage and on location assistance, learning experiences are inevitable!

LESSON ONE: ALWAYS PACK MORE BATTERIES THAN YOU NEED
Had it not been for Roy Cox Productions, many angles and moments would have been lost in the recharging and changing of DSLR camera batteries. When possible, carry four extra batteries to a four hour event (one for each hour). That includes double AAs or triple AAAs for portable audio equipment (see next lesson).

LESSON TWO: DOUBLE CHECK THAT YOUR SHOTGUN MIC IS ON
You can have the sexiest, most expensive shotgun microphone on the market.
You can think you have thought of everything when the action starts.
Pointed in the right direction, positioned the perfect distance, loaded with fresh batteries, everything on point.
None of that means anything if you don’t turn it on.
That teeny tiny black knob of demon plastic, when off, captures no audio and actually mutes the audio input of any camera its connected two (for on-camera mics, etc). Eek!

LESSON THREE: BRING SNACKS TO THAT FOOD COMPETITION GIG
It seems ludicrous to think you could starve at a food competition, but it happens.
As the film crew you are filming, photographing and avoiding touching sticky things like finger food to protect your equipment.
If you cant eat a large meal before the event, bring a few quick snacks like protein bars, a bag of carrot and celery sticks, or individually wrapped string cheeses.
Think things you can crack open, bite into, and put back in your bag without actually touching the foot or inhaling anything that makes your breath go bad. 😉

Hosted by Karine Brighten Events
Filmed on location March 21, 2013, at the SF First Unitarian Universalist, in association with Roy Cox Productions.
Filmed on location at RawDaddy Kitchens in Redwood City, California.
Produced, filmed and edited by Caron Modern Media.