Summary
Experience - More than 80 plays recorded, edited, and videos delivered
Project cost and delivery system - Negotiated
Using up to 4 camcorders, 3 in the center behind the audience 2 of which are manned
When possible a 4th unmanned camcorder near the stage shooting across the stage
Audio input from up to 3 shotgun microphones place discretely across the stage
When available audio input from from wireless microphones on actors
Multiple camcorder inputs synchronized and edited for best possible performance video
Deliverables - HD video file online or downloaded by customer, standard definition DVDs available at extra cost
More Info
It is a very challenging process to shoot a play in a theater around an audience without disturbing that audience. We shoot with up to 4 camcorders,3 in the center of the balcony or back of the theater and, if possible, one from near the stage shooting across the stage. In the back there are 2 manned camcorders, one shooting all the active performers and the other shooting closeups. It is our experience that gets the most out of those manned camcorders. The third unmanned 4K camcorder is fixed on the whole stage as a backup.
Sound is another tough issue particularly for shooting plays. It is helpful when the actors are using wireless microphones. A feed from the sound system can be brought into the camcorders. With or without the advantage of wireless microphones on the actors, our 3 shogun microphones can be discretely placed in front of the stage to pick the actor's voices from as many positions as possible.
For the editing process, all 4 camcorder videos, along with the wireless microphone input, and the shotgun microphone inputs are synchronized on the video editor. This gives me, the video editor the material to make precise camera changes for the best possible view of the play, dance recital, or concert.
DVDs have been popular for delivering the videos to the customer and the quality of the video from a standard definition DVD is quite expectable. We have the ability to produce DVDs (up to 100) with an attractive cover sticker in a clear case. There is a movement away from DVDs because lot of customers no longer have DVD set top players. A better way to view the performance is either online (YouTube or customer's preferred online video service , e.g. Vimeo) or the customer can download a video file (MP4), watch it on the PC or MAC, or transfer it to a thumb drive and watch it on a smart TV.