Overview of Production

Audience Participation

Questions and comments from the audience add warmth and credibility to any corporate video. But to hear them clearly in the video requires microphones nearby. People in the hall may hear questioners all right, but without a microphone close to them, the camera cannot easily distinguish their voices above the hum and clatter of ventilation and room activity. Floor microphones on stands are the most practical solution. If your master of ceremonies only accepts comments and questions from these microphones, the audio quality recorded will be ideal. A dedicated camera capturing the audience members as they come to the floor microphones and interact with the speakers enhances the edited video, but with good audio, these extra images are not essential.

Podium Lighting

Your AV company or their lighting company will plan and install the lighting. Your Inform camera operator will work with them to ensure that the lighting not only benefits your audience, but also serves our video needs, such as:
Equal lighting on everyone when a group is on stage
No large white or black areas in the background
No white tablecloths on stage
Spot or separate lighting on presenters speaking when the room is darkened for projection visuals

Sound Quality

Your AV company or their audio company will plan and install the sound system. Your Inform camera operators will work with them to ensure that both your audience and the video camera hear the proceedings clearly. Your video viewers need clear, strong audio to understand the recorded event. To capture quality audio, microphones must be close to the sound sources.
Place microphones at each location where speakers will stand or sit to present.
Anticipate speakers who tend to roam as they speak. Give them wireless microphones.
Provide microphones for questions or comments from the audience.

Sound Sources

There may be up to six sources of audio during your event. Both the audience and the video camera need to hear some of them, but not always all of them. They can share different combinations. The six possible sources are:

1. Fixed microphones at the podium and on tables on stage

2. Wireless lavaliere lapel microphones which allow speakers to move around the room

3. Wireless handheld microphones which let speakers bring the mic to others, including the audience

4. Audience microphones on stands

5. Interpreters Feed sending from one to 16 different language translations. Complex translation systems require a separate audio engineer.

6. Ambient Sound or the combined audience reaction such as clapping or laughing. The sound company may gather and mix any combination of the first five sources for the amplified sound supplied to the room. They can also provide a feed of this mixture directly to the video camera. The camera can also record separately another source of audio at the same time. Often the enthusiasm or mood of the audience can best be recorded for the video with a separate microphone for ambient sound. However, the sound company will not supply this feed since it's not needed for the amplified room sound.