Some of the best outdoor video production tips would surprise even the most seasoned event video production company or event videographer veteran. Anticipating some of the variables of outdoor video production shooting will help both the client and videographer/video production company. Here are some top tips to think about when filming during an outdoor event video production service.
Planning is a golden rule in videography. And an outdoor video shoot is a part of video production that requires serious planning to mitigate potential disasters and mistakes. If you haven’t been burned before, as a videographer, something is bound to happen anytime production takes place outside. Read our tips for well-planned mishap mitigation.
A three-day-prior weather forecast check (with all event production parties involved) ensures that your planned outdoor or live event production doesn’t turn into an eventful videography disaster. Most of the time, weather-related changes will just lead to an event’s rescheduling. But getting on-site with a client to shoot and seeing that an anticipated sunny day has turned into a cloudy and stormy one WILL change the quality and look of your footage.
As it would in an event’s recap video, event speaker video or corporate event production service, this also applies in any outdoor video production job. An example would be if a client is looking to have a drone videographer film a segment to include in their small business location video for advertising. But there’s anticipated rain. It’s worth it to rebook if it means having sun, and if this is an important preference by the videographer or client in the final video.
If the forecast says sun, you’re in luck! But you still have some major outdoor videography hurdles to jump. 
Another one of our event tips for videographers working outdoors is bringing a 10X10 scrim/reflectors. Diffusion and reflectors will help drastically when shooting for an event’s interview or talking heads. They also harness the power of the biggest light source you have, the sun!
Bring an umbrella if you need to keep the camera cool as there is nothing worse than having your camera say “overheat”. This could bring down your video production quality and turn a half-day of production into a full-day.
Bringing extra water and snacks for you and the client’s you’ll be working with directly will help lessen the brutality of hot temperature throughout the day. Water keeps everyone hydrated, and snacks keep the morale high. And…well…who doesn’t love snacks?
To assist in keeping interviewees and event attendees being filmed up-close, it’s very helpful to have some paper towels on-hand for “dabbing” their forehead and face. These areas accumulate noticeable, gleaming sweat beads in higher temperatures.
If your camera doesn’t have internal ND (neutral density filters), definitely bring a set so you’re not compromising on the aperture to stop-down.
Thermals Thermals Thermals. Wearing thermals underneath your clothing will take the bitter edge off of your outdoor event video production service by reducing the instability in footage caused by body shakes and shivers when filming. The impact is noticeable 10X in post-production, when B-roll segments are necessary to support, say, an event interview video, with high quality.
Another thing to think about is having a warm vehicle running close to your video production location. When filming in sub-degree temperatures, having warm hands and feet as an outdoor event videographer are vital. Because, due to tight hands, accidents are high-in-risk. This could mean falling, misstepping and/or dropping your precious camera rig.
Doing this tip likely means you’ll need to fill up your gas tank prior to showing up on site, and recognizing this as an investment on your part as an event video production specialist. This is in much the same way as your investment into quality cinema cameras, trustworthy lighting gear, capable lenses, batteries, or whatever is applicable to your videography service offerings. Sure, you may burn 50 dollars on an idle vehicle, but when you’re taking a 5-minute break, you want to make sure you’re replenishing your extremities’ ability to move in a safe manner.
Filming outdoors always comes with risk but there is no larger risk, outside of water, than sand and dust. It may not sound like it’d be a major hindrance, and for this reason, they’re largely unnoticed by novice event videographers. That is, until they find the sand of a golf course trapped between the optical sets of an expensive lens or dust in every nook and cranny of their camera body – so much horror and headache to realize while unpacking after a long day shooting an event.
Surveying filming zones or sets before the outdoor video production day is an important measure to resolve potential sand and dust problems proactively. When factoring sand and dust, assume that wind will always carry these two in your direction, because (somehow), it always does.
If this is a possible concern observed in your survey, covering gear in a raincoat sleeve or a trash bag with optic holes will help a ton in decreasing the headache and damage of dust and sand.
Our event video production crew have actually used both, and the trash bag wins as the top sand and dust repellant. This is due to it being something that can be packed away in a camera kit easily, takes up virtually no space, and is something an event/outdoor videographer can modify quickly with gaff tape.
As an event production company in Dallas, Texas, and because we travel throughout the United States for event production services, we’ve had our fair share of sun, heat, sand, and even frigid outdoor production issues. Over time, our event videographers have faced each of these situations first-hand, and we hope that these tips help you expect the unexpected, at our expense instead of yours! Leave a comment and tell us what you’ve found to help in outdoor video production.
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