Shooting a Fashion Show

[Craig McKenna]

Hello Everyone,

A week on Tuesday, I will be shooting a fashion show, with the intention of delivering the film online the next day - similar to how I delivered the engagement film.

Therefore, I will be arriving earlier in the day to scope out the setting, which is highlighted below:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/9...514fed7d_b.jpg
Photo courtesty of Robbob.

There will be a catwalk displaying the clothing lines of a department store. The highlight will also be focusing on the role of a major local charity, who are hosting the evening alongside the department store. There will be an important speech taking place by a lady, who I doubt I'll be able to mic. Therefore, I will likely mic the microphone as Noa has done here before. I'll also mic a speaker too, and use my shotgun mic alongside where she is standing as a third back up. I'll use her audio to drive the film - and likely a few others - as there are a few celebrities who will be there.

As the runway will be moving towards the audience, I am hoping to find a spot at the back to hoist the AX100 high, and leave it running throughout the evening. From this spot, I'll shoot 4K and allow the camera to roll throughout the evening, where I'll hopefully get the final pose by each model well. This camera will be hoisted high on my Manfrotto Master Light Stand. Then, at the side of the runway, I am going to be there, shooting with my GH4. I'll shoot with my slider, getting some detailed shots of bags and garments, as well as some shots of the audience. Before the shoot itself, I'm also going to go back stage to get some make up shots and be creative. Then, as the speech begins, I'll man my GH4 in a good position to shoot 4K of the speech, wide and then crop for a close up when she says something big.

After the show, I'm going to edit all night to pull off a short film that will go live to Facebook the next day, on both the Foundation's page, as well as the Department Store's page. This will allow over 8,000 people to view the film, as well as sharing it on my own page... so I'm hoping it'll help somewhat towards establishing myself.

Have any event shooters here covered an event like this? Any tips or tricks?

I'm excited to continue to shoot different events. I will post the finished film here for everyone to see.

Many thanks to everyone for helping me throughout the past two years or so, it's been a long road, but one that I am happy that I've travelled on. Still an awful long way to go... but I'll keep going.

Craig

[Noa Put]

I"ve shot a few fashion shows and each time the light was a bit tricky with some hard spots making careful exposure necessary, I definitely would be asking how they plan to light the runway if you don't want to end up with wrong exposed footage but if the event is during the day with good outdoor light then I guess it won't be such a problem. I would also manually whitebalance, the store probably want their clothing to be presented in the right color.

Also, don't they have a dedicated soundguy? Everything they say has to run through a mixer so you might be able to get a feed from that?

[Malcolm Debono]

Sounds like you've got it planned out quite well. Typically fashion shows have dedicated sound & lighting guys, so you might try to get the organiser to get you in touch for further details. For sound, it shouldn't be a problem to get a line out from the mixer, however do make sure to record from another source as a backup (maybe mic the podium or use an on-camera shotgun mic if speaker is moving). As for lights, ask the lighting guy to run you through the different light setups (if any) so you don't get any nasty surprises during the show. Also, this will come in handy to set up exposure on the stand-alone camera.

[Peter Rush]

Tap into the desk if possible - should be easy enough if it's a pro PA company but as others have said have a backup, a shotgun mic will be next to useless as the PA will be pretty loud the sound may be bouncing around the room. Get there and set up in plenty of time to get the lighting guy going through his routine - they tend to do this in the afternoon if the event is in the evening - there is always some sort of rehersal, however short.

Be prepared to be on your toes regarding exposure with your main camera (as well as your EVF you might want to use an eternal monitor) and any locked off cameras you set (I'm only saying how I do it - others may disagree) you might set at auto but a stop undersexposed to avoid blowing out - some cameras have a dedicated 'spotlight' setting which might be worth a look. This method works ok with my Sony cams but they tend to overexpose in auto anyway.

Last one I did I had a GoPro literally at the end of the catwalk for a different perspective - worked a treat.

[Craig McKenna]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

I"ve shot a few fashion shows and each time the light was a bit tricky with some hard spots making careful exposure necessary, I definitely would be asking how they plan to light the runway if you don't want to end up with wrong exposed footage but if the event is during the day with good outdoor light then I guess it won't be such a problem. I would also manually whitebalance, the store probably want their clothing to be presented in the right color.

Also, don't they have a dedicated soundguy? Everything they say has to run through a mixer so you might be able to get a feed from that?

Thanks Noa. I have looked into this, and there is a lighting company who will be there tomorrow. I'm going to go and meet them there, along with everyone else who is part of the event. I'll see what they say with regards to the temperature of their lights, as well as how they plan on managing them throughout the event.

The event is at night time, and should be pretty dark outside. Therefore, the only lights will be theirs.

There is also a sound company too, so I should be able to get a feed into their mixer. I'm going to take all of my cables along with my H5 tomorrow and see if they think it will be possible or not. I'm also going to have a couple of back ups for audio, as I think this will be a huge part of the finished highlight - even though it's short.

Thanks for your help!

Originally Posted by Malcolm Debono

Sounds like you've got it planned out quite well. Typically fashion shows have dedicated sound & lighting guys, so you might try to get the organiser to get you in touch for further details. For sound, it shouldn't be a problem to get a line out from the mixer, however do make sure to record from another source as a backup (maybe mic the podium or use an on-camera shotgun mic if speaker is moving). As for lights, ask the lighting guy to run you through the different light setups (if any) so you don't get any nasty surprises during the show. Also, this will come in handy to set up exposure on the stand-alone camera.

Thanks Malcolm! If the lighting set is going to be ever-changing (which I doubt), I think I'll leave my AX100 unmanned and on auto exposure. Otherwise, I'll definitely consider setting both manual white balance and exposure to ensure good footage. That said, the AX100 is incredibly intelligent compared to my old Panasonic X800, so I'll see what happens tomorrow and then decide.

Thanks for your help!

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

Tap into the desk if possible - should be easy enough if it's a pro PA company but as others have said have a backup, a shotgun mic will be next to useless as the PA will be pretty loud the sound may be bouncing around the room. Get there and set up in plenty of time to get the lighting guy going through his routine - they tend to do this in the afternoon if the event is in the evening - there is always some sort of rehersal, however short.

Be prepared to be on your toes regarding exposure with your main camera (as well as your EVF you might want to use an eternal monitor) and any locked off cameras you set (I'm only saying how I do it - others may disagree) you might set at auto but a stop undersexposed to avoid blowing out - some cameras have a dedicated 'spotlight' setting which might be worth a look. This method works ok with my Sony cams but they tend to overexpose in auto anyway.

Last one I did I had a GoPro literally at the end of the catwalk for a different perspective - worked a treat.

Thanks for your experiences, Pete.

I don't have an external monitor, unfortunately. Do you expect that at fashion shows, the light is ever-changing?

I'm definitely considering the GoPro shot - sounds awesome!!! Was it directly in front of the walkers and on the catwalk itself? Didn't that get some rather awkward footage, as well as brilliant footage?! :)

Craig

[Peter Rush]

Craig I just find that with all the information on my A7s tiny 3" screen such as Zebras/peaking/audio levels etc etc I can see more clearly that everything is ok with my nice and sharp SmallHD 5" monitor with an uncluttered view of what I'm filming - I also use it for speeches as I have time to set it up - It has really nice focus peaking so I can be double sure everything is sharp.

The GoPro was right at the end of the catwalk and tbh got a few great shots from quite a dynamic angle - I've only done a few of these and they were all Asian ones so no flesh on show to get embarrassed about.

A good backup for your audio would be a mic near a speaker but I've found placing a little off to one side rather than directly in front works well, and a foam pop-shield as a big woofer can push a little air if it's loud.

Pete

[Craig McKenna]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

Craig I just find that with all the information on my A7s tiny 3" screen such as Zebras/peaking/audio levels etc etc I can see more clearly that everything is ok with my nice and sharp SmallHD 5" monitor with an uncluttered view of what I'm filming - I also use it for speeches as I have time to set it up - It has really nice focus peaking so I can be double sure everything is sharp.

The GoPro was right at the end of the catwalk and tbh got a few great shots from quite a dynamic angle - I've only done a few of these and they were all Asian ones so no flesh on show to get embarrassed about.

A good backup for your audio would be a mic near a speaker but I've found placing a little off to one side rather than directly in front works well, and a foam pop-shield as a big woofer can push a little air if it's loud.

Pete

Thanks Pete. My funds are tight now, as I look to move into doing this professionally... my money needs to come from the videography, rather than from my main day job. Here's to hoping I can survive. I need to take the jump in order to have any chance of doing this professionally.

I'd love a monitor like yours, a gimbal and the 1.2 42.5mm lens... they're my official wish list... we'll see what next year brings. Everything is being spent on marketing now.

Sounds good, Pete! Did you have it as a low angle on the actual cat walk?

I'm going to mic a speaker too. The audio techies think I'll get a great feed from their board, but I'm not relying on it.

The show looks to be a pretty good one. 160 guests, models etc. I am just going to do my best to capture as much as I can - then the delivery is only two minutes - so I'll favourite my footage on Thursday and then piece it together to be delivered that evening if I can.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

Craig

[Steven Digges]

Craig,

Sorry I missed this thread, your probably shooting right now. I hope you remember what I said before about how fast they walk. The classic "must get shot" at a fashion show is the pirouette at the end of the run way. Easier said than done ;-)

Steve

[Craig McKenna]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

Craig,

Sorry I missed this thread, your probably shooting right now. I hope you remember what I said before about how fast they walk. The classic "must get shot" at a fashion show is the pirouette at the end of the run way. Easier said than done ;-)

Steve

Hi Steve,

Not to worry - the shoot is tomorrow evening! :)

I have the board sorted, back up audio etc. The end of the runway gives the opportunity for my AX100 to point straight down the runway, which in 4K, should give me some great options.

Otherwise, it's a case of just getting good snippets. It's only a 2 minute piece - piecing together a story of the evening. See how it all goes!

I'm going to watch some fashion shows this evening and get acquainted - right after I finish the ceremony for wedding that I still have in backlog! :)

Hope that you're well, Steve! I'll do my best to get a good pirouette shot for you! Any tips?!

Craig

[Peter Rush]

Originally Posted by Craig McKenna

Sounds good, Pete! Did you have it as a low angle on the actual cat walk?


Craig

Yes right at the end and slap bang in the middle - get it up on your smartphone when they are doing a run through to see if you like the angle - if it's a little 'in your face' for your liking then move it off to one side.

Good luck

[Craig McKenna]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

Yes right at the end and slap bang in the middle - get it up on your smartphone when they are doing a run through to see if you like the angle - if it's a little 'in your face' for your liking then move it off to one side.

Good luck

Cheers Pete - it's on charge and will be ready for the shoot! Looking forward to it now... always a bit scary lending your hand to something new. I'll do my best and post up the results in the coming days!

Thanks again!

[Peter Rush]

The only thing to remember with the gopro is poor battery life - made even worse if you have wifi on - prob too late for you now but i use an Anker usb battery - will run pretty much all day - get one for future use

[Craig McKenna]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

The only thing to remember with the gopro is poor battery life - made even worse if you have wifi on - prob too late for you now but i use an Anker usb battery - will run pretty much all day - get one for future use

Thanks Pete - I'll have to look into that! The GoPro was a great addition - hoping to use at least one shot from that, even though it was really dark.

Overall, think the shoot went really well. Just need to see if I can edit it all together now with some good music. It's only for Facebook. I tapped into the board and the sound was brilliant. Then when the lady started speaking, I went to check on the audio and all I got was fuzzzzzzz! :/ The guy who was manning the audio board couldn't figure out what had gone wrong... it was perfect as the show started... fortunately, it wasn't really audio that I'd use for this video anyways. Basically, I'm just making a quick music video to highlight the event.

Considering music at The Music Bed now... hoping to find something decent. I'll piece the edit together tomorrow and see how it turns out! :)

I did the event for free, but still want to do a great job for them.

Thanks for your help!

[Craig McKenna]

I've posted the resulting video to the members section. Thank you to everyone for your help with this project.