Video content objectives mustn’t be confused with marketing objectives. The latter is what we want to achieve with the video, and the former is making sure we get the footage we need to do it. With content objectives we are getting down to the brass tacks of the shoot; equipment, subjects and scheduling.
Coming up with content objectives isn’t difficult because it simply means taking your brief one step further alongside your production company. If the event video brief is to show how many guests a new auditorium can hold, one of the content objectives will be a wide shot of the auditorium full of people. Another content objective might be an interview with a key figure that explains why the scale of the room is important. A third could be a welcome speech given to guests in the foyer before the event.
There is, however, more than one way to skin a cat, and so prioritising content objectives is very important.
If time is tight we might have to choose between a time-lapse of the auditorium and that interview explaining its significance. Both will satisfy the objective, but which is the priority? Planning an event video is a series of decisions like this. The client who wants everything could end up with nothing if the video team is stretched too thinly.
If it’s more important to show how many people are at the event, maybe we should save that interview with the artistic director for another time, and focus on the welcome speech where we can see the guests in situ? Maybe we won’t know if we have time until the day, but so long as we are prioritised we can make decisions on the day.
Here is a list of prioritised content objectives for the generic event video described above.
- One close angle on the key speaker throughout their welcome speech, capturing every word.
- A variety of wide angles on the key speaker, showing the audience engaging with them in the foreground, to be used in a montage.
- Interview with the artistic director explaining the function of the new auditorium.
- VIP guests arriving.
- Exterior footage ascertaining the location, context and time of the event.
- Guests networking after the speech.
Even this simple list tells us that the priority is the welcome speech. Only once we have this will we look to capture the remaining content objectives. We can also plan use of A and B cameras if necessary with this information.
What’s more, our client will be free to relax and enjoy the event without worrying about directing the video team!
