Creative Approaches to Making Live Event Movies

Just as there are different kinds of performances, there are many different types of movies you can make about an event. Of course, you can just shoot what happens onstage, but there is much more to the story. There are a number of approaches that movie makers and television producers have applied to make live event movies more compelling. You can use these techniques, too, if you want to expand the scope of your project.

If your stars are children in a school play, you're almost guaranteed to make a great movie. Children have a lot of energy, which the camera loves. Kids are wonderful to shoot, they express themselves naturally, and they are full of surprises. People naturally enjoy watching kids in moviesas long as the movie is edited well.

The popular feature documentaries Mad Hot Ballroom and Spellbound (see Figure 8.1) are wildly successful examples of using real-life children as stars in live event movies. You can rent these movies for inspiration and to educate yourself about the creative possibilities.

Figure 8.1. The popular feature documentaries Mad Hot Ballroom and Spellbound.

Would you make a good host in a movie? If so, you can consider putting yourself in front of the camera. For a little tongue-in-cheek movie, you could put together a panel of "judges" à la American Idol. You can have your friends perform for fun to make an entertaining movie.

Are you going to be in a performance? If so, you might want to make a movie about your creative processfrom practice to performance.

A first-person take on the performing arts could be just what the world is waiting for.

Rehearsal recordings can also be exciting to make and watch because they give the movie maker more room to maneuver and get behind-the-scenes. Performers may want to have a rehearsal videotaped before a show so they can polish their act before going onstage. You can help by shooting the rehearsal so they can fine-tune their production.

For inspiration, you can watch the Academy Awardwinning documentary In the Shadow of the Stars. This movie (see Figure 8.2) takes you backstage at San Francisco's Opera, where it follows the lives of the chorus members.

Figure 8.2. The Academy Awardwinning documentary In the Shadow of the Stars.

Making a good live event movie is an art form unto itself, but one that anyone can learn. You, too, can shoot as if your movie were going to air on the E! television network.