Videographer and Video Editor in New York City

Asaf Blasberg

Videographer

Videographer and Video Editor in New York City

Asaf Blasberg

Videographer

Videographer and Video Editor
in New York City

Asaf Blasberg

Videographer

Videographer and Video Editor
in New York City

Asaf Blasberg

Videographer

Videographer and
Video Editor
in New York City

Filming Your Performance Using a Single Camera - 10 Tips for Achieving Top-Quality Results

When you need to hire video and audio recording services to film a solo performance, an orchestra, a dance concert, or a choir, and your budget only allows using a single video camera, the following 10 tips will help you to achieve top-quality videos that will be highly memorable and enjoyed for years to come.

Select an experienced videographer with a musical background who can study the music that you will play in the concert ahead of time. Understanding the music will help the videographer tilt, pan, and zoom the camera to the correct places at the correct times and thereby achieve the most accurate, artistic, and professional results.
Ask the videographer to show you samples of his work (links to his website or YouTube). This will help you find out whether or not you like his videography style and the quality of his work.
Ask the videographer to provide you with references or a link to his customers’ testimonials.
Make sure that the videographer is using a professional, high-definition video camera with a large attached monitor. Using an external, higher-resolution monitor improves the framing of the performance, sharpens the images, and helps the videographer adjust colors and light exposure.
Unless there is no other choice, do not use a static camera without a videographer. The videographer must monitor the video and control the camera during the entire concert to achieve an interesting and dynamic video with zooming and panning on specific themes at the correct time.
Ask the videographer to attend a rehearsal of the performance. This will help him or her to better plan the filming of the concert and decide ahead of time where to position the tripod with the video camera.
The biggest fear for performers who film their concerts live is making mistakes. The good news is, it is possible to fix mistakes made during the performance by having the performer play the bad sections again and filming the corrections after the concert is over. Then, in the editing process, the videographer can correct these mistakes before burning the final DVD/Blu-ray Disc master. Another option is to substitute previously-recorded audio from a rehearsal over the mistakes in the original audio from the concert.
Audio quality is extremely important. If the venue provides you with a professional audio recording, ask the videographer to synchronize it with the video. This will give you a better audio recording than what is typically provided by the camera microphones. Camera microphones only provide basic, compressed audio.
If the venue does not have audio recording equipment, make sure that the videographer has good audio recording skills and his own professional audio recording equipment. The videographer can bring professional microphones, which are placed in front of the stage, and connect them directly to the camera.
Make sure that the videographer can post your video online and on YouTube, edit your performance, and create DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.

Example 1: Single Camera, Tribute to Paul Motian
Symphony Space, New York

In this example, I filmed the Tribute to Paul Motian using a single camera and the venue's professional audio equipment. To achieve the best results, I positioned the camera at the back of the concert hall. Then, I panned and zoomed carefully to overcome the lack of additional cameras to produce an effective video.

Paul Motian was a drummer, composer, and bandleader with a profound influence on modern jazz. Click here to read the New York Times review of this event.

Example 2: Three Cameras, Park Avenue Chamber Symphony
Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, New York

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony was filmed with three cameras. This video clip is featured here to illustrate how using multiple cameras makes a difference. In this video, the challenge was to film the conductor, David Bernard, with the orchestra during the entire concert. Therefore, I placed the cameras in three different locations that helped me film the orchestra and the conductor at the same time for the length of the recital.

Click here to learn about the benefits of filming your performance with multiple cameras.