Successfully Work with Children when Live Event Filming
Are you unnerved by the old adage “Never work with animals or children”? Don’t be!* We would like to share with you 7 simple lessons that you can follow to ensure that you make the most of the live event filming opportunity for everyone involved: the client, the crew, and the young people themselves.
7 steps for you to follow
- Introduce yourselves when live event filming: The interviewer, the producer and the camera operator. It’s easy to forget to do this and just get on with the interview, especially if you have a lot of interviews to do, but a friendly beginning is the best beginning.
- Put children at ease by chatting away about anything such as their favourite football team or singer. This means that whilst the camera is being set up, they are distracted from focussing on the imminent interview. Also, by thinking about something they love you will get a happier interview subject.
- Crouch or kneel down if you can so you are at their eye level. Don’t expect them to look up.
- Explain about the key pieces of filming kit you are using: the camera, the lights, the sound boom. Knowledge is power so help them by answering their questions and letting them look through the camera.
- Depending on the style of live event video, you might want to encourage them to look at the interviewer, rather than straight down the camera.
- Always use open questions that require a full reply, rather than closed questions that lead to a plain Yes or No.
- Be patient. Children (like adults) might be experiencing excitement, fear and nerves. If you rush them, you just won’t get the best out of them.
We have been lucky enough to work with the ball kids at the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals, participants in the Surrey Youth Games and the young residents of Hounslow Borough in North London. Watch examples of our live streaming and live event filming work.
For your live streaming and live filming needs, get in touch.
*Blog about working with animals coming soon!
