How to film an event or conference: a plan

An event film is made from footage that can only be shot once. That is why most of the work on good coverage happens before the event: in the call with the organiser, in an agenda with the key moments marked, and in a list of people to interview. Below is the plan we follow at conferences, hackathons and company events.

How to film an event: the short version

Decide what the film is for and who will watch it.
Choose the formats: recap, aftermovie, short social media clips.
Give the crew an agenda with the key moments marked.
Book speaker and partner interviews for specific times.
Arrange sound from the mixing desk and a quiet spot for interviews.
Tell attendees about the filming and get consent from interviewees.
Agree the delivery date and the list of versions before the event.

Step 1. What the film is for

The first question is who will watch the film and why. The whole shooting plan depends on the answer.

A film meant to promote next year's edition needs a full room, short comments from attendees and shots of the venue. What the speakers said is secondary. A recap for attendees and partners has to show who was there, who spoke and about what, so speakers' names, partner logos and the key lines from the stage matter. Social media material is something else again: short clips, often vertical, delivered during the event or the day after.

At the Contemporary Faces of Security conference in Gdańsk (the 20th edition, 8–9 October 2025) the recap had to cover the talks and panels, plus short conversations with speakers, including people from the Road Safety Centre and Compensa. A brief like that means part of the crew works by the stage while the rest finds interviewees during breaks.

Step 2. A recap, an aftermovie or several films

A recap and an aftermovie are different things, although the names often get mixed up. A recap tells what happened: who spoke, about what, and what came out of it. An aftermovie is a short, fast-cut film set to music that captures the atmosphere and makes people want to come next year.

One event can produce several pieces. For HackYeah we made a promotional film that encouraged developers to take part, and an aftermovie from the hackathon itself. For the smartUP! conference we made a fast-paced film from the talks and expert meetings to promote future editions, and a separate film about inventions, cut to be screened during the conference. It is better to plan this from the start, because each format needs different shots.

Step 3. An agenda with the key moments marked

We ask for an agenda with times and a note of what matters most: the opening, the keynote, a panel with a partner, the awards, the evening programme. At a two-day event with one crew, someone has to decide which room we are in when two tracks run in parallel.

It also helps to say what might slip. An awards ceremony that starts 40 minutes late can collide with an interview booked for the same time. Hackathons have yet another rhythm. At KrakHack we filmed the teams working through the night, the project pitches and the awards, so the plan covered hours when most people are asleep.

Step 4. Speaker and partner interviews

Short statements to camera turn a recap into a film instead of a set of room shots. Before the event we agree:

the list of people to interview (speakers, partners, the organiser),
who will bring them to us and when, because a speaker usually has a few minutes between the talk and lunch,
two or three questions, the same for everyone, so the answers can be cut together,
a quiet place to record, away from the speakers and the coffee machine.

At outdoor events interviews tend to be shorter and more spontaneous. At the Vienna Life Christmas market we filmed in the evening, among the stalls and from a drone, and visitors said a few sentences each into the microphone.

Step 5. Light, sound and the venue

Conference rooms are rarely lit for camera. A cinema auditorium is the hardest: it is dark, the speaker stands in a spotlight, and a bright screen sits behind them. That was the setting for two editions of ACE! Conference at the Multikino in Kraków, in 2022 and 2023. In conditions like that we choose low-light equipment and place the cameras so the speaker does not disappear against the slides.

Stage sound is best taken directly from the sound engineer's mixing desk. That is why we ask for a contact at the company running the stage before the event. A camera-mounted mic in a big room picks up echo and chatter from the back rows.

Coverage also needs context: the building, registration, breaks, partner stands. At the SmarTPlus conferences cameras worked in the room while a drone showed the hotel and its surroundings. A flight has to be planned in advance: permission from the site manager, a check of airspace zones and the weather forecast, because in strong wind or rain the drone stays in its bag.

Shots away from the stage work well too. For the Capitol Ubezpieczenia year-end summary the coverage had to be dynamic, so beyond the stage we looked for unusual angles from the audience and backstage.

Step 6. Consent and attendees' image

The organiser should tell attendees that the event is being filmed, usually in the terms and at registration. People who do not want to be on camera can be marked, for example with a different colour badge. We only record interviews with people who agree to it.

For events involving children, patients or people in a difficult situation, we agree the rules separately and more carefully. That was the case at the Compensa Polska and Play event for the National Institute of Oncology in Warsaw.

Step 7. Editing, deadline and versions

The request we hear most is "we want to show something while the event is still on". That is possible if we know in advance. An editor then works on site or remotely, and a short clip reaches the organiser the same day. A full recap needs a few days of editing.

Jobs for event agencies add one more thing. The crew has to blend into the event and deliver on the date the agency promised its own client. That is how we worked for Top Event at an event by the Vistula in Warsaw: filming, editing and animation for an agency organising the event for its client.

A series of events brings repetition. We filmed the Safe Motorway campaign over several seasons. In 2023 it visited 14 cities: 8 city events and 6 on beaches, and an AED defibrillator was installed in every city. Each event got its own recap, and at the end there was a film summing up the season. The template (opening titles, graphics, music, length) is set once. Each next recap is then quicker to make, and they all look like one series.

The most common mistakes with event films

No agenda for the crew. The operator films a bit of everything and misses the moment the organiser cared about most.
Sound only from the camera. The talks are then usable only as background under music.
Interviews "if we get the chance". A speaker nobody brought over leaves right after their talk.
Versions agreed after the fact. A vertical social media film needs different framing already in the room.

What the cost of an event film depends on

The number of days and hours of filming, the number of cameras and operators (one room or several parallel tracks), a drone, interviews, the delivery date and the number of versions. Express editing during the event is a separate line. We itemise the quote by these elements, so it is easy to decide what to drop if the budget is tight. We describe the general pricing rules in how much does a commercial cost.

A checklist to send the crew before the event

the film's purpose and where it will be published,
the agenda with times and the key moments marked,
the list of interviewees and the person who will bring them,
contacts for the sound engineer and venue staff,
partner logos that have to appear in the film,
information on attendee consent,
the delivery date and the list of versions (horizontal, vertical, short cut).

Questions about event films

How long does it take to edit a conference recap?

A short social media clip can be ready the same day if we plan editing on site. A full recap with interviews and graphics usually takes a few days.

Do you work for event agencies?

Yes. We film, edit and deliver to the agency on the date the agency agreed with its client. One example is the Top Event job by the Vistula in Warsaw.

Do you film outside Kraków?

Yes. We have filmed events in Gdańsk, Warsaw, Łódź, Toruń and Suwałki, among other places.

You will find recaps of conferences, hackathons and company events on our event video page.

Event video

How to film an event or conference: a shooting plan step by step