It’s the night of the yearly gala, an alumni happy hour, or a donor and scholarship recipient meet and greets. People are filing into their seats. You have a camera in hand.

So what do you film?

Since you’ll want to convey the importance (and the fun!) of your event, here are some great tips to keep in mind for your event recap video.

Have a goal for your video before the event starts

Make sure to film the right footage for the right message. Who are you sending this video to? Will this be sent to donors unable to attend or a thank you for those who did attend? Maybe both?

If the video will be sent to those who attended, there is no need to include long portions of introductions or speeches.

If the video will be sent to non-attendees, make sure to include some shots of the venue showing off how many people were there, and, of course, the attendees!

Feature people in the video

This might seem obvious, but more often than not, you’ll be tempted to capture a large group of people rather than taking the time to interview people one-on-one.

Talk to people about why they came, why they’re excited about your mission and who they’re wearing. Make them feel red-carpet fabulous!

If possible, try to get multiple perspectives. Talk to new donors and long-term donors to get a well-rounded vision of your organization.

Shoot an introduction to your video

To give your recipient context for your video, have someone from the event (possibly the main speaker) give a quick introduction.

UW did an amazing job with this recap video for an alumni event.

This introduction might end up being the majority of your video, or act as an introduction to the photos you took from the event. Ultimately, you might not end of using an intro at all, but it’s a great piece of footage to have as you head into editing.

Take a combination of photos and videos

Even if you head into the even with a vision for how the video will look, be sure to get different kinds of footage. The pros call it B roll!

Though photos of the event are invaluable to have on hand, we’d suggest steering away from putting together only a collage of photos for your video. A video is far more engaging to watch and will help increase the percentage of people that not only start watching your video but finish watching the video as well.

Technical advice (Geek Squad alert!)

Your “camera equipment” might just be an iPhone but don’t fret! You can still capture amazing video from an iPhone camera — especially the newer versions. Check out this Wistia article on “How to Film with an iPhone.” If shooting with an iPhone, we would suggest investing in a wearable microphone since most mobile devices are not capable of capturing clear audio from even a few feet away.

This article from Matter, also has some great tips on what to keep in mind as you put together your event recap video. In Matter’s article, they recommend topping off a great event recap with a meaningful call to action. So when you’re filming, when you’re editing, don’t lose sight of the goal of the video. Keeping that goal in mind will help you each step along the way as you build your Event Recap Campaign.

Lights, Camera… Action!

So get your camera rolling and get out!

Your event recap will be a great souvenir to attendees and an encouragement for others to join you at your next event.