What setup to film a convention or general meeting?

Filming a convention or a general meeting is not the same as recording a conference. You have to last several hours without a mistake, sometimes live, in front of a room and remote viewers. The right setup therefore depends on what you want to do with it.

First question: who are we filming for? Recording for the archives does not require the same thing as a live stream followed by remote employees or shareholders. As soon as there is a remote audience, sound quality, image fluidity and streaming stability become priorities.

Second question: what size of setup? For a simple meeting, two or three cameras, a video control room and careful sound capture are enough. For a convention with several speakers, presentations, videos to play and exchanges with the room, we add cameras, a technical director, dedicated sound mixing and a link with the event production.

Third point: live. It requires a control room that mixes shots in real time, a redundant internet connection, and a suitable streaming platform: secure access, participant questions, sometimes online voting for a general meeting. A plan B must exist, because a live cannot be replayed.

Other elements to plan: presentation slides to integrate into the picture, subtitling or interpretation if the audience is international, and content security when information is sensitive.

Finally, think about afterwards. A well-prepared recording allows a quick replay, but also short excerpts for internal use or social media. Planning for this from the start avoids doing everything twice.

The best way to size it right: describe the programme, the room, the expected audience and what you want to keep after the event. The setup follows.