Filming Group Dance Videos (TIPS)
If you didn’t already see the smoking hot video I filmed and posted recently featuring Elena Anishchenko’s choreography, you better go and watch right now.
This is only the second time I filmed this many dancers at once, but the first time they were doing in sync choreo. I always like to compare and contrast the filming experience as the situations differ.
Here are my insights as compared to filming one dancer, which I most often film. While I love the energy of filming a group, I recognize that it is much harder than focusing on just one person in many ways.
It will be harder to keep your focus. There is a lot more energy, conversations, and noise. If you are filming a group, this is something to be mindful of, as it can be a distraction from what you are doing. Whereas one person may ask you questions throughout your session, when you film a group, they all may be asking you questions and talking to you as you are setting up. Make sure to have a plan and stay organized so you can manage the social energy and still take care of your job efficiently and without making mistakes, which can happen when you get distracted. The best thing you can do on a group shoot is to have an assistant that can be your second set of hands or help direct the dancers as necessary.
When there are more dancers, more thought must be put into directing and positioning, so that everyone in the video has their spotlight or gets seen. You may have to make a filming strategy in order to do this and have multiple useable takes. For example, in the shoot I did above, I recognized that the girls in the back were less visible than those in the front. I proposed spotlighting them at a point in the choreo that allowed me to move between the dancers in front to capture those in back. I also aimed to shoot at a downward angle for a lot of the video, which I rarely do. This allowed me to see the back dancers, whereas a low angle would hide them for the most part.
You should make sure that the group you are filming is well-prepared and have practiced the routine thoroughly. If they haven’t it might be a waste of everyone’s time. Sounds bad right? Well, in order for the video to look good, everyone has to be at least mostly in sync. This can only happen if they have pracgticed the timing enough together. The best way to ensure this is to have them send a video (by phone) of them doing the routine to music. This will also allow you to make suggestions to or plan your filming strategy.
You should be extra prepared, especially with lighting.
You should be familiar with the filming location - where are the outlets if you need to use them for lights, fog machine, etc? Will you need extension cords? What available light exists for you use at the studio or location? You should have these questions answered in advance of your shoot so there are no surprises and so you can spend time efficiently during the session (stress-free!)
Another thing - If you make a mistake, it affects more than just you and one dancer- it affects an entire group! So let that pressure force you to over-prepare to create the video you’re after. Since there will be more than one subject, you will need extra lighting so that everyone can be seen in the video - this may come at additional cost to the dancer and you must let them know this in advance. If you are filming using natural light or outside, this may not be an issue of course. But since I was filming in a dark room, and creating a whole mood from a canvas, the lighting placement and choices were extremely important.
I hope these tips helped and didn’t scare you away from filming groups! Overall, group dance videos are one of my favorite things to film and while risky and more work, it is extra satisfying! Plus, more people will see the video :)
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