The 12 — non-negotiable coverage
If a shot isn't on this list by load-out, it didn't happen. Every deliverable downstream depends on these.
- 01The empty room — full build, no people, 30 min before doors. The "we made this" shot.
- 02Doors moment — first guests walking in. Anticipation is content.
- 03The hero product/brand shot — your activation centerpiece, clean, three angles.
- 04Hands-on interaction — guests touching, trying, holding. Closeups.
- 05The line — if people waited, film the wait. Social proof nobody stages well.
- 06Genuine reactions — faces in the 2 seconds after the experience lands.
- 07The wide room at peak — fullest moment of the night, elevated angle.
- 08VIP / talent arrivals — even 10 seconds. It anchors the recap.
- 09Step-and-repeat flow — not just stills; the motion between poses is the reel.
- 10Staff + brand team candids — internal comms gold, LinkedIn native.
- 11Detail inserts — signage, drinks, textures, badges. Your b-roll glue.
- 12The last guest leaving — the night ending. Every recap needs an exhale.
The 3 everyone misses
We've covered enough activations to know exactly what's missing when a brand comes to us with "footage from our last event we can't use."
- Vertical versions of everything. One horizontal camera = a recap you can't post on the three platforms that matter. Every setup needs a vertical pass.
- Clean audio of the room. 30 seconds of real crowd sound saves every edit. Phone-in-pocket audio kills them.
- The same-day cut window. If nothing publishes while the event is still socially alive, the recap performs like an archive. Plan the 3 clips that go out same-night — before the event.
The deliverables map — what one covered event yields
- 1 hero recap (16:9 + 9:16 versions)
- 6–12 vertical social cuts
- 3 same-night clips (posted while the event trends)
- 40+ edited stills — press, decks, paid, LinkedIn
- 1 internal sizzle for the team that approved the budget