Planning arrival and setup time for your video crew

Plan the crew’s arrival from the first moment you cannot repeat, not from the time guests are told to come. Work backwards, add the time setup needs, then ask the venue whether that time is possible.

Why the start time is the wrong starting point

An event “starts at 7.30 pm”, but the first thing you want on video may happen earlier: a welcome drink, the ceremony procession or a speaker rehearsal. If the crew only arrives at the printed start time, the first minutes are filmed in a rush or not at all.

So start with one question: what is the first moment that cannot be repeated, and when does it happen? That time sets the latest moment the crew must be ready. Our guide to prioritising moments that cannot be repeated helps you choose it.

What setup actually involves

Setup is not just placing a camera on a stand. Each step can take time, and some depend on other people.

1. Access: parking, loading in, security, lifts or a service entrance.
2. Positions: finding spots with a clear view that do not block guests, exits or other suppliers.
3. Power and cables: where sockets are, and whether cables cross walkways.
4. Sound: connecting to the venue’s audio or placing microphones, then a check with the person who runs the sound.
5. Test recordings: checking picture, light and sound before the room fills.
6. Briefing: a short talk with your contact person about the first moments and any changes.

The more cameras and microphones, the more this takes. A single-camera recording of a small gathering needs far less than a stage event with several positions. See multi-camera event recording if you are weighing that.

A worked example

This is an illustration, not a real booking. Imagine an annual dinner where the managing director’s welcome speech is the first moment you cannot repeat, planned for 7.45 pm. Guests are asked to arrive from 6.30 pm.

If the ballroom is used for another event until late afternoon, the crew cannot enter early. In that case, the plan changes: fewer positions at the start, or a shorter setup that avoids the stage area until the other event leaves.

Questions to ask the venue

Venues often have their own rules, so ask before the day. For large convention venues, for instance, commercial filming may need advance notification and camera positions coordinated with the venue (see the KL Convention Centre guidelines). Other venues will have different rules, so confirm yours.

• What time can suppliers enter, and where do they load in?
• Is there parking or a loading bay, and does it need a pass?
• Is the room free before the event, or is something else booked?
• Who controls the sound, lighting and power, and when are they available?
• Can the crew leave equipment in place if there is a break between sessions?

Our venue filming questions checklist turns these into a form you can send to the venue.

Who decides, and who is the contact

Name one person on the day who can say yes to a position, open a door or approve a change. Give the crew their mobile number. If that person is also hosting, add a backup. Our guide on delegating filming decisions when the organiser is busy covers this.

Put it in the run sheet

Add crew arrival, setup and sound check as lines in your run sheet, with times and a responsible person. The run-sheet filming planner has space for this, including timings you have not confirmed yet. It also helps to see how camera coverage maps to the run sheet.

What we confirm for your event

• The arrival time we suggest, and what it is based on.
• How long setup takes for the number of cameras and microphones you want.
• What we need from the venue or from you before we arrive.
• Whether early access is listed as its own line in the quote.
• Who our crew contacts on arrival.

Send us the venue and run sheet and we confirm these in your quote for event videography. Arrival time is part of the scope, and early access adds crew hours that can change the quote: see pricing.