Local Video and Photo Crews for Event Agencies

Why agencies need a different type of supplier

An event agency is exposed in a way an in-house team is not. If the content crew fails, your client blames you, and you might be on site running everything else when it happens. Keeping a list of trusted freelancers works in your home city. It works much less well when next month's show is somewhere you have never worked and the only recommendation came from a colleague of a colleague.

Fame Crew is built for that situation. You give us the date, the venue and the brief, and we field a vetted crew member who lives locally. If they drop out, finding the replacement is our job. It has happened days before an event, and we filled it. You do not have to work through your contacts while also managing a build.

Fitting into your production

An event already has a production schedule and plenty of people with radios. A crew needs to fit into that rather than create extra work. The more you can share, the better. Useful documents to send with your brief include:

• The run of show, including rehearsal and doors times.
• Names and numbers for the stage manager and AV lead.
• Details of crew access, passes, parking and load-in.
• A floor plan showing the camera positions you have agreed with the venue.
• The dress code, including any requirement for crew blacks.
• A list of VIPs, sponsors and any deliverables owed to them.

Audio and AV are where it goes wrong

Many of the most damaging event video failures are audio failures, because a lost microphone feed cannot be fixed afterwards. Put your crew in touch with the AV team before the show, and confirm that a feed from the sound desk will be available. Our videographers carry lavalier and shotgun microphones, and they can often plug directly into the desk.

If slides matter, ask the AV team whether a clean recording of the presentation feed can be supplied. It is far easier to cut in a clean slide than to film one on a screen. Our equipment runs on batteries, so the crew should not need extra power at a stand, although a dedicated position for a long stage shoot is still worth planning.

Sponsor deliverables and fast turnaround

Agencies often have content promised in a sponsorship package: a logo in a recap film, a stand photographed, an interview with a named executive. Turn those promises into a list and put it in the brief, otherwise it is easy to discover a gap once everyone has gone home.

If the client wants material during the show, same-day social cuts can be requested in the brief. Our editors can turn around subtitled 9:16 clips within hours of a keynote finishing. Edited assets can be delivered within 48 hours, which supports a post-event email while attendees still remember being there. Selects from a photographer can also be requested, and your quote will say what is possible on the day.

Working behind your agency's name

If your client relationship is yours and you want it to stay that way, say so in your brief. Tell us how you want the crew to introduce themselves on site, and who the client's contact is. If your client has an NDA, it can be signed before the crew arrives. And if an event overruns, which they do, extra time can usually be arranged on the day at an hourly overtime rate. Check who approves that on your side, so the decision does not hold anything up.

When an agency runs a series of shows, having one person take charge of logistics, briefing and file delivery saves a lot of duplicated work. You get a fixed quote before you commit, and you can reschedule free up to 48 hours before the shoot, which helps when an event date moves after it has been announced.