When creating a corporate highlights video you are ultimately telling the story of what everyone got up to. Just as you would for a drama or film, you need to create a beginning, middle and end. There are certain moments you can capture to help you do this.

Events are unpredictable so don’t plan too much because I guarantee it won’t go how you intend it to. The good news is there are certain elements that are almost certainly going to be there and it is worth ensuring you’re aware of them. They will make the life of the editor a lot easier.

The first thing to consider is venue/hotel GVs (general views). I generally like to open with a reference to where the event is happening, especially if it is a famous or well-known venue. A lot of places will have the name on the outside of the building but if not try to find something branded in the building itself. Also look at going outside to get some external shots of how those attending will see it on arrival. Look around the venue at the areas they might use during their stay, anything that will give a reference to where they are and jog a memory. If this is a shorter event it might be the entertainment on the night or the decoration of the room. A longer event might look at the facilities of the venue, if it has nice views, a pool etc. Don’t go over the top, you only need a few of these.

When getting your opening shots, remember to show the venue empty and at its best. While these shots will go first in the edit to establish where they are, they don’t have to be the first thing filmed. If the weather is bad when you arrive wait until it improves. Just remember not to catch any people in shot because in the edit they haven’t arrived yet!

If you are abroad - as well as the above - you will need to reference where you are, you don’t necessarily need to name the country you are in (as this is not always possible) just show that you are abroad. This could be done with a road sign, nearby landmark or view looking out over the area (city/beach etc.). If the group go out on excursions I generally try and grab a few GVs of the area at the same time. Try not to capture any people or your edit won’t make sense.  

The next thing to look out for is the arriving shot. I like to try and catch the bus/cars pulling in. If you miss this it isn't the end of the world as you will also need to grab a few shots of people arriving at the sign in desk to collect passes and this is another good way to start the edit. Sometimes you will be able to get a few shots of people greeting each other around this area, which is always good to have. If it is an evening only event then it may be people arriving and collecting a drink or something similar. If you are unlucky enough to miss both of these there is an alternative. No matter what the event, there will usually be some point where everyone is gathered together. This could be when everyone takes their seats for an evening meal, it could be when everyone sits down to a welcome speech at a conference. An alternative shot is to set a camera up on a wide angle and leave it running as the room fills, this can then be sped up in the edit to a few seconds. This isn’t my favourite option but it will work if you miss other opportunities!

The last moment that will definitely need some consideration is the end shot. I have yet to see a highlights video where just fading to black is effective, you need something to help round the edit off. The most effective thing is to end on the event/company logo and there are few things to look out for to help you do so:

• Look for flags outside the hotel with the company name on – if you have used this in the opening sequence don't worry, you can always use it again so the edit comes full circle.

• Look for something branded that people might have seen around, for example a nicely lit sign – I have even done a job where they branded hundreds of cupcakes.

• Has anything been created during the conference with the logo on?  During conferences teams are often set tasks, one that I went to involved teams making ice sculptures (they had gone somewhere VERY cold) and a group chose to do the company logo.

If you can’t find any options to film, try and find a nice frame to round off on like a table raising their glasses in toast before going off to a graphic of the logo.

With regard to the ending, make sure you end after a key moment. Many conferences will have a gala dinner on the last night, then come back in the next morning for a quick round up and to say goodbye (this is sometimes when the highlights video is played out). In this case, or situations similar to this, always end on the gala dinner and don’t worry about including the round up meetings. There are exceptions to this and you should be able to tell when they are. I have done conferences that were centered around a product launch and the big launch (complete with confetti canons) happened the morning after the gala dinner to round off the conference. In this case this would be your end shot.

Remember the most important thing is to end on a high!