Shooting a School Concert...

My youngest just started high school and for some unknown reason she "volunteered" me to record her first choir concert next Tuesday 10/21. Apparently the choir teacher was desperate to have someone record the performances for teaching purposes and my daughter said I would do it without first consulting me.

I'm definitely not a video guy so I'm not sure I can do the recording; at least not without additional equipment. Currently the only camera I have capable of video is an EOS-M and I have an adapter and a ton of L lenses (see gear list). Would it be possible to shoot a 1 1/2 hour concert with just an EOS-M or am I better off getting a digital camcorder? Appreciate you opinions and advice.

No experience of the EOS-M but I shot a gig a few weeks ago on my 7D, the main drawback is the need to shoot short clips owing to the filesize/time limit, provided individual pieces are less than 12 minutes you should be able to cope.

Always a good idea to shoot some audience shots as well for some continuity. I have a Rode Videomic attached to the camera (don't forget to turn it on!!!) I also recorded with a Tascam DR07 (just as well to cope with my silent shots!!) The Tascam sound was slightly better but this of course means addition editing work.

The EOS M can record clips up to 4 GB in size and 29:59 in length. But I only plan on recording the actual performances and I anticipate there will be some fairly long pauses so clip size or length shouldn't be a problem. I also have a Tascam DR-05 that I plan to use for separate audio recording then sync in PluralEyes 3. I don't have a dedicated video mic but I think I have an old 3.5mm stereo mic laying around somewhere that should probably record better sound that the built-in mics.

artyman wrote in post #17210258
No experience of the EOS-M but I shot a gig a few weeks ago on my 7D, the main drawback is the need to shoot short clips owing to the filesize/time limit, provided individual pieces are less than 12 minutes you should be able to cope.

Always a good idea to shoot some audience shots as well for some continuity. I have a Rode Videomic attached to the camera (don't forget to turn it on!!!) I also recorded with a Tascam DR07 (just as well to cope with my silent shots!!) The Tascam sound was slightly better but this of course means addition editing work.

I'm a choir director by profession (photography's my passion!), and I frequently record concerts both for myself and for other directors in the district. Since I do it for free (part of my "job"), I try to make it as painless as possible. I shoot with a Tascam DR-60D, 2-3 external mics, and either my 6D or 70D. I shoot only the songs themselves, and feed the mixed audio into my camera so the sound on the video file is pretty good (most times I can simply use that audio for the final mix), and that makes my job much faster in post.

If I were in your shoes to make it easy, I'd certainly use your external mic for the audio, and while I'm not very familiar with the EOS-M, you should be ok with it for video, especially if you stick to shooting only the songs (breaking in between individual songs or groups of songs). Keeping the individual record time down will help ensure your file size never gets too large (or too long), and can also help with your camera heating up. Also, make sure you're using a fast enough card to record at the rate you want. I would be far easier on you if you could feed your decent audio straight to the camera, as this would (or might) eliminate a more complicated step in post, but you'd most likely have to give up monitoring audio, which is a tough trade-off...

Anyway, the way I see it you're already doing much more for her choir than they currently get, so that's something to keep in mind.

Thrown into the fire huh?

Can you get to a rehearsal or similar? Having a chat with the teacher is also important. Are parents aware you'll be videoing the event?

You really don't need to take it all in one long take. What normally do is take 'snap shots' of anything from 10 seconds to 60 seconds maximum, then join these takes together in a video editing programme. Choosing different shooting positions is paramount. If for example you shoot everything camera mounted in one spot only it will be as boring as last night's mashed potatoes. Move around.

Concerts are best shot during full dress rehearsals. This way you don't interfere with the audience. Also watch your audio levels.

Thanks for you suggestions Chris. My plan is quite similar to what you outlined in that I'll only record individual songs to avoid overheating. I have a 32GB SDHC UHS-1 card and a few smaller backups which should allow me to record the entire performance in 1080p.

That's quite a setup you have. Is the DR-60 a field mixer or a recorder? I'm looking to upgrade my DR-05 and get a better external mic but unfortunately my preferred equipment vendors are all closed for Jewish holidays. But I do intend to have better equipment for other performances.

What do you use to sync the recorded sound with your video? I have PluralEyes and Premiere Pro CC 2014 but I wouldn't consider myself an expert in video editing.

cdmicha wrote in post #17211356
I'm a choir director by profession (photography's my passion!), and I frequently record concerts both for myself and for other directors in the district. Since I do it for free (part of my "job"), I try to make it as painless as possible. I shoot with a Tascam DR-60D, 2-3 external mics, and either my 6D or 70D. I shoot only the songs themselves, and feed the mixed audio into my camera so the sound on the video file is pretty good (most times I can simply use that audio for the final mix), and that makes my job much faster in post.

If I were in your shoes to make it easy, I'd certainly use your external mic for the audio, and while I'm not very familiar with the EOS-M, you should be ok with it for video, especially if you stick to shooting only the songs (breaking in between individual songs or groups of songs). Keeping the individual record time down will help ensure your file size never gets too large (or too long), and can also help with your camera heating up. Also, make sure you're using a fast enough card to record at the rate you want. I would be far easier on you if you could feed your decent audio straight to the camera, as this would (or might) eliminate a more complicated step in post, but you'd most likely have to give up monitoring audio, which is a tough trade-off...

Anyway, the way I see it you're already doing much more for her choir than they currently get, so that's something to keep in mind.

Unfortunately yes...and its sink or swim time.
All the rehearsals are during class time so I can't get to them. Plus they are scrambling to get ready; just yesterday the teacher was testing individual choir members because several kids apparently didn't know their parts sufficiently and they wouldn't be invited to participate.

I'm not concerned about videoing the event since the recording is only to be used as an instructional aid by the teacher (and its a chance for me to learn something new); I'm sure many or most parents will be recording on their phones and Ipads. These performances used to be recorded by the school district for later broadcast on local cable access tv so I don't know why that's not the case for this concert. Perhaps the district doesn't consider choir to be important enough.

yogestee wrote in post #17211456
Thrown into the fire huh?

Can you get to a rehearsal or similar? Having a chat with the teacher is also important. Are parents aware you'll be videoing the event?

You really don't need to take it all in one long take. What normally do is take 'snap shots' of anything from 10 seconds to 60 seconds maximum, then join these takes together in a video editing programme. Choosing different shooting positions is paramount. If for example you shoot everything camera mounted in one spot only it will be as boring as last night's mashed potatoes. Move around.

Concerts are best shot during full dress rehearsals. This way you don't interfere with the audience. Also watch your audio levels.

PixelMagic wrote in post #17212284
Thanks for you suggestions Chris. My plan is quite similar to what you outlined in that I'll only record individual songs to avoid overheating. I have a 32GB SDHC UHS-1 card and a few smaller backups which should allow me to record the entire performance in 1080p.

That's quite a setup you have. Is the DR-60 a field mixer or a recorder? I'm looking to upgrade my DR-05 and get a better external mic but unfortunately my preferred equipment vendors are all closed for Jewish holidays. But I do intend to have better equipment for other performances.

What do you use to sync the recorded sound with your video? I have PluralEyes and Premiere Pro CC 2014 but I wouldn't consider myself an expert in video editing.

The DR-60D is both a mixer and recorder. Here it is on Amazon. I love this little thing- and the price is excellent. (edit- the one I linked to is the new version, I've got the mark 1).

While my setup sounds crazy, it's actually all designed to make life easy for me. I'm able to monitor audio via headphones, and the sound is sent straight to my dSLR while the video is recording, so the sound is already on the video files when I import them to the computer. In the rare occasion that I combine different video feeds/audio, I simply use iMovie (waiting for the sneer responses), as it works for me. I usually don't tweak the audio that's on the video file, as I just use it for review purposes in my classes, but the audio file from the TASCAM SD card I will, but only if I want/need a better quality audio file. The hardest part about the whole equation is placement of the mics, which will depend on your venue and on the choir.

I'm no video editing expert either, I just do what works and is easiest for me (and my budget).

I'd plant your DR-05 on the stage to minimize the sound of the audience coughing and shuffling. I suggest anyone who's done double-system sound before use that method. The quality is soooo much better than going direct into any prosumer camera. Especially for something where sound is so critical.

If the choir is lit with stage lights, it's really much easier to use a $200 camcorder than deal with all the start and stop and overheating, etc. But sometimes you have to use what you've got!

Chris, thanks for the addtional feedback/suggestions. I'm definitely looking into upgrading my external recording device to one that has a line out function and a few other features. This is an entirely new area for me so I'm having to do a lot of learning really fast.

cdmicha wrote in post #17212760
The DR-60D is both a mixer and recorder. Here it is on Amazon. I love this little thing- and the price is excellent. (edit- the one I linked to is the new version, I've got the mark 1).

While my setup sounds crazy, it's actually all designed to make life easy for me. I'm able to monitor audio via headphones, and the sound is sent straight to my dSLR while the video is recording, so the sound is already on the video files when I import them to the computer. In the rare occasion that I combine different video feeds/audio, I simply use iMovie (waiting for the sneer responses), as it works for me. I usually don't tweak the audio that's on the video file, as I just use it for review purposes in my classes, but the audio file from the TASCAM SD card I will, but only if I want/need a better quality audio file. The hardest part about the whole equation is placement of the mics, which will depend on your venue and on the choir.

I'm no video editing expert either, I just do what works and is easiest for me (and my budget).

Jon, thanks for your input. My plan is to mount the DR-05 horizontally on a mini boom pole and bungee it to railing separating the seating area from the orchestra pit and stage (approx 15-20 feet). The stage is usually lit with tungsten stage lights and I had looked into getting a Sony HF G10 but apparently they are no longer produced and very hard to find. Do you know of any other camcorder that matches the HF G10 specs and performance?

I really do appreciate you commenting; I was unaware of your business and the two rental companies I knew about in Milwaukee carry really basic equipment so I may be talking to you in the near future.

JonKline wrote in post #17215536
I'd plant your DR-05 on the stage to minimize the sound of the audience coughing and shuffling. I suggest anyone who's done double-system sound before use that method. The quality is soooo much better than going direct into any prosumer camera. Especially for something where sound is so critical.

If the choir is lit with stage lights, it's really much easier to use a $200 camcorder than deal with all the start and stop and overheating, etc. But sometimes you have to use what you've got!

It's good to meet a fellow Wisconsinite!
I assume you mean the Canon HF G10? It was a great learning camera and good for exactly what you're shooting. As the market shifts into 4K, I'm sure we'll see another great option around $1000 that does 4K soon. I would avoid buying an HD camera unless you're getting a great deal or you absolutely need one right now.

I just mention lighting because nearly any HD camera will look pretty good with enough light. You could get a much cheaper Vixia and get good results under daylight or stage lights.

The EOS M does great in video, I recommend Magic Lantern which will give you live time audio levels as well as focus peaking. You can also raise the bitrate if you need better quality. The on board stereo mic is not bad if you're gonna be near the performance, farther away and you'll need to go with an external.