events · Published 6 November 2026 · Updated 6 November 2026 · 4 min read · Darius Setsoafia
Should You Film Behind the Scenes at Your Event?
Yes, if the footage helps people understand the care, people or preparation behind the event. Agree a few useful moments, access and filming time in advance. Then decide whether they belong in the highlights or a separate video for a specific audience.
Start with what the viewer would learn
An empty room becoming a busy event can make a lovely sequence. Before adding it to the filming plan, though, I’d ask what it tells the person watching. Does it explain the effort behind the experience, introduce the people making it happen or show something a future guest would find useful?
My starting point with content is the audience we want to reach. For a future attendee, that might mean seeing a host prepare an activity and then watching guests take part. For a potential sponsor, the useful detail might be how the team prepares a demonstration that visitors can try.
You can appreciate a beautiful finished room without knowing how it came together. Showing a little of the preparation gives you another way to explain the choices behind it. Pick the detail that matters to your viewer.
Find the people behind the preparation
I’d look for someone who can explain the work in ordinary language. A host arranging the welcome desk could tell you what guests will need when they arrive. An organiser could explain why they’ve left space for people to talk between activities.
You don’t need a polished speech. Ask a short question about the thing they’re doing, give them room to answer, and film the detail they’re describing. A useful prompt could be, “What have you changed here to make things easier for guests?” Only use it when there is a real change to explain.
That follows my preference for natural conversation and showing how a business works. The person doing the job may have a more useful explanation than a line written for them by someone outside the team.
Choose a small sequence you can actually capture
Think about a beginning, the work in progress and the finished experience. These examples are possible filming ideas, rather than accounts of DS Media client projects.
| What you want to explain | Before guests arrive | During the event |
|---|---|---|
| How a hands-on activity works | The host lays out the materials and explains the task | Guests try it and compare what they’ve made |
| What goes into an awards evening | The team prepares the awards and checks the presentation order | A winner receives an award and shares a reaction |
| How visitors will be welcomed | Staff walk through the arrival route and prepare the welcome point | Guests arrive and get help from the team |
| What a sponsor contributes | A representative prepares a demonstration | Visitors take part and the representative explains what they tried |
Give the producer the relevant times and locations, including when the finished scene will happen. If the preparation takes place the day before, flag that before the quote is agreed. It changes the access and coverage you are asking for.
This supporting footage is often called B-roll. Adobe describes how it can establish a scene and add context, and recommends planning it with a shot list. The event examples above are ways to apply that general production advice. Adobe’s guide to B-roll
Agree access around the people delivering the event
Before bringing a camera into setup, ask the organiser and venue who can approve the filming position and timing. The person arranging flowers and the team installing equipment may be working under very different conditions.
HSE says safety management matters during setup and breakdown as well as when the public is present. Its guidance also covers coordinating contractors and sharing relevant site information. Put the filming crew into those arrangements and follow the event team’s instructions about access and where work is happening. HSE guidance on managing an event
Plan any short conversation for a point when the contributor is available. Let them finish the task that needs their attention. If access changes, ask the producer what can be shown from an agreed position or at another time.
Confirm who is happy to appear and check what is visible around them. Registration lists, private messages and unreleased announcements need attention before a clip is shared. Use the filming permissions guide when agreeing people and intended uses. Event filming permissions
Give the footage a place in the finished content
A few preparation shots may help open the main highlight film. A longer explanation could become a separate video thanking the team, introducing an activity or showing a sponsor’s contribution. Decide who will watch it and where it will be used before asking for the edit.
I wouldn’t expect every useful moment to fit into one film. If the main highlights are about the guests’ experience, keep that story clear. Give a separate explanation its own space when it serves a different purpose.
Check the filming priorities too. An early setup sequence may be worth capturing, but tell the crew which arrivals, performances or awards also need coverage. Discuss any clashes and the working hours before confirming the plan. The wider event brief is the place to bring those decisions together. What to include in an event brief
For an awards evening, launch, festival or business event in Newcastle or the North East, bring the running order and the preparation moments you’re considering to DS Media. We can agree how they fit into the coverage and the finished highlights or social edits. DS Media event videography
Written by
Darius Setsoafia
Darius is the founder of DS Media — a Newcastle-based video production company specialising in corporate films, conference coverage, and event documentation across the North East and beyond. He has spent over six years working with brands, venues, and organisations to document stories worth sharing.
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