Creating and Sharing Show Videos

From the very first Wünderstudies show, we have shared highlight videos of scenes and songs recorded live. This is a rare practice in Pittsburgh, because it is hard to make a video represent an improv show well. Some are aware of this and choose not to share videos. Others are not aware and share videos which are more likely to turn people away than attract them.

I would like to offer a few simple principles which have guided the production of high quality Wünderstudies show videos.

1. Place the camera amidst the audience.

The biggest problem with most show videos is that they do not capture the essence of the live improv audience experience. Sitting in the audience at an improv show, you feel close to the performance, you see the subtle emotions on the performers' faces, you clearly hear the dialogue on stage, and it is all colored by the large and small reactions of the audience members sitting around you. The key to a great improv video is to simulate the audience member's experience. This is best achieved by placing the camera amidst the audience.

Most show videos seem to be filmed from far away, so the whole stage shows during the entire video. This makes sure nothing on stage is missed, but keeps everything at such a distance that the show seems small and disconnected from the viewer. This also reduces the audio quality, if you're recording audio through the camera mic. Placing the camera amidst the audience allows the viewer to see the expressions on the performer's faces and makes the viewer feel close to the performance. It also improves the audio quality, so the viewer can clearly hear the dialogue and the audience's reactions.

Pay attention to subtle details in the following video which would have been missed if the camera were not amidst the audience and close to the stage. Watch the subtle expressions on the performers' faces. Listen to the clarity of the performers' speech and song. Listen to the immersive sound of the audience reactions surrounding the camera.


2. Dynamically follow the focus of the scene.

Improv scenes always have a focal point, which often shifts between characters dynamically through the course of the scene. Sometimes the focus is on two characters near each other on stage. Other times the focus shifts rapidly between two characters far from each other on stage. Still other times the focus is on a single character giving a monologue or solo. As an audience member at an improv show, you naturally follow the focus of a scene by moving your eyes or turning your head. You also can sometimes narrow your attention to focus on one character or broaden your attention to focus on a large group scene.

Most improv videos are filmed by a stationary camera which is set up at the beginning of the show and left unsupervised until the end of the show. The camera is set up far away so the whole stage is shown, and the shot never moves from that wide angle view of the stage. This completely ignores the shifting focus throughout the show. The viewer can see everything at once, but is distracted from the focus of the scene by all of the extra stuff on screen. However, if you place a camera amidst the audience with a camera operator, that camera operator can dynamically follow the focus of the scene with the camera. The camera operator can zoom in to narrow the focus or zoom out to broaden the focus. The camera operator can pan left and right to shift focus between different parts of the stage.

Pay attention to the camera movement in the following video. Look for panning left and right as the focus shifts on stage. Look for zooming in and out as the focus narrows or broadens on stage. Ask yourself whether this, rather than a stationary camera, better represents the experience of watching this show as an audience member.


P.S. Thanks to Janna, DJ, and Ellie, who all served as camera operators for Wünderstudies. They made all of this possible!

3. Record whole shows, but only share highlights.

I'm the weird one. I like to sit and watch full show videos by improv groups that inspire me. Most people do not care enough about your show to invest that kind of time watching a video. You may want people to see the best parts of your show, but you have to compete for attention with every other viral video spreading around the internet, and most of them are less than 5 minutes long. People expect short videos with a big payoff.

Recording a whole show makes a lot of sense. You can use the video to review and analyze the show. You can submit the video with a festival application. You can archive the video to combine with others in nostalgic highlight reels. You can share the full video with the weird ones like me, who want to study your work and learn from you. However, these videos are not meant to be consumed by the average fan or the person who just stumbled across your online marketing. They can even be counterproductive, if they don't quickly get to a high point that grabs the viewer's interest. So, take the time to watch the full video yourself and identify short highlights which can stand alone and represent your group at its best. These videos will create new interest in future shows and encourage fond memories of past shows.

Note how the following video is completely out of context. If you weren't at the show, you probably have no idea who this character is or what she cares about. The details of the song lyrics probably don't make full sense. However, the video is still engaging and entertaining. It represents a great highlight from a show which would have been hidden in a 45+ minute full show video. If you had never seen this group before, would this video make you want to come to the next show? If you had been at the recorded show, would it make you want to come back for more?


Miscellaneous Tips:

I think the principles above are the most important, but there are plenty of other little things I've learned about show videos. For instance:

• If your camera uses auto white balance, make sure there are no audience members' heads in front of the camera. If they are in the shot, your camera will try to adjust the white balance to see them better, but they are much darker than the well-lit stage, so your performers will look completely washed out with light. If you can't avoid showing audience members' heads, try to adjust the white balance manually, so the heads look silhouetted and the performers look natural.
• Use a tripod to stabilize the camera. Shaky cam may be all the rage in gritty independent films, but it distracts from the focus of a show video. Tripods are pretty cheap, and make a huge difference.
• Consider using high quality audio recording equipment, if possible. Most camera mics are not equipped to record a theater space well. The bigger the space, the worse the problem. And remember to position the audio recording equipment such that it will still capture the experience of sitting in the audience.
• Archive your show videos as long as possible, and share them with your team members. They can be very useful in ways you didn't even foresee. You can submit them to festivals. You can edit together personal highlight reels. You can track your progress over time as a performer. There are tons of possibilities. Don't delete videos that you might regret missing later.