We are with Fernando Gómez today, cameraman and filmmaker, who shares his personal views about what clients and attendees expect from events. Also, he tells us something about the most challenging moments he has faced.
How long has you worked for beon. so far, and what do you enjoy most about it?
One of my first projects at beon. was at the Eficacia Awards in 2016 interviewing the jury, so it has been more than 3 years now.
What I like most about my work is the variety, here I have the opportunity to record, make, edit, direct… In a company as big as this one and with such a variety of clients, you never experience one day similar to another and work is never boring.
As filmmaker, what processes do you face before and after an event?
The process starts with the plans of the venue where the event will happen. The provision of cameras to have the entire stage covered is essential, you have to imagine everything that can happen beforehand so as not to be sold live.
Then I meet with the stage manager so that I can communicate the latest directions or requirements of the client and he/she can execute their needs. Finally, I always try to know the final feelings of the client and see their degree of satisfaction, I think that It is the only way to train me to improve and learn.
Which project has definitely posed a profesional challenge?
Without a doubt, the biggest challenge was Oriflame 50 Anniversary 2017 in Athens since I was part of practically all the phases of the project. An event with 8 cameras, steadycam, crane, backstage reporter, GoPro zenith camera… An event like that requires careful coordination with the rest of the classmates since there are many things that can fail. The final result was a gala with an execution at the same level of world’s top audiovisual shows.
What do clients expect from events? And attendees?
On mi side, as camera operator, it depends a lot on the type of show that the client has requested. If you have choreography and dance, a dynamic dynamism must be shown on the screens according to what is happening on the stage, fast camera movements, lighting effects…. If it is a more simple convention, the client wants speakers to appear on the screens without any adornment. Communication with the stage manager after meeting with the client is essential for the whole team to work in the same direction.
Attendees have an education and an audiovisual language trained on television, when they look at a screen at their event they want the same. I speak of plane sizes, frames, exposure… you cannot get out of the norm and risk more than the account since normally the important thing is what they say and how they say it, not what they see and how they see it. Of course there are exceptions in which customers want something more daring and current, in those cases it is when personal enjoyment appear to me insurmountable
In your opinion, where to is the AV industry heading?
I think automation is the next step. Soon there will be no camera operators in the events and everything will be controlled by a single person who will be directing 3, 4, 5, 6, or more cameras at once. Big Brother will arrive in events.
