We’re experimenting with different ways to capture the events that we help produce at Conventures. This past Friday, we used a GoPro Hero 3 camera to create a time-lapse video of the fun and frenzy of the entire first day of the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo at the Hynes Convention Center. As you can see, it was buzzing with activity!
This was our first go-around using a GoPro at an event. While the camera itself is easy to use, there were a few challenges to create a time-lapse video of this nature. First was finding a suitable place to mount the camera. The location needed to not only provide for an interesting vantage point for the photos but also had to be safe and secure. Fortunately at the Hynes Convention Center, we had access to a balcony area overlooking one of the large exhibit halls.
The balcony was off-limits to the public during the expo so there was little chance the camera would “walk off” on us. More importantly, the camera could be placed on the balcony in a spot where there was no danger of it coming loose and falling on anyone below.
The second challenge was the battery life of the GoPro. For a shorter time-lapse of a few hours, the GoPro’s battery will hold up just fine. But for a time-lapse like ours of nearly ten hours, you’ll have to work with external power. There is an easy work-around for that which we found online in this handy video. The only outlet in the balcony area was almost a hundred feet away but was easily reached with extension cords. Again, it was very fortunate that the area was off-limits to the general public.
In all, the work required to create this simple time-lapse video was not terribly extensive or time-consuming. The hurdles simply involved picking an appropriate spot with coordination with the managers of the hosting venue and a technical challenge that turned out to be quite simple to overcome.
The GoPro camera opens up new possibilities for us to capture our clients’ events in fun ways that show their energy and scale. Next up for us will be integrating audio.
Have you used a GoPro camera at an event before? Share a tip or trick that you found helpful!
