Position and framing
- From the back of the room, with the focal length set to hold the whole stage and no more. The reason to be far away is that it is the one position from which the framing never has to change.
- Record at the highest resolution the camera offers, so that cropping into it later counts as a second angle rather than as damage.
- If more than one camera is possible, the professional reply used three, and another contributor described several perspectives: a wide holding the stage plus closer angles from the front.
Sound was the recurring answer
- Take a feed from the sound desk if there is one, rather than relying on a microphone mounted on the camera.
- Room microphones collect the auditorium's echo, which was raised as the main hazard of recording from the seats.
- Record a backup on a second device, a small recorder or even a phone, and keep it off the floor or it picks up footsteps through the structure.
- Watch the levels. Too low is underexposed and too high clips, and one reply recommended the camera's automatic level control when there is nothing better available.
- One contributor recorded separate tracks: radio microphones on the principals, a stage microphone, and an ambience track.
For syncing sound that was recorded separately, the trick offered was to make three loud claps about five minutes before the performance starts. They are unmistakable in the waveform, which makes lining the recordings up quick even by hand.
Light, and why to attend a rehearsal
The most repeated practical warning came from someone who photographs their daughter's plays: the light is always less than expected and its colour is usually poor. Their advice was to attend a rehearsal that runs the actual lighting and test the settings against it, on the grounds that a still can be corrected afterwards but video is far less forgiving. Failing that, record a short test under approximately the right light before the performance and look at it properly.
Exposure while the lighting changes
- Manual with auto-ISO was recommended over full manual for this specific job, so the camera absorbs lighting changes without anyone touching it mid-performance.
- Shutter can go slower than twice the frame rate if the performers are not moving quickly, at the cost of blur that may look wrong when they do.
- Expect some noise. One reply was blunt that even at the best settings a dim stage will produce it.
- If the camera records 10-bit log and you already know how to grade it, that was suggested as extra dynamic range, with the caveat that it is only worth it if you can handle the footage afterwards.