Compare the outputs side by side
Choose event deliverables by who will watch them afterward, and where. A recap tells a selected story of the day, a social clip carries one moment or idea, and a session recording keeps a whole talk with its audio. Each needs different coverage, so list the outputs you'll actually use before you ask for a quote, and don't assume one includes the others.
Most event video requests mix a few of these. The table shows what each is for, where it tends to end up and what has to happen on the day for it to exist.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Deliverable | Good for | Where it usually lives | What it needs on the day | Don't assume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recap | Showing the event to people who weren't there | Event website, registration page, sponsor follow-up | A clear story, must-include moments, room and crowd shots | Every speaker or sponsor will appear |
| Short social clips | One moment, quote or idea per post | Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok | Moments framed for vertical; clean audio for any quoted line | Any wide shot crops well to vertical |
| Session recordings | Giving people a whole talk | Member area, video library, internal training | A camera on the speaker start to finish, clean speech audio, a plan for slides and Q&A | A roaming recap camera also records full talks |
| Interviews | A speaker, sponsor or attendee in their own words | Inside the recap or clips, sponsor reports | A scheduled slot, a quiet room, questions, a signed release | People will have spare time between sessions |
| Photos | Stills for press, posts and next year's materials | Website, newsletters, press kits | A separate photo brief and someone assigned to it | Frames pulled from video replace planned photos |
| Raw footage | An in-house team editing more later | Your archive | An agreement on which files, how they transfer and what rights apply | Raw files arrive edited, captioned or included |
Choose the rows that serve a real audience and stop there. Sessions, photos and raw files are separate decisions, each with its own crew, editing or agreement. If you haven't mapped your agenda yet, start with how to plan an event video shoot; the rest of our event guides cover coverage, audio and reuse.
Recap: a selected story, not a record
A recap chooses moments to tell one story. It won't show every speaker, sponsor or room, and it isn't a substitute for recording sessions.
Before the event, agree on:
- the one message the recap should leave, for example "this is where our members meet the people who shape the industry";
- the must-include moments and people, ranked;
- the approximate length and where it will play;
- sponsor visibility, if you promised any, written down by sponsor;
- sound: if the recap will autoplay muted on a website or feed, plan on-screen text or captions so it still makes sense.
Session recordings: continuous coverage and clean audio
A session recording needs a camera that stays on the speaker for the whole talk, plus audio from the speaker's microphone. That camera can't roam for recap shots at the same time.
Decide:
- which sessions, by name. "All of them" is a separate plan if rooms run at the same time;
- how slides appear: in the shot, edited in from files the speaker supplies, or not at all;
- how audience questions are heard, for example through a dedicated Q&A microphone, or by the speaker repeating each question;
- whether each speaker has agreed to recording and publication, and where.
Audio decides whether a session is usable. Our guide to planning conference video audio covers who records what and how to test it.
Put the plan into a brief.
Organize your ideas, people and locations in an editable preparation draft.
Build your shoot briefInterviews: schedule them like sessions
Catching people in the hallway is hard to count on. Plan:
- who you want, and a backup for each;
- when: before doors open, during a break, or right after their session;
- where: a quiet room that stays quiet, away from catering routes;
- three to five questions, shared in advance;
- a signed on-camera release before filming.
Decide what arrives, and in what form
A deliverables list is only useful if someone can check it. Write down:
- the number of distinct edits and the approximate length of each;
- versions per edit: orientations, with or without music, with or without a logo end card;
- captions: W3C distinguishes open captions from viewer-controlled closed captions. Specify which you need and whether a transcript is separate. Its media accessibility guide recommends planning these needs early;
- delivery: where files will be shared, how they're named and who downloads them;
- review: how many revision rounds, and the one person who consolidates comments;
- rights: what you may do with the final videos, any limits from licensed music, and whether raw footage is part of the deal.
Deliverable specification card
Copy one card per deliverable. If a field in your column is blank, the deliverable isn't ready to quote. The right-hand column shows a filled-in card for a hypothetical regional trade association's one-day annual conference.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Field | Your deliverable | Example (hypothetical): event recap |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverable | Event recap | |
| Purpose: what should the viewer do next? | Save the date for next year | |
| Audience | Members who attended and members who didn't | |
| Where it will be published or played | Registration page and the post-event email | |
| Count of distinct edits | 1 | |
| Approximate length | 60–90 seconds | |
| Orientation and versions | 16:9 for the website; 9:16 for social | |
| Captions (open or closed) and transcript | Open captions on the 9:16 version | |
| Must-include moments and people | Opening remarks, keynote highlights, awards, a full room | |
| Must not include | Attendees who opted out; an unreleased product on one speaker's slides | |
| Deadline | Agreed in the proposal | |
| Review rounds and approver | Rounds agreed in the proposal; the membership director | |
| Usage and rights notes | Website, email and social; music licensed for those uses | |
| Done when | Names and titles checked; sponsor logos match the sponsor list |
How we can help
Our full-day coverage, up to 10 hours, includes a 60–90 second recap and 5 social clips; short coverage, up to 2 hours, includes a 60-second reel, with delivery timing confirmed in the proposal. Full session recordings, simultaneous rooms and slide capture are included only when scoped. After full payment, you receive a permanent, worldwide business-use license to the final videos; copyright and raw footage stay with Lonestarring. See event and conference video for the coverage options.
Social clips: count edits, not exports
Each clip should carry one idea: a keynote line, the award moment, a sponsor booth, the room filling up. Plan the topics before the event so the crew films them on purpose.
Then be precise about numbers. "Six clips" can mean six different edits, or one edit exported in six shapes. Those are very different amounts of work.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
Vertical clips work better when the crew knows which moments need vertical framing. A wide stage shot cropped to 9:16 can lose the speaker's gestures or the slide. Our guide to video formats for business explains how frame shape and versions differ.