Photo and film for an art event: ten questions to ask first
Openings, performances, residencies: ten questions to answer before calling whoever photographs and films an art event, and what to expect at delivery.
An opening or a performance happens only once. If a picture is missed, it cannot be taken again. That is why the most important part of the work happens beforehand, when organisers and photographers line up the same priorities.
This is the list of questions we suggest when you contact us about an event. You can use it even if you work with someone else: it makes a good brief either way.
The brief, in ten questions
- Who will use the images? Press office, social media, artists, sponsors, archive. Each needs different pictures, and it helps to know in advance.
- Do you need photos, film or both? If both, one direction is best: photo and film do not get in each other’s way and tell the same story.
- What are the three moments not to miss? A speech, the start of a performance, a guest’s arrival. Few, clear, with a time.
- Who are the people to recognise? Artists, curators, institutions, partners: a list of names saves searching for them in the crowd.
- What is the light like? A gallery with natural light at sunset, a dark hall, a courtyard. It changes the equipment and sometimes the schedule.
- Are there moments when photography is not allowed? Some performances need absolute silence or no filming in certain passages.
- When do you need the first images? The same evening, the next morning, within a week.
- In which formats? Horizontal for the press, vertical for social media, a reel, a longer film.
- Should the works also be documented after the event? A separate session in an empty room is often worth it.
- Who signs the images, and how? The photo credit and the limits of the licence should be written down before, not after.
Two examples
In Nina Baietta’s vocal performance at EDB Gallery in Venice, in dialogue with Léa Dumayet’s exhibition CILIA, the moment not to miss was the relationship between voice, body and works: the answer to question 3 was the whole performance, to be followed without ever interfering with the sound.
At Saturnalia, at Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, curated by Olga Gambari and Susanna Revelli, there was an exhibition with eight artists, portraits to take and Claudia Losi’s workshops for her ANIMULE project. Three different stories in one place: here questions 1 and 9 set the schedule.
What to expect at delivery
| When | What |
|---|---|
| The same evening, on request | A small selection for social media |
| By the next day | The press selection, already in the right formats |
| In the following days | The full set and the vertical reel |
| On request | A longer film for the archive and communication |
Every job includes a licence for the communication, press and archive of the institution and the artists, with the photo credit. Advertising uses are agreed separately: details are on the Image rights page.
Since 2018 we have also told every edition of the Creativamente Roero residencies, in photographs and documentaries. If you have an event coming up, send us your answers: even the first three are enough.
