Event speeches

The constraint is capturing a static speaker cleanly from a distance. Set up a tripod toward the back, frame the speaker at 50–70mm so you sit off to the side without a distorting wide angle, and shoot manual at 4K24, 1/50 with f/2.8 to lift them off a busy room. S-Cinetone and face priority keep the look and focus solid while you leave the shot running. Because the light is whatever the venue gives you, cap Auto ISO around 6400 and lock white balance so the footage matches cut to cut.

Watch out for the audio, which is the whole point of a speech. The internal mic will capture a boomy, distant room, so take a feed from the sound desk or place a mic near the source, and monitor levels on headphones. Set the exposure for the lit face against a dim room, protect the highlights on skin, and — if you can — run a second locked angle so an edit can cover any wobble or refocus in the main shot.