wemrick1 wrote:... I have a little time and hope to visit the venue if possible. It is about a 750 mile drive one way but I might be able to make it part of another trip…
Sounds like my annual 3-day music festival in June. I hope your contact will be funding your stay and allow you to come the day before the first presentations to finalize how you’re going to shoot it. You should make it clear that you need to interface with any other production staff to coordinate the lighting and audio including how you will interface with the audio. You’ll want to run your equipment from mains supply. I always bring a 100’ high quality extension cord and some shorter extension cords and a power strip to connect your gear up mains power.
I was able to download a pdf of all of the meeting rooms at the venue with size specifications. My invitation comes directly from one of the organizers so I should be able to gleam a lot of information from her. It's a three day convention that is held yearly...
That’s all good. Knowing the room layout is important including where the mains power outlets are in relation to your camera etc.
If you go with a one week rental of a quality parfocal zoom such as a Fujinon, make sure it has a back focus adjustment otherwise you may not be parfocal. Get the lens earlier and experiment with it.
If they’re willing to cover your equipment costs, rent a Fujinon XK20-120mm Cabrio T3.5 for a week (which will be superior to a B4 lens). It has an optional servo.
How you control the zoom is up to you. I use a PD Movie motor-driven thumbdrive for focus and an old manual Chrosziel Zoom Control for very smooth and slow zooms. There are more modern options available, but if you go old school, search on the internet for used gear.