Redeemer College Athletic Banquet

I was brought in to film Redeemer College’s annual athletics banquet, held at the Cotton Factory in downtown Hamilton.

It was my first time stepping into an event as the sole videographer.

Up until this point, I had worked independently as a photographer, but video introduces a different kind of responsibility — one that unfolds in real time, without the luxury of missed moments. Despite the short notice (I was contacted just a day before the event), I accepted immediately. It was the kind of opportunity that pushes you forward.

With no time to scout the venue, I walked in without knowing how the lighting would fall or how the room would carry sound. The evening quickly became an exercise in adaptation — reading the space, adjusting on the fly, and building shots in the moment rather than planning them in advance.

Events tend to follow a familiar rhythm: arrivals, conversation, speeches, awards, and quiet moments in between. My focus was to capture each of these layers from multiple perspectives — wide frames to establish the atmosphere, tighter shots to isolate reactions, and movement to give the final piece energy. Audio became just as critical as image, with both lavalier and shotgun microphones running continuously to ensure nothing meaningful was lost.

In the edit, the challenge shifted from capturing to shaping.

I approached the footage as a series of movements: an opening that felt welcoming and light, a gradual transition into the structure of the awards, moments of energy and recognition, and finally a natural wind-down as the evening came to a close. The goal was not simply to document the event, but to give it a sense of flow — something that could be watched and felt, not just reviewed.

This project marked a shift for me — from capturing moments to constructing them in sequence — and reinforced the value of staying adaptable, especially when there is no room for hesitation.


Gear Used:

(2) Fujifilm X-H2S's
(3) Lenses: Sigma 17-40mm f1.8, Viltrox 56mm f1.2, and the Fujinon 50-140mm f2.8.
(1) DJI MIC 2 kit
(1) Comica VM40 Shotgun Mic
(1) Manfrotto Befree Carbon Fibre Tripod
(1)Smallrig Cage & Several Accessories