Last week, our Creative Media students at City of Westminster College operated a three-camera, vision-mix with talkback live event stream for the City of Westminster Council's annual Active Westminster Awards at Porchester Hall, Bayswater, London. 

The Active Westminster Awards recognise individuals who change lives by contributing to physical activity, leisure and sport. Now in its 16th year, with nine award categories, the awards are a chance to highlight the hard work of inspiring people and organisations across Westminster.

In addition to providing audio and visual support throughout the evening, the same group of City of Westminster College students and other Creative Media students produced a series of nine location-based promotional video features, about borough, unique sports and well-being groups, and these videos were also screened and the Active Westminster Awards.

Here’s what two of our students had to say about their experience of working at the event:

“I was the live vision mixer for the Active Westminster Awards. My role involved switching between cameras, and VT feeds in real time to make sure the show ran smoothly on the screens and livestream. It was a great experience working under pressure and being part of the technical team delivering the event.” Sajed, Creative Media Student 

“I was the Main Handheld Camera Operator positioned in front of the stage. My main task was to hold the camera steady and track the presenter (Qasa Alom) and the acts on stage. I also had to track the award winners walking down the red carpet, which was quite challenging to time correctly, but I think it showcased some beautiful moments of the winners’ emotions and the people in their party rushing to congratulate them. I had my peer, Muna behind me handling most of the cabling and gently pulling me back to my area to prevent any tripping and to ensure the video remained as smooth as possible, even during motion. My favourite part had to be the magician act, my tutor asked me to get on stage with the camera and track the magician’s hands. It was a bit daunting at first but after I got the hang of it, I felt a sense of belonging, as if camera operating is ‘my thing’ and I wouldn’t have had that realisation without being able to partake in this event.” Zaina, Creative Media Student

See behind-the-scenes awards diary, filmed by Chloe, Creative Media Student: