Filming the Fest

The Hypergrid International Expo is a bit like a tornado - a whirlwind of cultures, languages, with different styles of presentation, and wildly different subjects, all needing to be filmed so that people who can't be inworld can watch Live, but also to create an archive of videos on the HIE YouTube channel. Setting up, preparing equipment and researching the performances, filming, and editing - it's all a huge amount of work, and the team that does this is led by James Atlloud  with Sofee Supermarine and Petlove Petshop lending a hand for HIE 2025.  

First up, James - how did the new region work out this year, and can you tell us a bit about recruiting videographers? If anyone reading this wants to join the team, what should they do?

James and his Dinkie alt sitting at the Streamer's Table at HIE

James Atlloud: The var region simplified so many aspects of moving around, setting HUD, scripts and more.  Craft grid was so kind to us in the past, but it was quite the pleasure to work on a grid that is largely dedicated to the expo. As for recruiting a team, it can be hard. We are all adult volunteers with complicated demands outside of the expo.  Fortunately every person I ask to help is very considerate, which is consistent with the larger open simulator community.  I value the different styles and aesthetics of the video team members. Filming is a creative expression of our enthusiasm for living and working on the hypergrid. If people are interested in participating the best way to reach me is a direct message to ' jamesatlloud ' in Discord.

Sofee is an opensim regular, confirmed Dinkie - as in Funsize Dinkies and she's the editor of BlaBlaBla magazine . You can frequently find her DJing at the wildly popular morning session on AMV Welcome. I asked her how she got involved in the project and why she thinks it’s worthwhile.

Sofee Supermarine:  I’m passionate about storytelling in virtual spaces—and I love supporting the OpenSim community. When the idea of capturing the energy and creativity of HIE on film came up, I knew I wanted to be part of it. It’s worthwhile because it documents something truly special: people from all over the world sharing knowledge, ideas, and their love for virtual worlds.

Petlove Petshop's video activities encompass both real world and virtual interests. She's done a lot of work for her local Public Access Channel and of course she's got a lot of VW content on both Youtube and Vimeo. Petlove also volunteers as cameraperson over in SL for the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education or VWBPE, which was held this year on the same weekend as HIE. What did that mean for her?

Petlove Petshop

Petlove Petshop: I was determined to chip in on both events as I feel that are both so worthy. I had agreed to be backup for James this year though, so I let VWBPE know I'd be available evenings only. But as it turned out, unexpected medical problems completely prevented my attendance this year. Bleh!

Thirza Ember: James, talk us through your prep for the conference. Is filming HIE just like filming any other conference?

James Atlloud: I try to attend every rehearsal so I'll know what's likely to happen during each presentation.  I make use of both ‘flycam’ with the support of a camera hud used at OSCC, modified by me and further modified by Marcus Llewellyn.  Having a camera preset as a fallback for when moving the camera goes awry is a life saver.  I make a unique camhud for the different types of events and setup the presets during those rehearsals. 

James Atlloud backstage at HIE

James Atlloud:While practice and recording are a big part of the task, the most time I give to the expo is spent on post-production.  In fact I used to take time off from work before the expo, but in the past few years it’s more helpful to take time off AFTER! There are many similarities between different events for collecting a video record, but there are also significant differences.  Audio is the under-recognized and actually more important half of recording and there are endless complications in getting good audio.   

Thirza Ember: Sofee can you describe what you had to do as a film person this year?

Sofee Supermarine:  I think I filmed just under an hour in total this year in 3 shows parts broken down. It can be a bit stressful, especially when juggling camera angles, checking for lag, and making sure nothing important gets missed. But it’s also fun! My favourite part to film was the "Dual Wave" with its special effects. The music created and produced by Morlita M herself brought the visuals more to life, but Cherry Manga, (wow) her creative mind blows me away, she is one amazing talented person to create such scenes for HIE this year.

Thirza Ember: What equipment do you use to film inworld ? 

Petlove Petshop: I use OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) and edit with Sony Vegas on my CyberpowerPC, with lots of memory and a good graphics card. A 'flycam,' aka Space Navigator mouse also adds a lot to the production.

James Atlloud:  I have a Windows desktop computer that I had built at a local specialty store.  It has an i7 processor with 32gigabytes of RAM and an nVidia RTX4070 TI super graphics card.  It’s been a real solid performer and I was lucky to choose a case by Corsair that keeps things really quiet when all those fans are spinning.  For recording, most of us use OBS - Open Broadcaster Studio.  We also tend to use Firestorm and in particular I value the phototools panel.  For editing I use Adobe Premiere, but I’m learning Da Vinci Resolve.

James' setup. 

Thirza Ember:  What did you like best about this year’s event, as you listened as well as watched, Sofee?

Sofee Supermarine:  I really loved how diverse the topics were this year. There was a lot of heart in the presentations. Whether it was about education, creativity, or community-building, I felt inspired just listening. And seeing how much effort people put into their regions and talks—it reminded me why I love being part of this world.

Thirza Ember: Petlove, it must be different when you're working as part of a team, rather than doing a solo video project. 

Petlove Petshop: we have to be sure our windlights and other filming styles match, within reason. Also, we sometimes need to transfer files back and forth, I've used a low cost "WeTransfer" in the past few years. It's important that all team members have the 'run of show' - a schedule of what will be happening at the event. It's also extremely important to be present at practices. That way we learn what the artist or presenter will be doing and what they have planned. Working as part of a team is great if the team leader has a plan regarding logos, windlight settings, embedded film lengths etc ahead of time. Camera operator scheduling needs to be efficient and team members have to know that their equipment and experience are up to the task. 

Sofee Supermarine: I've learned to keep camera motion smoother and anticipate avatar movements a bit better—especially in busy scenes. I also use wider angles to capture the setting and audience so it feels immersive to viewers watching later. And I always try to grab a few behind-the-scenes shots; they add a human touch to the final edits.

Thirza Ember: It's always hard to convince people inworld to come and do rehearsals, James, can you tell us why it matters?

James Atlloud:  Practice is supremely important in any public performance.  For my day job I provide technical support for a national webinar program and our guest speakers always complain about the practices we require, but nearly as often thank us afterwards for how well prepared they felt for the event.  If nothing else, it’s a little confidence booster.  From the technical side, it brings out the bugs early!

Thirza Ember: Sofee, why should people watch, like, and subscribe to the HIE YouTube channel?

Sofee (right) at the HIE auditorium

Sofee Supermarine: Because it’s a gateway to so much knowledge, inspiration, and fun! Each talk and panel gives insight into the worlds people are building and the communities they’re nurturing. Subscribing helps spread the word and encourages more events like this to happen. And let’s be honest—it’s also a great way to see just how vibrant and creative OpenSim really is.

Thirza Ember: What's the toughest part of HIE for you, James?

James Atlloud:  Post-production!  My best guess is that I worked 30 hours in post-production for HIE this year. We all try our best to make good recordings, but something is sure to go wrong and then it’s time to ‘fix it in post’. A speaker and slides event is easy compared to an audio and visual performance where timing is everything.  And while I learned in film school that you can put any music to a video and our minds will make it mean something, I still think that a good editor is one who makes meaningful choices combining visuals with music. 

Thirza Ember: Sofee, you know a lot of Opensim people - have you ever suggested to a friend that they should give a talk at HIE? 

Sofee Supermarine: Yes! I believe everyone has something unique to share, even if they don’t think they’re an “expert.” The beauty of HIE is that it gives space to all kinds of voices. Encouraging more people to speak up brings fresh ideas into the mix and helps our community grow stronger and more connected.