Vom Set · Christmas parties · Opinion
Show the community, not the chaos
When I filmed this Christmas party for Amazon Web Services in Frankfurt, it was my fourth year working with them and my second of their Christmas parties. And I've come to believe one thing about the Christmas party video: the best one isn't the wildest one.
Those last shots of the night, when everybody let loose and was funny on camera? Let me tell you, that's not the hook.
People let go. It's normal, we're human beings. Alcohol lets people go, which is fun. But how many times have you said to yourself: oh man, what did I say last night?
In a kununu survey of 1,065 employees in Germany last November, about half said they drink at the Christmas party. One in four said they get at least a little tipsy. Those people are in your footage too.
Nobody should find their worst minute in the company film.
A video from an internal party travels. It won't only be shown to the people you befriended that night. A company like Amazon has teams all over the world. So it has to look beautiful in any corporate setting. Something they can share with their clients.
You're showing community. You're not showing the catastrophe.
Your job as a videographer is to put everybody in a wonderful light. To show who the people in the company really are, and how much they care.
Christmas parties in numbers
53%
of employees in Germany had a company Christmas party in 2025
57%
of them say the party matters to them
83%
of US employees say holiday parties help them bond with coworkers
Calm is part of the job
Getting there takes a lot nobody sees. You get to the shoot an hour early. You set up all your equipment. You walk around with the organisers and try different places for the interviews. And you always think you've found the one place where it's going to be fine.
Then someone says: no, actually, this is where people check in. So you move. Then the party starts. You're standing in the middle of it with your headphones on, and you think: oh no. It's way too loud.
You smile. You nod. You stay respectful and professional. And you tell them: we're going to have to move this outside.
That night we did exactly that. It was cold. You suck it up. And you're glad you hit record on the lavalier mic too, because at least you have a second track to work with.
As a videographer you have to be a person who is calm. Who can breathe, first of all.
Any venue can work
Locations matter. Backdrops matter. But wherever you are, you're going to find a place for the interview, and you're going to make it interesting. Maybe it's a light in the back. Maybe it's moving things around. Or you move the person forward, zoom in at 85mm with a lot of bokeh, and let the background just show where you are.
That night we had a big arch of balloons behind the people. That was the pillar we wrapped all the interviews around.
Leave the drink, keep the people
By then I'd been at many of Amazon's events. Every time I see them, it's like we're friends who haven't seen each other in a few months.
My younger self would have said: OK, let's have a drink, let's hang out with everyone. But the truth is, you're still a professional. You're doing your job. You're trying to get the story. A drink isn't going to help that.
What helps is knowing the people. And encouragement. “Yeah, that was great. But why don't you use your hands? Let's do it again. Let's take it from the top.”
Sometimes that's a little white lie, because I haven't pressed record. Honestly, sometimes the first take is a warm-up for both of you. The next one is going to be even better.
Afterwards I tell them: thank you so much for redoing everything. I'll be honest, I forgot to press record at the beginning. But the second take was so amazing.
People mess up. You mess up. You can always do it again.
Except when the CEO only has five minutes. Then you put the pressure on yourself, because you get one shot.
And the good interviews? They often come from questions that aren't even on the sheet.
Listen to the client
A lot of videographers I know have their vision, and they want it done that way. Sometimes it's OK to have ego. The client knows you're a creative person, and they hired you because you do what you do. But they didn't hire you to stop listening to them. They hired you to understand their vision too.
So that's what I think a Christmas party video is for. Not the wildest moment of the night. The people, at their best, in a film they're happy to share.
Planning a Christmas party in Frankfurt? Send me the date and the venue, and whether you'd like film, photos or both. I'll come back with a quote within one working day.