This vertical version of the video covers the key soundbites regarding how closely integrated the Community Music field in Germany is, and its key role in helping established German high-arts institutions to develop new strengths.

The Community Music Konferenz took place in August 2025, a partnership between Konzerthaus Dortmund, Hochschule Düsseldorf, Community Music Netzwerk and Paper Lantern Collective.

The client wanted to use media from the conference to highlight Community Music in Germany and its potential socioeconomic impact. The event attracted 50 speakers from around the world and 300 attendees.

The client asked me to capture the conference with video and photography, to support the key message: that despite being a relatively new field, Community music in Germany is already highly organised, integrated and professional and to demonstrate the potential socioeconomic impact of community music to the organisations and institutions on whose support and funding community music practice depends.

The media created from this project will help community music projects to stand out in the competition for scarce funding, giving confidence to funders that long-term investments in community music projects in Germany will lead to sustainable socioeconomic impact.

The main montage is a mini-documentary based on interviews during the event with luminaries from the field, supported by event footage. It begins by highlighting the unprecedented size of the event, illustrating the field's rapid development and marking a new chapter as an established field in Germany. The story moves onto the challenges for sustainable growth, and how its uniquely close integration with established arts institutions may be the key to securing the future of Community Music in Germany.

To get the most out of the event and a small budget, we placed the emphasis on careful preparation and planning. We used a fast, lightweight setup for good coverage. Careful selection of interviewees and a detailed shoot plan helped us to avoid missing key moments or overshooting.